User's Guide
PoliScript
Printed on 7 October, 2004
i
Contents
About Poliscript
5
About the STITLES.RAC or Workfile .........................................................................................................6
About the Poliscript software........................................................................................................................7
Read-only Poliscript .....................................................................................................................................7
Alternative screen styles ...............................................................................................................................7
Setting the workfile path...............................................................................................................................8
System defaults .............................................................................................................................................8
The Edit Mode screen ...................................................................................................................................8
The Rehearse Mode screen .........................................................................................................................10
Positioning toolbars ....................................................................................................................................11
Poliscript Menus .........................................................................................................................................12
Keyboard options........................................................................................................................................12
Poliscript Keyboard Functions ........................................................................................................13
PC keyboard functions.....................................................................................................................18
Shuttle Pro operation ..................................................................................................................................25
Types of subtitle .........................................................................................................................................27
Pay as you go
29
The pay-as-you-go window ........................................................................................................................29
Setting user details ......................................................................................................................................30
Using the clock ...........................................................................................................................................30
Setting Warnings ........................................................................................................................................31
Selecting the active dongle .........................................................................................................................32
Purchasing more time .................................................................................................................................32
Using Poliscript
35
Starting Poliscript .......................................................................................................................................35
Closing Poliscript........................................................................................................................................36
Operating Poliscript from the command line ..............................................................................................36
Creating multiple configurations ................................................................................................................38
Creating new subtitles.................................................................................................................................39
Starting a new subtitle file ...............................................................................................................39
Adding a new subtitle ......................................................................................................................40
Inserting a subtitle ...........................................................................................................................40
Creating cumulative subtitles ..........................................................................................................41
Entering and editing subtitle text ................................................................................................................41
Positioning the cursor ......................................................................................................................41
Text Insertion Modes.......................................................................................................................42
Entering subtitle text........................................................................................................................42
Editing subtitle text..........................................................................................................................43
Moving text using the Row and Word keys ....................................................................................43
Placing text outside the Safe Area ...................................................................................................44
Moving text into the next subtitle....................................................................................................44
Deleting text ....................................................................................................................................44
Cutting text ......................................................................................................................................45
Copying text ....................................................................................................................................46
Pasting text ......................................................................................................................................46
Inserting a new row .........................................................................................................................47
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Contents
Limiting the number of rows in a subtitle........................................................................................47
Marking text in a subtitle.................................................................................................................48
Finding (Searching for) Text ...........................................................................................................48
Finding and replacing text ...............................................................................................................49
Adding accents to characters ...........................................................................................................50
Formatting subtitle text ...............................................................................................................................51
Selecting or changing the subtitle font ............................................................................................51
Italics ...............................................................................................................................................51
Setting text colour............................................................................................................................52
Setting text background colours ......................................................................................................54
Setting the text alignment ................................................................................................................55
Selecting presentation styles............................................................................................................56
Selecting the G3 configuration set...................................................................................................57
Spell checking subtitle text .........................................................................................................................57
Running a spell check......................................................................................................................57
Subtitle utilities ...........................................................................................................................................58
File properties..................................................................................................................................58
Undoing changes .............................................................................................................................59
Moving to a particular subtitle.........................................................................................................59
Merging subtitles .............................................................................................................................60
Splitting a Subtitle ...........................................................................................................................61
Adjusting timecode using the Recut key .........................................................................................62
Timing the subtitles ....................................................................................................................................62
About Cues ......................................................................................................................................63
Setting default cues..........................................................................................................................63
Setting reading speed defaults .........................................................................................................64
Duration Indicator Bar.....................................................................................................................65
About capturing cues .......................................................................................................................66
Capturing cues in Edit Mode ...........................................................................................................66
Capturing cues using a mouse button ..............................................................................................68
Capturing In and Out Cues in Rehearse mode.................................................................................69
Capturing cues in Edit mode using Calculate Duration...................................................................70
Capturing cues in Rehearse mode using Calculate Duration ...........................................................71
Capturing cues in Rehearse mode using the Spacebar.....................................................................72
Entering In and Out Cues manually.................................................................................................72
Entering cues manually using Calculate Duration...........................................................................74
Editing in and out cues manually.....................................................................................................74
Cue Jogging .....................................................................................................................................75
Recalculating cues (from within the current subtitle window) ........................................................76
Block subtitle utilities .................................................................................................................................77
Marking a block of subtitles ............................................................................................................77
To unmark a block of subtitles: .......................................................................................................78
Specifying the subtitle block size via the Utilities dialogue ............................................................78
Copying blocks of subtitles .............................................................................................................78
Cutting blocks of subtitles ...............................................................................................................79
Pasting blocks of subtitles ...............................................................................................................79
Cutting or Copying blocks to file ....................................................................................................79
Pasting blocks from file...................................................................................................................80
Aligning text....................................................................................................................................80
Printing ............................................................................................................................................80
Print preview ...................................................................................................................................81
Renumbering subtitles .....................................................................................................................82
Sorting subtitles by In-Cue ..............................................................................................................82
Adjusting vertical position...............................................................................................................83
Block font selection .........................................................................................................................85
Timecode adjustments .....................................................................................................................85
Deletions..........................................................................................................................................86
Contents
iii
Rehearsing the subtitle file .........................................................................................................................87
Manual cueing to air ...................................................................................................................................88
File Handling ..............................................................................................................................................89
Opening an existing subtitle file ......................................................................................................89
Saving files ......................................................................................................................................90
Copying files ...................................................................................................................................92
Deleting subtitle files.......................................................................................................................93
Reading-in alternative text for a subtitle file ...................................................................................93
Appending a file to the current workfile..........................................................................................94
Supported File Formats ...................................................................................................................94
Setting File Options .........................................................................................................................97
Associating file types.....................................................................................................................104
Subtitle Comments....................................................................................................................................105
Adding a comment to a subtitle .....................................................................................................105
Comment searches.........................................................................................................................106
Deleting Comments .......................................................................................................................107
Checks ......................................................................................................................................................108
How to specify Check Settings for cues ........................................................................................108
How to specify Check Settings for the Safe Area..........................................................................108
Checking the subtitle file ...............................................................................................................109
Poliscript Reference information
111
Keyboard layouts ......................................................................................................................................111
About Poliscript fonts ...............................................................................................................................111
Font Setup.................................................................................................................................................112
About the Safe Area..................................................................................................................................113
About timecode.........................................................................................................................................114
About In-Cues and Out-Cues....................................................................................................................115
Subtitle Duration.......................................................................................................................................115
Interval......................................................................................................................................................115
Subtitle 0...................................................................................................................................................115
Reading speeds .........................................................................................................................................115
Warning Messages....................................................................................................................................116
SV3
117
Capturing a clip.........................................................................................................................................117
Importing a clip.........................................................................................................................................118
Deleting a clip...........................................................................................................................................119
Previewing and opening a media file........................................................................................................120
Playback control .......................................................................................................................................121
Muting audio inputs ..................................................................................................................................123
Closing a media file ..................................................................................................................................123
Audio scrubbing........................................................................................................................................123
Restriping timecode ..................................................................................................................................125
Linking subtitle files to clips.....................................................................................................................126
Defining jump-back time ..........................................................................................................................127
Auto-selecting audio inputs ......................................................................................................................127
Audio timeline
129
Viewing the audio timeline.......................................................................................................................129
Playing the clip using the timeline............................................................................................................130
Jump to any point in the clip.....................................................................................................................130
Working with subtitles on the timeline .....................................................................................................130
Checking cues on the timeline.......................................................................................................130
Adjusting cues on the timeline ......................................................................................................131
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Moving a subtitle on the timeline ..................................................................................................131
Enforcing minimum subtitle duration and interval........................................................................132
Scrolling video to a selected cue ...................................................................................................132
Selecting a subtitle as the current one............................................................................................133
Deleting a subtitle on the timeline .................................................................................................133
Customising the audio timeline .....................................................................................................133
Subtitle list box
135
Displaying and scaling the subtitle list .....................................................................................................135
Using the subtitle list ................................................................................................................................136
Customising the subtitle list box...............................................................................................................136
Vidcache
139
About Vidcache ........................................................................................................................................140
How Vidcache uses the hard disk ..................................................................................................142
The record video to Vidcache dialogue .........................................................................................143
About recording.............................................................................................................................145
About playing Vidcache recordings ..............................................................................................146
Using Vidcache.........................................................................................................................................146
Making a recording...................................................................................................................................147
Playing a Vidcache recording ...................................................................................................................148
Playback control .......................................................................................................................................149
Rehearsing the subtitle file with Vidcache ...............................................................................................150
Renaming a Program File .........................................................................................................................151
Deleting Program Files .............................................................................................................................151
Deleting all Program Files ........................................................................................................................152
Linking Files with Video ..........................................................................................................................152
Enabling Warnings ...................................................................................................................................153
File Confirmation......................................................................................................................................153
System setup
155
Selecting keyboard type............................................................................................................................155
Selecting keyboard language ....................................................................................................................156
Editor ........................................................................................................................................................156
Timecode ..................................................................................................................................................157
Capture settings ........................................................................................................................................157
Default cues ..............................................................................................................................................158
Reading speed ...........................................................................................................................................158
Display mode ............................................................................................................................................158
Generating fonts from G3 fonts ................................................................................................................159
Selecting the manual cue device ...............................................................................................................160
Selecting the rehearse output ....................................................................................................................160
Launching output drivers ..........................................................................................................................161
Adding video printers ...............................................................................................................................162
Configuring video printers........................................................................................................................163
G3 digital graphics inserter............................................................................................................163
K3 composite graphics inserter .....................................................................................................169
T3000 VBI inserter device ............................................................................................................175
Teletext driver ...............................................................................................................................179
Enabling video printers.............................................................................................................................182
Index
183
5
About Poliscript
Poliscript is a dedicated software application for the creation and editing of television and
video subtitles. It runs on any standard PC of suitable specification, and enables subtitles to
be prepared on a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) basis. All available text
colours, fonts, styles and backgrounds etc., are visible on the Poliscript monitor exactly as
they will be displayed during transmission of the program material (though not at broadcast
quality as this is not necessary at the subtitle preparation stage).
Poliscript can also be run in read-only mode (page 7) for monitoring and viewing subtitles.
Depending on the particular requirements, a Poliscript system can incorporate a number of
options to provide additional operating facilities. The principal options are:
a Poliscript keyboard - This has been optimised for subtitle preparation by the addition
of dedicated function keys. Although not absolutely essential - the system can be
operated using a standard PC keyboard - most systems will include the Poliscript
keyboard as it greatly simplifies the subtitling process and significantly increases
productivity. The keyboard is also available in various configurations for use with
different character sets including non-Roman typefaces.
SV3 - This is an optional module within the Poliscript software. It enables the playback
of program video, audio and timecode from media files on the PC hard disk, under
control of transport control buttons and a timeline in the Poliscript screen. The video
plays in the Poliscript monitor, allowing it to be viewed with the subtitles imposed,
without the need for an external monitor.
Video capture card - As an alternative to SV3, a suitable video capture card can be used
to accept video from a VTR or other external source and present it in the Poliscript
monitor. This allows the video to be viewed with subtitles imposed, but all play control
must be provided externally - for example, by the VTR transport controls.
Timecode card - This is a dual-input card which accepts the timecode (VITC or LTC)
associated with the program video, which can then be captured to provide the subtitle
in/out cues.
To provide continuity for subtitlers who are migrating from Win2020, Poliscript has the
following compatibility.
The Edit and Rehearse screens can be switched by a menu option between the Poliscript
format and traditional (i.e. Win2020) format.
Poliscript is compatible with the Win2020 Vidcache system. If Vidcache hardware is
present, the system will automatically present a Vidcache menu, allowing it to be
operated exactly as in the Win2020 environment.
Other features of Poliscript include:
the ability to create subtitles in both Open (IN-VISION) and Closed (TELETEXT)
formats.
the ability to read from and save to the major subtitling file formats.
sophisticated editing and check routines.
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PoliScript User's Guide
subtitling output to floppy disk, or optionally, direct to character generator or Teletext
encoder.
the ability to read files from Screen Subtitling Systems PU2000 preparation units and
convert them to Poliscript format.
full network compatibility.
multi-lingual capability.
About the STITLES.RAC or Workfile
Poliscript is designed for the preparation of one subtitle file at a time. The normal sequence
of events would be for you to:
1 Create a new file or open an existing file.
2 Enter the subtitle text and cues and then, when the file is ready:
3 Write the file out from Poliscript in the required format.
Whenever you open a file in Poliscript, or create a brand new file, that file then becomes the
current Poliscript Workfile. When you save that file, or if an autosave takes place, the
workfile file is saved under the name STITLES.RAC, in the folder specified through File
Options in the Tools menu. See: Setting the Workfile Path (page 8).
Every time you start Poliscript, it automatically loads the current STITLES.RAC file.
The STITLES.RAC workfile is, however, only intended for storage of the subtitles between
Poliscript sessions. When you have completed work on the subtitles, you should then
permanently store your work by saving the workfile out from Poliscript onto floppy or hard
disk using the Save or Save As option in the File menu. The STITLES.RAC workfile
remains intact between sessions. Consequently, if you omit to save your work, you will not
lose it unless the workfile is overwritten.
Similarly, if you are working on one subtitle file but wish to work on a different file and
return to the current one later, you must first save the current workfile out from Poliscript. If
you do not do this, and go on to create a new file or to open a file, that file will then become
the new current workfile and the previous workfile will be lost.
This may not be necessary in a multi configuration system (page 38), but even then is still
advisable practice.
About Poliscript
7
About the Poliscript software
The Poliscript software application handles the generation and editing of subtitle text, as well
as defining the on-screen display characteristics. Utilities are provided for checking the
subtitle file parameters and also for management routines such as file handling operations.
The majority of Poliscript operations are carried out in a single screen area which is used in
two distinct modes of operation: Edit and Rehearse. In general, much of the editing of both
the subtitle text and the timing information will be done using the Edit mode and Poliscript
always starts-up in this mode. Rehearse mode is used to monitor the subtitle file quality
before it is submitted for transmission. Once checked, the file can then be played out (via a
character generator) at broadcast quality onto a sub-master tape for broadcast on a suitable
transmission system.
In either of the two operating modes you can select a small-screen or large-screen
presentation; the large-screen presentation gives a larger video picture but less information
related to the subtitles, and vice-versa for the small screen presentation. See the Edit Mode
screen (page 8) and Rehearse Mode screen (page 10).
Read-only Poliscript
As a licencing option, a read-only version of Poliscript is available, which is enabled through
the use of a special dongle1. This allows video files and their corresponding subtitle files to
be played and viewed in the Poliscript monitor, but does not provide any subtitle edit
facilities. It can, however, allow SV3 video capture and import, provided these options are
enabled in the dongle. All menu options and toolbar buttons that are not compatible with
read-only mode are unavailable for use.
Alternative screen styles
To provide continuity for operators familiar with Poliscript's predecessor, Win2020, it is
possible to switch the operating screens to a traditional Win2020 style and format. When this
is selected, the layout of controls on both the Edit and Rehearse screens becomes identical to
those in Win2020, as does the Main Menu. The traditional screens are not referred to further
here, as it is assumed that only experienced Win2020 operators will use them.
You can toggle between the two display styles by selecting or de-selecting the Traditional
Style option in the View menu.
1
This is a programmable software key, which must be present for Poliscript to run. Different dongles are used on
systems for which a normal licence has been purchased, and on those using the pay-as-you-go option. Pay-as-yougo dongles hold a record of available time, which can be recharged as required.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Setting the workfile path
Note
By default, the Poliscript workfile is saved to the C:\Poliscript\SYSTEM folder. This
path should be changed only in multi-configuration systems where each configuration has its
own workfile. See Multi-Configuration Setups (page 38).
To set the workfile path
1
Select Tools>Options>File Options.
2 In the File Options dialogue, expand the System Files entry in the left-hand pane and then
select Workfile.
The Workfile Directory box in the right-hand pane will show the current directory path.
3 Click the ellipses button to the right of the box to open a standard Windows file browser.
Use the browser to select the directory that you wish to use for the Workfile.
This will be the folder created for the current configuration of Poliscript.
4 Click OK.
System defaults
Poliscript software provides a comprehensive range of subtitling and system set-up
parameters which enable you to configure the program to suit individual preferences and/or
the requirements of a particular subtitling task. Any changes made are saved when you exit
from Poliscript. When you next run Poliscript, the values last used will be re-applied as the
new system defaults.
Note The default parameter information is held in a system configuration file (the .OST
file). Poliscript will look for this file when starting and will load the parameter information
from it. If the .OST file is not found or is invalid, Poliscript will start-up with the original
default values. Several different OST files can be resident within the system to enable
alternative configurations of the Poliscript program for different users or types of subtitling
task. See: Multi-Configuration Setups (page 38).
The Edit Mode screen
The graphic below shows Poliscript in edit mode using small-screen presentation. You can
place Poliscript in Edit mode by pressing the Edit key or by choosing the View>Edit Mode
menu option.
To switch between the small screen and large screen display modes
Do one of the following.
About Poliscript
Press Shift+Edit for the large-screen display. Press Edit to return to the small-screen
display.
Choose the View>Large Screen or View>Small Screen menu option.
All toolbars, including the play controls and the timeline (see below) are movable Windows
elements (page 11).
The functions of the numbered areas of the screen are as follows.
1
This is the Current Subtitle Window where subtitles are created and edited. It also
serves as the Poliscript Monitor such that, if video is being supplied, it will be
displayed behind the subtitle text.
2
The number displayed in this box is the number of the subtitle displayed in the
Current Subtitle Window.
3
This box shows the timecode value used as the In Cue for the Current subtitle.
4
This box shows the timecode value used as the Out Cue for the current subtitle.
5
This box shows the duration, in seconds and frames, of the current subtitle.
6
This window shows two lines of text from the Next subtitle in the file. Clicking in
this window moves the subtitle to the Current Subtitle window.
7
The number displayed in this box is the number of the subtitle currently displayed in
the Next Subtitle window.
8
This box shows the timecode value used as the In Cue for the next subtitle in the file.
9
Previous Subtitle Window. It shows two lines of text from the previous subtitle in the
file. Clicking in this window moves the subtitle to the Current Subtitle window.
10
The number displayed in this box is the number of the subtitle currently displayed in
the Previous Subtitle window.
9
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PoliScript User's Guide
11
This box shows the timecode value used as the Out Cue for the Previous subtitle.
12
Timecode from an incoming video signal is displayed in this box.
13
This is the Duration Bar. It is designed to help you decide an optimum duration for
the subtitle. The position of the diamond represents the actual duration (the further it
is positioned to the right, the longer the duration is) and the two blue arrows represent
the suggested duration, plus and minus 10%, based on a reading speed calculation.
Ideally the diamond will be positioned between or close to the arrows. See The
duration bar (page 62).
14
The Comment Window. This is toggled on and off by the Comment Window Icon. It
is used for adding comments, information etc., to the current subtitle. Note however
that the comment text is not included during play-out and transmission of the subtitle
file.
15
This is the control for the Subtitle Comment Window. Clicking on the icon toggles
the window display on and off. The icon appears to have text on it if a comment has
been entered for the current subtitle. Otherwise, it is plain yellow.
16
Shows whether Poliscript is using Vertical Interval Timecode (VITC) or Linear
Timecode (LTC). See: About Timecode (page 114)
17
This is a style preview showing how the subtitle will appear when processed by an
Insight Character Generator. See Selecting presentation styles (page 56).
18
Font selection box. Selects the font for creating or editing the text in the current
subtitle window.
19
Play control buttons for playing video in the current subtitle window. The video can
be played forward or backward, and the buttons provided are: Jog (1 frame), Play,
Play 2x speed, Goto Start/End, Pause, Stop.
20
Video timeline. The cursor on the timeline shows the progress of the video replay. By
dragging the cursor, you can scroll back or forward to any point in the video clip.
21
Status bar. The boxes in this bar show current selection of Edit or Rehearse mode,
selection of PAL or NTSC operation, and the number of individual subtitles in the
current subtitle file.
22
Menu bar. These are standard Windows drop-down menus, from which you can
select all system functions.
23
Standard control bar, which provides buttons for quick selection of file create, open,
save, edit and print functions. The same functions are available on the File menu.
24
Font control bar, which provides buttons for font selection, italicising, justification
and colour selection.
The Rehearse Mode screen
The graphic below shows Poliscript in Rehearse mode, using small-screen presentation. You
can place Poliscript in Rehearse mode by pressing the Rehearse key or by choosing the
View>Rehearse Mode menu option.
To switch between the small screen and large screen display modes
Do one of the following.
Press Shift+Rehearse for the large-screen display. Press Rehearse to return to the
small-screen display.
About Poliscript
11
Choose the View>Large Screen or View>Small Screen menu option.
The layout and facilities of the screen are virtually identical to those of the Edit Screen (page
8) except that controls which are not relevant to rehearse mode are greyed out.
All toolbars, including the play controls and the timeline are movable Windows elements
(page 11).
Positioning toolbars
All Poliscript toolbars can be docked or floating, according to your own preference.
A docked toolbar is one that is attached to one edge of the program window, and appears
with a move handle at the end.
A floating toolbar is one that is positioned away from the window edge and appears with
a title bar.
To move a docked toolbar
1
Click and drag the move handle. If you drag the toolbar to an edge of the window it will
snap into place and become docked. If you release it within the window it will become
floating.
To move a floating toolbar
1
Click and drag the title bar. If you drag the toolbar to an edge of the window it will snap
into place and become docked. You can change the shape of a floating toolbar by
dragging its edges or corners.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Poliscript Menus
Poliscript has two menu systems:
All system functions are available as selections from the drop-down menus on the menu
bar. Simply click on the menus and select the required options.
In addition, a number of the system functions are also available via short-cut menus
which pop up in the screen area. There are essentially two such menus:
The Main shortcut menu
This can be activated by right-clicking anywhere
in the screen area (except on editable fields such
as the timecode boxes) or by pressing the Menu
key. It provides quick access to a number of
frequently-used functions as an alternative to
using the menu bar.
Edit shortcut menus
These are activated by right-clicking on editable
fields such as the timecode boxes. They provide
access to standard editing functions such as Cut,
Copy and Paste for manipulating the entries in
the fields.
Keyboard options
Poliscript can be operated using either a dedicated Poliscript keyboard (supplied as a system
option) or a standard PC keyboard. The choice of keyboard (page 155) and of keyboard
language (page 156) must be made when the system is first run, and subsequently if the
keyboard type is changed.
The Poliscript keyboard has been specially designed by Screen Subtitling Systems for use
with the system. Compared to a standard PC keyboard, it is equipped with a number of
additional function keys that provide facilities related to the editing and preparation of
subtitles. The keyboard also supports all the usual keyboard facilities required by standard
Windows applications.
Wherever keyboard functions are described in this guide, they refer to the Poliscript
keyboard. If you are using a standard PC keyboard, refer to PC Keyboard Functions (page
18) for information on the equivalent keys and key combinations.
About Poliscript
13
Poliscript Keyboard Functions
The individual function keys provided on the Poliscript keyboard are listed below with brief
descriptions of their functions. Where keys are used in conjunction with others, we show this
by using a plus sign. For example Shift+Word means press the Shift and Word keys.
Note
The keys must be pressed in the order shown. An instruction such as:
Press Word+Row, means: Press and hold the Word key, then press the Row key. An
instruction such as Press Row+Word+Delete means: Press and hold the Word key, then press
the Row key and finally, press the Delete key.
More detailed information related to the use of these function keys is provided in the relevant
sections of this user information.
Any key not listed below (Caps Lock, Delete, etc.) can be assumed to have the same function
as on a standard PC keyboard.
Key
(Supershift)
Function
This key is always used in combination with others and details are
therefore given with the information about those keys. In general
however, is used for the following applications.
To access special characters which are available in the selected
font but for which there is no key on the keyboard
e.g. +S produces = ß
To create superscript and subscript characters e.g. 23m2 and
H2O.
To apply background colours (page 54) to subtitle text.
Note: The key is also used for control of the Vidcache (page
139) system (when present).
Accent
Used in conjunction with the row of numeric keys to create
accented characters. The particular accent set depends upon the
keyboard configuration e.g. Accent+7 then C will produce Ç.
See: Adding accents to characters (page 50)
Add on
This key is used to create cumulative subtitles where subtitles
appear on the screen without replacing the previous subtitles.
Please note, this function is usually reserved for closed Teletext
subtitling, as most open character generators do not allow the
retaining of previous text, once a new subtitle is put on-air.
See: Creating cumulative subtitles (page 41).
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PoliScript User's Guide
Black/White,
Blue/Green,
Magenta/Cyan
Red/Yellow
These keys are used alone and in combination with the Shift and
keys to select text and text background colours for a subtitle. For
example:
Black/White - Sets text colour to White
Shift+Black/White - Sets text colour to Black
+Black/White - Sets background to White
+Shift+Black/White - Sets background to Black
The other colour keys all operate in the same way to toggle the text
and background between the relevant colours.
Poliscript will not permit the text and background to be set to the
same colour or to certain combinations of colour.
See: Setting text colour (page 52).
Check
Initiates a series of checks on the cues and safe area of the current
file. The parameters for the checks are set-up via the
Tools>Options>Check Settings menu option.
Shift+Check is used to resume checking after an inconsistency or
error in the file is encountered.
See: Checks (page 108).
Copy
This key copies any text that has been selected using the mouse or
the Mark Text function. The selected text is untouched but a copy
is kept in a buffer until another Copy or a Cut command is used. It
is possible to recall the Copy text currently in the buffer by using
Paste.
This key used in conjunction with Row+Word+Start or End will
Copy any marked block of subtitles.
See: Copying text (page 46), Cutting or copying blocks to file
(page 79) and Copying blocks of subtitles (page 78).
Cut
This key removes text that has been selected using the mouse or the
Mark Text function. Cut text will be retained in a buffer (until Cut
is used again or Copy is used) and can be pasted elsewhere by
using the Paste key.
When used in conjunction with Row+Word+Start or End, any
marked block of subtitles can be copied.
See: Cutting text (page 45) & Cutting blocks of subtitles (page
79).
See: Cutting or copying blocks to file (page 79).
Delete
Used to delete subtitle text. Used on its own the key will delete the
character at the current cursor location. You can also delete
individual words using Word+Delete and complete rows using
Row+Delete.
Dur
The Duration key. Pressing this key (with Poliscript in edit mode)
places the cursor directly into the duration box for the current
subtitle. The duration value can then be edited.
Edit
Places Poliscript into small-screen Edit mode (page 7). Shift+Edit
puts the system into large-screen edit mode.
End
Places the cursor at the end of a subtitle.
Esc
Can be used to exit from an active dialogue box.
About Poliscript
Find
Allows you to search (from the current subtitle to the last subtitle in
the file) for specified characters. The search is case sensitive. See
also the Replace key.
See: Finding text (page 48).
Font
This key toggles the typeface, on the current row of the current
subtitle, between fonts 1 and 2.
See: About Fonts & Font Selection (page 112).
Goto
Opens the Goto subtitle dialogue from which you can move
directly to:
The first subtitle in the file
The last subtitle in the file
Any subtitle specified by its number
Any specified point in the timecode
See Moving to a particular subtitle (page 59).
Home/Start
Used when entering or editing subtitle text. This key places the
cursor at the start of the text.
In Cue
Used when timing subtitles. If an incoming video and timecode
signal is present, pressing In Cue will capture the current timecode
value as the In-Cue for the subtitle. Shift+In Cue moves the cursor
into the In Cue field without capturing any timecode and you can
then enter or amend the code manually.
If no incoming video is present, pressing In Cue will insert a
default timecode value in the In Cue field. The value will be that of
the Out-Cue for the previous subtitle, plus the default interval.
See: About In-cues and Out-Cues (page 115) and About
Capturing Cues (page 66).
Insert
This key toggles between the Insert On and Overwrite modes
which define what happens when you type the text of your
subtitles.
In the Insert on mode, text is inserted at the current cursor location
and any text to the right of the insertion point is moved along the
row. In Overwrite mode, any text to the right of the cursor will be
overwritten as you type. Selection of Overtype mode is indicated
by OVR in the Status bar of the Edit Mode screen.
The above sequence is reversed when using a font or language such
as Arabic that reads from right to left.
Italics
Used to toggle between normal and italic fonts when entering or
editing subtitles.
See Italics (page 51).
Justify
Used to left-align, centre or right-align subtitle text. Justify must be
used with Row (to align a row of text) or Row+Word to align the
complete subtitle. The key operates in a cyclical fashion - you
simply press it one or more times to place the text into the required
alignment.
Mark Text
Allows text within a subtitle to be marked for the purpose of
cutting, copying, deleting or placing elsewhere.
See: Marking text in a subtitle (page 48).
15
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PoliScript User's Guide
Menu
Displays the main shortcut menu which gives access to a range of
frequently-used functions.
Merge
Merges the current and next subtitles. The overall timing
information is retained, but all references to the (now merged)
following subtitle are deleted.
See: Merging Subtitles (page 60).
Move
This moves all text from the current location of the cursor to the
end of the subtitle and places it into the next subtitle. The timecode
values for the current subtitle are not deleted so, if you wish, new
text can be inserted into the current subtitle.
See: Moving text into the next subtitle (page 44).
Out Cue
Used when creating subtitles. If an incoming video and timecode
signal is present, pressing Out Cue will capture the current
timecode value and insert it as the Out Cue for the current subtitle.
Shift+Out Cue moves the cursor into the Out Cue field without
capturing any timecode and you can then enter or amend the code
manually.
If no incoming video is present, pressing Out Cue will insert a
default timecode value in the Out Cue field. The value will either
be that of the In Cue for the subtitle, plus four frames, or a greater
value as determined by the duration calculated for the subtitle text.
See: About in-cues and out-cues (page 115) and About capturing
Cues (page 66).
Page Down
Places the next subtitle into the current subtitle window.
Page Up
Places the previous subtitle into the current subtitle window.
Paste
Pastes any text currently held in the buffer (following a Copy or
Cut command) into the current subtitle at the cursor position.
When used in conjunction with Row+Word will Paste any
previously Cut or Copied block of subtitles.
See: Pasting text (page 46) and Pasting blocks from file (page 80).
Recut
Displays the Recut dialogue in which you can effect changes to the
timecode values for all subtitles by the application of an offset or
by changing the start point of the selected block of subtitles.
See: Timecode adjustments (page 85).
Rehearse
Places Poliscript into small-screen Rehearse mode (page 10)in
which the current subtitle file is played out against the incoming
timecode supplied from the video tape or SV3 (or Vidcache, if
fitted). That is, each subtitle in turn will be displayed at the In-Cue
time, for the specified duration and will be removed from view at
the Out-Cue time.
Shift+Rehearse places Poliscript into large screen Rehearse mode.
Replace
Similar to Find, this key allows you to search (from the current to
the last subtitle in the file) for particular words or a combination of
characters, and to replace these with some other text as specified.
The search is case-sensitive.
See: Finding and replacing text (page 49).
About Poliscript
Row
Used in combination with other keys to apply a selected action to
complete rows of text or the entire subtitle e.g.:
Row+Delete deletes a row.
Row+Insert inserts a row.
Row+Justify cycles the text alignment of a row through leftjustified, centred, left-centre justified and right-justified text.
Row+Word can be used to apply an action to the complete subtitle
e.g.:
Row+Word+Space clears all text from the subtitle.
Row+Word+Justify cycles the text alignment of the whole
subtitle through left-justified, centred and right-justified.
SAO
The SAO (Safe Area Override) key allows subtitle text to be placed
outside the safe area (page 113).
See: Checks (page 108).
Save
This key saves the current workfile (page 6) to the specified folder.
See: Save (page 91).
Split
Splits the current subtitle at the cursor position into two separate
subtitles. A new subtitle will be created to contain the part split
from the current subtitle. This new subtitle will have the same
number but with an alphabetical suffix e.g. splitting subtitle 6 into
two parts will result in subtitles 6 and 6a.
See: Splitting a subtitle (page 61).
St.No
Subtitle Number. Takes the cursor directly into the number box for
the current subtitle. The subtitle number can then be edited.
T/C O-ride
The T/C O-ride (Timecode Override) key is used in Rehearse
mode. Previously-set time cues are ignored and you are able to
recapture new values for those time cues.
See: Capturing In and Out cues in Rehearse mode (page 69).
Undo
This key is used to undo changes made to the subtitle in the current
subtitle window. Note, however, that pressing Undo will cancel
every change you have made to that subtitle since it was placed in
the Current Subtitle window. As soon as a subtitle is moved from
the Current Subtitle window, to the Previous or Next windows,
changes can be reversed only by manual editing. Undo only
reverses changes made to the subtitle in the current subtitle
window.
See: Undoing changes (page 59).
Word
Used in combination with other keys to apply actions to complete
words e.g.:
Word+ moves a complete word to the previous row.
Word+ moves a complete word to the next row.
Word+Delete will delete a word.
17
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PoliScript User's Guide
PC keyboard functions
The table below shows how the characters and functions represented on the dedicated
Poliscript keyboard can be selected on a PC keyboard. Note that there is some variation in
key functions due to the differences between different language keyboards.
Operation
Win2020 Keyboard
PC Keyboard
Normal SHIFT keys
SHIFT
SHIFT
Normal CAPS-LOCK
toggle
CAPS LOCK
CAPS LOCK
Apply certain functions to
rows
ROW + function keys
Apply certain functions to
words
WORD + function keys
Apply certain functions to
subtitles
ROW + WORD + function keys
ALT GR key (Subtitle key)
Accent characters
ALT GR / ACCENT key + top
row of numeric keys
ALT GR key + top row of
numeric keys
Access special characters.
Vidcache, other functions
SUPER SHIFT key
Special characters - |\ key +
characters
or
CTRL + ALT + characters
Shift Key Functions
Vidcache - |\ key or CTRL +
ALT
Timecode Override Key
T/C o-ride key
LEFT CTRL key in rehearse
mode only
Characters
A-Z
A-Z
Numbers
0-9, NUMPAD 0-9
0-9, NUMPAD 0-9
Symbolic characters,
accented characters via
single keystroke
,;+=-:@
,;+=-:@
Usually where a symbolic
character is, but keyboard
dependent
Usually where a symbolic
character is, but keyboard
dependent
Special characters such as
dotless I, upsidedown ?
Obtained via SUPER SHIFT +
character (e.g. SUPER SHIFT +
I, and SUPER SHIFT + ?)
Obtained via |\ key +
character, or CTRL + ALT +
character. (e.g. in this case |\
key + I, or CTRL + ALT + I)
Delete character to left of
cursor
BACKSPACE
BACKSPACE
Delete character to right of
cursor
DELETE
DELETE
Toggle between
Insert/Overwrite
INSERT
INSERT
Standard Editing
About Poliscript
Go to start of subtitle / Put
Subtitle ONAIR when
Manually Cueing
HOME
HOME
Go to end of subtitle / Put
Subtitle OFFAIR when
Manually Cueing
END
END
Go to start of row
ROW + HOME
CTRL + HOME
Go to end of row
ROW + END
CTRL + END
Go to previous subtitle
PAGE UP
PAGE UP
Go to next subtitle
PAGE DOWN
PAGE DOWN
New line
RETURN
RETURN
Move to previous character
LEFT CURSOR
LEFT CURSOR
Move to next character
RIGHT CURSOR
RIGHT CURSOR
Move to next word
SHIFT + RIGHT CURSOR
SHIFT + RIGHT CURSOR
Move to previous word
SHIFT + LEFT CURSOR
SHIFT + LEFT CURSOR
Move up a line
UP CURSOR
UP CURSOR
Move down a line
DOWN CURSOR
DOWN CURSOR
Delete text from current
cursor position to end of
row
SHIFT + DELETE
SHIFT + DELETE
Delete entire row
ROW + DELETE
CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE
Delete a word
WORD + DELETE
ALT + DELETE
Delete a subtitle
ROW + WORD + DELETE
ALT GR + DELETE
Delete a word but leaves
spaces it used to occupy
WORD + SPACEBAR
ALT + SPACEBAR
Delete a row but leaves
spaces it used to occupy
ROW + SPACEBAR
CTRL + SPACEBAR
Deletes a subtitle but leaves
cues intact
ROW + WORD + SPACEBAR
ALT GR + SPACEBAR
Start a marked block of
subtitles
ROW + WORD + Home
ALT GR + HOME
End a marked block of
subtitles
ROW + WORD + End
ALT GR + END
Insert a Row
ROW + Insert
CTRL + SHIFT + INSERT
Insert a Subtitle
ROW + WORD + Insert
ALT GR + INSERT
Go to start of subtitle file
ROW + WORD + Page Up
ALT GR + Page Up
Go to end of subtitle file
ROW + WORD + Page Down
ALT GR + Page Down
Move Word Up
WORD + Up Arrow
CTRL + Up Arrow
Move Word Down
WORD + Down Arrow
CTRL + Down Arrow
Move Row left
ROW + Left Arrow
CTRL + Left Arrow
Move Row Right
ROW + Right Arrow
CTRL + Right Arrow
Moving Text
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PoliScript User's Guide
Move Subtitle Up
ROW + WORD + Up Arrow
ALTGR + Up Arrow
Move Subtitle Down
ROW + WORD + Down Arrow
ALTGR + Down Arrow
Move Subtitle Left
ROW + WORD + Left Arrow
ALTGR + Left Arrow
Move Subtitle Right
ROW + WORD + Right Arrow
ALTGR + Right Arrow
Display Menu / Close Menu
MENU key
CTRL + F1 OR Popup
Menu Key if it is there
Edit Mode
EDIT key
CTRL + F2
Large screen Edit Mode
SHIFT + EDIT key
CTRL + SHIFT + F2
Rehearse Mode
REHEARSE key
CTRL + F3
Large screen Rehearse
Mode
SHIFT + REHEARSE key
CTRL + SHIFT + F3
Find text in subtitles
FIND key
CTRL + F
Replace text in subtitles
REPLACE key
CTRL + H
Undo current changes to the
current subtitle
UNDO key
CTRL + Z
Find Comment
CTRL + FIND
CTRL + SHIFT + F
Find Next Comment
CTRL + Page Down
CTRL + Page Down
Find Previous Comment
CTRL + Page Up
CTRL + Page Up
Open Win2020 Online Help
file
F1 / Help key
F1
Access Recut Menu
F2 / Recut key
F2
Merge current subtitle with
following one
F3 / Merge key
F3
Split current subtitle at
cursor postion
F4 / Split key
F4
Moves text from current
subtitle to following one
F5 / Move key
F5
Set Mark text mode on/off
F6 / Mark key
F6
Cut any marked text
F7 / Cut key (only if text is
selected)
CTRL + X
Spell check the subtitle file
F7 / Cut key (only if no text is
selected)
F7
Spell check the current
subtitle
ROW + WORD + F7
SHIFT + F7 or ALT GR + F7
Cut marked block of
subtitles
ROW + WORD + F7 / Cut key
ALT GR + X
Cut marked block of
subtitles to a file
SUPER SHIFT + F7 / Cut key
|\ key + F6 or
CTRL + ALT + F6
Copy any marked text
F8 / Copy key
CTRL + C
Copy any marked block of
subtitles
ROW + WORD + F8 / Copy key
ALT GR + C
Command Function Keys
Upper keypad
About Poliscript
Copy any marked block of
subtitles to a file
SUPER SHIFT + F8 / Copy key
|\ key + F7 or
CTRL + ALT + F7
Paste any text currently in
buffer
F9 / Paste key
CTRL + V
Paste block of subtitles
ROW + WORD + F9 / Paste key
ALT GR + V
Paste block of subtitles from
a file
SUPER SHIFT + F9 / Paste key
|\ key + F8 or
CTRL + ALT + F8
Initiate a series of checks
F10 / Check key
F10
Re-start checking from last
error
SHIFT + F10 / Check key
SHIFT + F10
Safe Area Override
F11 / SAO key
F11
Save subtitles to work file
and current subtitle file if
enabled
F12 / Save key
F12
Escape from menu, dialog
box
ESCAPE key
ESCAPE
Goto a subtitle
GOTO key
CTRL + G
Goto the Duration box
DUR key
NUMPAD '-'
Goto the Subtitle Number
box
S.T. NO Key
NUMPAD '+'
Capture timecode into the
incue box
INCUE key
NUMPAD '/'
Go into incue box without
capturing timecode
SHIFT + INCUE key
SHIFT + NUMPAD '/'
Capture timecode into the
outcue box
OUTCUE key
NUMPAD '*'
Go into outcue box without
capturing timecode
SHIFT + OUTCUE key
SHIFT + NUMPAD '*'
Toggle between the two
fonts
FONT key
F9
Create cummulative
subtitles
ADD-ON key
SHIFT + F9
Select foreground colour
(white, cyan, yellow, green)
COLOUR keys
CTRL + F9, CTRL + F10,
CTRL + F11, CTRL + F12
Select foreground colour
(black, magenta, red, blue)
SHIFT + COLOUR keys
CTRL + SHIFT + F9, CTRL
+ SHIFT + F10, CTRL +
SHIFT + F11, CTRL + SHIFT
+ F12
Command Function Keys
RH keypad
Command Function Keys
LH keypad
21
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PoliScript User's Guide
Select background colour
(white, cyan, yellow, green)
SUPER SHIFT + Colour keys
|\ key + F9, |\ key + F10, |\ key
+ F11, |\ key + F12
or
CTRL + ALT + F9, F10, F11,
F12
Select background colour
(black, magenta, red, blue)
SUPER SHIFT + SHIFT +
Colour keys
|\ key + SHIFT + F9, |\ key +
SHIFT + F10, |\ key + SHIFT
+ F11, |\ key + SHIFT + F12
or
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + F9,
F10, F11, F12
Select foreground colour for
whole subtitle (white, cyan,
yellow, green)
ROW + WORD + Colour keys
ALT GR + F9, ALT GR +
F10, ALT GR + F11, ALT
GR + F12
Select foreground colour for
whole subtitle (black,
magenta, red, blue)
ROW + WORD + SHIFT +
Colour keys
ALT GR + SHIFT + F9, ALT
GR + SHIFT + F10, ALT GR
+ SHIFT + F11, ALT GR +
SHIFT + F12
Timecode Override (used in
combination with other
keys)
T/C O-RIDE key
LEFT CTRL key in
REHEARSE MODE ONLY
Toggle between italics mode
on/off
ITALICS (| \ key)
F8
Toggle a word between
italics / non-italics
WORD + ITALICS
SHIFT + F8
Toggle a row between
italics / non-italics
ROW + ITALICS
CTRL + F8
Toggle a row from current
position between
italics/non-italics
ROW + SHIFT + ITALICS
CTRL + SHIFT + F8
Toggle a subtitle between
italics / non-italics
ROW + WORD + ITALICS
ALT GR + F8
Justify a row
left/centre/right
ROW + JUSTIFY (~ # key)
CTRL + JUSTIFY (~ # key)
Justify a subtitle
left/centre/right
ROW + WORD + JUSTIFY (~ #
key)
ALT GR + JUSTIFY (~ #
key)
New File
ROW + WORD + 'N'
CTRL + 'N'
Save out workfile to a
subtitle file
ROW + WORD + 'S'
CTRL + 'S'
Save out workfile to a
subtitle file
ROW + WORD + 'W'
CTRL + 'S' (Save)
Open a subtitle file
ROW + WORD + 'R'
CTRL + 'R' or standard
windows CTRL + 'O' (Open)
Manual cue enable/disable
ROW + WORD + 'X'
CTRL + 'M'
Scan subtitle file (not sure if
used)
ROW + WORD + 'D'
Other Functions
About Poliscript
Insight Control Codes
No Control
ROW + WORD + '1'
CTRL + SHIFT + '1'
Unboxed
ROW + WORD + '2'
CTRL + SHIFT + '2'
Boxed
ROW + WORD + '3'
CTRL + SHIFT + '3'
Ghost Box
ROW + WORD + '4'
CTRL + SHIFT + '4'
Stripe
ROW + WORD + '5'
CTRL + SHIFT + '5'
Ghost Stripe
ROW + WORD + '6'
CTRL + SHIFT + '6'
Outline
ROW + WORD + '7'
CTRL + SHIFT + '7'
Drop Shadow
ROW + WORD + '8'
CTRL + SHIFT + '8'
Capture Incue
(Edit\Rehearse)
INCUE
NUMPAD '/'
Capture Outcue
(Edit\Rehearse)
OUTCUE
NUMPAD '*'
Capture Incue (Rehearse)
PRESS SPACEBAR
PRESS SPACEBAR
Capture Outcue (Rehearse)
RELEASE SPACEBAR
RELEASE SPACEBAR
Capture Incue, calculate
Outcue, move to next
subtitle
ROW + WORD + RETURN
ALT GR + RETURN
Recalculate Incue with
regard to Outcue
ROW + WORD + INCUE
ALT GR + NUMPAD '/'
Recalculate Outcue with
regard to Incue
ROW + WORD + OUTCUE
ALT GR + NUMPAD '*'
Capturing cues
(Rehearse mode only)
Override existing timecode
and re-capture it
Override Incue
T/C O-RIDE + INCUE
LEFT CTRL + NUMPAD '/'
Override Outcue
T/C O-RIDE + OUTCUE
LEFT CTRL + NUMPAD '*'
Override Incue
T/C O-RIDE + SPACEBAR
PRESSED
LEFT CTRL + SPACEBAR
PRESSED
Override Outcue
T/C O-RIDE + SPACEBAR
RELEASED
LEFT CTRL + SPACEBAR
RELEASED
Override Incue, calculate
Outcue, move to next
subtitle
T/C O-RIDE + RETURN
LEFT CTRL + RETURN
Vidcache
NB: Normal Frame Rate is
25 FPS if PAL is selected or
30 FPS if NTSC is selected
23
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PoliScript User's Guide
|\ key (is originally italics key)
and may be different or may
not exist on other non-UK
keyboards (appears next to
left shift)
Play Forwards at normal
frame rate
SUPERSHIFT + RIGHT
ARROW
|\ key + RIGHT ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + RIGHT
ARROW
Play Backwards at normal
frame rate
SUPERSHIFT + LEFT ARROW
|\ key + LEFT ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + LEFT
ARROW
Stop, single frame step
forward
SUPERSHIFT + UP ARROW
|\ key + UP ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + UP ARROW
Stop single frame step
backward
SUPERSHIFT + DOWN
ARROW
|\ key + DOWN ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + DOWN
ARROW
Increment frame rate until
max 10000 FPS (has effect
of moving slower
backwards and faster
forwards)
SUPERSHIFT + SHIFT + UP
ARROW
|\ key + SHIFT + UP
ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + UP
ARROW
Decrement frame rate until
max -10000 FPS (has effect
of moving slower forwards
and faster backwards)
SUPERSHIFT + SHIFT +
DOWN ARROW
|\ key + SHIFT + DOWN
ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT +
DOWN ARROW
Play Forwards at double the
normal rate
SUPERSHIFT + SHIFT +
RIGHT ARROW
|\ key + SHIFT + RIGHT
ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT +
RIGHT ARROW
Play Backwards at double
the normal rate
SUPERSHIFT + SHIFT + LEFT
ARROW
|\ key + SHIFT + LEFT
ARROW
or
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT +
LEFT ARROW
Jump to Incue
SUPERSHIFT + INCUE
|\ key + NUMPAD '/'
or
CTRL + ALT + NUMPAD '/'
Jump to Outcue
SUPERSHIFT + OUTCUE
|\ key + NUMPAD '*'
or
CTRL + ALT + NUMPAD '*'
Go to first frame
SUPERSHIFT + HOME
|\ key + HOME
or
CTRL + ALT + HOME
Go to last frame
SUPERSHIFT + END
|\ key + END
or
CTRL + ALT + END
About Poliscript
Jump back by Configured
number of seconds (default
10) and play forwards at the
normal rate
SUPERSHIFT + BACKSPACE
|\ key + BACKSPACE
or
CTRL + ALT +
BACKSPACE
Move to previous subtitle
without video following
T/C O-RIDE + Page Up
|\ key + Page Up
or
CTRL + ALT + Page Up
Move to next subtitle
without video following
T/C O-RIDE + Page Down
|\ key + Page Down
or
CTRL + ALT + Page Down
25
NB: When you are playing
Vidcache and you go to next
subtitle with Page Down, or
to the previous one with
Page Up, Vidcache goes to
the new subtitle's incue.
So:
(These cannot be changed)
News
Select a story
CTRL + '0' - '9'
CTRL + '0' - '9'
Select a story
CTRL + NUMPAD '0' - '9'
CTRL + NUMPAD + '0' - '9'
Shuttle Pro operation
Poliscript is compatible with the Shuttle Pro 2™2 USB controller, which can be used as an
alternative means of operating a number of video control and subtitle-related functions.
Note: Shuttle Pro 2 driver V2.5 or above must be installed. If the driver shipped with the
controller is earlier than this, replace it with the one included on the Poliscript installation
CD, or download the latest driver from Contour Design (http://www.contourdesign.com).
The Shuttle Pro controls that have been defined for use with Poliscript and their respective
functions are as follows.
Click image for larger view.
Control
Action
Edit Mode
1
Pressed
Enable/disable manual
cueing to air
2
2
Registered trade mark of Contour A/V Solutions, Inc.
Rehearse Mode
26
PoliScript User's Guide
3
4
5
Pressed
Fast rewind
Fast rewind
6
Pressed
Double speed rewind
Double speed rewind
7
Pressed
Play / Pause (toggle)
Play / Pause (toggle)
8
Pressed
Double speed forward
Double speed forward
9
Pressed
Fast forward
Fast forward
11
Turn right / left
Shuttle video forwards /
backwards
Shuttle video forwards /
backwards
12
Turn right / left
Jog video 1 frame forward /
backward
Jog video 1 frame forward /
backward
Press and hold
Continuous Page Up
through subtitles
Released
Stop
Pressed
Manually cue current
subtitle to air (page 88)
(equivalent to using middle
mouse button)
Released
Manually remove subtitle
from air
Press and hold
Continuous Page Down
through subtitles
Released
Stop
10
13
14
15
16
17
About Poliscript
27
Types of subtitle
There are two types of subtitle: Open and Closed. These are discussed below.
Open subtitles
Open subtitles are those which are seen on-screen as part of the picture. The viewer cannot
choose whether or not to display these subtitles. The type size and type face of the subtitle
can be chosen by the subtitler (subject to the limitations imposed by the character generator)
and there are no restrictions on the number of characters which can be displayed on a line,
except those imposed by the size and design of the typeface and the width of the screen.
Closed (also known as TELETEXT) subtitles
These subtitles are more limited. They are not part of the picture but are overlaid on it at the
request of the viewer i.e. it is possible to decide whether to have subtitles or not. The
typeface and the character set are defined by an international standard (World System
Teletext). As a result only two typefaces can be used, the maximum number of characters on
a line is 37, the background can only be a black box, no italics are possible and not all
characters are available. The standard is based on the Roman alphabet with some national
characters available.
Closed subtitles are widely used to provide subtitles for the hard of hearing.
Closed subtitles do, however, provide a mechanism for transmitting subtitles in more than
one language for the same picture information. To do so, separate translations of the subtitle
file must be combined into a lingua file for later transmission via a suitably-configured
transmission system. Viewers can then choose which language they will read by calling up a
particular Teletext page. The choice of Teletext page numbers for the different langauges is
entirely the responsibility of the broadcaster.
Closed DVB or Imitext subtitles
DVB and Imitext incorporate the subtitles as bitmap images. This gives the flexibility of the
open subtitles for font, character and size selection, combined with the advantages of viewer
selection and mulitple languages.
29
Pay as you go
Pay as you go is an optional means of paying for the use of Poliscript by purchasing blocks
of operating time as and when needed.
The purchased time is set in a programmable software key, referred to as a 'dongle',
connected to a USB port on the PC. As Poliscript is used, the available operating time
decreases, and the amount remaining is shown on a digital clock display.
Note: The rate at which the available time decreases is not fixed. The decrease is very slow
when Poliscript is running but not being used, and accelerates with subtitling activity.
An alarm can be set to provide warnings at pre-defined levels of remaining time. Additional
time is purchased by means of a simple process within Poliscript.
Poliscript will not start if neither the pay-as-you-go dongle or the standard dongle is
connected. In this case, an error message is displayed.
The pay-as-you-go window
The pay-as-you-go application will start automatically if the dongle3 is present. Depending
on the state of the Run Minimised checkbox on the Update tab of the application, it will start
in one of two conditions.
a minimised window, with an icon on the Windows task bar showing the remaining time
and a low-time warning indicator:
a visible window showing the remaining time in hours and minutes or just minutes. For
example:
3
This is a programmable software key, which must be present for Poliscript to run. Different dongles are used on
systems for which a normal licence has been purchased, and on those using the pay-as-you-go option. Pay-as-yougo dongles hold a record of available time, which can be recharged as required.
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PoliScript User's Guide
If the application is minimised, it can be opened at any time by clicking the taskbar icon.
The functions of the tabs within the window are described in the other topics in this section.
Setting user details
The information entered on the User Details tab are incorporated into the dongle update
transactions (page 32), and should be completed correctly.
Using the clock
The available time can be displayed in hours and minutes or just minutes by selecting the
appropriate option under Clock Format on the Update tab. The selection takes effect when
you select a different tab.
The task bar icon provides a continuous display of available time.
A larger display can be shown by clicking the taskbar icon to display the pay-as-you-go
application window, and then selecting the Clock tab. The time is shown also in the title bar
of the window so that it is visible when other tabs are selected. If you wish to have the large
display visible at all times, check the Always on top box on the Update tab.
The circle in the icon and title bar is the visual indicator for the low time remaining
warnings facility (page 31).
Pay as you go
31
Setting Warnings
You can set two separate alarms to provide visual and optional audible warnings when the
time available reaches pre-set thresholds. The alarms are referred to as Amber and Red.
The visual indicator is a coloured circle in the task bar icon and in the title bar of the pay-asyou-go application window.
This is green if the remaining time is above the warning thresholds or if no warnings have
been set. It changes to amber and to flashing red at the amber and red warning thresholds,
respectively.
The audible warnings can use any available WAV files.
Once set, the alarms can be activated or de-activated as required.
To set alarms
1
Display the main pay-as-you-go window (page 29) and select the Warnings tab.
If the alarms are already activated, the Hours and Mins fields will be available. If not,
they will be greyed out and the button below them will be shown as:
2 If necessary, click the Activate Threshold button in one of the alarm sections.
3 In the Hours and Mins fields, enter the remaining time at which you want the alarm to be
triggered.
4 If you want an audible warning
Check the Use Audio box.
Click the Browse button, then locate and select the WAV file that you want to use for
the warning.
5 Repeat these steps for the second alarm, if required.
You can temporarily de-activate an alarm without affecting its time or audio settings by
clicking the De-Activate Threshold button.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Selecting the active dongle
The pay-as-you-go application can use time credit from multiple dongles4 attached to the
Poliscript PC. Howver, it uses only one dongle at a time, and does not switch automatically
from one to another if the available time runs out.
To select the active dongle
1
Display the main pay-as-you-go window (page 29) and select the Update tab.
The Dongles Attached list shows all available dongles. A 'Yes' in the In Use column
indicates the currently active dongle.
2 Select the dongle5 that you wish to use.
Purchasing more time
You can purchase additional operating time in multiples of one hour. If you intend to pay for
the time by credit card, you will need to enter the card number during the process. If
arrangements have been made for Screen Subtitling Systems to invoice for additional time,
you will need to provide a purchase order number instead.
To purchase additional operating time
1
Display the main pay-as-you-go window (page 29) and select the Update tab.
2 In the Dongles Attached list, select the dongle6 that you wish to recharge.
3 Click Generate Request Code.
This will display the Recharge Parameters window.
If the User Details tab has been completed, the Customer Details information will
automatically be entered. If not, complete these fields.
In the Number of hours required field, enter the amount of time you wish to purchase.
This must be a number of whole hours.
Either
enter a purchase order number in the filed provided, or
complete the Credit Card Details section.
Click OK.
4
This is a programmable software key, which must be present for Poliscript to run. Different dongles are used on
systems for which a normal licence has been purchased, and on those using the pay-as-you-go option. Pay-as-yougo dongles hold a record of available time, which can be recharged as required.
5
This is a programmable software key, which must be present for Poliscript to run. Different dongles are used on
systems for which a normal licence has been purchased, and on those using the pay-as-you-go option. Pay-as-yougo dongles hold a record of available time, which can be recharged as required.
6
This is a programmable software key, which must be present for Poliscript to run. Different dongles are used on
systems for which a normal licence has been purchased, and on those using the pay-as-you-go option. Pay-as-yougo dongles hold a record of available time, which can be recharged as required.
Pay as you go
33
A unique code will now be generated and displayed in the Recharge Dongle section of
the Update tab.
4 Click Send Code.
This will attempt to email the request code to Screen Subtitling Systems using your
defaul email client. The exact response will depend on the client.
5 Respond to any messages displayed by the email client to send the email.
You will now need to wait for the email to be delivered and processed, and for credit
card or purchase order details to be verified. You will then receive an email reply
containing the recharge code.
6 When you receive the recharge code
Make sure you have the correct dongle selected in the list on the Update tab.
Enter the code in the space provided on the tab. It is best to copy and paste the code
to avoid errors.
Click Re-charge Dongle.
7 A message will be displayed indicating that the recharge has been completed or has
failed. In either case, click OK in the message.
8 If the recharge failed, try the following.
Very carefully check the entered recharge code. Correct it if necessary and then try
the recharge again.
If the entered code is correct, try the recharge again anyway. If this fails, it indicates
a problem with writing information to the dongle. In this case, contact Screen
Subtitling Systems for assistance.
35
Using Poliscript
This section describes how to generate subtitle files using Poliscript. It covers all aspects of
the application, including the various set-up and configuration parameters, the available
utilities and, of course, the subtitling functions.
There are three main considerations when subtitling:
The text of each subtitle
The appearance of the subtitle
The timing of the subtitle
In other words, you will need to consider what each subtitle will say, how it will look (i.e.
which font, colour, and background colour will be used) and when and for how long it will
appear on-screen.
Much of the information in this user guide has been arranged to reflect these considerations,
so you will find one section dealing with entering and editing subtitle text, one dealing with
the formatting of the text and one dealing with the timing of subtitles. There are also a
number of sections which deal with the various utility functions available and you will find
information in those on what to do when you need to move things around or make timing
changes to the entire file, etc.
Note
Unless stated otherwise, Poliscript will need to be in Edit Mode to carry out the
operations described. You can place Poliscript into Edit Mode by pressing the Edit key,
located on the top row of the subtitling keyboard or by selecting the View>Edit Mode menu
option.
Starting Poliscript
To start Poliscript, do one of the following
In the Windows Start menu, point to the Poliscript program group, and then choose
the Poliscript option.
Double-click the Poliscript icon on the Windows Desktop.
Use the command line options (page 36).
In either case, Poliscript will start up in Edit mode ready for creating and editing
subtitles, and will automatically load the last-used workfile (page 6).
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PoliScript User's Guide
You can now:
Work on the currently-loaded subtitle file, using the procedures described elsewhere in
this section for adding, editing, formating and rehearsing subtitles.
Load, and work on, a different subtitle file (page 89).
Create a new subtitle file (page 39).
Closing Poliscript
To exit from Poliscript, use the standard Windows options:
Choose File>Exit.
or:
Click the Close button in the top-right of the main window.
On exit, the current workfile (page 6) is automatically saved, along with any setup changes
you may have made. These are restored next time Poliscript is run using the same
configuration.
Operating Poliscript from the command
line
Several options are available for starting Poliscript from the command line, and opening
subtitle files and media clips.
Option:
Use to:
All items in italics indicate a parameter where a particular value has to be entered.
-ost:name of configuration
choose the configuration file to be loaded. For example,
-ost:danish
If this parameter is not used, Poliscript wil be opened
with the default configuration.
"full path to subtitle file"
choose the subtitle file to be used. Enter the full
directory path, enclosed in quotes. For example, "c:\Sub
files\film1.pac"
To create a new subtitle file, enter its name and directory
path here, then use the new file parameter below.
-nf
create a new subtitle file.
This option can be used on its own or with the subtitle
file parameter above.
If used on its own, it will create a new file.
If used with a subtitle file parameter, a new subtitle
file is created with the name and location specified.
Using Poliscript
-stc:10:00:00:00
specify a start timecode for the clip imported using the
parameter below.
If this parameter is not used, the start timecode is taken
from the timecode file generated by the EN3 encoder in
the same directory as the clip. If that is not available, the
start timecode defaults to 10:00:00:00.
Use either one of the following options to import a clip file.
-imp:"full path to clip"
choose the clip file to be imported. Enter the full
directory path, enclosed in quotes. For example, "c:\Clip
files\film1.mpg"
-sv3:"full path to sv3 clip"
choose the SV3 clip file to be imported. Enter the full
directory path, enclosed in quotes. For example, "c:\Clip
files\film1.vcc"
All options used on the command line must be separated with one space.
A command line could appear like this, for example:
37
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PoliScript User's Guide
Creating multiple configurations
Every time Poliscript is started it reads two files which determine its configuration for the
current working session:
a .OST file which holds settings for things such as the keyboard layout, font setup,
timecode type, cue defaults and so on.
the last-used STITLES.RAC or workfile (page 6) which holds the subtitling work from
the previous working session.
By creating different versions of the .OST file it is possible to have multiple configurations
that can be selected when the system is started, each of which can use either the same or a
different workfile. This is especially useful where:
the system is used to create subtitles in more than one language. You could create
separate configurations for each language, each of which automatically select the
appropriate keyboard layout and fonts;
and/or
one or more operators want to work on different subtitle projects. You could create
separate configurations for each project or each user, which would automatically load the
relevant workfile on start-up.
Poliscript has a simple facility for creating multiple configurations and the corresponding
program start-up shortcuts on the desktop. Essentially, all you do is to start the program
using the default configuration or any custom one, configure the program settings as
required, specify a location for the workfile, and then save the combination. From then on
the new configuration can be used simply by starting Poliscript with the associated desktop
shortcut. The full procedure is given below.
To create a new configuration
1
Start Poliscript using one of the existing desktop shortcuts or the Poliscript program
group in the Start Menu.
2 Make all required changes to the system setup (page 155) parameters.
3 Choose the Tools>Options>Save Settings As menu option.
Use the facilities in the Save Settings As dialogue as follows.
Using Poliscript
Setting Name
39
Enter the name you want to appear on the new desktop
shortcut for this configuration. This will also be used as the
name for the .OST file. The name must be unique. You can
use the View Setting Names buttons to see a list of all
existing names.
As you enter the name, it will automatically replace the
existing one in the Workfile Directory field. By default,
Poliscript will create the directory shown in which to save
the new workfile.
1
Workfile Directory
If you wish to use a different directory from the one shown
for the workfile, use the ellipses button to select it.
Remember that the workfile always has the same name
(stitles.rac), so you must choose a different directory for
each one.
Language 1,
Language 2
Choose the two fonts (page 51) that you want to use with
this configuration, and select the corresponding keyboards.
Create Desktop Shortcut
Check this if you want a desktop shortcut created.
Now exit from Poliscript.
On doing so, the new configuration and shortcut will be created.
Creating new subtitles
The topics in this section deal with creating new subtitle files and with the different ways of
adding subtitles to the currently-open file.
Starting a new subtitle file
To start a new subtitle file
1
If there is a subtitle file already open and you want to keep any changes that may have
been made to it, do a Save (page 91) or Save As (page 92) to save under its existing name
or as a new file.
2 Do one of the following.
Click the New icon on the toolbar.
Choose the File>New menu option.
Press Ctrl+n.
Press Row+Word+n
All of these have the same effect of displaying a message box which allows you to
proceed with the action or to cancel it.
3 Do one of the following.
If you have not already saved the current workfile and you wish to do so, close the
message box, save the current file, and then start the new file action again.
If the current workfile is already saved or you don't want to keep it, click OK.
After confirming the new file action, the subtitle windows will be blank, and the
poliscript title bar will show the file as <UNTITLED>.
40
PoliScript User's Guide
You can immediately start adding subtitles and save the file later. However, it is a good
idea to save the file even before you add any subtitles, as this allows the Autosave
function to operate on the named file as opposed to the STITLES. RAC.
Adding a new subtitle
Note
This action adds a new subtitle onto the end of the subtitle file. If you want to insert
a new subtitle between two existing subtitles, see: Inserting a subtitle (page 40).
If the subtitle in the Current Subtitle Window is not the last subtitle in the file, Goto (page
59) the last subtitle. You can then add a new subtitle to the end of the file by:
Holding down Row+Word and then pressing the Insert key.
or
Pressing the Page Down key.
or
Clicking in the Next Subtitle window.
A new blank subtitle, will be created in the Current Subtitle window. The subtitle number
will be the next number in the sequence. The cues (page 63) will be blank.
Inserting a subtitle
At any place in the subtitle file, you can insert a new subtitle after the current subtitle by
holding down Row+Word and then pressing the Insert key.
The new blank subtitle will be placed into the Current Subtitle window and will be given the
same number as the previous subtitle, but with a letter suffix added. E.g. if subtitle 15 is in
the Current Subtitle window and you insert a new subtitle, 15 will then be followed by a new
subtitle numbered 15a. Further subtitles added in this way will carry on in the same
numbering sequence, 15b, 15c, etc., up to subtitle 15o. At this point the next subtitle to be
inserted will become 16 and the existing 16 will become 16a and so on.
If, after inserting subtitles, you wish to re-number the file from subtitle title 1 to n use the
Renumber (page 82) facility to reorganise the remaining subtitle numbers.
Using Poliscript
41
Creating cumulative subtitles
Cumulative subtitles are those which accumulate on the screen without replacing each other.
The text in each cumulative subtitle must, therefore, be placed on different rows to those
used by the other cumulative subtitles.
Note
Cumulative subtitles are supported only by Teletext subtitling. Open character
generators cannot retain previous text on screen when a new subtitle is received.
Cumulative subtitles are created using the Add-on key. For example, to make a three-line
cumulative subtitle:
1
Add (page 40) or Insert (page 40) three independent subtitles with the text of each
subtitle on different rows i.e. none of the text in the cumulative subtitles should be on the
same row.
2 Go to the second subtitle in the group and press Add-on.
The word cumulative will appear above the Out-Cue of the current subtitle.
3 Go to the third subtitle of the group and press Add-on again.
4 Capture or insert the In-Cues for the subtitles, but give an Out-Cue to the last subtitle in
the group only.
Each subtitle will appear on-screen at its specified In-Cue time. The whole subtitle group
will disappear from the screen when the Out-Cue time for the last subtitle is reached.
Entering and editing subtitle text
The topics in this section deal with the text-processing aspects of subtitling and provide
information on all the functions of Poliscript which relate to the insertion and editing of
subtitle text.
Positioning the cursor
The cursor can be positioned anywhere in the current subtitle window by pointing and
clicking using the mouse. It can also be positioned using the keyboard as follows:
Press:
To move the cursor:
the cursor move keys
in the corresponding direction (Up, Down, Left & Right)
one row or character at a time.
Start
to the first character in the subtitle
End
to the space following the last character in the subtitle
Start+Row
to the first character in the current row
End+Row
to the last character in the current row
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PoliScript User's Guide
Text Insertion Modes
Poliscript can operate in either of two text insertion modes: Insert or Overwrite. These modes
make no difference when inserting new text into a blank row, but do have an effect when
inserting text in front of any existing text.
In Insert mode, the new text you enter will be inserted at the cursor location and the existing
text will be moved along to the right as you type. In Overwrite mode, the new text you enter
will also be inserted at the cursor location but the new text will replace (i.e. will overwrite)
the text which was already there. Remember that this will be reversed when working in
languages which are read from right to left.
The system starts in whichever mode was selected when Poliscript was last shut-down.
When overwrite mode is selected, the caption OVR is shown in the status bar. When insert
mode is selected, the flag is cleared.
The Insert key toggles between the two modes.
Entering subtitle text
Subtitle text is entered by typing it into the Current Subtitle window (page 8) with Poliscript
in edit mode (page 8). When you start typing, the text will be inserted at the cursor position.
The entering of subtitle text is quite straightforward, but you should be aware of the
following:
When the end of a line is reached the text will wrap to the next line i.e. if any part of a
word will not fit on the end of the current line, the whole word will move to the start of
the following line.
The default format settings for text entry result in left-aligned text which is white and in
the default font. The text background will be black. These characteristics can be changed
if required. See Formatting subtitle text (page 51).
The text insertion cursor can be positioned using the mouse. Placing the mouse pointer
anywhere within the current subtitle window and clicking the left-hand mouse button
will bring the cursor to that position. However, although you can position the cursor
anywhere within the current subtitle window, you cannot always insert text at that
position. This will depend on the values you have set in the checks (page 108) and setups
(page 155).
If you want to start a new line before the current line is full, press Return. this will move
the cursor to the next row and you can start entering a new line of text.
Using Poliscript
43
Editing subtitle text
Text can be entered and edited only when it appears in the current subtitle window. Various
functions and operations can be performed directly on the displayed text using the relevant
function key. A text cursor is displayed in the current subtitle window to indicate where the
next character will be placed, or where an operation will be performed. Some functions,
however, require you to mark (page 48) the relevant text first; this ensures that the operation
is carried out specifically on the marked text. The Poliscript system allows you to mark text
using the keyboard or the mouse.
Blocks of subtitles can also be marked for specific functions. See: Block Subtitle Utilities
(page 77).
Moving text using the Row and Word keys
In addition to the functions already listed (page 12), the Row, Word and cursor move keys
) of the subtitling keyboard can be used in various combinations to align and position
(
subtitle text. The key combinations are listed below.
To:
Do this:
move the first word of the current
row up to the previous row.
hold down Word and press .
move the last word of the current
row onto the next row.
hold down Word and press .
move the whole subtitle up one row.
hold down Row+Word and press .
move the whole subtitle down one
row.
hold down Row+Word and press .
move the current row one character
to the left.
hold down Row and press
.
move the current row one character
to the right.
hold down Row and press
.
move the current subtitle one
character to the left.
hold down Row+Word and press
.
move the current subtitle one
character to the right.
hold down Row+Word and press
.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Placing text outside the Safe Area
From time to time you may encounter circumstances where it is necessary to place some text
outside the safe area (page 113). For example a subtitle may require a long sentence where
there is no scope for editing because of a lack of space or time restraints within the program
material. In these circumstances it might prove better to let a punctuation mark, or perhaps
even the final letters of a word, creep out of the safe area rather than to sacrifice the meaning
of the subtitle by leaving out some essential text.
To override the safe area limits, press the SAO (Safe Area Override) key and type in the
additional character(s). The text which goes beyond the limits will be identified on the
Poliscript monitor with a heavy underline which allows you to see how much text has gone
beyond the safe area. Obviously, the more text that lies outside the safe area, the more likely
it will be that some of it will not be seen by the viewer.
Note
The safe area override should not be used too often, or to extremes. Loss of part of
the subtitle text will spoil enjoyment of the program for some viewers.
Moving text into the next subtitle
The Move function moves all text from the cursor position onwards into the following
subtitle. The In and Out-Cues for both subtitles are unaffected, even if all the text from the
current subtitle is moved to the following subtitle. The next subtitle then becomes the current
subtitle.
To move text
1
Position the cursor immediately before the section of text you wish to move.
2 Do one of the following.
Press the Move key.
Choose the Edit>Move menu option.
Note
Do not attempt to reverse this operation using the Undo. This will remove the
moved text from the new current subtitle but will not restore it in the previously current
subtitle. Cut and Paste should be used for this operation.
Deleting text
You can delete text from a subtitle in a number of ways.
To delete:
Do this:
Characters to the left of the
cursor
Press (Backspace). Press again to delete
characters back along the row. If you reach the
beginning of the row, the cursor will then move to
the end of the previous row and delete characters
from there. Colour codes at the beginning of a row
will also be deleted.
A character anywhere in the
subtitle text
Position the cursor under that character and then
press Delete.
Using Poliscript
Text from the current cursor
position to the end of the
current row
Press Delete while holding down Shift.
A row
Place the cursor at any point in the row and press
Delete while holding down Row.
A word
Place the cursor at any point in the word and press
Delete while holding down Word.
A subtitle
Place the cursor at any point in the subtitle and press
Delete while holding down Row+Word.
45
Note that all the associated time cues are deleted as
well.
Any portion of text
Mark (page 48) the section of text you wish to
delete, then press Delete.
A word, but leave the space it
used to occupy
Place the cursor under any character in that word
and press Word+Spacebar .
A row, but leave the space
the characters used to occupy
Place the cursor anywhere in that row and press
Row+Spacebar.
A whole subtitle, but leave
the time cues intact
Place the cursor anywhere in the subtitle, then press
Row+Word and Spacebar.
Cutting text
The Cut function allows you to remove text from a subtitle and to paste (page 46) it back in
somewhere else either into a different place in the same subtitle, or into another subtitle.
The text you want to cut must first be marked (page 48); you can then do any of the
following to remove the marked text from the subtitle:
press the Cut key
press Ctrl+X
choose the Edit>Cut menu option
right-click, and then choose Cut from the shortcut menu
The cut text is placed into a buffer. To recall it, use any of the following actions:
press the Paste key
press Ctrl+V
choose the Edit>Paste menu option
right-click, and then choose Paste from the shortcut menu
The cut text is retained in the buffer until another Cut or a Copy command is used (these
will overwrite the buffer contents). Therefore, the cut text can be pasted elsewhere any
number of times.
Note
The buffer into which the CUT text is placed is used by Poliscript only and is not
accessible by other Windows applications. So if, for example, you were to cut or copy text
from another application such as a word processor or Windows Notepad, you would not be
able to paste this into a subtitle and vice-versa.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Copying text
The Copy function allows you copy a section of marked (page 48) text from a subtitle and
paste (page 46) that text in elsewhere, either into a different place in the same subtitle, or
into another subtitle.
The text you want to copy, must first be marked (page 48), and you can then do any of the
following to copy the marked text.
press the Copy key
press Ctrl+C
choose the Edit>Copy menu option
right-click, and then choose Copy from the shortcut menu
The copied text is placed into a buffer. To recall it, use any of the following actions:
press the Paste key
press Ctrl+V
choose the Edit>Paste menu option
right-click, and then choose Paste from the shortcut menu
The copied text is retained in the buffer until another Copy or a Cut command is used (these
will overwrite the buffer contents). Therefore, the cut text can be pasted elsewhere any
number of times.
Note
The buffer into which the Copy text is placed, is used by Poliscript only and is not
accessible by other Windows applications. So if, for example, you were to cut or copy text
from another application such as a word processor or Windows Notepad, you would not be
able to paste this into a subtitle and vice-versa.
Pasting text
Text held in the Poliscript buffer following a Cut (page 45) or Copy (page 46) operation. To
paste it into a subtitle, use any of the following actions:
press the Paste key
press Ctrl+V
choose the Edit>Paste menu option
right-click, and then choose Paste from the shortcut menu
The text will be pasted-in at the cursor position.
Note
The buffer from which text is pasted, is an internal Poliscript buffer only. Text
which has been Cut or Copied from other Windows applications cannot be pasted into
Poliscript.
Using Poliscript
47
Inserting a new row
If you reach the end of a row when entering text, Poliscript will automatically wrap the text
onto the next line. You can also start a new row by pressing the Return key when the text for
the current row has been entered.
To insert a new row within existing text, hold down Row and press Insert. This will insert a
new row under the row in which the cursor is positioned. The row where the cursor is
positioned and any rows above that will be moved upwards to make space for the new row.
Note
Unless the Typing Limit is enabled, Poliscript will allow you to insert up to 12 rows
of text in each subtitle. A warning message will appear if you try to insert more than this but
you will be given the option of overriding the limit. Depending on how your checks (page
108) are configured, you may find other messages when you check the file.
Limiting the number of rows in a subtitle
By default, Poliscript will allow you to insert up to 12 rows of text in each subtitle. However,
you can specify a smaller number by setting a Typing Limit.
To set the Typing Limit:
1
Select the Tools>Typing Limit menu option
The Typing Limit dialogue will be displayed.
2 Set the options as required:
This option:
Does this:
Enable Typing Limit
When checked, limits the maximum number of rows in the
subtitle to the value entered in the Top Row field (see below).
When not checked, each subtitle can contain up to 12 rows.
Display Message
When checked, causes Poliscript to display a warning message if
an attempt is made to enter more rows than the Typing Limit
setting (see above) will allow.
Top Row
Defines which row will be the top row when the Typing Limit is
enabled. The value can be set from 0 (uppermost row on the
screen) to 11 (lowest row on the screen). Setting a value of 0
allows up to 12 rows of subtitle text, a value of 11 allows only 1
row of subtitle text.
3 When the options are set as required, select OK.
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Marking text in a subtitle
Marking text allows you to select blocks of subtitle text and then perform various actions
such as a cutting, copying or changing the colour of the marked text. Text can be marked
using the cursor keys or the mouse as described below:
To mark text using the mouse
1
Do one of the following.
To mark a single word, double-click on the word.
To mark any amount of text, click and drag over the section of text you wish to mark,
then release the mouse button.
2 To cancel the marking, click anywhere away from the marked text.
To mark text using the keyboard
1
Move the cursor to the start of the section of text you wish to mark.
2 Press the Mark Text key.
The text cursor will change to a block character. This indicates that the Mark Text mode
is active. In this mode, moving the cursor over the subtitle text will highlight that text.
3 Use the cursor keys
wish to mark.
to move the text cursor to the end of the piece of text you
With the relevant portion of text highlighted, you can now perform the required action on
that text e.g. Cut (page 45), Copy (page 46), Delete, etc.
To cancel the Mark Text mode, press the Mark Text key again.
Finding (Searching for) Text
The Find function allows you to search the text of all subtitles in a file for a particular word
or combination of characters.
See also Finding and replacing text (page 49).
To perform a search:
1
The search operation will start from the current subtitle and work to the end of the file,
so unless you want the search to start from the current subtitle, Goto (page 59) the point
in the file where you wish the search to start. If you are unsure where to start, or want to
search the entire file, Goto the start of the file.
2 Do one of the following:
press the Find key
press Ctrl+F
choose Edit>Find menu option
The search for dialogue will be displayed.
3 Type the text you wish to search for.
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The search is case-sensitive so you should type the characters you are searching for
exactly as they appear in the subtitle file. For example, if you were searching for the text:
' in the RAF ' it would not be found if you entered ' in the raf ' in the dialogue.
Your search text will automatically be displayed in the search for dialogue as you type it.
You can enter up to 23 characters.
4 When you have entered the search text, press Return key to start the search.
Poliscript will check the current and the subsequent subtitles until it finds a match for the
search text or the end of the file is reached.
If a match is found, the subtitle that contains the match will be displayed (with the cursor
under the matching text) and the dialogue will close.
If no match is found, a message to this effect is displayed and the current subtitle is left
in the Current Subtitle Window. Click on OK or press Return to clear the message box.
5 To repeat the search, repeat the steps above.
6 To close the search for dialogue, press Menu or Esc or click the mouse button. Poliscript
will return to Edit mode.
Finding and replacing text
The Replace function allows you to search through the text of all subtitles in a file for a
particular word or combination of characters and to replace that text with some other text.
See also Finding and replacing text (page 49).
To search for and replace text:
Note The search/replace operation will start from the current subtitle and work to the
end of the file, so unless you want the search/replace to start from the current subtitle,
Goto (page 59) the point in the file where you wish the search/replace to start. If you are
unsure where to start, or want to search the entire file, Goto the start of the file.
1
Do one of the following.
press the Replace key
press Ctrl+H
choose the Edit>Replace menu option
The search for dialogue will be displayed, the text used in the previous search, if any,
will be displayed.
2 Type the text you wish to search for.
The search is case-sensitive so you should type the characters you are searching for
exactly as they appear in the subtitle file. For example, if you were searching for the text:
'easy as ABC' it would not be found if you entered 'easy as abc' in the dialogue.
Your search text will automatically be displayed in the search for dialogue as you type it.
You can enter up to 23 characters.
3 When you have entered the search text, press the return key.
The replace with dialogue will be displayed.
4 Type the text which is to replace the search text.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Your search text will automatically be displayed in the search for dialogue as you type it.
You can enter up to 23 characters.
5 When you have entered the replacement text, press Return.
Poliscript will check the current and the subsequent subtitles until it finds a match for the
search text or the end of the file is reached.
If a match is found, the subtitle which contains the match will be displayed (the cursor
will be positioned under the matching text) and the Search – Replace dialogue will be
displayed. Three options are provided: Yes, Global and No.
6 To replace just this instance of the search text and then search for the next occurrence,
select Yes. The search text will be replaced by the replace text and Poliscript will then
search for the next instance of the search text.
7 To leave this instance of the search text as it is, select No. Poliscript will then search for
the next occurrence but will leave the current occurrence unchanged.
8 To replace all occurrences of the search text with the replacement text, select Global.
Poliscript will then search through the complete file and will replace all instances of the
search text with the replace text whenever a match is found. You can stop the global
replace by pressing Esc.
Note Be careful when using the global replace option. This can sometimes have
unexpected and unwanted results. For example, say you had used the word urge in your
file and wanted to change it to desire. With urge as the search text, Poliscript would find
the word 'urge' but will also find the search text within other words such as surgeon and
urgent. With a global replace these would be changed to sdesireeon and desirent. You
can help to avoid this problem by typing a space on either side of the search text i.e.
[space]urge[space] in which case the search will be more likely to find whole words
only, but whenever using global replace you should always consider the likelihood of the
search finding matching text that you do not want to change.
If no match for the search text is found, a message to this effect is displayed and the
current subtitle is left in the Current Subtitle Window. Click on OK or press Return to
clear the message box.
Adding accents to characters
Note
On the dedicated Poliscript keyboard, the accents available are displayed on the
printed strip positioned between the number keys and the bottom row of the function keys.
To insert an accented character when typing text:
1
Press and hold the Alt Gr/Accent key, locate the required accent from the printed strip
then press the key which is below the required accent.
The accent will be inserted.
2 Release the Alt Gr/Accent key and type in the character.
The character will be inserted in the same space, underneath the accent.
To insert an accent over an existing character:
1
Position the cursor under the character to be accented.
2 Use the the Insert key to place Poliscript into Overwrite mode (OVR displayed in the
status bar).
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3 Press and hold the Alt Gr/Accent key, locate the required accent from the printed strip
then press the key which is below the required accent.
The selected accent will be applied to the character at the cursor location.
Formatting subtitle text
This section explains how to control the on-screen appearance i.e. the font size, text and
background colours, alignment etc., of your subtitle text. All of the actions described assume
that Poliscript is in Edit Mode (page 8).
Selecting or changing the subtitle font
At any given time there are up to two fonts available for use in subtitles, selected through the
Setup Options (page 112). In operation these are referred to as Font 1 and Font 2, and you
can switch between these at the level of whole lines (see below) at any point in the subtitle
file.
To select or change the font
1
Make sure that the cursor is positioned in the row where you want to apply or change the
font.
2 Do one of the following.
Press the Font key. This toggles the font between Font 1 and Font 2.
Select the alternative font in the Font toolbar.
The font you select will be applied to the complete row, including any text already in that
row. Any text you enter from now on will use the current selection.
Note You cannot mix different fonts in the same row. You can however, have individual
rows using either of two fonts.
For general information on fonts, refer to About Poliscript fonts (page 111). For information
on changing fonts for blocks of subtitles, refer to Block font selection (page 85).
Italics
To apply italics as you enter text
1
Position the cursor at the point where you want to enter the italic text.
2 Do one of the following.
Press the Italics key.
Select the Italics button on the Font toolbar:
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PoliScript User's Guide
Both controls toggle italic mode on and off. When it is on, the toolbar button appears
pressed in, and the word Italics appears to the left of the subtitle window.
3 Type the text you want to appear in italics.
4 When you want to revert to non-italic text, toggle italics off using either of the two
controls.
Note Italics on and off instructions are signified in the subtitle file by embedded codes
which are interpreted by subtitling systems that support italic fonts. If a file containing
italics is used with a system that does not support italics (e.g. Teletext) these embedded
codes may appear as visible characters in the subtitles or cause other problems such as
loss of text.
Applying italics to existing text
Do any of the following. If the selected text is already italicised, any of these actions
remove the italics.
To italicise:
Do this:
Position the cursor under the word and press
Word+Italics.
A word
or
Double click the word to mark it, then press the Italics
key or click the Italics button on the Font toolbar.
A row
Position the cursor anywhere in the row and press
Row+Italics.
Any portion of text
Mark (page 48) the relevant text, then press the Italics key
or click the Italics button on the Font toolbar
A complete subtitle
Press Row+Word+Italics.
Setting text colour
You can change the colour of subtitle text either as you enter it or as an editing function at
any time afterwards. Note that Poliscript will not allow you to set the text colour to be the
same as the background colour. See Setting text background colours (page 54).
Whenever you change the text colour, a colour code is inserted in the text. If you delete
these, the text will revert to its previous colour.
Note The codes may be hidden or visible, depending on the Show Codes selection in the
Display Mode (page 158) Setup Options.
To set the text colour as you enter text
1
At any point in the new text where you want to change the colour, do one of the
following.
Click the down arrow by the Font Colour toolbar button, then choose a colour from
the drop-down pallette.
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53
Font colour
Press the appropriate colour key(s):
To:
Press:
Set the text colour to White
Black/White
Set the text colour to Black
Shift+Black/White
Set the text colour to Cyan
Magenta/Cyan
Set the text colour to Magenta
Shift+Magenta/Cyan
Set the text colour to Yellow
Red/Yellow
Set the text colour to Red
Shift+Red/Yellow
Set the text colour to Green
Blue/Green
Set the text colour to Blue
Shift+Blue/Green
Subsequent text will appear in the selected colour.
Note that when you choose a colour by either of these methods, the Font Colour button
indicates this as the current colour. You can then apply the same colour elsewhere in text
(see below) simply by clicking the button.
1
To change the colour again at any point, repeat the procedure.
To change the colour of any part of an existing subtitle
1
Goto (page 59) the relevant subtitle.
2 Do one of the following.
Click in the subtitle at the point you want the colour to change.
Applying a colour change from this state will change all text to the end of the row.
Click and drag over any part (or all) of the subtitle text to select it.
Any colour change will apply to the selected text only.
3 Use either of the methods described above to set the text colour.
To change the colour of a whole subtitle
1
Goto (page 59) the relevant subtitle.
2 Hold down the Row and Word keys then press the appropriate colour key(s):
To:
Press:
Set the text colour to White
Black/White
Set the text colour to Black
Shift+Black/White
Set the text colour to Cyan
Magenta/Cyan
Set the text colour to Magenta
Shift+Magenta/Cyan
Set the text colour to Yellow
Red/Yellow
Set the text colour to Red
Shift+Red/Yellow
Set the text colour to Green
Blue/Green
Set the text colour to Blue
Shift+Blue/Green
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PoliScript User's Guide
Setting text background colours
You can change the colour of subtitle backgrounds either as you enter text or as an editing
function at any time afterwards. Note that Poliscript will not allow you to set the background
and the text to the same colour. If you select a background colour that is the same as existing
text, Poliscript will change the text colour.
Whenever you change the background colour, colour code is inserted in the text. If you
delete these, the background will revert to its previous colour.
Note The codes may be hidden or visible, depending on the Show Codes selection in the
Display Mode (page 158) Setup Options.
To set the background colour as you enter text
1
At any point in the new text where you want to change the background colour, do one of
the following.
Click the down arrow by the Background Colour toolbar button, then choose a colour
from the drop-down palette.
Press the appropriate colour key(s):
To:
Press:
Set the background colour to
White
+Black/White
Set the background colour to
Black
+Shift+Black/White
Set the background colour to
Cyan
+Magenta/Cyan
Set the background colour to
Magenta
+Shift+Magenta/Cyan
Set the background colour to
Yellow
+Red/Yellow
Set the background colour to Red
+Shift+Red/Yellow
Set the background colour to
Green
+Blue/Green
Set the background colour to
Blue
Press
+Shift+Blue/Green
The chosen background colour will be applied to the text you type from now on.
Note that when you choose a colour by either of these methods, the Background Colour
button indicates this as the current colour. You can then apply the same colour elsewhere
in subtitle (see below) simply by clicking the button.
2 To change the colour again at any point, repeat the procedure.
To change the background of any part of an existing subtitle
1
Goto (page 59) the relevant subtitle.
2 Do one of the following.
Click in the subtitle at the point you want the colour to change.
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Applying a colour change from this state will change the background to the end of
the row.
Click and drag over any part (or all) of the subtitle text to select it.
Any background colour change will apply to the selected text only.
3 Use either of the methods described above to set the background colour.
Setting the text alignment
Poliscript allows you to align subtitle text to the right, left, centre or left centre of the screen,
using either keyboard instructions or toolbar buttons. The default setting (usually right- or
left-aligned) will depend on your system set-up.
To change the alignment of a row of text
1
Position the cursor anywhere within the row you wish to change the alignment of.
2 Do one of the following.
Hold down Row and press the Justify key.
Each press of the key cycles the alignment between Left, Centre, Left Centre and
Right so you simply press the key until you achieve the alignment you require.
De-select the Subtitle Justify button on the toolbar:
Subtitle Justify
then click the appropriate justify button on the toolbar for the alignment you want.
Left Justify
Centre Justify
Left Centre Justify
Right Justify
To change the alignment of all text in the subtitle
1
Position the cursor anywhere within the subtitle text.
2 Do one of the following.
Hold down Row+Word and press the Justify key.
Each press of the key cycles the text alignment between Left, Centre and Right so
you simply press the key until you achieve the alignment you require.
Select the Subtitle Justify button on the toolbar (i.e. so that it appears pressed in),
then click the appropriate justify button on the toolbar for the alignment you want.
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Selecting presentation styles
When used with Screen Subtitling System's Insight character generator or DVB systems,
Poliscript provides the facility to control the presentation style of the subtitles in the final
program output. You can choose from several different background styles, and present the
text in outline or with drop shadows. The Edit Mode Screen has a presentation control
window which is used for selecting the style and for displaying a preview of the style.
Please note that once turned on, a style will remain in force for new subtitles, until cancelled
or changed. On the other hand, you can change the styles of existing individual subtitles
without any effect on other subtitles.
To select a presentation style
1
Display the Edit screen and go to the subtitle on which you want to apply the style.
2 Do one of the following.
Click the down arrow to the right of the style control window.
In the Presentation Style dialogue, select the relevant options to create the required
presentation style (a sample of the style is shown), and then click OK.
Use the relevant key combination (see below) to create the required presentation
style.
As you press a key combination, the style control window will show the selected
presentation style.
Key combination
Applied Insight Effect:
Row+Word+1
No Control
This is the default setting, and doesn't select any
of the presentation styles. It is also used to cancel
a style
Row+Word+2
Unboxed background
Row+Word+3
Boxed background
Row+Word+4
Ghost Box background
Row+Word+5
Stripe background
Row+Word+6
Ghost Stripe background
Row+Word+7
Outline text
Row+Word+8
Dropshadow text
You can use more than one code at a time to combine effects e.g. Row+Word+6 then
Row+Word+8.
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Selecting the G3 configuration set
The G3 video printer has a facility for creating and storing multiple configuration sets (page
165), each of which can define a different appearance for the output subtitles. It is possible to
specify a G3 configuration in the properties of each subtitle file. This will be sent
immediately to the G3 to select the corresponding configuration.
Note For this facility to operate, it is essential that the Portia Gateway and the output
drivers for the video printer devices are running, and that G3 is selected as the video printer.
See Enabling video printers for details (page 182).
To specify a G3 configuration
1
Do one of the following.
Select the File>Properties menu option. Enter the number of the required
configuration in the Config. No. field and click OK.
Go to subtitle zero. After the word 'config:' in the subtitle, enter the number of the
required configuration, and then move to a different subtitle.
In either case, the specified configuration number will immediately be selected in the G3.
Spell checking subtitle text
Poliscript integrates the Microsoft Word® proofing tools to provide a spell checking facility
for subtitle files. The Poliscript PC must have the Word proofing tools for the relevant
language(s) installed for the spell checker to operate. Spell checking operates only on
individual subtitles or on a whole subtitle file.
Running a spell check
To spell check the current subtitle file
1
Select the Tools>Set Language menu option, and then choose the appropriate language
from the list.
Currently, only Latin-based languages, plus Greek and Cyrillic are supported by the
facility.
2 If you want to spell check a particular subtitle, go to the subtitle.
3 Do one of the following.
To spell check the current subtitle, hold down the Row and Word keys and press Cut.
To spell check the whole subtitle file, make sure there is no text selected, and then:
Click the Spell Check button
Press the Cut key.
, or;
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PoliScript User's Guide
Spell checking will start immediately. The following window will be displayed at each
unrecognised word.
4 Do one of the following.
Click Ignore or Ignore All to leave the spelling as it is for this instance only, or for all
instances.
Select one of the offered suggestions and then click Change.
Edit the word in the Not in dictionary window, and then click Change.
The spell check will continue automatically.
5 To stop the spell check at any point, click Cancel.
Subtitle utilities
File properties
For each subtitle file you can record various items of information (the Properties). This
includes such detail as:
A name for the Story
A title
An Episode name
Language used
Tape No.
Client Name
etc.
To record Property information:
1
Choose the File>Properties menu option.
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The Subtitle File Properties dialogue will be displayed. This provides a number of freetext entry fields in which you simply enter any information you wish to record.
2 If you wish to have the dialogue automatically displayed when subtitle 0 appears in the
current subtitle window, check the Auto Display These Properties box.
3 When you have entered the required information, click the OK button.
Undoing changes
Whilst a subtitle is in the Current Subtitle Window, any edits and other changes you make to
it can be reversed by pressing the Undo key.
Note
The Undo key does not operate in a reverse-one-action-at-a-time fashion. When
pressed, all changes are reversed and the subtitle reverts to the cues, settings and text, etc., it
had when it was brought into the Current Subtitle window.
As soon as one subtitle in the Current Subtitle window is replaced by another, the Undo
function is reset for the new subtitle.
Moving to a particular subtitle
You can move to any particular subtitle in the current file using the Goto key as described
below. The subtitle will be displayed in the Current Subtitle window. Remember that you
can move to the next and previous subtitles using the Page Up and Page Down keys, or by
clicking on the Next Subtitle and Previous Subtitle windows. See: The Edit Mode screen (on
page 8).
If you have the audio timeline (on page 129) or subtitle list box (on page 135) displayed,
these can also be used to move to particular subtitles.
To display a particular subtitle
1
Press the Goto key.
The Goto Subtitle dialogue will be displayed. This provides options for going to:
the first subtitle in the file
the last subtitle in the file
a numbered subtitle
a timecode value
To go to:
Do this:
the first subtitle in the file
Select Start
the last subtitle in the file
Select End
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PoliScript User's Guide
a numbered subtitle
Ensure the subtitle number box is selected (this
is selected by default and has 0 as the default
entry) and enter the subtitle number. You can
enter the number in various ways:
by typing it in from the keyboard
by clicking in the box to increment the
value (use Shift+Click to decrement the
value)
using Shift+ (use Shift+ to decrement the
value)
When you have entered the subtitle value, press
Return.
a timecode value
Select the Time box and enter the relevant
timecode value by typing it in from the
keyboard. The value you type shifts across the
box from right to left, so you will need to enter a
complete timecode value i.e. hours, minutes,
seconds and frames.
The value need not be an exact In-Cue or OutCue setting. For any value of timecode you enter
Poliscript will go to either: the subtitle which is
on-screen at that point in the program material,
or, if no subtitle is displayed at that point in the
timecode, the subtitle with the In-Cue value
closest to the value you entered.
When you have entered the timecode value,
press the Return key.
Merging subtitles
This function merges the next subtitle with the current one. All the text of the next subtitle is
joined onto the end of the current subtitle with additional rows being added as necessary.
Providing the subtitle which is being merged has a valid Out-Cue, this value is used as the
Out-Cue for the merged subtitle, thus ensuring that the overall timing is kept intact.
Poliscript will delete all references to the subtitle which has been merged.
Note
Do not attempt to reverse a Merge using UNDO. This will destroy both the cue and
the text information of the merged subtitle. Use Split (page 61) if you need to separate the
merged subtitles.
To merge two subtitles
1
Goto the subtitle that will form the first part of the merged title.
2 Do one of the following.
Press the Merge key
Choose the Edit>Merge menu option.
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The text from what was the next subtitle will be brought up into the current subtitle window.
The (now merged) current subtitle retains its previous number, while the former next subtitle
number is no longer allocated. Use Renumber (page 82) to renumber the subtitles to a
contiguous block.
Splitting a Subtitle
The split function enables you to split one subtitle into two.
Note
SPLIT cannot be reversed using UNDO. See Merging subtitles (page 60).
To split a subtitle
1
Goto the subtitle you wish to split.
2 Position the cursor at the point where you want to split the subtitle, then do one of the
following.
Press the Split key.
Choose the Edit>Split menu option.
A new subtitle will be created after the original subtitle and will contain the part split from
the original. This new subtitle will have the same number as the original subtitle but with a
letter suffix added e.g. splitting subtitle 6 into two parts will result in subtitles 6 and 6a.
The original subtitle will retain its In-Cue value, however the Out-Cue value will move with
the split text to become the Out-Cue for the newly-created subtitle, thereby keeping the
overall timing intact. A new duration for the original subtitle will be calculated and placed in
the duration window. This value is added to the existing In-Cue to create a valid Out-Cue for
the original subtitle.
The new subtitle is then placed into the current subtitle window. To create the In-Cue for this
new subtitle, Poliscript adds the minimum interval value to the Out-Cue assigned to the
original subtitle, and this value becomes the In-Cue for the new subtitle. Please note, that
Poliscript also limits this In-Cue value to ensure it can never overlap the moved Out-Cue.
You may need to edit these calculated values. See: Entering In and Out Cues Manually
(page 72).
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Adjusting timecode using the Recut key
The Recut key and menu option provide access to a function which is very similar to the
Recut facility available from the Utilities dialogue See Timecode adjustments (page 85) for
details. However, the function is slightly different in that, provided a marked subtitle block is
not present, the default values appearing in the Start and End windows range from the
current subtitle to the last valid subtitle in the file.
This allows you to recut from the point at which you are working by pressing the Recut key
or choosing the Edit>Recut menu option, entering the required value in the Start or Offset
box, and then clicking the Action Recut button. You do not have to enter any values in the
start and end windows.
However, if there is a marked block of subtitles within the file, the function works in the
same fashion as when accessed from Tools>Utilities.
Timing the subtitles
The timing of subtitles i.e. defining the points (known as cues) at which each subtitle appears
on-screen (the In-Cue) and then disappears again (the Out-Cue), is an important part of the
subtitling process and Poliscript provides a number of different facilities which allow you to
capture, create and edit cues and to have full control over the subtitle timing. All of these
features and functions, are covered in this section, and there are also a few topics providing
some further explanation about cues and the capture process.
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About Cues
Every subtitle in the subtitle file requires an In-Cue (page 115) that defines the point in the
program at which it appears and an Out-Cue (page 115) to define when it disappears. Part of
the process of creating a subtitle file is to define these cues. Each cue is actually a timecode
(page 114) value which defines an exact point in the program.
There are a number of ways of creating cues. You could go through the file and enter each
one manually but the simplest and (usually) most convenient method is to play the tape, SV3
or Vidcache recording of the program material and capture (page 66) the timecode displayed
on the Poliscript monitor.
In order to capture cues you must have the program material, with valid vertical interval or
linear timecode, available for play from SV3, Vidcache or from an external source. Cues can
be captured using the keyboard or the mouse so you simply watch the program material on
the Poliscript monitor and, at the appropriate points, use a single keypress or mouse click to
define an in or out cue.
You can capture cues in either Edit or Rehearse mode, but in Rehearse mode the system will
not allow cues already set to be overwritten or recaptured unless the T/C O-ride (Timecode
Override) key is used.
In Edit mode, you can also enter and edit cues manually or recapture cues without having to
delete the existing cues first.
Cue defaults
Through the Setup options, you can set a number of default values for subtitle cues, which
will be applied automatically in various subtitling actions. These include default subtitle
durations and spacing, and a reading speed value, which is used by Poliscript for calculation
of optimum subtitle duration.
For details, see Setting default cues (page 63) and Setting reading speed defaults (page 64).
Setting default cues
Various default values can be set for the subtitle cues.
To set the default values
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 In the Setup Options dialogue, choose the Default Cues tab.
3 Using the information below, set the required values for Default Interval, Default
Duration and Minimum Duration.
Field
Function
Default Interval
The time difference between the out-cue of
one subtitle and the in-cue of the next is
referred to as the Interval.
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Default Duration
The time difference between the in-cue and
out-cue is the Duration of the subtitle. This is
generally expressed in seconds and frames
e.g. 03:20 means a duration on screen of 3
seconds and 20 frames.
The Default duration value is applied to blank
subtitles only, and in the following
circumstances.
where Capture Settings are set to IN and
OUT Cues, there is no incoming timecode,
and you press In Cue followed by Out
Cue.
where Capture Settings are set to
Calculate Duration, there is no incoming
timecode, and you press In Cue.
Minimum Duration
Minimum Duration operates in the same
circumstances as Default Duration, but applies
only to subtitles containing some text. If the
duration determined by a reading speed
calculation is less than the Minimum Duration
value, the Minimum Duration is used instead.
Note
The Default Duration value will be overridden by the Minimum Duration if you set
it below the value displayed in the Minimum Duration window.
The Default Interval is often set as low as 2 frames which is just enough to signal to the
viewer that the subtitle has changed on screen. A longer default interval will eat into the
available time for synchronising the subtitle with the speech on the soundtrack. However, if
the subtitles are to be replayed on equipment not manufactured by Screen Subtitling Systems
it is recommended that the default interval should be set at not less than 3 frames. This will
allow for different reaction speeds in character generators, etc.
Setting reading speed defaults
The default reading speed7 settings, used by Poliscript to determine the optimum duration
for a subtitle, can be adjusted to suit various languages and audience types.
To set the reading speed defaults
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 In the Setup Options dialogue, the select the Reading Speed tab.
3 Select the preferred reading speed calculation option - Words Per Minute (WPM) or
Characters Per Second (CPS).
4 In the associated speed box, set or enter the reading speed value you wish to use, or press
or to increment or decrement the existing value.
7
The typical subtitle reading speed of an adult is 120 words per minute (WPM) or about 9 characters per second
(CPS). Material for children is in the range of 60 to 90 words per minute depending on the target age group.It is a
common rule that a single-line subtitle should be displayed for about 3-4 seconds and a 2-line subtitle should be
displayed for about 5-7 seconds.
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5 Click OK.
The new value will be used immediately.
Duration Indicator Bar
A Duration Indicator Bar is provided beneath the current subtitle window. The indicator
provides guidance as to whether the duration of the subtitle is sufficient for the amount of
text displayed. The bar is shown below.
The left-hand end of the bar represents 0 seconds and time increases towards the right.
The position of the blue arrows gives an indication of the calculated amount of time required
to read the current subtitle using the reading speed defaults (page 64). The further they are
to the right, the longer the calculated reading time.
If there is no text present in the current subtitle then the arrows are positioned according to
the Default Duration (page 63). If the amount of text present requires less time to display
than the Minimum Duration (page 63) value, then that Minimum Duration value will be
represented by the position of the arrows.
The left-hand blue arrow represents the calculated reading time less 10% and the right hand
blue arrow represents the calculated reading time plus 10%.
As more text is typed in, the arrows will be positioned further to the right. This display is
relative to the text for each subtitle, and is scaled accordingly. Therefore, the positions
shown are only indicative of timing for the current subtitle.
The position of the diamond represents the actual duration of the current subtitle. When it is
positioned between the blue arrows it will turn to green to indicate that this duration value
falls within the acceptable limits, (as set by the reading speed (page 115) parameter ). When
the diamond lies outside the arrows it will be shown in red to indicate that the duration value
lies outside the acceptable limits. Therefore, if the duration is increased, the diamond will
move further to the right, and if decreased the diamond will move to the left.
Note
The duration indicator is only a guide. When it is green the system believes the
relationship between duration and reading speed is correct but this is dependent only on the
reading speed values (page 115) set in the system and therefore is only an approximate
measure, as text content will not have been taken into consideration. However, Poliscript
allows you to amend the subtitle cues or the duration to take account of the content and
characteristics of the subtitle as may be required with subtitles that consist of a few very long
words, are exceptionally short, or have content that would require longer than usual for the
viewer to absorb.
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About capturing cues
Provided your media file or video input to Poliscript includes valid timecode, the timecode
values can be captured and used to provide the In- and Out-Cues for your subtitles. Cue
capture is a very convenient and quick way of assigning cues to your subtitles.
There are a number of different ways to capture timecode and you can use whichever one
proves to be the most convenient at the time. However, for all cases there are two basic
modes:
Mode:
In which you:
Capture In and Out cues
Capture the In-Cue and Out-Cue separately using the In Cue and
Out Cue keys or the mouse.
This method is the better option if you want control over the
point at which each subtitle appears and disappears. It is also
best used if you are capturing cues for blank subtitles and will be
entering the text later.
Calculate duration
Capture the In-Cue only. Poliscript then uses the length of the
subtitle text and the reading speed parameter (page 115) to
calculate the optimum duration. This is added to the captured InCue to define the Out-Cue. If you have already entered the text
for your subtitles, this method of cue capture can be the more
convenient. You will, however, almost certainly need to edit
some of the calculated Out-Cues, especially where you have to
display a lot of dialogue in a short amount of time.
To select the capture mode
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 In the Setup Options dialogue, the select the Capture Settings tab.
3 Choose the required capture option and then click OK.
You can capture cues in either Edit or Rehearse mode, but in Rehearse mode the system will
not allow any cues already set to be overwritten or recaptured unless timecode Override is
used. This is a safety feature designed to prevent accidental deletion or changing of cues
when rehearsing the output. In Edit mode, cues can be freely recaptured or edited (page 74).
Capturing cues in Edit Mode
Note
Although the capturing of cues is, on the face of it, very simple to do, it can actually
take a bit of practice to get into the swing of. We recommend that you read through the
information below and then have one or two practice runs first. You can always delete (page
86) the cues you capture whilst practising and then capture them again.
You should also remember that you can manually edit captured cues. This can often prove to
be a better option than recapture, especially in cases where you need to make small or very
precise adjustments.
To capture in and out cues
1
Make sure the capture mode is set to In and Out Cues (page 66) and that Poliscript is in
Edit mode.
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2 Goto (page 59) the point in the subtitle file at which you want to start capturing cues.
If you have just created a new file containing only subtitle 0, your first In-cue will
usually be captured for subtitle 1 so press Page Down or click in the Next Subtitle
window to create subtitle 1.
3 Play the SV3 media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording
must contain valid timecode.)
The video will be displayed in the Poliscript screen and running timecode will be
displayed in the timecode window.
4 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to start displaying the
current subtitle, press the In-Cue key or click on the In-Cue window.
Note Using the jog control with Audio Scrubbing enabled (SV3 menu) makes it much
easier to locate the exact frame corresponding to the start of a dialogue.
The instantaneous timecode value is captured and entered into the In-Cue window. If you
capture the In-Cue too early you can correct it by capturing again. If you capture the InCue too late, you will need to rewind the recording and then re-capture.
5 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to remove the current
subtitle, press the Out-Cue key or click on the Out-Cue window.
The instantaneous timecode value is captured and entered into the Out-Cue window.
Again, you can correct the out-cue position by recapturing, if necessary.
At the same time as you capture the Out-Cue, the subtitle duration calculated from the In
and Out-Cues will be displayed in the duration window.
6 When both cues are correctly captured, go to the next subtitle and capture its in and out
cues as detailed above. Repeat this sequence as necessary until cues for all subtitles have
been captured.
Additional Information
Instead of capturing the Out-Cue after the In-Cue has been captured, you have the option of
pressing the Dur key or clicking on the Duration window (see Edit Mode screen (page 8)). A
duration value, based on the reading speed (page 115) calculation, will be placed in the
duration window and the corresponding Out-Cue will be calculated by adding the duration to
the captured In-Cue. However, if this calculation produces a value that is lower than the
Minimum Duration value, then the Minimum Duration value is placed in the duration
window. If no text is present in the current subtitle window, then the system places the
Default Duration into the duration window. See Setting default cues (page 63).
If you capture an In-Cue again without moving onto the next subtitle, a new In-Cue value
will be captured from the running timecode and entered into the In-Cue window for the
current subtitle. At this point the duration will default to the Minimum Duration value, and
an Out-Cue based on this duration will be entered into the Out-Cue window. When the
running timecode passes this point, a new Out-Cue value can be captured if required.
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Capturing cues using a mouse button
With Poliscript in Edit mode, it is possible to capture subtitle cues using the middle button of
a three-button mouse. Successive in and out cues are captured simply by pressing and
releasing the mouse button as the video is played. The action can be used to capture cues for
existing subtitles, and to add blank subtitles either to a new subtitle file or to the end of an
existing one. In either case, the in/out cues and the subtitle text can subsequently be edited as
required.
If manual cueing to air (page 88) is enabled, operating the middle mouse button will also
put existing subtitles on- and off-air.
To capture cues using the mouse button
1
Make sure the capture mode is set to In and Out Cues (page 66) and that Poliscript is in
Edit mode.
2 Goto (page 59) the point in the subtitle file at which you want to start capturing cues.
If you have just created a new file containing only subtitle 0, your first In-cue will
usually be captured for subtitle 1, so press Page Down or click in the Next Subtitle
window to create subtitle 1 and make it the current subtitle.
3 Play the SV3 media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording
must contain valid timecode.)
The video will be displayed in the Poliscript screen and running timecode will be
displayed in the timecode window.
4 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to start displaying the
current subtitle, press and hold the middle mouse button. This will do one or both of the
following.
If the subtitle does not already have in/out cues, the running timecode will be
captured and entered in the in-cue window.
If manual cueing is enabled, the subtitle will be put on air.
5 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to remove the current
subtitle, release the mouse button. This will:
Capture the out cue for the current subtitle, if this does not already exist.
Take the current subtitle off-air, if manual cueing is enabled.
Either load the next subtitle into the current subtitle window, or create a new blank
subtitle if the last subtitle in the file has been passed.
6 Continue to press and release the mouse button at appropriate points in the video to
repeat this capture/display sequence.
7 When all required cues have been captured, edit the subtitle text (page 41) and timing
(page 74) as required.
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Capturing In and Out Cues in Rehearse mode
Note
Although the capturing of cues is, on the face of it, very simple to do, it can actually
take a bit of practice to get into the swing of. We recommend that you read through the
information below and then have one or two practice runs first. You can always delete (page
86) the cues you capture whilst practising.
You should also remember that you can manually edit captured cues. This can often prove to
be a better option than recapture, especially in cases where you need to make small or very
precise adjustments.
To capture in and out cues
1
Make sure the capture mode is set to In and Out Cues (page 66) and that Poliscript is in
Rehearse mode.
2 Goto (page 59) the point in the subtitle file at which you want to start capturing cues.
3 Play the media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording must
contain valid timecode.)
The video will be displayed in the Poliscript screen and running timecode will be
displayed in the timecode window. Provided the next subtitle has blank cues, an arrow
will be displayed alongside the In-Cue box to indicate that an In-Cue is required. After
this has been captured, the arrow will shift to the Out-cue box.
4 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to start displaying the
current subtitle, press the In-Cue key or click on the In-Cue window.
Note Using the jog control with Audio Scrubbing enabled (SV3 menu) makes it much
easier to locate the exact frame corresponding to the start of a dialogue.
The subtitle will appear in the Current Subtitle Window and the running timecode value
at that instant is captured and entered into the In-Cue window. If you capture the In-Cue
too early you can correct it by capturing again. If you capture the In-Cue too late, you
will need to rewind the recording and then re-capture.
5 When the recorded video reaches the point at which you want to remove the current
subtitle press the Out-Cue key or click on the Out-Cue window.
The running timecode value at that instant is captured and entered into the Out-Cue
window and the subtitle is moved to the Previous Subtitle window. The current subtitle
window will then be blank, until you capture the next In-Cue when the next subtitle will
be displayed.
6 Repeat this sequence as necessary until cues for all subtitles have been captured.
Note If you need to re-capture any of the cues, rewind the recording and then proceed
exactly as detailed above. When you arrive at the point where you wish to alter a cue,
hold down the T/C O-ride key. This makes Poliscript behave as though the subtitle cues
were blank, so you re-capture the cue in the same way as you did before. You should
however take care when using the T/C O-ride key to ensure that you do not capture OutCues which are later than the In-Cue for the next subtitle and vice versa. Poliscript will
not object immediately but the next time you place the system in Rehearse mode, a
warning such as 'Outcue less than incue' or 'Incue less than previous outcue' will be given
and you will need to correct this.
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Capturing cues in Edit mode using Calculate Duration
To use this method of cue capture, you must first make sure the capture mode is set to
Calculate Duration (page 66) and that Poliscript is in Edit mode.
Capturing is then carried out as for capturing In-and-Out Cues in edit mode (page 66)
except that when you capture the In-Cue (by pressing the In-Cue key or by clicking on In-cue
box) Poliscript will calculate the duration of the subtitle using the reading speed (page 115)
parameter. This value will be entered into the duration display, and added to the In-Cue to
create an Out-Cue value.
If there is no text present in the subtitle then the duration value will be the Default Duration.
If the amount of text present requires less time to display than the Minimum Duration value,
then the duration value will be the Minimum Duration. See setting default cues (page 63).
Once the duration has been calculated, a message is displayed to notify you that the cue has
been re-calculated. You can click on OK to acknowledge and clear the message, or you can
press the Page Down key to move to the next subtitle and it will clear automatically.
In this mode you can also edit a captured cue by pressing, Shift+In-Cue or Shift+Out-Cue or
by Shift+Clicking in the In-Cue or Out-Cue field. The cursor will then move to the selected
field without re-capturing the running timecode. You can then re-enter a value manually.
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Capturing cues in Rehearse mode using Calculate Duration
To use this method of cue capture, you must first make sure the capture mode is set to
Calculate Duration (page 66) and that Poliscript is in Rehearse mode.
Note
This method of cue capture can only be used for subtitles with blank cues. If none of
the subtitles in your file have existing cues you can start capturing from subtitle 1, otherwise
you must go to the first subtitle with blank cues and carry on from there.
On entering Rehearse mode the Current Subtitle Window will be blank and the text of
subtitle 1 will be in the Next Subtitle window. The duration indicator arrows will be
positioned according to the calculated duration for the subtitle displayed in the Next Subtitle
window.
Play the media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording must
contain valid timecode.)
When you reach the point in the program material where you want to set the In-Cue for the
subtitle in the Next Subtitle window, press the In-Cue key. The Next subtitle will be
displayed in the current subtitle window. The timecode at that instant is entered into the InCue window on the monitor and at the same time the calculated duration will be placed in
the duration box. The Out-Cue is then calculated by adding the duration to the In-Cue.
When the timecode read from the recording matches the calculated Out-Cue the subtitle will
automatically be removed from the display. The duration indicator arrows are then set
according to the next subtitle's calculated duration.
When you want the next subtitle to appear on screen, press the In-Cue key again and repeat
until all the subtitles have been timed.
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Capturing cues in Rehearse mode using the Spacebar
To use this method of cue capture, you must first make sure the capture mode is set to In
and Out C (page 66)ues and that Poliscript is in Rehearse mode.
Note
This method of cue capture can only be used for subtitles with blank cues. If none of
the subtitles in your file have existing cues you can start capturing from subtitle 1, otherwise
you must go to the first subtitle with blank cues and carry on from there.
On entering Rehearse mode the Current Subtitle Window will be blank and the text of
subtitle 1 will be in the Next Subtitle window. The duration indicator arrows will be
positioned according to the calculated duration for the subtitle displayed in the Next Subtitle
window.
Play the media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording must
contain valid timecode.)
When you reach the point in the program material where you want to set the In-Cue for the
subtitle in the Next Subtitle window, press and hold the keyboard Spacebar. The Next
subtitle will be displayed in the current subtitle window. The timecode at that instant is
entered into the In-Cue window.
The duration indicator diamond will commence moving along the indicator bar. This will
assist you in determining the point for the Out-cue.
If you pressed the spacebar too early you can press the In-Cue key to re-capture the cue and
reset the indicator diamond to the left.
When you reach the point where you want to capture the Out-Cue for the subtitle, release the
spacebar. The subtitle will move to the Previous subtitle window, and the duration indicators
will be set to the calculated time required for the next subtitle, which will appear in the text
window when the spacebar is pressed, as above.
Set the In and Out-Cues for the subsequent subtitles by holding and then releasing the
spacebar until cues for all subtitles have been captured.
Entering In and Out Cues manually
Manual entry of In and Out cues can be used when a recording of the program material is
either not available or only has burnt-in timecode (BITC). However, when a recording with
BITC is available it can be used to establish the In-Cue of the first real subtitle (or any
subsequent subtitle) and you can then proceed as detailed below.
To enter both In and Out Cues manually, you must first make sure the capture mode is set to
In and Out Cues (page 66) and that Poliscript is in Edit mode.
This is what to do
1
Goto (page 59) the point in the subtitle file where you wish to start manual entry of the
In and Out Cues.
2 If not already entered, type the text of the subtitle and then press In Cue.
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An In-Cue will appear in the In Cue window. The value will be the Out-Cue of the
previous subtitle plus whatever is specified as the Default Interval (page 158).
The cursor will remain in the In-Cue window and you can amend the In-Cue value as
required.
3 When the In-Cue is correct, press either the Out Cue or Dur key.
When either of these keys is pressed, the system calculates a duration for the subtitle
based on the length of the text and the reading speed (page 115) parameter. This
calculated duration is placed in the duration window and the Out-Cue is calculated by
adding the duration to the In-Cue. Depending on which key you pressed, the cursor
remains in the Out-Cue or the Duration window to allow you to edit the cue if desired.
Note that the duration indicator will be placed between the blue arrows, only when the In
Cue or Out Cue keys are pressed, not when the Dur key is pressed.
Once the routine has been started this way it should be possible to step through all the
subtitles using the Default Interval and the calculated duration to give a first draft of the
job.
Additional Information
Normally the In-Cue of the first real subtitle will be edited manually as the system may have
allocated 00:00:00:00 as the In-Cue of the subtitle 0, and it is highly unlikely that subtitle 1
would follow on with only the default interval between.
If Out-Cue is pressed before In-Cue then the system will set the In-Cue, duration and Out-Cue
using the Default Interval (page 63) and the calculated duration of each subtitle. The cursor
will be placed in the Out-Cue window. The duration indicator diamond will move between
the two blue duration arrows on completion of this operation.
If Duration is pressed before the In-Cue or Out-Cue keys, then the system will set the In-Cue,
duration and Out-Cue using the Default Interval and the calculated duration of each subtitle.
The cursor will be placed in the duration window. The duration indicator diamond will not
be placed between the two blue indicator arrows on completion of this operation.
Attempting any of the above when there is no text in the subtitle, will result in the Default
Duration and Default Interval being used to calculate the In-Cue and Out-Cue.
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Entering cues manually using Calculate Duration
Manual entry of In and Out cues can be used when a recording of the program material is
either not available or only has burnt-in timecode (BITC). However, when a recording with
BITC is available it can be used to establish the In-Cue of the first real subtitle (or any
subsequent subtitle) and you can then proceed as detailed below.
To use Calculate Duration manually, you must first make sure the capture mode is set to In
and Out C (page 66)ues and that Poliscript is in Edit mode.
With Calculate Duration selected, the system behaves exactly as when Entering In and Out
Cues manually (page 72) except that pressing In Cue will calculate the In-Cue, Duration and
the Out-Cue using the default cue values (page 158).
A message will be displayed to notify you that the cue has been re-calculated. You should
now look at the values assigned for the In-Cue, Duration and Out-Cue.
If you are happy with the default cue values for the subtitle, you can press the Page Down
key to clear the message and automatically display the next subtitle.
If you wish to edit the default cue values for the subtitle, click on OK or press Return to
acknowledge and clear the message. The cursor will be placed into the In-Cue window and
you can edit that cue, or press the Dur or Out Cue keys, or click with the mouse to move to
the window for those cues. When you are happy with the cues you can then move to the next
subtitle and press In Cue again to define the cues for that subtitle.
Editing in and out cues manually
This section explains how to manually edit In and Out-Cues. Since this allows you to adjust
cues by as little as one frame, manual editing is most commonly used for fine adjustment
and/or to achieve precise subtitle timing. You can, however, make more coarse adjustments
should you so wish.
You can also adjust cues using the timeline (page 129) or by recapturing previously
captured cues (page 66).
Before attempting to manually edit a cue, make sure the capture mode is set to In and Out
Cues (page 66) and that Poliscript is in Edit mode.
Note If a recording with valid timecode is running, pressing the In-Cue or Out-Cue keys as
described below will capture (page 66) the current timecode value. To avoid this, either stop
the recording before you start editing cues, or hold down the shift key before pressing the InCue or Out-Cue keys or clicking in the relevant cue window.
This is what to do
1
Goto (page 59) the subtitle you wish to edit the cues of.
2 Press the In-Cue or Out-Cue key, or click on the In-Cue or Out-Cue window with the
mouse to move the cursor into the relevant cue window.
3 You can now edit the timecode value in the field by:
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positioning the cursor under a particular number in the field using the and keys
and overtyping the current value(s) (the cursor will move to the right as you type) or
by:
leaving the cursor at the right-hand end of the field and re-typing the entire cue value
(the characters you type will fill the field from right to left)
4 Whilst the cursor is in the In or Out Cue field, you can also change the cue value using
the Jogging functions.
Cue Jogging
Cue Jogging can be used when manually editing or entering In or Out Cues (the cursor must
be in the In-Cue or Out-Cue window)
To:
Press:
Increment the selected cue by one
frame
Decrement the selected cue by
one frame
Increment the cue value by one
second
Shift+
Decrement the cue value by one
second
Shift+
Increment the cue value by five
frames
Shift+
Decrement the cue value by five
frames
Shift+
You can also jog the cue values for the entire subtitle (the cursor can be in the In Cue, Out
Cue or Duration window):
To:
Press:
Increment both cues by one
second
Row+Word+
Decrement both cues by one
second
Row+Word+
Increment both cues by five
frames
Row+Word+
Decrement both cues value by
one second
Row+Word+
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Some notes about cue jogging
When jogging an In-Cue the subtitle duration value will reflect the changes, however the
Out-Cue value will remain unchanged.
An In-Cue can be decremented until it reaches the same value as the Out-Cue of the
previous subtitle, and it can be incremented until it reaches the same value as the current
Out-Cue. An Out-Cue can be incremented until it reaches the same value as the In-Cue
for the next subtitle, and it can be decremented until it reaches the same value as the
current In-Cue. During these operations the duration value will be updated to reflect the
changes made to the cue values.
When jogging the complete subtitle there are also limits which apply to ensure that cue
inconsistencies are not created:
If you decrement the cue values, the subtitle will move towards the Out-Cue of the
previous subtitle until the In-Cue of the current subtitle and the Out-Cue of the previous
subtitle reach the same value. If you then carry on decrementing the cues, the In-Cue will
not change, but the duration will continue to be reduced until a duration of zero is
reached. The same situation arises when incrementing cue values and the current subtitle
moves toward the next subtitle. The Out-Cue of the current subtitle will be limited to
have the same value as the In-Cue of the next subtitle.
Where jogging the cues for the complete subtitle results in a change to the duration, you will
have to amend the In or Out-Cue individually to restore that duration.
Recalculating cues (from within the current subtitle window)
If you change the default cues (page 63) and/or reading speeds (page 115) at any time, the
new defaults can be applied to existing subtitles as follows:
To re-calculate an In-Cue or Out-Cue
1
Display the Edit Mode screen.
2 Goto (page 59) the relevant subtitle.
3 Hold down Row+Word and then press the In Cue key (if you want to recalculate the InCue) or the Out-Cue key (if you want recalculate the Out-Cue).
4 The selected cue for the current subtitle will be recalculated in accordance with the cue
and reading defaults. The recalculated duration and cue values will be entered into the
relevant windows and a message will appear to notify you that the cue has been
recalculated.
Where the recalculation would otherwise result in either: an In-Cue which is earlier than
the Out-Cue of the previous subtitle, or an Out-Cue which is later than the In-Cue of the
next subtitle, Poliscript will limit the re-calculation to prevent the cues from overlapping
and will set the recalculated cue to have the same value as the adjoining cue. A message
will be displayed to inform you of this. Unless you then edit the cues manually (page
74) the result will be an instantaneous change between subtitles.
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Block subtitle utilities
Some of the subtitle formatting, editing and utility functions can be applied in a single
operation to a defined number of subtitles (known as a Block of subtitles). For example, say
you have a subtitle file of 250 subtitles and wanted to right-align the text in subtitles 53 to
76, the block utilities would provide the quickest way of doing this.
A block is a contiguous sequence of subtitles which can be as small as a single subtitle or
could include all the subtitles in the file (except subtitle 0 which is excluded from the block
functions as it is not an on-air subtitle and contains important information regarding the file).
The block size can be defined by marking (page 77) the subtitles to include in the block or
can be specified when you select the Tools>Utilities menu option (page 78).
Note
You must mark subtitles when you want to cut or copy a block.
Marking a block of subtitles
Poliscript provides a facility for marking a Block of subtitles. With marked blocks you can,
for example, apply formatting to a number of subtitles at once and Delete, Cut or Copy the
block. A subtitle block can contain any number of subtitles from one, up to all the subtitles in
the file.
To mark a block of subtitles
1
Goto (page 59) the subtitle you want to mark as the first one in the block.
2 Hold down Row+Word and press Home/Start.
This action marks the current subtitle as the first in the block. Marked subtitles are
identified by the word Marked being displayed on the left-hand side of the screen under
the Current Subtitle Number box.
3 Goto (page 59) the subtitle you want to mark as being the last one in the block.
4 Hold down Row+Word and press End.
This action marks the current subtitle as being the last in the block and Marked will be
displayed under the Current Subtitle Number box. All the subtitles between the first and
last subtitle will also have Marked displayed under their subtitle number.
You can now Cut (page 79), Copy (page 78), or Delete (page 86) the marked block.
Note Whilst there is a marked block of subtitles active, the actions available under the
Tools>Utilities menu option will apply to that block only. This allows you, for example,
to select a font or to set the text alignment of just the marked block. A message
reminding you of this will be displayed when you select the Utilities option from the main
menu with a marked block active.
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To unmark a block of subtitles:
To unmark a block of subtitles
1
With any subtitle in the Current subtitle Window, hold down Row+Word then press
Home/Start.
2 Leaving the same subtitle in the window, hold down Row+Word then press End and then
Row+Word and End again.
Specifying the subtitle block size via the Utilities dialogue
When the Utilities dialogue is displayed, the block size (i.e. the numbers of the first and last
subtitles in the current block) is shown in the Start and End boxes. The corresponding
timecode values are displayed underneath these boxes.
If you had marked (page 77) a block of subtitles before opening the Utilities menu, a
message will be displayed stating that the Utilities menu is using the marked block. The Start
and End boxes will display the corresponding subtitle numbers.
If you did not mark a block of subtitles prior to opening the Utilities menu the block size will
default to the size of the file. The Start box will show number 1 and the End box will show
the number of the last subtitle in the file. Subtitle 0 (page 115) is not included.
Note
Choosing any of the options in the Utilities dialogue, except Renumber, will apply
that action to the subtitle block. Renumber however, is always applied to the entire file.
To specify a particular block size
1
In the Start and End boxes, enter or select the numbers of the first and last subtitles in the
required block.
The corresponding In-Cues for the selected subtitles appear in the boxes below the
subtitle numbers.
You can now choose the function that you want to apply to the defined block and click
OK.
Copying blocks of subtitles
The Copy subtitle function allows you to copy a block of subtitles and then paste them into a
different location in the same file, or into another file.
In order to copy a block of subtitles, you must first mark (page 77) them. Once marked you
then press Row+Word and Copy. This will copy the marked block into a block buffer from
which they can be recalled. See Pasting blocks of subtitles (page 79). The block of subtitles
will be retained in the buffer until another block of subtitles is Cut or Copied.
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Cutting blocks of subtitles
The Cut subtitle function allows you to remove a block of subtitles from a file and then paste
those subtitles back to a different location in the same file, or into another file.
In order to cut a block of subtitles, you must first mark (page 78) those subtitles. Once the
subtitles are marked press Row+Word and Cut. This will delete the marked block of subtitles
from the file but retains them in a block buffer from which they can be recalled. See Pasting
blocks of subtitles (page 79). The block of subtitles will be retained in the buffer until
another block of subtitles is Cut or Copied.
Pasting blocks of subtitles
To paste a block of subtitles into the subtitle file, press Row+Word and Paste. This will paste
the contents of the block buffer i.e. the block of subtitles last cut (page 79) or copied (page
78), into the current subtitle file.
The block will be pasted into the file after the current subtitle. The first subtitle in the pasted
block will be given the same number as the current subtitle but with a letter suffix added.
E.g. if subtitle 15 is in the Current Subtitle window and you paste in a block of subtitles, 15
will then be followed by subtitles 15a, 15b, 15c,etc., up to subtitle 15o. If there were any
further subtitles in the block, the next one would become 16 and the existing 16 will become
16a and so on.
The Paste key is also used with the Paste from file (page 80) operation.
Cutting or Copying blocks to file
The Cut To File and Copy To File functions are used to cut or copy a marked block of subtitles
from the current subtitle file and save them directly to disk as a named .PAC subtitle file.
To cut or copy a block to a file
1
If you have not already done so, mark (page 77) the block of subtitles you wish to cut
from the current workfile.
2 Press the
+Cut keys or the
+Copy keys.
The Cut operation will remove the marked block from the original file, whereas the Copy
operation will leave the original file intact.
The Save a File dialogue will appear. This shows a default name for the file, and the
names of any existing files in the current folder.
3 If you wish to save the file under a different name, delete the existing entry in the File
Name field and enter a new filename.
4 If you wish to save the file to a different location, select the drive and/or folder as
required.
5 When you have entered the file name and made any necessary changes to the drive
and/or folder specified, click on the Save button.
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Pasting blocks from file
Subtitle blocks which have been cut or copied to file (page 79), and also any valid .PAC file,
can be pasted into the current workfile. The subtitles will be pasted-in after the current
subtitle.
To paste from file
1
Goto the point in the subtitle file where you wish to paste-in the subtitles from file.
2 Press the
+Paste keys.
The Open a File dialogue will appear. The .PAC files in the default folder will be listed.
3 If the file you wish to paste is in another folder, select that folder.
4 When you have located the file you wish to load, double-click on the filename or click
on Open.
Note The selected file will be loaded and the new subtitles will be numbered ##a, ##b
and so on. After pasting-in a file, the Renumber (page 82) and Sort By In-Cue (page 82)
facilities can prove useful.
Aligning text
To align the text in a block of subtitles
1
Mark (page 77) the subtitle block.
2 Choose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
3 A message 'Using MARKED BLOCK of titles' is displayed to remind you that, by
default, any actions performed will be applied to the marked block only. Click OK to
acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
4 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will amend. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
5 Click the Justify tab.
6 Choose the required alignment option.
7 Click OK.
The selected text alignment will be applied to the subtitle block, and the Utilities
dialogue will close.
Printing
The print function enables you to obtain a print-out of the whole subtitle file or of any block
of subtitles within the file. In addition to the subtitle text, you can choose to have various
items of information included, such as the in and out cues and durations.
To print a block of subtitles
1
Mark (page 77) the subtitle block.
2 Preview (page 81) the print-out if you want to see how it will appear.
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3 Chose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
A message 'Using MARKED BLOCK of titles' is displayed to remind you that, by
default, any actions performed will be applied to the block only. Press OK to
acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
4 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will print. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
5 Click the Print Setup tab.
If you have more than one printer installed under Windows, you can select the one you
wish to use by clicking on the Printer drop-down. The parameters regarding setup and
use of the printer can be configured by clicking on the Setup button. This is also a
Windows function so please refer to your Windows/Printer documentation or help
system for more information.
By default, each of the print options is checked and the print-out will include:
Cues
Boxes around subtitle text (where selected in the subtitle file)
An indicator showing the Safe Area
The Date (on each page)
A Page Number
If you wish to exclude any of this information from the print-out, click on the
corresponding check box to remove the tick.
If you find that the margins of the print-out require adjustment, use the Left and Right
Margin values to scale the printed text as required. The default values of 0 give the
smallest margin.
6 When you have set the print options as required, click OK to commence printing.
Print preview
Use this function to preview the print-outs of subtitle files that can be obtained through the
Tools>Utilities option.
To preview a print-out
1
If you want to preview/print just a block of subtitles, mark (page 77) the required block.
If you don't mark a block, the whole file will be previewed.
2 Choose the File>Print Preview menu option.
A preview window will be displayed, showing the file as it will be printed.
3 Use the Zoom and Page buttons to examine the preview as required.
4 If you wish to print the file, click Print.
5 To close the preview, click Close.
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Renumbering subtitles
This option renumbers all subtitles in the file and can be used after an action such as
deleting, adding or moving subtitles has destroyed the consecutive numbering.
Note
Renumbering the file will not re-arrange the order in which the subtitles appear.
To renumber the subtitle file
1
Choose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
If you currently have a marked block of subtitles, a message about this will be displayed.
However, the Renumber option ignores marked blocks. Press OK to acknowledge the
message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
2 Click the Display tab.
3 Choose the Renumber option and click OK.
The Renumbering takes place immediately and a progress indicator is shown on the
status bar whilst this takes place. Depending on the size of the file, the display may be
visible for only a brief period.
The numbering will be consecutive from the first subtitle, usually from 0 upwards but if
the first subtitle is 100, the second subtitle will be 101, and so on.
Sorting subtitles by In-Cue
This option sorts the subtitles in the file by In-Cue value. The subtitle with the lowest
timecode value will be placed at the beginning of the file and the remainder are sorted in
ascending value. This function is generally used after a subtitle file has been appended (page
94) to an existing file.
To sort a subtitle file by In Cue
1
Chose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
If you currently have a marked block of subtitles, a message about this will be displayed.
Click OK to acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will amend. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
2 Click the Display tab.
3 Choose the Sort by Incue option and click OK.
The sorting occurs immediately.
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Adjusting vertical position
This option enables subtitles to be moved vertically, either by a specified number of rows or
to an absolute row position.
The utility automatically checks that all subtitles in the selected range can be moved in the
specified direction, and provides information on the valid (i.e. possible) range of movement.
You can choose one of two options either to:
prevent any adjustment unless all of the subtitles in the selected range can be moved as
specified.
allow all subtitles that can be moved as specified to be adjusted, leaving those that can't
where they are.
For example, suppose you want to move a block of subtitles down one row and some of
them are already on row 1. You can choose to prevent any adjustment, or to have the
remaining ones in the block moved.
Relative adjustment
Use this option to move subtitles by a specified number of rows relative to their existing
positions.
To adjust subtitles to a relative position
1
Mark (page 77) the subtitle block.
2 Choose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
3 A message 'Using MARKED BLOCK of titles' is displayed to remind you that, by
default, any actions performed will be applied to the marked block only. Click OK to
acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
4 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will amend. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
5 Select the Display tab, choose Vertical Subtitle Adjustment, and click OK.
6 Select the Relative Adjustment tab.
7 Under Direction, choose the direction in which you want to move the subtitles.
8 If you want the adjustment to be made only if all subtitles in the block can move as
specified, do the following.
Check the Ensure All Subtitles Can Adjust box.
In this case, the Valid Range field will show the range (in rows) of possible
adjustment.
In the Rows to Adjust by field enter the number of rows by which you want to move
the subtitles.
Click OK.
If you specified an adjustment outside the Valid Range, it will be disallowed and you
will be requested to re-enter the value. Otherwise, the adjustment will be applied.
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9 If you want the adjustment to be made even if some subtitles in the block cannot move as
specified, do the following.
Clear the Ensure All Subtitles Can Adjust box.
In this case, the Valid Range field will show 'All Rows (1..11)'. This is the maximum
possible adjustment for any subtitle.
In the Rows to Adjust by field enter the number of rows by which you want to move
the subtitles.
Click OK.
All subtitles in the block that can move by the specified amount will be adjusted. The
remaining subtitles will be left in their existing positions.
Absolute adjustment
Use this option to move subtitles to an absolute top or bottom row position.
To adjust subtitles to an absolute
1
Mark (page 77) the subtitle block.
2 Choose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
3 A message 'Using MARKED BLOCK of titles' is displayed to remind you that, by
default, any actions performed will be applied to the marked block only. Click OK to
acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
4 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will amend. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
5 Select the Display tab, choose Vertical Subtitle Adjustment, and click OK.
6 Select the Absolute Adjustment tab.
7 Under Row Position, choose Top or Bottom as the row in the subtitles that you want to
set to an absolute position.
8 If you want the adjustment to be made only if all subtitles in the block can move as
specified, do the following.
Check the Ensure All Subtitles Can Adjust box.
In this case, the Valid Range field will show the range of rows to which it is possible
to move the subtitles.
In the Row number field enter the row number to which you want to move the
subtitles.
Click OK.
9 If you want the adjustment to be made even if some subtitles in the block cannot move as
specified, do the following.
Clear the Ensure All Subtitles Can Adjust box.
In this case, the Valid Range field will show 'All Rows (0..11)' for the bottom row
position or 'All Rows (1..10)' for the top row position. These are the limits of
positioning for any subtitle.
In the Row number field enter the row number to which you want to move the
subtitles.
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Click OK.
Block font selection
You can use the Font Selection option to apply either Font 1 or Font 2, to a block of
subtitles. See Display mode (page 158) for details of how to select the fonts used as Font 1
and 2.
To apply Font 1 or 2 to a block of subtitles
1
Mark (page 77) the subtitle block.
2 Chose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
A message 'Using MARKED BLOCK of titles' is displayed to remind you that, by
default, any actions performed will be applied to the marked block only. Click OK to
acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
3 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will apply the selected font to. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start
and End values.
4 Click the Font tab.
5 Choose Font 1 or Font 2 as required, then click OK.
The font option will be applied to the subtitle block immediately.
Timecode adjustments
Timecode adjustments can be made to the subtitles in a particular block, or to all subtitles in
a file via the Recut facility. Recut is typically used when the length of a previously subtitled
program has changed for one reason or another. For example, say that a program had been
edited to remove a particular scene. The timecode would be re-laid to avoid discontinuities,
but if the existing subtitle file were played-out, all the subtitles in the file appearing after the
missing scene would be displayed too late.
Recut allows you to correct for this and for similar situations, by shifting the In-Cue and
Out-Cue values for a range of subtitles equally and making all those subtitles appear earlier
or later in the program. Recut has no effect on subtitle duration.
It is also possible to adjust timecode using the keyboard Recut (page 62) key, which
provides a slightly different recut facility.
To recut the subtitle file
1
If you want to recut the timecode for a marked block of subtitles and you have not
already marked that block, you should mark (page 77) it now, before going on to the
next step.
2 Chose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
If you currently have a marked block of subtitles, a message about this will be displayed.
Click OK to acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
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3 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles for
which you will recut the timecode. If you wish to change the block, enter the required
Start and End values.
4 Click the Recut tab.
5 Click on the Offset or Start Time box and enter the required value.
If Offset is selected, you can enter a positive or negative timecode value which will be
added to, or subtracted from, the in- and Out-Cue values for each subtitle in the selected
block. By default the value will be positive i.e. added to the current in- and Out-Cue
values and this will be indicated by the + sign in the box. You can change between
positive and negative values by pressing the + or – keys.
As you enter the offset, the value shown in the Start Time box will change to indicate
what the new start value for the first subtitle in the block will be after the recut has been
actioned.
If the Start Time box is selected, you can then enter a new value for the In-Cue of the first
subtitle in the selected block.
As you enter the new start value, the value shown in the Offset box will update to reflect
the corresponding offset which will be applied to all subsequent in- and Out-Cue values
for the subtitles in the selected block.
6 Once you are satisfied that the new start value or offset is correct click OK to action the
recut.
The recut will be carried out immediately. All existing duration and interval values are
kept intact, but the subtitles selected will have been moved in relation to the applied
offset or new start value.
Deletions
The block deletion facilities for subtitles provide three options. You can delete:
subtitle cues only
subtitle text only
text and cues
The Delete Cues only option removes all timecode information from the selected subtitles but
will retain the subtitle text. This can be used, for example, when a program has been heavily
edited and you need to re-time a large number of individual subtitles.
The Delete Text only option removes the text but retains the timecode information for the
selected subtitles. This is a useful option when subtitling a program in a different language as
all the time cues would still be valid and only the text would need to change.
The Delete Cues and Text option completely deletes the selected subtitles.
Note
Any information you delete using this option cannot be recovered unless you have a
backup of the file. See: Save as (page 92).
To delete text, cues or both
1
If you want to delete a marked block of subtitles and you have not already marked that
block, you should mark (page 77) it now, before going on to the next step.
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2 Chose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
If you currently have a marked block of subtitles, a message about this will be displayed.
Click OK to acknowledge the message. The Utilities dialogue will be displayed.
3 Check the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These define the block of subtitles you
will be deleting. If you wish to change the block, enter the required Start and End values.
4 Click the Delete tab.
5 Choose the required option.
6 To proceed with the deletion click OK.
A message will be displayed asking if you are sure about the deletion, click Yes to
continue. The deletion will then be carried out immediately.
Rehearsing the subtitle file
Poliscript provides a Rehearse mode which enables you to play out the subtitle file and
program material together, as if the program is being broadcast or a final version is being
recorded onto master tape.
The rehearse output will be displayed on the Poliscript monitor. It can also be selected to
drive an output device (such as a Screen Subtitling Systems Insight character generator or a
T3000 VBI inserter), which enables rehearse mode to be used to display subtitles on-air.
In Rehearse mode you can check that the subtitles:
appear and disappear at the correct times
each contain the relevant text
are displayed for long enough
If you want the rehearse output to appear on-air, it is necessary first to select the rehearse
output (page 160).
To rehearse the subtitle file
1
Press the Rehearse key (to place the system into small-screen rehearse mode), or
Shift+Rehearse (to enter large-screen rehearse mode).
2 Play the media file, Vidcache recording or external program source. (The recording must
contain valid timecode.)
The video picture will be displayed on the Poliscript monitor. As the recording plays,
Poliscript will also play out the subtitles, switching the text on and off as the timecode
values from the recording and the matching subtitle In and Out-Cues are reached. You do
not have to play the recording from the beginning, Poliscript will automatically display
the correct subtitles for whichever part of the recording you play.
In large-screen rehearse mode, the cues and subtitle number of the on-air or next on-air
subtitle are shown, along with the running timecode.
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In small screen rehearse, a message under the subtitle number of the current subtitle
displays "Replay Capture Cues". The previous subtitle window will display the last
subtitle whose Out-Cue is less than the running timecode value. The current subtitle
window will show the subtitle which is either on-air or due next on-air. If it is due next
on-air, then only the cues and subtitle number will be shown. The next window will
show the next subtitle due to be on-air. This may be the same subtitle shown in the
current position if it is not yet on-air.
3 When you wish to return to Edit mode, press Edit, or Shift+Edit.
Manual cueing to air
With Poliscript in Edit mode, and with the required subtitle file loaded, it is possible to cue
subtitles on and off air manually, using keyboard keys or the middle button of a three-button
mouse. The function can also be operated from a USB jog/shuttle controller (see "Shuttle
Pro operation" on page 25). The subtitles will be output to whatever device is selected as the
Manual Cue Device in the Setup options.
Using a mouse button for manual cueing can also capture in- and out-cues, and automatically
add blank subtitles to the end of the file. See Capturing cues using a mouse button (page
68).
Before cueing to air, it is necessary to select the required manual cueing device (page 160).
To cue subtitles manually to air
1
Select Edit mode.
2 Use the Page Up/Page Down keys to place the required subtitle in the current subtitle
window.
3 To put the subtitle on-air, do one of the following:
Press the Home key.
If using a three-button mouse, press and hold the middle mouse button. If the subtitle
does not already have in/out cues, the In-Cue will be captured.
The manual cue indicator on the Edit Mode screen will change to yellow.
4 To remove the subtitle from air, do one of the following:
Press the Page Up or Page Down key, or the End key.
Release the middle mouse button. If the subtitle does not already have in/out cues,
the Out-Cue will be captured.
The manual cue indicator will change to red.
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File Handling
Poliscript provides a number of utilities for the handling and management of subtitle files.
These include facilities to:
Read-in and write-out subtitle files in a variety of formats
Copy and Delete files
Read-in alternative subtitling text for an existing file
Append a file to an existing file
Define a number of optional settings for the reading-in and writing-out of subtitle files in
the available formats.
Associate file types for use with Poliscript.
Opening an existing subtitle file
There are essentially two facilities for opening files:
Standard Windows Open controls (e.g. File>Open, Ctrl+O) - These display a dialogue
which allows you to open files of any of the supported types from any drive or directory.
However, it can also make use of the default directories set up through the Tools menu
by automatically moving to the appropriate default directory as you select a file type.
Win2020-compatible control (Row+Word+R) - This is restricted to files of the lastopened type and goes automatically to the appropriate default directory. You can,
however, select a different directory, if required.
Note Subtitle files can also be opened automatically, at the same time as Poliscript is
launched, if using command line operations (page 36).
To open a file using Windows controls
1
If you want to keep the current workfile, do a Save (page 91) or Save As (page 92).
2 Do one of the following:
Click the Open icon on the toolbar.
Choose the File>Open menu option.
Press Ctrl+O.
3 In the Open dialogue, if you want to use default directories, clear the Ignore Default
Directory box.
With this cleared, the default directory will be selected as you select the file type.
4 In the Files of type box, select the type of file you want to open.
5 Depending on the selected file type, set up the options as required (page 97).
6 If necessary, locate and select the directory in which the required file is stored.
7 Select the required file and click Open.
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To open a file using Win2020 control
Note that this will open files only of the type last selected in the Open dialogue as described
above.
1
Press Row+Word+R.
2 In the Open a File dialogue, navigate to the directory in which the required file is stored.
3 Select the required file and click Open.
Saving files
Poliscript has various means of saving the current file, which allow different actions ranging
from routine saving of the file to saving a copy of the file in a different format using a
different name and/or storage location.
Generally speaking, the save functions follow standard Windows Save/Save As conventions,
with the addition of an adjustable autosave facility.
Refer to the relevant topics for information on doing any of the following.
To:
Refer to:
Set the autosave interval
Autosave (page 90)
Save the current file
Save (page 91)
Save the file in a different
format and/or using a
different name
Save As (page 92)
Autosave
Poliscript has an Autosave facility which automatically saves the current workfile at
definable intervals - either of time or of the number of added subtitles.
Autosave does not update the stored subtitle file. Instead, the workfile is saved as a file
called STITLES.RAC (page 6), which is intended only for storing the subtitles between
sessions, and as a backup in the event of power failure or of failure to save the file manually
before shutting down.
The STITLES.RAC file enables you to recover from such an event, because it is loaded
automatically when Poliscript is started up, allowing you to save the file normally. However,
if you don't save the file before starting a new one, the old STITLES.RAC file is overwritten
and the subtitles will be lost.
The intervals between autosaves can be set through the Editor tab (page 156) in Setup
Options.
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Save
Poliscript provides both Standard Windows-compatible controls (e.g. File>Save, Ctrl+S) and
Win2020-compatible controls for saving files to disk.
To save a file using Windows-compatible controls
1
Do one of the following:
Click the Save icon on the toolbar.
Choose the File>Save menu option.
Press Ctrl+S.
2 If the file has not already been saved, the Save As dialogue will be displayed, enabling
you to specify a location, name and file type for the saved file. In this case, refer to Save
As (page 92).
3 If the file has previously been saved, it will simply be re-written to the same location and
filename. A message will appear briefly during the save.
Win2020-compatible controls
To save a file using the Save key
Note that this will save the file only in the format (type) last selected in the Save As
dialogue.
1
Press the Save key.
If the file has not already been saved, the Save A File dialogue will be displayed, enabling
you to specify a location and name for the saved file. The file type cannot be changed.
2 In this case, select the drive and directory in which you want to save the file, enter a
name in the File Name box, and then click Save.
If the file has previously been saved, a warning is displayed to the effect that a file of the
same name exist, and asking if you want to overwrite it.
3 In this case, click Yes to complete the save or Cancel to cancel it.
To save a file using Row+Word+W or Row+Word+S
These key combinations operate in essentially the same way as the Save key, except that
the Save A File dialogue is always displayed, regardless of whether the file has been
previously saved. You can always, therefore, specify a different name and or location for
the file if you wish to.
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Save As
Save As allows you to save the current file, specifying any or all of:
the subtitle file format
the file name
the file location
The principal uses for Save As are to save a subtitle file for the first time, and to save copies
of the file in other formats and/or under different name.
When you do a Windows-compatible save on a file for the first time, the Save As dialogue
appears automatically so that you can specify the file parameters. Alternatively, you can do a
save as at any time, as follows.
To do a save as
1
Choose the File>Save As menu option.
A conventional Windows Save As dialogue will be displayed, with two additional
functions.
Note By default, Poliscript will automatically select the directory designated through
File Options (page 97) for the file type selected in the Save as type box. If you want to
ignore this default directory and choose a different one, check the Ignore Default
Directory box
2 In the Save In box, select the required location for the saved file.
3 In the File name box, enter the name you wish to give to the file.
4 In the Save as type box select the format in which you wish to save the file.
The particular formats available depend upon the configuration of your specific system.
See: Supported File Formats (page 94).
5 As a file type is selected, the associated options are displayed - e.g. PAC Options. If
necessary, refer to File type options and set the options as required.
6 When all settings in the Save As dialogue are as required, click Save to save the file.
Copying files
Subtitle files can be copied from one drive/folder to another using Windows Explorer or a
similar utility. Refer to the Windows help for information on using Explorer.
You can also copy files from within Poliscript by using the Save As (page 92) function.
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93
Deleting subtitle files
Subtitle files can be deleted from disk using Windows Explorer or a similar utility.
You can also delete files from within Poliscript by using one of the Open dialogues.
To delete a file from within Poliscript:
1
Use any of the open controls (page 89) to display the Open or Open a file dialogue.
2 Navigate to the directory in which the relevant file is stored, and click on the file.
3 Do one of the following to delete the file.
Right-click on the file and select the Delete option from the short-cut menu.
Press the Delete key.
4 In either case, click Yes in the confirmation message to complete the deletion.
Reading-in alternative text for a subtitle file
This option allows you read-in just the text of a subtitle file and merge it with an existing
time-coded file. The result will be a new file which uses the cues from the current workfile
and the text from the read-in file.
This is what to do
1
Open (page 89) the subtitle file which contains the cues you wish to use.
2 Do the following to delete the text content of the loaded file.
Choose the Tools>Utilities menu option.
Select the Delete tab and then choose the Delete Text Only option.
Click OK, then Yes to confirm the deletion.
3 Now open the subtitle file that contains the required alternative text, but this time, check
the Read Alternative Text box in the Open dialogue.
This will load only the text content of the selected file.
Note If the original and alternate text subtitle files are of different lengths, a dialogue
box will appear, warning you of the loss of subtitles or the truncation of the file length.
The merged file automatically assumes the name of the alternative text file.
4 Use Save (page 91) or Save As (page 92) to save the file under the same name or a
different name, as required.
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Appending a file to the current workfile
This action enables you to combine two separate subtitle files by adding one onto the end of
another.
Note
Poliscript limits the workfile to 2554 subtitles. If appending a file would result in the
workfile exceeding this limit, the workfile will be truncated.
To append a file
1
Open (page 89) the the file to which you want to append another one.
2 Now open the file you want to append, but this time, check the Append box in the Open
dialogue.
The combined file retains the name of the first-opened of the two files.
3 Use Save (page 91) or Save As (page 92) to save the file under the same name or a
different name, as required.
Note After appending a file, the Renumber (page 82) and Sort By In-Cue (page 82)
facilities can prove useful.
Supported File Formats
Poliscript supports the following subtitle file formats.
PU2000 (page 94)
Compressed (page 95)
EBU (page 95)
LINGUA (page 95)
Scantitling 890 (page 95)
ASCII (page 96)
JISCODE (page 96)
BIG 5 (page 96)
GBCODE (page 97)
PU2000 files
This is a fixed-length file format used by the PU2000 which is an earlier Screen Subtitling
Systems preparation system.
The PU2000 stored its subtitles in a file which was always called STITLES.RAC. The ability
to read-in PU2000 files allows you to re-use or re-format material prepared on the PU2000
system and save that material under a unique file name.
The PU2000 file format supports all major Western European languages (as configured on
the PU2000) it is not suitable for non-Roman languages such as Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek or
Chinese.
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95
Compressed files
A compressed file is a compacted version of a PU2000 file. It can be given any name which
follows standard DOS file name conventions and therefore the name cannot be more than 8
characters long.
Poliscript adds a .PAC extension to the file. These files will therefore always be named in
the form: filename.PAC.
The ability to use different names allows you to place more than one subtitle file in a single
folder.
This format is the normal disk format used for subtitles on the Poliscript, and supports all the
languages available on that system.
EBU files
The European Broadcasting Union has defined a common file format to enable the transfer
of subtitle files from one system to another.
Poliscript saves EBU files with a .STL extension. These filenames will therefore always be
named in the form: filename.STL.
The EBU format has been widely adopted for Teletext use, and is the normal format for
Teletext subtitle storage. Poliscript supports EBU for Latin, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew.
Arabic is not currently supported for EBU by Poliscript.
EBU Open (page 27) format files are ill-defined and are not recommended for use except as
a text and timing transfer medium. Other systems do not necessarily read the format well.
LINGUA
This transmission file format allows subtitles for one production to be prepared in several
languages and then stored in a single file. When the file is written-out from Poliscript it is
given a standard .CHK extension.
Poliscript can only read or write one language file at a time but the file options allow you to
choose which language is to be read from or written to a transmission file.
This format will usually only be present on the hard disk of a transmission system, and
supports all languages available on Poliscript.
SCANTITLING .890 files
SCANTITLING files compatible with the ST890 and associated systems may be read into
and written out from Poliscript, providing the option was requested upon order.
Major Roman based languages and Arabic are supported, subject to factory set
configuration.
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ASCII files
Poliscript can read standard ASCII files in various character sets.
Poliscript adds the extension .TXT to the filename when writing-out the file, and requires the
.TXT extension be present for any ASCII file that you attempt to read-in.
ASCII files written out from Poliscript will be formatted to ensure that as little information
as possible is lost. This is useful for actions such as exporting text to an external wordprocessor for spell-checking.
As an optional feature, Poliscript can have an ASCII parser facility, which enables it to
interpret ASCII subtitle files written in various custom formats.
JISCODE
Poliscript can read Japanese Industry Standard coded files. It writes-out these files with a
.JIS extension, so the files will, therefore, always be named in the form: filename.JIS.
Poliscript requires the .JIS extension be present for any JISCODE file that you attempt to
read-in.
The system imports standard unformatted text with double-byte codings. A carriage return (
CR ) is understood as the end of a line, with a double CR as the end of a title. The text wraps
at the Safe Area.
When exporting text (writing a file) the system creates line formatted subtitles, there are no
user options available.
Big 5
BIG5 is a character coding scheme used to represent the Traditional Chinese character set.
This set consists of some 14000 characters, and can include character sets from other
languages, e.g. Greek, Cyrillic, English.
BIG5 uses the following general rules:
The first character of a two-byte code is always above 160. In general the first character
is in the range 161-254. This can be thought of as a 'page' selection code.
The second character is in the range 64-126 and 161-254. This can be thought of as the
character from the page.
This gives a total maximum number of characters of 14415. However, some codes are
unused, and therefore the number is slightly less.
Any character less than 161 is treated as a single byte code, from the Latin set. The
particular Latin set used may vary according to the language configuration of windows.
In this case the characters will be displayed as Latin text.
The typical filename extension used is .OVR.
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97
GBCODE
GBCODE is a character coding scheme used to represent the Simplified Chinese character
set. This set consists of some 4000 characters, and can include character sets from other
languages such as Greek, Cyrillic and English.
GBCODE uses the following general rules:
The first character of a two byte code is always above 160. In general the first character
is in the range 161-254. This can be thought of as a 'page' selection code.
The second character is in the range 161-254.
This gives a total maximum number of characters of 8836, however, some codes are
unused, and therefore the number is slightly less.
Any character less than 161 is treated as a single byte code, from the Latin set. The
particular Latin set used may vary according to the language configuration of windows.
In this case the characters will be displayed as Latin text.
The typical filename extension used is .SIM.
UNICODE
The Unicode Standard is a character coding system designed to support the worldwide
interchange, processing, and display of the written texts of the diverse languages of the
modern world. In addition, it supports classical and historical texts of many written
languages.
Poliscript can read and write files conforming to the Unicode standard. It adds the extension
.TXT to the filename when writing-out the file, and requires the .TXT extension be present
for any Unicode file that you attempt to read-in.
Setting File Options
For each of the supported subtitle file types, you can define as defaults the location (i.e. the
directory in which Poliscript will look for files of the type) and some file-type specific
options. The defaults are defined through a File Options menu selection, and are offered
automatically when you open or save a file.
For example, you might set the default directory for ASCII files as c:\Poliscript\ascii, and
choose particular in and out conversion options. These would then be offered each time you
opened or saved an ASCII file.
You can, however, override the defaults on any given occasion, selecting a different source
location and/or changing the file type specific options.
To set the file options:
1
Choose the Tools>Options>File Options menu option.
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In the File Options dialogue, the left-hand pane shows a list of all supported subtitle file
types and of system files. (Click the + boxes if you can't see the individual file types.)
Each entry shows the wildcard file name that Poliscript uses when looking for files of the
type.
When you click on a file type, the right-hand pane shows the current default directory
and (where relevant) type-specific option settings for the file type.
2 Click on a file type.
3 In the Default Directory field, do one of the following to set the default directory for files
of the type:
Type in the full directory path definition.
Click the ellipses button to the right of the field and use the finder window to locate
and select the directory.
4 If type-specific options are displayed, refer to the appropriate topic and set the options as
required.
PU2000 & COMPRSD (page 98)
EBU (page 99)
LINGUA (page 101)
SCANTITL (page 102)
ASCII (page 102)
UNICODE (page 103)
PU2000 & COMPRSD file options
File type:
Options:
Which:
PU2000 &
COMPRSD
PU2000 Italic
Converts PU2000 italics to
Poliscript file format. Use this
option if italic text from a PU2000
file is read as coloured text. This
conversion also converts certain
Nordic and Icelandic characters
correctly.
PU2000 TTEXT
Converts PU2000 Teletext to
Poliscript format. This is necessary
because the character set used in the
UK TELETEXT PU2000 format
was different to that used in the
OPEN format.
No Conversion
Leaves the PU2000 file as it is.
Unless you are familiar with these
file formats, it is recommended that
this option is selected. Use of
PU2000 Italic or PU2000 TTEXT
will corrupt text if used incorrectly.
Using Poliscript
EBU file options
File type:
Options:
Which:
EBU
Display Standard TTXT 1
TTXT 2
Open
Determines the information written
into the file. If either TTXT 1 or
TTXT 2 are selected then the file
written out will be in the EBU
Teletext format, with Teletext codes
and colours.
If Open is selected, then the file
written out will be an EBU OPEN
format file, allowing italics, etc.
EBU OPEN format files are illdefined and are not recommended
for use except as a text and timing
transfer medium. Other systems do
not necessarily read the format well.
Open colours On
Open colours Off
Provides the option to strip-out
colour information when writing an
EBU Open file.
Use Custom EBU Header
Allows the individual parameters in
the EBU header to be modified as
required. See below.
Table
LATIN00
CYRIL01
(ARAB02)
GREEK03
HEBREW04
This setting determines the
character code table used in the
EBU file.
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Custom EBU header
The header for files saved in EBU format can be customised, either from the system File
Options dialogue (Tools>Options>File Options), or from the Save As dialogue for an
individual subtitle file. In either case, checking the Use Custom Header checkbox and
clicking the associated More button opens an EBU Header window, in which any of the
header parameters can be modified.
Using Poliscript
The dialogue operates as follows.
Checkboxes
The 14 checkboxes enable or disable the associated aspects of
the custom header dialogue. If a box is checked, the setting in
the custom header dialogue will be used. If not, any setting
will be ignored.
Title boxes
If any of the four boxes associated with the title fields is
selected, they show a blue page symbol. In this state, the
associated title will be derived from the subtitle filename. If
the boxes are cleared, any required titles can be entered in the
associated text box.
Revision No. box
If this is selected and appears as shown here, the revision
number will be incremented by one on each save. If it is
cleared, any required revision number can be entered in the
associated field.
Load From buttons
Default values - sets all values to defaults.
Last EBU File - derives values from the last EBU file to be
read in.
Destination File - derives values from the file specified in the
File Name field of the Save As dialogue.
Restore - derives values from the last-saved custom header.
Selection buttons
These select or unselect all of the 14 checkboxes.
LINGUA file options
File type:
Options:
Which:
LINGUA
Language
Allows you to change the language
code used in OPEN and SAVE
operations.
View File Information
Is used to view information about a
file.
When the field is selected, a list box
similar to that for the read option is
displayed. On selection of a file
from those listed, a viewing box
will be displayed with information
about the selected file. This includes
the languages which are present,
along with dates and times for file
creation, language addition, and
updates.
You can type a filename or wildcard
into this field.
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'Diskload' floppy
Is provided for loading singlelanguage files from diskette, to
create transmission-ready LINGUA
files on a local or network
drive/folder.
SCANTITL file options
File type:
Options:
Which:
SCANTITL
Font 1
Allows you to select the Scantitling font
which best matches the Poliscript font 1.
Selection of this field allows you to cycle
through the available font options.
Font 2
Allows you to select the Scantitling font
which best matches the Poliscript font 2.
Selection of this field allows you to cycle
through the available font options.
CheckSum
Specifies if you wish to check the Scantitle
header checksum on reading a file.
Head In
Defines the In-Cue for the header subtitle
created from the Scantitle header. You select
the field and type-in the required timecode
value.
Head Out
Defines the Out-Cue for the header subtitle
created from the Scantitle header. You select
the field and type-in the required timecode
value.
Outcues
Allows you to enter an offset. The value you
enter will be applied to all Out-Cues upon
reading a file.
ASCII file options
The ASCII Options menu allows selection of the character set translation for open and save
operations.
File type:
Options:
Which:
ASCII
Conversion IN
Selects the character set translation
which will take place when
importing an ASCII file.
Conversion OUT
Selects the character set translation
which will take place when
exporting to an ASCII file.
Custom
Selects a custom file type for the
optional ASCII parser facility to
interpret (page 96).
The More button displays additional options, which can be set for each of the two current fonts.
Using Poliscript
Option
Which:
Font
Selects which font you are setting options for. Select 1 or 2.
Read File
Format
Determines the expected format of the file being opened:
Text - Expects plain text, and attempts to break the file into
subtitles, each containing the number of lines set in the Max
Lines Read field.
Line Formatted - Assumes that the text in the file is already
broken into subtitle lines, and obeys existing line breaks.
2020 - Expects a proprietary Screen Subtitling Systems ASCII
file.
PE2 - Expects a PE2 file, which contains subtitle numbers,
timecode and text. This is usually used for double-byte coded
subtitles.
Write File
Format
Determines the formatting of the file when saved. The options are
as for Read File Format.
Default
Justification
Sets the default as right, left or centre justification.
Max Lines
Read
Defines the maximum number if lines in subtitles.
Unicode file options
The Unicode Options menu allows selection of the ANSI codepage and the character set
translation for open and save operations.
File type:
Options:
Which:
UNICODE
ANSI Codpage
Selects the relevant language
codepage.
Conversion IN
Selects the character set translation
which will take place when
importing a Unicode file.
Conversion OUT
Selects the character set translation
which will take place when
exporting to a Unicode file.
The More button displays additional options, which can be set for each of the two current fonts.
Option
Which:
Font
Selects which font you are setting options for. Select 1 or 2.
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Read File
Format
Determines the expected format of the file being opened:
Text - Expects plain text, and attempts to break the file into
subtitles, each containing the number of lines set in the Max
Lines Read field.
Line Formatted - Assumes that the text in the file is already
broken into subtitle lines, and obeys existing line breaks.
2020 - Expects a proprietary Screen Subtitling Systems ASCII
file.
PE2 - Expects a PE2 file, which contains subtitle numbers,
timecode and text. This is usually used for double-byte coded
subtitles.
Write File
Format
Determines the formatting of the file when saved. The options are
as for Read File Format.
Default
Justification
Sets the default as right, left or centre justification.
Max Lines
Read
Defines the maximum number if lines in subtitles.
Associating file types
When Poliscript is first installed, there is an option to associate certain file types with
Poliscript, such that Poliscript will automatically start if a file of the relevant type is opened.
After installation, these associations can be enabled or disabled as required from within
Poliscript.
To set file associations
1
Choose the Tools>Options>File Options menu option.
2 In the File Options dialogue, click File Associations in the left-hand pane.
The right-hand pane will show the file types available for selection. These are taken
directly from the selections made when Poliscript was installed.
3 Check the boxes for each required file type.
4 Click OK.
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105
Subtitle Comments
For each subtitle in a file, you can add a text comment which can be up to 50 characters in
length. The comments do not form part of the final system output i.e. they do not appear onscreen with the subtitle text when the program material is finally recorded and/or broadcast,
but are used as required to: make notes, leave information for other subtitlers, or to serve as a
reminder where, for example, you need to check-up on some unclear dialogue or the
translation of a particular word.
The comments are added in the comment window, which is opened and closed by clicking
on the Comments icon.
You can also open and close the comments window by toggling the Comments>Display
Comments menu option. The comments window can be left open or closed according to
preference.
Note
You cannot use the Undo key to reverse changes made to a subtitle comment.
Adding a comment to a subtitle
To add a comment to a subtitle
1
Goto the subtitle to which you wish to add the comment.
2 If the comment window is not already open, click on the Comments icon to open it.
3 Click in the comment window and enter the comment text.
4 As soon as you start entering the comment text, the icon will change to reflect the fact
that the comment window now contains text. Once the icon has changed (for a particular
subtitle), it remains in that state regardless of whether the comment window is open or
closed.
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Comment searches
There are a number of search facilities related to comments. You can search for:
Any comment in the subtitle file
Specific text within comments
Specific Characters
Specific Digits
Note
The search operation will start from the current subtitle. If you want to start the
search from a different point, Goto (page 59) that point first. If you are unsure about where
to start, or want to search the entire file, Goto the start of the file.
To move from the current comment to the next or previous comment
Press the Ctrl + Page Up keys to find the Previous comment, and the Ctrl + Page Down
keys to find the Next comment.
To search for comments or comment text
1
Either:
choose Comments>Find Comment, or
press Ctrl+Find.
The Find Comment dialogue will be displayed.
2 If you wish to search for some specific text, type it into the Find What field now.
Otherwise, leave the field blank, click on the drop-down for the Special field and change
the selection from None to the required option:
To search for:
Select:
Any subtitle comment
Any Comment
Comments containing any
character (e.g. a, b, c…)
Any Character
Comments containing any
number (e.g. 1,2,3…)
Any Digit
3 Set the Search checkbox options as required:
Check this box:
To:
Up
Search from the current subtitle to the beginning of the file.
When selected, the Find button will show Find Next.
Down
Search from the current subtitle to the end of the file. When
selected, the Find button will show Find Prev.
Match Case
Search for text that matches the case of the text entered in the
Find What field e.g. if you enter BBC the search will find BBC
but will ignore bbc.
Find Whole Words
Only
Stop your search finding instances of the text entered in the
Find What field when that text occurs within other words, such
as searches for end finding mend, ending, lend, etc.
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Cycle Around
107
Go back to the start or end of the file and repeat the search
when one pass through the file has been completed and Find
Next/Previous has been selected again.
4 When you have entered the search text and/or set the checkbox options, click on the Find
Next/Previous button.
5 Provided a match for the selected search text or option is found. The comment will be
displayed in the comment window and the corresponding subtitle will be displayed in the
Current Subtitle window.
Deleting Comments
Comments used to remind you of a query or some other issue can be deleted once this has
been resolved.
To delete an individual comment
1
Goto the subtitle which has the comment attached or search (page 106) for the relevant
comment.
2 If the comment window is not open, click the Comment icon to open it.
3 If the comment text is already selected, press the Delete key to delete the comment text.
If not selected, click in the comment window, drag the mouse over the text you wish to
delete and then press the Delete key, or click to place the cursor in the comment window
and delete the text using the (Backspace) and/or delete keys.
4 Close the comment window.
To delete all comments from the file
1
Choose Comments>Delete All Comments.
2 The Delete All Comments dialogue will appear.
To delete all comments from the current workfile, select Yes, otherwise select No to
abandon the operation.
3 In either case the dialogue will close. If you selected Yes the comments will be deleted
immediately.
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Checks
Poliscript allows you to define a number of check parameters for your subtitle Cues. These
allow you to specify maximum and minimum settings for things such as subtitle duration,
duration with regard to reading speed, intervals and so on. You can also set-up a number of
checks related to the Safe Area (page 113).
The parameters to be considered when a subtitle file is checked, are set-up via the Checks
menu.
When you have defined all the cues and entered all the text for the subtitle file, you can then
run the Check utility to see of any of the subtitles fall outside the parameters you have
defined. If Poliscript finds an instance of this, it will display the subtitle and a message
which explains what the problem is. You should however, remember that the check option is
designed to alert you to possible errors in the file, not to compensate for poor subtitle design.
How to specify Check Settings for cues
This is what to do
1
Choose the Tools>Options>Check Settings menu option.
2 In the Check Settings dialogue select the Cues tab.
3 Using the information below, enable or disable the Check parameters as required.
The first three are enabled by checking the relevant boxes. Each of the others is enabled
by setting a non-zero value in the field.
Option:
On Checking, warns if:
Cues not set
a subtitle has no IN or OUT CUE .
Duration < Reading
subtitle duration is less than 90% of the predicted
reading time (page 89).
Duration > Reading
subtitle reading time (page 89) is less than 90% of the
duration..
Duration < ##
Frames
the subtitle duration is less than ## frames (0 – 50
frames).
Duration > ##
Seconds
the subtitle duration is greater than ## seconds (0 – 10
seconds).
Interval < ## Frames
the interval between subtitles is less than ## frames (0 –
25 frames).
How to specify Check Settings for the Safe Area
This is what to do
1
Choose the Tools>Options>Check Settings menu option.
2 In the Check Settings dialogue select the Safe Area tab.
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109
3 Using the information below, enable or disable the Check parameters as required.
Rows longer than and Top Row are enabled by setting a non-zero value in the fields.
Safe Area Check is enabled by checking the box.
Option:
On Checking, warns if:
Rows Longer Than
## Characters
a subtitle row contains more than ## characters (0 - 48).
Top Row
the top row of the subtitle is higher on the screen than
the value set here.
This is to provide warnings where the target
transmission system limits the number of lines that can
be used in a subtitle.
Poliscript can create subtitles of up to 12 rows,
numbered 0 - 11 from the top. If, for example, the
transmission system can display only two lines of
subtitle, you would set Top Row to 10. If the check then
found the top row of a subtitle to be on row 9 or below,
a warning would be generated.
Safe Area Check
text is outside the defined safe area (page 113).
The remaining INSI options relate to the Insight character generator (which is an item of
equipment related to Poliscript) and are used to determine final positioning of subtitle
text during broadcast or recording. The settings used here should match the settings used
on the corresponding Insight unit and should not be changed except by those responsible
for set-up and adjustment of the Insight.
Checking the subtitle file
To check the subtitle file
1
Do one of the following.
Press the Check key.
Choose the Tools>Check menu option.
2 Poliscript will commence checking the file against the check parameters set for the Cues
(page 108) and the Safe Area (page 108).
3 If no errors are found, a no errors found message will be displayed.
4 If errors are encountered, Poliscript will display the relevant subtitle and a message
stating the problem. These messages are self-explanatory and it should, therefore, be
obvious as to what corrective action is required. You do not however have to correct all
the problems you may encounter since there may well be cases where overriding the safe
area, adding an additional row of text, etc., is unavoidable, and you can choose to leave
these subtitles as they are.
5 When a message is displayed, you can either:
Press Return or click on the OK button, edit the subtitle to correct the problem, then
press Shift+Check to continue checking.
Or:
Press Shift+Check to leave the current subtitle as it is and continue checking.
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Note If your check reveals multiple errors in a single subtitle and you correct these and
then continue with the check, only the last error condition found in that subtitle will be
tested again before the check moves to the next subtitle. It is therefore recommended that
where you have made multiple corrections to a single subtitle, you check the file again to
ensure that the corrections have not introduced any new errors.
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Keyboard layouts
The subtitling keyboard provides support for a number of languages through the use of
language-specific keyboard drivers.
Typically, Poliscript systems are used in a single-language configuration and it is not
necessary to change the keyboard layout. However, Poliscript can be configured to use two
keyboard layouts in a single subtitle file. Each layout is assigned to one of the two available
fonts and the system will switch between them automatically as you change between fonts 1
and 2. This arrangement allows you to use two languages in a single subtitle file.
The required keyboard language(s) can be selected (page 156) either through the Setup
options or via the toolbar.
About Poliscript fonts
Each Poliscript is supplied pre-configured with a language-specific keyboard and a set of
fonts for your individual system. Typically, Poliscript systems are configured for singlelanguage use, though multi-language support is possible. For this reason, Poliscript is
shipped with a standard font set, and with those fonts which are necessary to support the
language in which you will be working or, in some cases, with a custom font set.
In order to identify which fonts are available on your system, see Display mode (page 158).
At present, Poliscript fonts are identified by a code which defines the font name and
attributes e.g. an27ap. Some of the more common codes are explained in the table below.
You should be aware however that the codes for some fonts (especially custom fonts) do not
follow this convention fully. Please contact Screen Subtitling Systems if you require
information about the fonts used with your system.
This:
Means the font is :
a
Arial
h
Helvetica
gs
Gils Sans
n
narrow
b
bold
m
medium
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c
condensed or Cyrillic or
is a Chinese font
r
rounded
l
light
g
Greek
akb
a Thai font
j
a Japanese font
TX
a Teletext font
numeric value
such 27 or 30
The same number of TV
scan lines in height
Style
A Screen Electronics
CGM font used with an
earlier subtitling system
Font Setup
The fonts available on your Poliscript system can be viewed and selected via the setup
options. These allow you to select up to 2 fonts (from those fonts available on your system)
for use in the current subtitle. For information on how to apply the selected fonts to the
subtitle text see: Selecting or changing the subtitle font (page 51).
Note
If you need to use a particular font, the required font file must be loaded into the
POLISCRIPT\SYSTEM folder.
To change the current font setup
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 Click the Display Mode tab.
The Language 1 & 2 options will be displayed, where two fields are used to select the
keyboard layout and font for each language. Language 1 uses Font 1 and Language 2
uses Font 2 in your workfile. If you wish to work with just a single font then you can
select the same one for both Language 1 and Language 2.
From this tab you can also change the keyboard layout (where necessary) to correspond
to the font selection.
3 Click either of the Font buttons, select a font from the Choose Font dialogue and click
Open.
Note If the selected font is a previously unused G3 font, Poliscript versions will
automatically be generated before the font is applied. See Generating fonts from G3
fonts (page 159) for details.
4 When you have chosen the required fonts for both languages, click OK to exit.
Poliscript Reference information
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About the Safe Area
On some television sets the portion of the screen where images can be displayed is smaller
than standard. This means that subtitle text which can be seen on one set might not all be
seen on another. To get around this problem, Poliscript subtitle text is placed within a
defined safe area that ensures all of the subtitle will always be visible.
If necessary however, you can override the safe area limits by up to 3 full-width characters.
See: Placing text outside the safe area (page 44).
The Safe Area is defined in terms of CCIR601 clocks. The picture below shows the Safe
Area and how the various setup parameters apply.
36 CCIR Clocks
Safe Area
This is a long sentence which has SAO
Sync Offset
Left SAO by 3 characters
Left SAO by 2 characters
Left Justified Title
Centred
Right Justified
Bottom Line
Last Subtitle row
Left Edge
Centre Offset
Right Edge
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About timecode
Video and television pictures are made up of frames, displayed at a rate of 25 frames per
second in the PAL and other common European standards, or 30 frames per second in the
American NTSC standard.
Timecode is used to identify each frame and also to provide timing information which locates
the point within the program material where a particular frame is located. There are different
forms of timecode:
Vertical interval timecode ( VITC ) is recorded as part of the picture information on the
recording.
Linear timecode ( LTC ) is usually recorded as an audio signal on channel 2 of the VHS
tape. Linear timecode can therefore be heard as a continuous buzzing if channel 2 is
listened to.
Burnt in timecode ( BITC ) also known as timecode in-vision ( TCIV ) is visible on
screen and can be used as a cross check that the other forms of timecode are accurate. It
is preferable that burnt-in timecode is displayed at the top of the picture so that it is not
obscured by the subtitle.
However, all forms of timecode use the format hh:mm:ss:ff where:
hh = hours
mm = minutes
ss = seconds
ff = frames.
For example the timecode value 12:15:47:08 equates to 12 hours, 15 minutes, 47 seconds and
8 frames.
It is common practice for the timecode value at the start of the program material to begin at
02:00:00:00 or 10:00:00:00 so that lead-in material can appear before the beginning of the
program itself. This also allows the first subtitle (zero) to appear at 00:00:00:00 as a header
title which will never be broadcast.
Poliscript uses timecode values to define:
the point at which the subtitle appears on-screen – the In-Cue.
the point at which the subtitle is removed from the screen – the Out-Cue.
The difference between these two values is the Duration i.e. the length of time for which the
subtitle is displayed.
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115
About In-Cues and Out-Cues
The timecode value which identifies the frame in the program material when a given subtitle
is displayed, is known as the In-Cue.
The timecode value of the last frame in which the subtitle is displayed is known as the OutCue.
Each subtitle appears at the In-Cue and disappears on its Out-Cue.
Subtitle Duration
The difference in time between the In-Cue and Out-Cue is known as the Duration of the
subtitle. This is generally expressed in seconds and frames e.g. 03:20 means the subtitle will
be on-screen for 3 seconds and 20 frames.
Interval
The difference in time between the Out-Cue of one subtitle and the In-Cue of the next, is
known as the Interval.
Subtitle 0
The first subtitle in a file, subtitle 0, is often used as a title or file header to carry various
pieces of information about the subtitle file. This subtitle is not intended to be seen by the
viewer and by convention it has an In-Cue of 00:00:00:00 and an Out-Cue of 00:00:00:08.
As the program timecode does not usually begin until 02:00:00:00 or 10:00:00:00, subtitle 0
will never appear in transmission. Furthermore, if the first subtitle of a file has the number 0
and a timecode of 00:00:00:00, Poliscript assumes it to be the header title, and does not
include it in default utilities (page 77).
Reading speeds
The typical subtitle reading speed of an adult is 120 words per minute (WPM) or about 9
characters per second (CPS). Material for children is in the range of 60 to 90 words per
minute depending on the target age group.
It is a common rule that a single-line subtitle should be displayed for about 3-4 seconds and a
2-line subtitle should be displayed for about 5-7 seconds.
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Warning Messages
The system will display a warning dialogue if:
the Out-Cue of the current subtitle is before the In-Cue of the current subtitle
the In-Cue of the current subtitle is before the Out-Cue of the previous subtitle
the Out-Cue of the current subtitle is after the In-Cue of the next subtitle.
Click OK to cancel the warning and you will then have to adjust the appropriate cue.
Note If the cues are not set correctly, you will not be able to place Poliscript into Rehearse
mode.
The Check (page 108) routines can be used to identify time cues which are incorrect or are
unsuitable.
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SV3
SV3 is an all-software video and audio record/replay system designed as a productivity
enhancement facility for Poliscript. It provides the facilities to:
record video to motion JPEG format media files and to replay the files within the
Poliscript interface.
import individual video clip files, or video clips from storage databases.
There is instant access to any frame, and full forward or backward play control including
frame-by-frame stepping and replay up to 100 times normal speed.
The video display is unconditionally stable in all replay operations, with accompanying highquality sound accurately synchronised to the video replay speed. Audio scrubbing is
available to assist with rapid frame-accurate cueing.
The program material for SV3 is stored as media files on the local hard disk, from where it
can be previewed and played using either keyboard controls or on-screen controls.
Capturing a clip
SV3 can capture incoming video, audio and timecode and convert it on the fly to Motion
JPEG format video files.
Preparing for video capture
Note: To perform video captures, your PC must be fitted with suitable video, audio and
timecode capture cards, and these must be configured appropriately for the intended sources.
Card configuration is specific to each card type and is part of the card manufacturers
installation and setup procedure.
1
Make sure your capture cards have been installed according to the manufacturers
instructions.
2 Choose the Video>Properties menu option, and use the video card's properties dialogues
to configure the card according to the video source. This is device-specific and cannot be
covered here. Refer to the manufacturers instructions.
3 Choose the SV3>Capture Clip menu option.
4 In the Capture Device and Audio Device fields, select the required audio capture card and
sound card respectively.
5 Click Audio Properties and set up the sound card properties as required. This is devicespecific and cannot be covered here. Refer to the manufacturers instructions.
Note: Poliscript can attempt automatically to select the line input on the audio device, but
this is not always possible due to the characteristics of particular devices. See Autoselecting audio inputs (page 127).
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6 Close the Capture Clip dialogue.
To capture a video clip
1
Ensure that you have the required video, audio and timecode inputs to the capture cards.
2 Close any loaded video clip.
The incoming video should now be shown in the Poliscript Monitor.
3 Cue the source material to the required start point.
4 Choose the SV3>Capture Clip menu option.
5 In the Capture Clip dialogue, choose the destination for the imported clip in the Clip Path
field.
The free space on the destination is shown at the bottom of the dialogue, together with
the approximate video storage time that this represents.
6 Check that the destination space is sufficient for the clip capture.
7 Enter the required clip name.
8 If you wish to capture a specific duration of video, set the required duration in the Hours
and Mins fields. If you want simply to stop the capture manually, set a very high duration
(but less than the indicated available storage time) in these fields.
9 Start the video source, and then click Capture.
The dialogue will close and the video source will be shown in the Poliscript Monitor.
You can play the video while capturing if you wish, using the normal controls.
10 If you wish to stop the capture, choose the SV3>Close Clip menu option.
Importing a clip
SV3 can import video clips in the following formats, together with associated timecode and
audio, and convert them to its native Motion JPEG format.
MPEG1
WMV (Version 9 upwards), PAL or NTSC only
The video clips can be stored as stand-alone files, or as part of a database of video clips.
Note Clip files can also be opened automatically, at the same time as Poliscript is launched,
if using command line operations (page 36).
To import a video file
1
Choose the SV3>Import menu option.
This displays the Import Video File dialogue.
2 To search a database for the video clip, check the Use Database box.
3 Click Browse to open a browser/preview window.
4 If you want to preview the file before importing, check the Preview box. Check the Mute
box to play the preview without sound.
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119
5 If you are importing a video file, use the browser facilities to locate and select the
required video file, then double-click the file or click Open.
6 If you are searching a database, do the following:
Choose the database path by clicking Browse and browsing to the appropriate
database.
Set the clip path by choosing either the Use relative path box or Use explicit path box,
and then clicking Browse and browsing to the appropriate clip.
Use clip description box. (PDA? What's this box for?)
Select the requried clip form the list and click OK.
The duration of the clip and the framerate are shown for the selected clip.
Click OK.
This returns to the Import Video File dialogue, with the selected filename displayed. The
duration of the clip and the approximate disk space required are shown below the
filename.
7 In the SV3 Clip section of the dialogue, choose the destination path for storing the
imported clip.
The free space on the destination is shown at the bottom of the dialogue, together with
the approximate video storage time that this represents.
8 Check that the destination space is sufficient for the clip import.
9 If you want to use a different name for the clip, enter it in Clip Name.
The import will commence immediately, and the first frame of the clip will be displayed
in the Poliscript Monitor. The progress of the import is shown in the status bar as a
percentage (e.g. Importing (12%) clipfilename). The import speed is marginally above
normal speed.
If the you attempt to import a WMV file in any format but PAL or NTSC, an Invalid File
message will be displayed.
While the import is in progress, you can play the file in the Monitor, and perform normal
subtitling functions.
10 If you wish to stop an import, choose the SV3>Close Clip menu option, and click Yes in
the warning message.
Deleting a clip
Captured and imported video clips consist of a number of related files, making them
awkward to delete though standard file utilities such as Windows Explorer. The Delete Clip
option in the SV3 menu provides a simpler method.
To delete a video clip
1
Close any currently-loaded clip.
2 Choose the SV3>Delete Clip menu option.
3 In the browser that appears, locate and select the clip you wish to delete.
4 Click Delete, then click Yes in the warning message.
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All constituent files of the clip will be deleted. To ensure immediate recovery of disk
space, the files are deleted completely and not sent to the recycle bin.
Previewing and opening a media file
SV3 provides the facility to preview both video and the sound of media files prior to opening
them. The preview can be used even when you are already playing another media file in the
Poliscript monitor.
To preview and open a media file
1
Choose the SV3>Open Clip menu option.
This displays the Choose Video Clip dialogue, which combines a standard browser and a
full-motion video viewer.
Currently, SV3 supports only dedicated SV3-format files, so the entry in Files of type
cannot be changed.
2 Set the Preview and Mute options as required:
Preview
When this is checked, media files will play in the Video
Clip preview window as soon as they are selected in the
browser file list. Clearing the box disables the preview.
Mute
Checking this box mutes the preview sound. This is
especially useful when you are previewing clips while
playing a clip in the Poliscript monitor.
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121
3 Use the browser to select the directory in which the required SV3 media files are stored.
4 If you have the preview enabled, click once on any file in the browser list to preview it.
5 To open a file in the Poliscript monitor, either double-click the file name, or click the
filename and then click Open.
You can now use the play controls to play the media file.
Playback control
You can play recordings using either the Play controls on the Edit or Rehearse screens, or
keyboard controls.
Using Edit or Rehearse screen controls
To:
Click:
Play forward at normal
speed
Play backward at normal
speed
Pause the playback
Step (jog) forward frameby-frame
Step (jog) backwards frameby-frame
Play forward 2x speed
Play Backwards 250 fps
Goto first frame
`
Goto last frame
Move to any point in the
recording
Drag the timeline slider
Using keyboard controls
To
Press:
Play forward at normal
speed
+
Play backward at normal
speed
+
Stop the playback
+
Step (jog) forward frameby-frame
+ Press and hold
or
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Step (jog) backwards frameby-frame
+ Press and hold
Increase speed of forward
play
+ Shift +
Decrease speed of forward
play
Each press of the cursor key increases the frame rate
(see below).
+ Shift +
Each press of the cursor key decreases the frame rate
until zero speed is reached (see below).
Pressing the key again after zero speed is reached
will result in reverse direction play.
Increase speed of reverse
play
Decrease speed of reverse
play
+ Shift +
Each press of the cursor key increases the frame rate
(see below)
+Shift +
Each press of the cursor key decreases the frame rate
until zero speed is reached (see below).
Pressing the key again after zero speed is reached
will result in forward play.
Play Forwards 250 fps
+ Shift +
Play Backwards 250 fps
+ Shift +
Jump back by a pre-defined
number of seconds (page
127) then resume playing
forward
+ Backspace
Goto first frame
+ Start
Goto last frame
+ End
Frame rate increments
When using + or keys to increase or decrease the replay speed, the frame rates increase
or decrease in the following rates (in frames per second):
0, 2, 5, 12, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000
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Muting audio inputs
When playing an SV3 video clip, Poliscript attempts to mute the audio input that is normally
used during clip capture, in order to prevent any signal that may be present on the input from
interfering with the clip audio.
However, with some hardware configurations, the relevant input cannot always be identified
automatically, which can allow external signals to interfere with the clip audio. Where this
happens, you can use Poliscript's mute selector tool to override the automatic selection and
specify which input or inputs should be muted when an SV3 clip is loaded.
(PDA? Is this true? Are the inputs muted when you load a clip or does the selection manualy
mute them, as it appears to? If it is the latter, what is the point of the utility when you can do
the same thing through the Windows volume control panel? Also, why is the Mute Selector
not installed in the program group to make it easier start?)
To select inputs to be muted
1
Using Windows Explorer, locate and double-click the SV3mute.exe file.
In a standard installation this will be found at Poliscript\System\SV3 Mute Selector.
However, your installation may be different.
The SV3 Mute Control Selector dialogue lists all the volume controls available on your
system.
2 Select the relevant one(s) to mute, in turn, and check the Mute box.
3 Click OK.
Closing a media file
To close the current media file:
1
Choose the SV3>Close Clip menu option.
The media file will close immediately.
Audio scrubbing
Audio scrubbing is a facility for playing small samples of sound as you jog (page 121) a
paused recording. This make it very easy to locate the frame corresponding to the precise
start of any given section of speech.
To enable the facility
1
Open the SV3>Audio Scrubbing menu option.
The three enabling options Short, Medium and Long repeat the sound sample for different
periods.
2 Select one of the enabling options.
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When the facility is disabled, the sound is muted during jog operations.
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125
Restriping timecode
SV3 is able to restripe video clips where there is either no existing timecode, or the existing
timecode is inaccurate or defective.
Three alternative types of restriping are provided, and you can apply the restripe either to the
whole clip or forward from a selected frame.
Restripe types
The available restripe types are:
Full Restripe
This stripes contiguous timecode over the selected
range of the clip, regardless of any discontinuities
that may exist in the current timecode. The new
timecode starts from a specified value.
Offset Restripe
This can be used to correct a fixed difference
between the existing timecode and the timecode as
read by SV3 - typically deriving from delays
introduced by the video capture card.
You enter the correct timecode value on any frame
and start the restripe for the selected range. SV3
takes the difference between the entered value and
the imported value and applies this as an offset to
existing timecode over the selected restripe range.
This preserves any discontinuities in the original
timecode.
Smooth Restripe
This is a means of eliminating small discontinuities
in a clip's timecode, which may derive from import
inaccuracies, while maintaining large ones which are
more likely to come from the original video material.
What happens is this. You set a threshold of 1 to 10
frames and then run the restripe over the selected
range. Every frame-to-frame discontinuity equal to or
less than the threshold is corrected by writing
contiguous code. Any discontinuity larger than the
threshold is preserved.
Restripe range
There are two options for determining the range over which the restripe is applied:
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Whole File
This restripes the whole clip (according to the
selected restripe type). It can be initiated from any
point in the clip. If this is not the first frame, the
restripe is applied both backward and forward from
the current frame.
This can be useful where correct timecode can be
determined only on a frame other than the start
frame.
From Current Frame
This restripes only forward from the current frame.
To restripe a video clip
1
Load the clip and run it to the point at which you wish to start the restripe.
2 Choose the SV3>Restripe Timecode menu option.
3 In the Restripe SV3 Timecode dialogue, select the required Type and Range options.
Refer to the descriptions above, if necessary.
4 If you selected Full Restripe or Offset Restripe, enter the required timecode value for the
current frame.
5 If you selected Smooth Restripe, enter the required frame threshold.
6 Click Restripe.
7 Click Yes in the warning message to proceed.
Linking subtitle files to clips
The linking facility provides the option to have SV3 automatically attempt to load the
appropriate subtitle file each time you open a video clip.
The linking is carried out by the simple expedient of giving the video clip and subtitle files
exactly the same name, either when the files are created, or by renaming either or both of
them at a later stage. When linking is enabled, SV3 automatically looks in the current default
directory for a subtitle file of the same name as the clip. If one is found, SV3 loads it. If not,
the current workfile remains.
Note: The current default directory is the directory associated with the last-opened type of
subtitle file. For example, if the last-opened file was an EBU (.stl) file, SV3 will look in the
default directory for EBU files.
To enable the automatic linking to subtitle files
1
Select the SV3 menu.
2 If the Link Subtitle Files with Clips option is not shown as selected, click the option.
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127
Defining jump-back time
The Jump Back Time option on the SV3 menu defines the amount by which the recording is
rewound by the + Backspace key operation.
To define the jump-back time
1
Choose the SV3>Jump Back Time menu option.
2 Enter or select the required time (in seconds) in the Jump Back Time window, and click
OK.
Auto-selecting audio inputs
Audio for SV3 clip capture will normally be derived from the Line input of the PC audio
card. As a matter of convenience, Poliscript can attempt to select this input automatically in
the Windows Recording Control panel. However, this is not always possible due to the
characteristics of particular audio cards.
If you wish to use this facility, follow the steps below to enable it and to check that it works
with your audio card.
To enable auto-selection
1
First, open the Recording Control panel and select an input:
Open Sounds and Multimedia in Windows Control Panel.
On the Audio tab, under Sound Recording, click Volume.
Click the Select checkbox for any input other than Line In.
2 Choose the SV3>Auto Select Audio Inputs menu option to enable auto selection.
3 Now check whether Auto Selection works:
Choose the SV3>Capture Clip menu option.
In the Capture Device and Audio Device fields, make sure the required audio capture
card and sound cards are selected.
Enter any name in the Clip Name field.
Click Capture, and note whether or not the Line In checkbox in the Recording Control
panel is now selected.
If it is not, you can assume that Auto Selection does not work reliably with your audio
card. In this case, it will be necessary to select the Line In channel manually in the
Recording Control panel whenever you intend to capture a video/audio clip.
129
Audio timeline
The Audio Timeline appears in a scalable, optional pane below the main display in both Edit
Mode and Rehease Mode screens. It provides a view of the loaded video clip's soundtrack,
with horizontal zoom, vertical scaling, and scroll facilities.
The timeline enables the positions of subtitles to be viewed and adjusted with respect to the
audio by simple drag-and-drop actions. The timeline cursor tracks the SV3 clip when it is
played and, conversely, you can scroll or jump to anywhere in the clip by dragging or
dropping the cursor.
Operation of the audio timeline is essentially the same in edit and rehearse modes.
Viewing the audio timeline
You can use the following facilities to control the view of the timeline.
To view the audio timeline
1
Click the View Audio Timeline button on the toolbar to view or hide the timeline pane.
2 To scale the height of the timeline pane, drag its top border.
3 To set the horizontal scaling of the waveform
Select the Zoom button to the left of the timeline.
The mouse cursor will change to a magnifying glass.
Click one or more time in the audio timeline pane to zoom in; right-click to zoom
out.
Click the Zoom button again to cancel zoom mode.
4 To select a waveform display mode
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PoliScript User's Guide
Click the Waveform Mode button one or more times.
Each click changes the vertical scaling to one of three preset modes, which may
provide additional resloution of the waveform.
5 To scale the waveform vertically within the display
Switch to Edit Mode.
Drag the vertical slider control to the left of the timeline.
Playing the clip using the timeline
You can jog or shuttle the clip forward or back using the timeline cursor. With audio
scrubbing (page 123) enabled, it is possible to locate specific points in the audio very
accurately.
To jog or shuttle the clip
1
Drag the timeline cursor in the required direction at any speed, down to one frame at a
time.
2 Drag and hold the cursor against either end of the timeline pane to shuttle the video
continuously forward or back.
Jump to any point in the clip
To jump to a point in the clip
1
Zoom (page 129) the timeline to bring the required point within the visible area. Cancel
zoom mode.
2 Click at the required point in the waveform area of the timeline display.
The cursor will jump to the selected point, and the video will scroll instantly to the
corresponding frame.
Working with subtitles on the timeline
Individual subtitles are represented by orange blocks, each with the subtitle number, below
the waveform display. You can perform the following subtitle actions using the timeline.
Checking cues on the timeline
To check a subtitle's in and out cues
1
Position the mouse cursor over the relevant subtitle block.
2 Click and hold the mouse button.
Audio timeline
131
A box is displayed showing the current in and out cues.
Adjusting cues on the timeline
Cues can be adjusted individually by dragging them on the timeline. The extent of
adjustment may be limited by selections (see "Enforcing minimum subtitle duration and
interval" on page 132) which enforce minimum subtitle durations and intervals.
To adjust individual in or out cues
1
Position the mouse cursor over the relevant end of the subtitle block.
The cursor will change to a black double arrow.
2 Click and drag the end of the block to the required position.
The changing in or out cues will be displayed while the block is dragged. If the Retime
cue snap (see "Scrolling video to a selected cue" on page 132) option is selected, the
video will automatically scroll to the selected in or out cue, and will track cue
adjustment.
Moving a subtitle on the timeline
To move a subtitle
1
Position the mouse cursor over the relevant subtitle block.
The cursor will change to a white double arrow.
2 Click and drag the subtitle block to the required position.
The changing in and out cues will be displayed while the block is dragged. Depending on
the Retime cue snap (see "Scrolling video to a selected cue" on page 132) selection, the
video will automatically scroll to the clicked position or to the in or out cue, and will
track subtitle movement.
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Enforcing minimum subtitle duration and interval
You can limit the amount by which subtitle cues can be adjusted on the timeline in order to
prevent the subtitle durations or intervals from being set below defined minimum values.
These values are defined, respectively, by Minimum Duration and Default Interval on the
Tools>Options>Setup Options>Default Cues tab.
To enforce or override minimum duration and interval values
1
Right-click on any subtitle block on the timeline.
The context menu that appears has two Enforce options for subtitle duration and interval.
The options are selected when ticked.
2 Click either of the Enforce options to select or deselect it.
3 Repeat the procedure for the other option, as required.
When the Enforce options are selected, a slashed circle symbol will appear on the
timeline if a cue is moved beyond the limit of minimum duration or interval, and the
adjustment will not be applied.
Scrolling video to a selected cue
When a subtitle block on the timeline is clicked, the video will automatically scroll to the
position of the subtitle. You can select whether the video scrolls exactly to the clicked
position, or whether it snaps to the subtitle's in or out cue.
To select the video retime option
1
Right-click on any subtitle block on the timeline.
2 On the context menu, click the Retime cue snap option to select or de-select it, as
required.
When the option is selected (ticked), clicking anywhere on a subtitle block will cause the
video to snap to the subtitle's in or out cue, whichever is closer to the click position. The
video will then track any movement of that cue, either by individual adjustment of the
cue or by movement of the whole subtitle.
When the option is deselected, clicking anywhere on a subtitle block will cause the video
to scroll exactly to the clicked position.
Audio timeline
133
Selecting a subtitle as the current one
To select a subtitle as the current one
Double-click the relevant subtitle block.
The block colour will change to the selected subtitle colour (see "Customising the audio
timeline" on page 133), the subtitle will be displayed in the current subtitle window, and
the video clip will jump to the subtitle in-cue.
Deleting a subtitle on the timeline
To delete a subtitle
1
Right-click the relevant subtitle block.
2 Click the Delete option in the menu that appears.
Customising the audio timeline
You can customise the audio timeline by choosing colours for the different elements.
To customise the audio timeline
1
Choose the Tools>Customise menu option.
2 In the Customise dialogue, click the Audio Waveform tab, and then select the button
corresponding to the element you wish to change (e.g. Waveform or Background).
3 Do one of the following to set the colour.
Move the mouse pointer over the colour or greyscale palette until the colour/shade
you want is shown by the preview and RGB values. Click to complete the selection.
and use the standard Windows colour palette
Click the colour picker button
window to select the required colour.
4 Repeat the colour selection for other elements, as required.
5 If you wish to return all values to defaults, click Default.
6 Do one of the following.
Click Apply to apply the new values and keep the Customise dialogue open for
further changes.
Click OK to apply the new values and close the dialogue.
Click Cancel to cancel all changes.
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Subtitle list box
The Subtitle List Box appears in a scalable, optional pane to the right of the main display in
both Edit Mode and Rehease Mode screens. It provides the ability to view a complete list of
subtitles in the file, and adds an convenient means of navigating through the subtitle file and
video clip.
Each subtitle is represented by a separate display in the list, showing the subtitle number, inand out-cues, and the complete subtitle text. The current subtitle is highlighted in the list by a
green border.
The displays scale with the width of the list box pane, so the number of subtitles visible in
the list depends on current scaling.
Displaying and scaling the subtitle list
To display the subtitle list box
1
Click the View Subtitle List button on the toolbar to view or hide the list box.
2 Scale the width of the box as required by dragging its left-hand border.
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Using the subtitle list
Edit Mode
In Edit Mode, the subtitle list provides a quick means of viewing the subtitles and of moving
around the subtitle file.
By default, the current subtitle is highlighted with a green border, and this automatically
tracks subtitle selections made with the Goto or Page Up/Page Dn keys. It also tracks subtitles
selected on the Audio Timeline (page 129), if this is displayed. You can switch the tracking
on and off using the Track button in the top-left corner of the subtitle list box. If the button
is de-selected, the suubtitle list will not follow the current subtitle.
To use the subtitle list
1
To view any subtitle, use the vertical scroll bar.
2 To select a subtitle as the current one, click the relevant display in the list.
The subtitle will be displayed in the current subtitle window.
If an SV3 clip is loaded, this will scroll to the in-cue position of the selected subtitle.
If the Audio Timeline is visible, this will also scroll to the subtitle in-cue position, with
the timeline cursor centralised in the display.
Rehearse Mode
In rehearse mode, the subtitle list provides no active navigation or other functions. However,
it does track the subtitles as they are displayed when the video clip is playing, providing an
excellent overview of previous and upcoming subtitles.
When the video is playing, the subtitle list scrolls upward, with the current subtitle highlight
remaining in the centre of the list.
Customising the subtitle list box
You can customise the subtitle list box by choosing colours for the different elements, and
setting the line width of the highlight box.
To customise the subtitle list box
1
Choose the Tools>Customise menu option.
2 In the Customise dialogue, click the Subtitle List tab, and then select the button
corresponding to the element you wish to change (e.g. Highlight or Text).
3 Do one of the following to set the colour.
Move the mouse pointer over the colour or greyscale palette until the colour/shade
you want is shown by the preview and RGB values. Click to complete the selection.
Subtitle list box
Click the colour picker button
and use the standard Windows colour palette
window to select the required colour.
4 Repeat the colour selection for other elements, as required.
5 If you wish to change the line thickness of the highlight box, select a value in the
Highlight Thickness field. Values 1 - 4 represent line thickness in pixels.
6 If you wish to return all values to defaults, click Default.
7 Do one of the following.
Click Apply to apply the new values and keep the Customise dialogue open for
further changes.
Click OK to apply the new values and close the dialogue.
Click Cancel to cancel all changes.
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Vidcache
Vidcache is a hard-disk record and playback system for video and audio material, designed
as a productivity-enhancing tool for Poliscript's predecessor, Win2020. Poliscript has an
updated facility - SV3 - which performs a similar function but uses the host computer's
normal hard disk for storage and replay of video, rather than the dedicated hard disk required
for Vidcache. However, to provide continuity for Win2020 users, existing Win2020
hardware can be fitted into Poliscript systems, where it provides the same functionality as in
Win2020.
Vidcache has the ability to play one program from disk for the purpose of adding subtitles
whilst simultaneously recording another from an external source. There is full control over
replay in both directions including pause, jog (frame advance), shuttle, and variable speed
replay. When Vidcache is fitted in a Poliscript system, you can use either the traditional
Win2020 keyboard controls for replay, or the Poliscript replay controls on the Edit and
Rehearse screens.
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About Vidcache
Vidcache is a hard-disk record and playback system for 25- and 30-frame-per-second video
and audio program material supplied from a VCR or other video source.
The video signal supplied by the source is digitised, compressed frame by frame using an onboard variable compression JPEG processor device, and written to a dedicated Vidcache
hard disk drive as a high-speed data stream.
Vidcache also records the timecode signal from the source (using the timecode reader card
fitted to the host PC, as part of the Poliscript system). However, if the source material has
been supplied without a suitable timecode signal, Vidcache can generate its own timecode in
place of one from the video source. See: Making a recording (page 147).
During video processing, each frame of video has its unique timecode value read and stored
as the timing reference. Vidcache will not record without either reading or generating a valid
timecode signal.
Vidcache alternates between writing video to the hard disk, and reading video data from the
hard disk for subsequent de-compression and display on the Poliscript monitor, using the
Video 1 input of the video overlay card. The audio signal from the program material is also
digitised and stored along with the relevant video frame.
Vidcache supports multi-segment operation and allows up to 99 separate recordings to be
held on the hard disk at any one time (subject to the total amount of disk space available).
This is particularly useful when working on multiple subtitling tasks and also for systems
with multiple users. See: How Vidcache uses the hard disk (page 142).
Vidcache also provides various replay functions including high speed fast-forward and
rewind, frame-by-frame stepping, and replay at rates above and below normal play speed.
When preparing subtitles, you can use these controls to access any portion of video/audio
recorded during a subtitling session. See: Playback control (page 121).
During playback, the audio signal is not muted even during fast or slow forward or rewind
functions, thus allowing you to listen to the soundtrack, and synchronise the timing of
subtitles with program material.
Vidcache has three distinct modes of operation:
Mode:
In which:
Play
The recorded video and audio signal can be played back in
the Poliscript window. The Poliscript timecode window
will display the recorded timecode value for each frame as
it is displayed.
Vidcache
Record & Play
The video and audio from the connected VCR or video
source will be recorded by Vidcache. At the same time,
either the program being recorded or any other recorded
program can be played back from the hard disk. If you
play the program that is being recorded, the Vidcache
playback will lag the video input. The Poliscript timecode
window will display the recorded timecode value for the
relevant frame as it is displayed.
Pass through
Video
The Vidcache card is by-passed. The video signal input to
the Visage card is switched from Video 2 to Video 1,
which is a direct connection to the video source. The
Poliscript timecode window will continue to display the
timecode value for the relevant frame as it is read directly
from the video source.
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How Vidcache uses the hard disk
Recordings on the Vidcache hard disk are arranged and stored within a number of disk areas
known as Segments. The disk can contain up to 99 segments, each one of a fixed size, as
specified by the user. Each segment, therefore, occupies a fixed space on the disk. The
program File is the data, i.e. the video, audio and Frame List information, held within that
space. Note, however, that a segment need not be full. An hour-long segment may contain
only 5 minutes worth of program material, though the segment will still take up an hour's
worth of disk space. See: Making a recording (page 147).
When starting out with a blank Vidcache disk and making the initial recording, the first
segment on the disk will run from the beginning of the available disk space and the program
file will be written to the disk in a linear fashion i.e. as a stream of data, arranged on the
drive in a single, continuous block.
The segments for each subsequent recording are also arranged on the drive in a single,
continuous block, each one commencing where the previous one ended. This continues up to
the point where the drive is at full capacity. The segments therefore run sequentially from the
start to the end of the available disk space and are arranged in the order in which they were
created and the program files recorded.
The order in which the program file names appear in the dialogue boxes for Playing,
Recording or Deleting program files, reflects the arrangement of those files on the Vidcache
disk.
When the Vidcache disk becomes full and you wish to record further material, you have the
option of deleting program files (page 93), recording new program files (page 147) into the
existing segments or of deleting all the program files (page 152) and starting again with a
blank disk.
If you wish to record over existing or deleted program files, please note the following:
To record a program, you must have available a segment of sufficient duration for the
amount of material you wish to record. You cannot, for example, record a one-hour
program using a 30-minute segment, or even by using two 30-minute segments. A
segment of one-hour or longer duration is required. If you do not have a segment of
sufficient duration, you can create one by deleting two or more consecutive segments
from the disk. Vidcache automatically merges consecutive segments when they are
deleted, and creates a single segment with the combined duration. See Example 1 below
for an illustration.
If recording over a deleted program file with a recording of shorter duration than the
deleted program, Vidcache can split off the unused portion of the segment into a new
blank segment, leaving it available for further recording. You must however, remember
to specify the new duration when making the recording. If you leave the duration at the
previous settings, the whole segment will be used, regardless of the program duration.
See Example 2 below for an illustration.
Example 1
Vidcache
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Vidcache disk holding two 1hr recordings:
Total disk capacity= 4 hours 30 mins
Recording A - 1hr.
Recording B - 1 Hr.
<BLANK> space - 2 Hrs 30 Mins.
Total of blank space = 2hrs 30 mins.
Maximum space available for a single, continuous recording - 2hrs 30 mins.
Same disk with recording B deleted:
Deleted segment and adjacent free
space automatically merge
Recording A - 1hr.
<BLANK> Space - 3 Hrs 30 Mins.
Total of blank space = 3hrs 30 mins.
Maximum space available for a single, continuous recording - 3hrs 30 mins.
Same disk space with recording A deleted:
<BLANK> space - 1hr.
Recording B - 1 Hr.
<BLANK> space - 2 Hrs 30 Mins.
Total of blank space = 3hrs 30 mins.
Maximum space available for a single, continuous recording - 2hrs 30 mins.
Example 2
The record video to Vidcache dialogue
The Record Video to Vidcache dialogue is displayed by choosing the Vidcache>Record and
Play menu option.
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The top half of the dialogue lists all program files currently stored on the Vidcache disk,
together with all segments from which files have been deleted. (These have the
symbol
and Program shown as <BLANK>). The list columns show the date and time of the
recordings, the approximate space occupied by the recordings and blank segments, the
durations of the recordings in HH:MM:SS format, and the names of the recordings.
The last entry on the list is the default entry, which is effectively the unused space on the
disk. The Approx Space value shows roughly the amount of material you can record in the
unused space.
You can record new material into the blank segments. If you specify a duration for the new
recording which is less than the original duration, Vidcache will spilt the segment, creating a
new program file and a new <BLANK> segment with the unused space.
The rest of the dialogue elements are outlined below.
Element
Function
Standby
Toggles Vidcache between Record and Standby
modes. See Making a Recording (page 147). The
Record/ Standby button indicates the selected mode.
Generate Timecode
When this is checked, Vidcache will generate its own
timecode. This need only be used when the source
material has no valid timecode.
Title
Used for entering the required name for the
recording.
Hours, Mins
These fields are used to specify the segment size (i.e.
the amount of Vidcache hard disk space) allocated to
the recording. The segment size is then fixed, even if
the recording uses less than the allocated space.
Total Space
Shows the approximate total recording capacity
(used and unused) of the Vidcache hard disk.
Used Space
Shows the amount of space on the disk allocated to
recordings.
Standby/Record button
Function and legend depends on the Standby
checkbox state. With the box checked, the button
changes to Standby, and Poliscript is in a recordready mode. You can then start recording at any
given point.
With the box unchecked, the button changes to
Record and can then be used to start Vidcache
recording immediately.
Vidcache
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About recording
Although Vidcache is capable of recording and playing video at the same time, the system
requires a period of around 5 seconds, from the point at which it starts to record, in order to
acquire the video and audio data and start writing it to the hard disk. This period is known as
the record guard band. When the system is placed in the Record and Play mode, you will not
be able to view any of the recorded material until the record guard band period has passed.
During this period, the video signal being recorded will be displayed at normal speed,
however, the timecode window will remain blank, and no audio will be heard. Once the
guard band period has passed, the display will then pause with the first frame of stored video
data displayed, along with the associated timecode value.
Even though the display is in a paused state, the video and audio is still being recorded onto
the Vidcache hard disk drive, as a background process. This process will now continue until:
the program segment becomes full, you stop the VCR play operation, or Pass Through Video
mode is selected.
Whist recording is taking place, you have the option of playing (page 148) the material
currently being recorded, or playing one of the previous recordings.
Note
When playing out the same material as is currently being recorded, the playback will
lag the last recorded frame by 5 seconds. If you use fast-forward and catch up to the guard
band, playback will revert to normal speed at that point. When Vidcache is not recording, the
playback limitations imposed by the guard band do not apply, and you will also be able to
view the 5 seconds worth of material previously hidden in the guard band.
The capacity of the Vidcache system i.e. the number of minutes of video material which can
be stored, is set by the capacity of the hard disk drive, and the JPEG compression process.
Therefore, more video will be recorded if the program material is simple in content or
lacking in sharp detail. If the connected VCR has a sharpness control fitted, it is
recommended that this is turned to the Soft setting in favour of the Hard setting.
After making a Vidcache recording, you can use all the standard functionality of the
Poliscript preparation system to create and time subtitles. With Vidcache however, the
timecode shown in the timecode window is read directly from the hard disk so it doesn't
blank or become unstable when the recording is paused. You may therefore adopt a slightly
different approach to timecode capture, due to this enhanced functionality.
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About playing Vidcache recordings
If you place Poliscript into edit mode, and Vidcache in Play Only mode, the frame of video
displayed by Vidcache (even if play is paused) will track the current subtitle i.e. if you move
to the next or previous subtitle, or move to a particular subtitle using Goto (page 59),
Vidcache will jump to the frame of video corresponding to the In-Cue of the subtitle in the
Current Subtitle Window. If you wish to view the frame associated with the Out-Cue for the
current subtitle, then press + Out Cue.
If you don't want the Vidcache output to follow the subtitles, hold down the T/C O-ride key
whilst moving between subtitles.
Please remember that whilst Vidcache can store a large amount of video material, the total
amount is limited to the capacity of the hard disk, and in some cases it may not be possible to
have an entire program within Vidcache.
If the Vidcache system finds a frame that it cannot display correctly, for example, due to a
disk error, it will continue to display the existing frame until the next valid frame can be
displayed. At normal play speed (25 or 30 FPS), you should only notice a slight interruption
in movement, the audio however, should not be affected. If you are stepping through the
recorded video data a frame at a time, the display will appear to stick at the frame prior to the
bad one, and then jump directly to the next good one when it is called for.
Using Vidcache
Note
Vidcache is an integrated part of the Poliscript application. It cannot be run
separately.
To use Vidcache
1
From the Poliscript menu bar, select the Vidcache option. This will exist only if
Vidcache is fitted on your system.
2 The Vidcache menu will be displayed:
Select this option:
To:
Play
Play (page 148) a Vidcache recording
Record and Play
Make a new Vidcache Recording (page 147)
Pass through Video
Bypass Vidcache and view the video input from a connected
VCR or other video source
Goto then Start *1
Goto the start (first frame) of the Vidcache recording currently
playing
Goto then Last Position
*1
Return to the frame which was being displayed prior to
Vidcache being shut down at the end of the previous session.
Goto then End *1
Goto the end (last frame) of the Vidcache recording currently
playing
Vidcache
Options
147
Define the optional settings for Vidcache:
Link files with Video (page 152)
File Confirmation (page 153)
Enable Warnings (page 153)
Rename Program
Change the name (page 151) of a Vidcache recording *2
Delete Program
Delete (page 93) a Vidcache recording *2
Delete program Files
Delete all (page 152) Vidcache recordings *2
*1 This option available when Vidcache is in Play mode.
*2 This option available when Vidcache is in Pass through Video
mode.
Making a recording
When making a Vidcache recording, you have the option of turning off the various
reminders and warning messages. See Enabling Warnings (page 153).
This is what to do
1
From the Poliscript Menu bar, select Options and ensure that Video on is checked. Then
select Vidcache and from the Vidcache menu select Pass through Video.
2 Start the VCR or other video source for Poliscript and view the displayed video to locate
the point on the tape from which the Vidcache recording will start.
3 Rewind the tape to a position which precedes this point by a few seconds and pause or
stop the VCR at that point.
4 From the Poliscript Menu bar, select Vidcache and from the Vidcache menu select
Record and Play.
The Record Video to Vidcache dialogue will be displayed.
5 If you wish to record over one of the existing program files or a deleted file (shown with
the program name <BLANK>), click on the relevant file name.
You now need to name the file. The Title field will automatically show the name of the
subtitle file currently loaded in Poliscript, or, if you have selected an existing Vidcache
recording, the name of that program file. If you wish to change this:
6 Click in the Title field, and enter the name you wish to give the program File.
You can use long filenames in this field. If you wish to link (page 152) this recording
with an existing subtitle file, enter the name of that subtitle file as the name for this
program file.
7 Enter the duration for the new recording in the Hours and Minutes fields.
Note The values you specify in the Hours and Mins field are used to allocate the
segment size on the Vidcache hard drive. See: How Vidcache uses the hard disk (page
142). The size of the segment remains fixed, even if the recording takes up less space
than you allocated. You should therefore always ascertain the program duration before
recording and enter a sufficient time allowance in these fields.
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A default value will be displayed. This will either be 30 minutes, or the value entered for
the previous recording.
If you choose to record over an existing program File, the Hours and Minutes fields will
be greyed-out and you will be forced to use the existing segment size of that file.
8 If you need Vidcache to generate timecode for the recording, click in the Generate
Timecode checkbox.
You will only need to check this box if there is no timecode on the video source you are
recording.
9 You can now either:
Start the tape, wait until the playback reaches the point at which you want to start
recording and then click on the Record button.
Or:
Click in the Standby checkbox (the Record button will change to a Standby button),
and then click on the Standby button. Vidcache will then enter Standby mode and a
dialogue box with just Record and Cancel buttons will appear. Start the tape, and at
the point when you want to start the Vidcache recording, click on the Record button
in the dialogue.
Recording will begin as soon as you click the Record button in either dialogue and
will continue until the specified time elapses (the picture will then freeze), or you
stop the recording by selecting Vidcache from the menu bar and then Pass through
Video.
Providing you are operating in small-screen mode, a progress indicator will appear in
the lower right-hand section of the screen. This shows how much time has elapsed
time since recording commenced, and what percentage of the total recording time
this represents.
If you choose to play one of the other Vidcache files stored on the disk whilst
recording is taking place, the progress indicator will remain visible, but the progress
bar colour will change to a lighter blue. This indicates that Poliscript is currently
playing and recording in different segments.
Playing a Vidcache recording
This is what to do
1
Choose the Vidcache>Play menu option.
The Play dialogue will appear. This gives a playlist of all the program files stored on the
Vidcache hard disk.
2 Either double-click on the file you wish to play, or select the file and then click on the
Play button.
There will be a slight pause as Vidcache initialises and then the first frame of the
recording will be displayed, paused and ready for playback. See Playback Control (page
121).
Vidcache
If the Link Files with Video (page 152) option is selected, Poliscript will look in the
default subtitle file directory (page 97) to see if there is a subtitle file with the same
name as the program file you have selected to play. If there is, Poliscript
Playback control
You can play recordings using either the Play controls on the Edit or Rehearse screens, or
keyboard controls.
Using Edit or Rehearse screen controls
To:
Click:
Play forward at normal
speed
Play backward at normal
speed
Pause the playback
Step (jog) forward frameby-frame
Step (jog) backwards frameby-frame
Play forward 2x speed
Play Backwards 250 fps
Goto first frame
`
Goto last frame
Move to any point in the
recording
Drag the timeline slider
Using keyboard controls
To
Press:
Play forward at normal
speed
+
Play backward at normal
speed
+
Stop the playback
+
Step (jog) forward frameby-frame
+ Press and hold
Step (jog) backwards frameby-frame
+ Press and hold
or
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Increase speed of forward
play
Decrease speed of forward
play
+ Shift +
Each press of the cursor key increases the frame rate
(see below).
+ Shift +
Each press of the cursor key decreases the frame rate
until zero speed is reached (see below).
Pressing the key again after zero speed is reached
will result in reverse direction play.
Increase speed of reverse
play
Decrease speed of reverse
play
+ Shift +
Each press of the cursor key increases the frame rate
(see below)
+Shift +
Each press of the cursor key decreases the frame rate
until zero speed is reached (see below).
Pressing the key again after zero speed is reached
will result in forward play.
Play Forwards 250 fps
+ Shift +
Play Backwards 250 fps
+ Shift +
Jump back by a pre-defined
number of seconds (page
127) then resume playing
forward
+ Backspace
Goto first frame
+ Start
Goto last frame
+ End
Frame rate increments
When using + or keys to increase or decrease the replay speed, the frame rates increase
or decrease in the following rates (in frames per second):
0, 2, 5, 12, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000
Rehearsing the subtitle file with
Vidcache
When your subtitle file has been fully prepared, it may be rehearsed by pressing the
Rehearse key and then using Vidcache to play (page 148) the recorded material. in all other
respects this is just the same as rehearsing the file with a connected VCR or other video
source.
Please remember that whilst Vidcache can store a large amount of video material, the total
amount is limited to the capacity of the hard disk, and in some cases it may not be possible to
have the entire program within Vidcache. In this event, the subtitle file should be rehearsed
using a VCR or other video source with Vidcache in Pass through Video mode.
Vidcache
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Renaming a Program File
You can use the Rename program option to change the name of a program file as required.
Usually however, this is carried out in order to give a program file the same name as a
subtitle file thus linking (page 152) the two files.
This is what to do
1
If Poliscript is not already in Pass Through mode, select Vidcache from the menu bar
and, click on Pass through Video.
2 From the menu bar, select Vidcache and from the Vidcache menu select Rename
Program.
The Rename program dialogue will be displayed. The existing program files will be
listed.
3 Select the program file you wish to rename.
4 Click in the New program Title box and enter the new name for the file.
5 Click on the Rename button.
The dialogue will close. The new name for the file(s) will now apply.
Deleting Program Files
Program files are usually deleted when:
You want to remove old or unwanted recordings.
You need to merge two or more file segments and create a single larger segment. This is
necessary when, for example, you want to record two-hours worth of material in a single
file, but do not have a two-hour segment available. See: How Vidcache uses hard disk
(page 142).
Deleting a program file removes the video information from the disk segment, but leaves the
space allocated to that segment on the disk, with a file name of <BLANK>. You can then use
that segment to make another recording (see: Making a recording (page 147)) but the
maximum size of that recording will be limited to the original size of the segment. However,
if you delete a segment which is next to a <BLANK> segment in the program file list
(displayed when you open the Delete program dialogue), the deleted and already-blank
segments will automatically merge, freeing-up the combined space of both segments for new
recordings.
If you wish to remove completely all recordings and segments from the disk, use the Delete
Program Files (page 152) option.
This is what to do
1
If Poliscript is not already in Pass Through mode, select Vidcache from the menu bar
and, click on Pass through Video.
2 From the menu bar, select Vidcache and from the Vidcache menu select Delete Program.
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The Delete program dialogue will be displayed. The existing program files will be listed
in the order they are stored on the Vidcache disk.
3 Either: select the program File you wish to delete and click the Delete button, or doubleclick on the File name.
You will be asked for confirmation:
4 Click Yes to proceed with the deletion, No to cancel.
5 Repeat as necessary.
Deleting all Program Files
This is what to do
1
From the menu bar, select Vidcache and from the Vidcache menu select Delete program
Files.
You will be asked for confirmation:
2 Click Yes to proceed with the deletion, No to cancel.
If you select Yes, Poliscript will shut down. All recordings on the Vidcache hard disk
will be deleted. When you next run Poliscript, the full capacity of the hard disk will be
available for new recordings.
Linking Files with Video
Vidcache enables you to link each of the recordings you make with the corresponding
subtitle file and provides the option of automatically loading the subtitle file, when you play
(page 148) a program file.
The linking is carried out by the simple expedient of giving the program and subtitle files,
exactly the same name, either when the files are created, or by renaming either or both of
them at a later stage. See: Saving files (page 90) and Renaming a program File (page 151).
The automatic loading of linked files can be turned on and off as follows:
To enable/disable the automatic linking to subtitle files
1
From the Poliscript menu bar, select Vidcache, then Options.
Look at the Link Files with Video option. If the option is active a tick will appear
alongside it. Clicking on the option toggles the file linking On and Off.
Vidcache
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Enabling Warnings
The Enable Warnings option allows you to choose whether to have warning messages
displayed when making a new recording. With Enable Warnings active, messages will be
displayed in two conditions:
1
When you set the duration for the recording to a value greater than the non-allocated
space left on the Vidcache hard drive. In this case, the following message will appear:
You only have enough space to record
for approximately HH hours MM minutes.
Do you wish to continue?
HH and MM will show the actual amount of non-allocated space left on the Vidcache
hard drive in hours and minutes. If you decide to continue, the length of your recording
will be limited to the available space. If Enable Warnings was not active, no message
will be displayed and the length of your recording would be limited to the available
space.
2 When you attempt to record over an existing program.
Are you sure you wish to record
over an existing program?
If 'Yes' is selected then recording begins, otherwise the action is cancelled. If Enable
Warnings was not active, then no message would be displayed and Vidcache will
overwrite the old program with the new recording.
File Confirmation
The File Confirmation option affects what happens when selecting a Vidcache recording for
playback.
If both the File Confirmation and Link Files with Video (page 152) options are active and
you select a program file which is linked to a subtitle file, the Save a File dialogue will be
displayed. This allows you to save the current workfile to a specific location before the
linked subtitle is loaded. You also have the option of selecting the Cancel button, in which
case, Poliscript will discard the current workfile without saving it and will then load the
subtitle and program files.
If the file Confirmation option is not active and a linked Subtitle and program File are
loaded, the current workfile is saved in the default folder using the current name (i.e. the
name displayed in the Poliscript title bar).
To enable/disable File Confirmation
1
From the Poliscript menu bar, select Vidcache, then Options.
Look at the File Confirmation option. If the option is active a tick will appear alongside it.
Clicking on the option toggles it On and Off.
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System setup
Setup of the system parameters for Poliscript is carried out via the Setup Options dialogue.
This allows you to define and adjust the basic setup of Poliscript and includes settings such
as the subtitle editor format, timecode type, cue defaults, reading speed parameters, etc.
Note
It is important to take care when altering these parameters as many, including file
names, are recorded by the system in the .OST file after Poliscript is closed and will
therefore be applied as the system defaults next time the application is run.
To change any of the setup options
1
Select the Tools>Options>Setup Options menu option.
The Setup Options dialogue will be displayed.
2 Refer to the individual topics in this section for information on the settings on each tab.
Selecting keyboard type
In order to use Poliscript, you must select the type of keyboard you intend to use. This has to
be done only once, unless the keyboard is changed, as the selection is recorded in the
Poliscript startup configuration.
To select the keyboard type
1
Do one of the following
Double-click the Keyboard Switcher icon in the Windows System Tray.
Double-click the Keyboard Switcher icon that is created on the PC desktop as part of
the Poliscript installation.
2 In the Keyboard Switcher dialogue, choose the relevant keyboard type from the dropdown list and then click OK.
The selected keyboard will now be active. If you wish to use the other keyboard, you will
need to repeat the selection procedure.
To ensure that the correct character set and key layout is provided, you should also select
the correct keyboard language (page 156).
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Selecting keyboard language
The available keyboard driver files can be viewed and selected either through the Setup
Options or via a button on the toolbar as described below.
The keyboard driver files are identified by the keyboard name (e.g. ESTONIAN.KBD), and
are resident in the POLISCRIPT\SYSTEM folder.
Note
If you need to use a particular keyboard layout, the required driver must be loaded
into this folder.
To select the keyboard language from the Setup Options
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 Click the Display Mode tab.
The Language 1 & 2 options will be displayed, where two fields are used to select the
keyboard layout and font for each language.
If you are working in one language but require two different font styles in the subtitles,
you would choose the same keyboard layout for both languages. However, different
keyboard layouts can be used for multi-lingual subtitle files. The keyboard layout then
changes over automatically when you switch between Fonts 1 and 2.
3 Select a keyboard layout from the Keyboard drop-down.
If required, scroll the list of available keyboard driver files to locate the layout you wish
to use and then double-click on that name.
4
When you have chosen the required keyboard layouts for both languages, click OK to
exit.
To select the keyboard language from the toolbar
1
Select the font (page 51) that you want to associate the keyboard language with.
2 Choose the Keyboard icon on the Fonts toolbar.
3 In the Select Keyboard dialogue, select the required language in the list and then click
OK.
4 Repeat these steps for the other font, if required.
Editor
Option
Settings:
Function:
Default Row
0 - 11
Selects the row on which the cursor
will be positioned when editing a
subtitle.
System setup
Default Font
1 or 2
Selects the default font used for the
subtitle text. This may be changed
later either for individual subtitles
(page 51) or for blocks of subtitles
(page 85).
Save every ##
minutes
0 - 99
Makes Poliscript automatically save
the current workfile every ##
minutes. This prevents the loss of
subtitles in the event of a power cut
or computer problem, etc.
Save every ##
subtitles
0 - 99
Makes Poliscript automatically save
the current workfile after ## subtitles
have been created or modified.
Colour entry
On/Off
When set to Off, prevents use of
coloured text/background for file
formats which do not support colour
such as EBU Open.
Timecode
Options:
Settings:
Function:
Timecode
VITC
LTC
Used to select the type of
timecode (page 114) being
supplied to Poliscript.
Frame Rate
PAL (25 FPS)
NTSC Drop Frame (30 FPS)
NTSC Non-Drop Frame (30 FPS)
Used to select the number
of Frames Per Second in
the selected timecode
format.
Capture settings
Option:
Settings:
Function:
Capture
IN and OUT Cues
Defines the way in which cues are
captured from incoming timecode
(page 115).
Calculate Duration
IN and OUT Cues, requires capture
of the In-Cue and Out-Cue separately
using the In Cue and Out Cue keys or
the mouse.
Calculate Duration requires capture
of the In-Cue only. Poliscript then
uses the length of the subtitle text
and the reading speed parameter
(page 115) to calculate the optimum
duration.
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Default cues
Option:
Settings:
Function:
Default Interval
0 - 99
Defines the default interval between
subtitles.
Default Duration
0 – 255
Defines the default duration for
subtitles.
Minimum Duration
0 - 100
Defines the minimum duration for
subtitles.
All these values are expressed as frames.
Reading speed
Option:
Settings:
Function:
Words Per Minute
(WPM)
0 - 250
Changes the Speed setting (see
below) to Words Per Minute
Characters Per
Second (CPS)
0 - 30
Changes the Speed setting (see
below) to Characters Per Second
Speed WPM or CPS
Defines a reading speed in ###
characters per second or words per
minute
Display mode
This tab provides a number of options related to fonts and their display within Poliscript.
These settings have no effect on how the fonts appear in the broadcast/recorded output. They
determine only the appearance within the Poliscript screen.
Option:
Settings:
Function:
Language 1 /
Language 2
-
These allow you to change the font
and keyboard selections (where
others are available). This option
should be used with great care, as the
system fonts are often matched with
a those of a particular transmission
system, and a change could cause the
output to be incorrect.
System setup
Show Codes
On/Off
Allows the character attribute codes
(for text & background colours, etc),
where present, to be switched on or
off. This option is useful when
editing Teletext subtitles.
Characters Boxed
On/Off
Toggles between having a solid
background behind each character
(On) or no background (Off).
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Generating fonts from G3 fonts
Where the Poliscript system has been configured to rehearse (page 87) or manually-cue
(page 88) subtitles using G3 Digital Graphics Inserter (page 162, page 163), it is possible
to generate new subtitling fonts from those supplied for use with the G3. The new ones will
have the advantage of being 4-bit anti-aliased fonts. The original non-aliased Poliscript fonts
can still be used, if required.
Generating the new fonts does not require any special utility; it happens automatically when
a G3 font is selected for the first time. It is possible to force a re-generation of a particular
font, but this is necessary only if the G3 font has been updated and you want to update the
corresponding Poliscript version.
To generate Poliscript fonts from G3 fonts
1
Do one of the following to open the Choose Font dialogue.
Select Tools>Options>Setup Options. Choose the Display Mode tab and click either
of the Font buttons.
Click the Choose Font button on the Font toolbar
.
2 Click on any of the listed .map files. The Generate Poliscript Font box will then be in one
of three states.
Blank and greyed-out. This indicates that the selected file relates to an original
Poliscript font. Generation is not relevant.
Ticked and greyed-out. This indicates that the selected file relates to a G3 font for
which the Poliscript versions have not yet been generated.
Blank and active. This indicates that the selected file relates to a G3 font for which
the Poliscript versions have already been generated. If you wish to re-generate the
fonts, check the Generate Poliscript Font box.
3 Click Open. If the Generate Poliscript Font box was checked, a progress window will be
shown while the Poliscript fonts are automatically generated or re-generated.
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Selecting the manual cue device
The manual cue device is the device to which subtitles will be sent when manually cueing to
air (page 88) or rehearsing to air (page 87).
To select the manual cue device
1
Choose Tools>Options>Setup Options.
2 In the Manual Cue Device field, do one of the following:
To use a specific unit, such as an Insight character generator, choose the required
unit.
To use one or more video printer devices, choose the MAN option.
3 Click OK.
If you selected the MAN option, you should also check that the Portia Gateway running,
and that the required video printers are selected on the gateway. See Enabling video
printers (page 182).
Whenever a manual cue device is selected, an indicator is displayed in the Edit Mode
screen.
The Indicator is yellow when a subtitle is on-air, and red at other times.
Selecting the rehearse output
This selects the output to be used to rehearse subtitles to air. It can be either:
a serial port, to which may be connected a Screen Subtitling Systems Insight character
generator/inserter, or;
the Portia Gateway, which is a network interface used to communicate with one or more
video printer devices.
To select the rehearse output
1
Point to the Tools>Rehearse Output menu option, and select either the relevant
communication port (COM1 - COM4), or the Portia option.
Note: When using the Portia output, you can also choose the PCR Timing option from
the Rehearse Output menu. This has the effect of using Polistream PCR timing instead of
timecode to cue the subtitles, which corrects the subtitle insertion times for encoder
delays and other system delays.
2 Ensure that the relevant device is selected as the manual cue device (page 160).
System setup
161
Launching output drivers
Poliscript has the facility to rehearse (page 87) or manually-cue (page 88) subtitles to air via
one or more video printers.
If this facility is required, it is necessary for the relevant video printer driver application(s) to
be running. These can be launched manually as and when required, or they can be configured
to launch automatically as part of the Poliscript start-up.
To launch output drivers manually
1
Choose the Tools>Output Drivers menu option.
The Output Drivers window lists available video printer drivers (G3, T3000, etc.) plus
the Bootp and Portia applications.
Any drivers that are already ticked will probably have been launched at start up.
2 Select any drivers that you want to launch, and then click OK.
The drivers should start within a few seconds.
To configure the drivers to launch at start-up
1
Choose the Tools>Output Drivers menu option.
2 Select only the drivers you want to launch automatically, and deselect the others.
3 Click OK.
4 This configuration will be re-launched each time Poliscript is started, until the
configuration is changed.
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Adding video printers
Poliscript can rehearse or manually cue subtitles to a number of networked Screen Subtitling
Systems devices such the T3000 VBI Inserter and G3 Digital Graphics Inserter. These
devices are referred to generically as 'video printers'. Poliscript communicates with all video
printers via a network port known as the Portia Gateway.
Before a video printer can be used for rehearsing or manual cueing, it must be configured on
the network. This is done using the VideoPrinter Network Configuration Tool.
Note: This process is normally done only once for each video printer, when it is added onto
the network. It can be done from any PC on the network with access to the Video Printer
Configuration tool (bootp.exe).
To configure a video printer
1
If the VideoPrinter Network Configuration tool is already running, display the
application window by clicking the icon on the Task Bar.
2 If not, do one of the following:
In Poliscript, choose the Tools>Output Drivers menu option, check the Bootp box and
click OK.
If the PC is not running Poliscript, navigate to the
Poliscript\System\OutputDrivers\Bootp folder and run bootp.exe.
The unit list in the top half of the window shows all currently-configured video printers.
Note: The different printer icon colours in the list have no significance in this application
of the configuration tool.
3 To add a new video printer unit such as a G3 or T3000, power the unit off and back on.
The unit will issue a bootp request, which will appear in the activity log in the lower half
of the configuration window, in the form:
18/02/2003 07:35:22 : >Request from 08.00.3e.2e.20.01
The 6-field number is the unique MAC address of the unit.
4 Note the MAC address.
5 In the VideoPrinter Network Configuration window, select the Units>Add option to
display the Unit Configuration window.
6 In the Unit Configuration window, enter:
a meaningful name for identification of the printer.
the MAC address noted above.
the network IP address you wish to assign to the unit.
the relevant subnet mask and gateway numbers.
If no gateway is present (i.e. you are using a standard network configuration with only
hubs or switches), leave the gateway set to 0.0.0.0.
System setup
163
7 Click OK.
The unit will be added to the list in the VideoPrinter Network Configuration window.
8 Power the video printer unit off and back on.
This will update the device with the correct network IP address from Video Printer
Configuration Tool, enabling Poliscript to cummunicate with it.
Configuring video printers
G3 digital graphics inserter
The G3 is a digital graphics inserter for insertion of bitmap subtitles into PAL or NTSC
component digital video. The G3 Control Panel enables adjustment of all configuration
parameters. The functions are divided over five tabs, each of which is described in the
following topics.
G3 - General tab
The General tab enables a test pattern to be generated for system verification, and provides a
range of dynamic status information.
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Parameter
Operation
Test Pattern
Generates a test pattern on the system output
showing a selection of colours and characters A
through Z. Display persists until the next incoming
subtitle data. Note that only Latin characters of
some fonts (e.g. Chinese and Japanese) will be
displayed.
To test an accent, select the appropriate option in
Accents. This will be attached to every letter in the
generated output. Click Generate to generate the test
output.
Status displays
Bitrate
Gives a dynamic graphical and numerical indication of
the encoder input an output bit rates.
Encoder Timing
Shows the time taken to encode the last subtitle, together
with the average and peak (maximum) encoding times.
The two latter times can be reset to zero.
G3 - Input tab
The Input tab defines the network address and port of the Portia Interface, which is the input
source to the G3.
Parameter
Operation
Server Address
This is the address of the Portia Interface, which must be
either a valid IP address or the network name assigned to
the interface.
System setup
Server Port
165
The port number of the Portial Interface. If a name is
specified in the Server Address field, the port number is
competed automatically.
G3 - Rendering tab
This tab provides facilities for selecting the fonts and defining the appearance of the output
subtitles. Up to ten subtitle configurations can be stored for use at any subsequent time.
The subtitle configurations are listed in the upper window on the Rendering tab as 'Standard'
and 'User Set' 1 to 9. The Standard configuration acts as a template, in that its settings can be
applied in blocks to the User Sets, and can then be modified as required.
Any one of the defined configurations can be selected as the default, and this will be applied
whenever the G3 is used in a subtitling operation. The default is selected and identified in the
Default Configuration field, and is shown with a green icon in the configuration list.
It is possible for the configuration set to be selected dynamically from within a subtitle file
(page 57).
The five sub-tabs in the lower part of the Rendering tab define the individual settings for the
subtitle configuration sets.
To define the Standard subtitle configuration
It is advisable to define the Standard Set first with the most generic configuration, which can
then serve as the basis for the User Sets. To do so:
1
Select the Standard set in the configuration list.
Note that the configuration you wish to define does not have to be selected as the default,
but it must be selected in the configuration list.
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2 Use the information in the tables below to define the individual settings on each of the
sub-tabs for the Standard configuration.
3 Click Apply.
To define the User Sets
1
Select the configuration you wish to define in the configuration list.
2 Select the General sub-tab and enter a meaningful description of the set in the Notes field.
This will appear alongside the set in the configuration list.
3 For any parameters you wish to change from the Standard settings:
Select the appropriate sub-tab.
Clear the Use Standard Settings checkbox.
Change the parameters as required.
4
Click Apply.
Character Coding sub-tab
This sub-tab defines the character set(s) of the primary and secondary fonts selected on the
Fonts sub-tab. With the Advanced checkbox cleared, the character set for each font can be
selected from one of four preset options. With the Advanced checkbox selected, the
initialisation string for an alternative character set can be entered. Initialisation strings for
other character sets can be supplied by Screen Subtitling Systems.
Fonts sub-tab
Parameter
Operation
Primary, Secondary
These select the two fonts for use in the encoding
process. Selecting a font from the list displays the font
path/filename in the adjacent box. Selecting [Custom...]
from the list allows a path/filename of the required font
file to be entered manually.
Default font
Primary/Secondary
Can be used to lock the font selection to either Primary
or Secondary, thus preventing any external font selection
via subtitle files. To lock a font selection, select Primary
or Secondary, and then click the lock icon.
Colours and Style sub-tab
This defines the text style as well as the subtitle fill outline and background. Each selection
can be locked using the associated lock icon to prevent it being changed via the subtitle file.
Parameter
Operation
Text, Colour
Selects the text fill colour.
Text, Italics
Checking this box presents the subtitles in italics,
provided this is supported by the selected fonts.
Outline, Colour
Selects the subtitle text outline colour.
Outline, Style
Selects the subtitle text outline style as a simple outline
or a drop shadow, or disables the outline (No outline).
System setup
Box. Colour
Selects the colour of the subtitle box selected in the
Style field.
Box, Style
Selects one of four box types, or no box.
Level
Sets the intensity of the selected box.
167
Positions sub-tab
This defines the positions of the subtitle rows on the screen. The explanatory graphic on the tab shows
the function of each parameter.
Parameter
Operation
Left
Defines the horizontal starting point for left-aligned text.
Centre
Defines the horizontal centre position for centred text.
Right
Defines the horizontal end point for right-aligned text.
Bottom
Defines the vertical position of the bottom line of
subtitles.
Inter Row Gap
In subtitles with two or more rows, this sets the number
of scan lines that will be left between the backgrounds
(when enabled) on adjacent subtitle rows. The resulting
space between the actual text lines remains the same
whether or not a background is applied.
G3 - Timing tab
The Timing tab selects the reference timecode and PCR sources for encoder, according to the
system requirements.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Parameter
Operation
Source
Selects the Timecode Server (system master timecode)
or G3 VideoPrinter as the timecode reference source.
The Internal option is not generally used in normal
operation.
Channel
Selects the appropriate timecode channel when the
Source is set to Timecode Server.
Video Standard
Selects the appropriate standard.
Output Device
The Master Source or Slave buttons are selected
automatically to reflect the Source selection. When
Timecode Server is selected, the Slave button is active,
indicating that the G3 is synchronised to the system
master timecode. In this case, the Input selector is
inactive.
When Source is set to output Device, the Master Source
button is active, indicating that the G3 is the timecode
reference for the Encoder. In this case, the Input selector
may be used to select the relevant timecode source for
the G3.
G3 - Output tab
This tab defines the network address of the G3 video printer, and configures aspects of the
subtitle output.
Parameter
Operation
Presentation Delay
Can be used to add a global delay to the appearance of
subtitles for correction purposes.
System setup
Device Address
169
Specifies the network address of the G3 video printer
used for keying the output bitmaps. This can be either
an IP address or a valid network name.
White Level, Black
Level
Automatic Subtitle
Fading
Enabled
Enables fading, which causes subtitles to fade out over
the period set in Duration.
Duration
Sets the fade-out period for subtitle fading.
K3 composite graphics inserter
The K3 is an analogue keyer for insertion of bitmap subtitles into PAL or NTSC video.The
K3 Control Panel enables adjustment of all configuration parameters. The functions are
divided over five tabs, each of which is described in the following topics.
K3 - General tab
The General tab enables a test pattern to be generated for system verification, and provides a
range of dynamic status information.
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Parameter
Operation
Test Pattern
Generates a test pattern on the system output
showing a selection of colours and characters A
through Z. Display persists until the next incoming
subtitle data. Note that only Latin characters of
some fonts (e.g. Chinese and Japanese) will be
displayed.
To test an accent, select the appropriate option in
Accents. This will be attached to every letter in the
generated output. Click Generate to generate the test
output.
Status displays
Bitrate
Gives a dynamic graphical and numerical indication of
the encoder input an output bit rates.
Encoder Timing
Shows the time taken to encode the last subtitle, together
with the average and peak (maximum) encoding times.
The two latter times can be reset to zero.
K3 - Input tab
The Input tab defines the network address and port of the Portia Interface, which is the input
source to the K3.
Parameter
Operation
Server Address
This is the address of the Portia Interface, which must be
either a valid IP address or the network name assigned to
the interface.
System setup
Server Port
171
The port number of the Portial Interface. If a name is
specified in the Server Address field, the port number is
competed automatically.
K3 - Rendering tab
This tab provides facilities for selecting the fonts and defining the appearance of the output
subtitles. Up to ten subtitle configurations can be stored for use at any subsequent time.
The subtitle configurations are listed in the upper window on the Rendering tab as 'Standard'
and 'User Set' 1 to 9. The Standard configuration acts as a template, in that its settings can be
applied in blocks to the User Sets, and can then be modified as required.
Any one of the defined configurations can be selected as the default, and this will be applied
whenever the K3 is used in a subtitling operation. The default is selected and identified in the
Default Configuration field, and is shown with a green icon in the configuration list.
The five sub-tab in the lower part of the Rendering tab define the individual settings for the
subtitle configuration sets.
To define the Standard subtitle configuration
It is advisable to define the Standard Set first with the most generic configuration, which can
then serve as the basis for the User Sets. To do so:
1
Select the Standard set in the configuration list.
Note that the configuration you wish to define does not have to be selected as the default,
but it must be selected in the configuration list.
2 Use the information in the tables below to define the individual settings on each of the
sub-tabs for the Standard configuration.
3 Click Apply.
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To define the User Sets
1
Select the configuration you wish to define in the configuration list.
2 Select the General sub-tab and enter a meaningful description of the set in the Notes field.
This will appear alongside the set in the configuration list.
3 For any parameters you wish to change from the Standard settings:
Select the appropriate sub-tab.
Clear the Use Standard Settings checkbox.
Change the parameters as required.
4
Click Apply.
Character Coding sub-tab
This sub-tab defines the character set(s) of the primary and secondary fonts selected on the
Fonts sub-tab. With the Advanced checkbox cleared, the character set for each font can be
selected from one of four preset options. With the Advanced checkbox selected, the
initialisation string for an alternative character set can be entered. Initialisation strings for
other character sets can be supplied by Screen Subtitling Systems.
Fonts sub-tab
Parameter
Operation
Primary, Secondary
These select the two fonts for use in the encoding
process. Selecting a font from the list displays the font
path/filename in the adjacent box. Selecting [Custom...]
from the list allows a path/filename of the required font
file to be entered manually.
Default font
Primary/Secondary
Can be used to lock the font selection to either Primary
or Secondary, thus preventing any external font selection
via subtitle files. To lock a font selection, select Primary
or Secondary, and then click the lock icon.
Colours and Style sub-tab
This defines the text style as well as the subtitle fill outline and background. Each
selection can be locked using the associated lock icon to prevent it being changed via
the subtitle file.
Parameter
Operation
Text, Colour
Selects the text fill colour.
Text, Italics
Checking this box presents the subtitles in italics,
provided this is supported by the selected fonts.
Outline, Colour
Selects the subtitle text outline colour.
Outline, Style
Selects the subtitle text outline style as a simple outline
or a drop shadow, or disables the outline (No outline).
Box. Colour
Selects the colour of the subtitle box selected in the
Style field.
System setup
Box, Style
Selects one of four box types, or no box.
Level
Sets the intensity of the selected box.
173
Positions sub-tab
This defines the positions of the subtitle rows on the screen. The explanatory graphic on the tab shows
the function of each parameter.
Parameter
Operation
Left
Defines the horizontal starting point for left-aligned text.
Centre
Defines the horizontal centre position for centred text.
Right
Defines the horizontal end point for right-aligned text.
Bottom
Defines the vertical position of the bottom line of
subtitles.
Inter Row Gap
In subtitles with two or more rows, this sets the number
of scan lines that will be left between the backgrounds
(when enabled) on adjacent subtitle rows. The resulting
space between the actual text lines remains the same
whether or not a background is applied.
K3 - Timing tab
The Timing tab selects the reference timecode source for encoder, according to the system
requirements.
Parameter
Operation
Source
Selects the Timecode Server (system master timecode)
or K3 VideoPrinter as the timecode reference source.
The Internal option is not generally used in normal
operation.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Channel
Selects the appropriate timecode channel when the
Source is set to Timecode Server.
Video Standard
Selects the appropriate standard.
Output Device
The Master Source or Slave buttons are selected
automatically to reflect the Source selection. When
Timecode Server is selected, the Slave button is active,
indicating that the K3 is synchronised to the system
master timecode. In this case, the Input selector is
inactive.
When Source is set to output Device, the Master Source
button is active, indicating that the K3 is the timecode
reference for the Encoder. In this case, the Input selector
may be used to select the relevant timecode source for
the K3.
K3 - Output tab
This tab defines the network address of the K3 video printer, and configures aspects of the
subtitle output.
Parameter
Operation
Presentation Delay
Can be used to add a global delay to the appearance of
subtitles for correction purposes.
Device Address
Specifies the network address of the K3 video printer
used for keying the output bitmaps. This can be either
an IP address or a valid network name.
White Level, Black
Level
Automatic Subtitle
Fading
System setup
Enabled
Enables fading, which causes subtitles to fade out over
the period set in Duration.
Duration
Sets the fade-out period for subtitle fading.
175
T3000 VBI inserter device
The T3000 is a versatile unit for insertion of Teletext and Packet 31 and Line 21 data into the
vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a SDI video signal. The unit can handle multiple data
sources for insertion on all 17 line pairs.
The functions of the T3000 Control Panel application are divided over three tabs, each of
which is described in the following topics.
Configuration tab
This tab selects the VBI lines for teletext/data insertion, and sets a number of T3000
operating parameters .
Parameter
Operation
Line Activation
Defines individual VBI lines as available for
transmission of Teletext or PK31 data. The normal
lines for PAL can be selected by clicking the Set
PAL Defaults button. Individual lines can be selected
by checking the relevant boxes.
Enable Test Pattern
This inserts a test pattern consisting of text displayed
in the VBI lines, which can be viewed on a reducedscan monitor.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Empty Line Fill
This fills all active lines that are not occupied by
data. The fill options are Blank, a Teletext pattern
(Fixed), or a factory test pattern (Ext Test).
Ethernet Addressing
Selection
The T3000 Target Address is the IP address of the
T3000 hardware unit. The Local Port Number is the
port number of this application. Entering 0 (zero)
automatically causes the next available port number
to be allocated.
Horiz Offset Adjust
Adjusts subtitle timing by ±100us with respect to the
line for adjusting the horizontal position of subtitles.
Synch Offset Adjust
Adjusts the sync phase of the T3000 ±670ns with
respect to the incoming sync source, to match delays
in other related systems.
Configuration Selection
Selects the insertion mode of the T3000. In Line
inserts the teletext/data into video routed through the
T3000. Bridge sends VBI lines with teletext/data to
an external teletext inserter or data bridge.
Synch Source Selection
Selects the genlock source for the T3000 as external
digital or analogue sync, or internally generated sync.
System setup
177
PK31 Streams tab
This tab sets up the parameters for each PK31 datastream handled by the T3000. Streams are
added by completing the fields down the right side of the panel and clicking AddStream,
which adds them to the list in the main window. Streams can be removed by selecting the
them in the list and clicking RemoveStream.
The Press To Stop/Start button stops or starts all data insertion. Some parameter changes
made in the T3000 control panel will automatically stop insertion to avoid transmission of
junk. Clicking Press To Start will restart it. The unit automatically powers up in started
condition.
Parameter
Operation
Source drop-down
Selects the PK31 data source as Ethernet or serial ports
COM1 or COM2.
PriorityLevel
Sets a transmission priority order for the data stream,
with 1 being the highest priority.
BPS
Sets the limit in Bytes Per Second for data transmission
in this channel.
I/P Channel
Selects the data channel for this stream. This must match
the channel number set on the Output tab (page 180) of
the TTXTDrv Control panel.
Address Length
Defines the number of characters in the PK31 address.
Address
PK31 address. The number of characters should match
the figure in the Address Length field.
Repeats
Specifies the number of times each data packet is sent.
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PoliScript User's Guide
SubStreams tab
This tab sets up the parameters for each Subtitle stream handled by the T3000. Streams are
added by completing the fields down the right side of the panel and clicking AddStream,
which adds them to the list in the main window. Streams can be removed by selecting the
them in the list and clicking RemoveStream.
The Press To Stop/Start button stops or starts all data insertion. Some parameter changes
made in the T3000 control panel will automatically stop insertion to avoid transmission of
junk. Clicking Press To Start will restart it. The unit auomatically powers up in started
condition.
Parameter
Operation
Source drop-down
Selects the PK31 data source as Ethernet or serial ports
COM1 or COM2, or Test Pattern which places a test
pattern on the teletext page.
PriorityLevel
Sets a transmission priority order for the teletext stream,
with 1 being the highest priority.
Page
The target teletext page.
I/P Channel
Selects the data channel for this stream. This must match
the channel number set on the Output tab (page 180) of
the TTXTDrv Control panel.
Protocol
Selects the output protocol.
System setup
179
Teletext driver
The Teletext Driver application is used to provide an input of teletext data to the T3000 VBI
Inserter (page 175).
The TTXTDrv Control Panel enables adjustment of all configuration parameters. The
functions are divided over three tabs, each of which is described in the following topics.
Inputs tab
This tab defines the network address of the channel server associated with the Teletext
driver, and selects the input language.
Parameter
Operation
Channel Server
This is the Portia Gateway address, which should be set
to 127.0.0.1:4666.
Language
The language selection is irrelevant in the Poliscript
application.
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PoliScript User's Guide
Output tab
This tab defines the destination of the output data, and defines a range of attributes for the
data.
Parameter
Operation
Destination T3000/
ComPort
In the Poliscript application, this should be completed as
T3000.
Page
This is the destination Teletext page for the channel
selected in the Channel field. It must match the Page
number specified in the Panel>SubStreams>Page field
for this channel.
Channel
Set the required channel for this Teletext data. The same
channel must be selected as an input channel on the
T3000 Control Panel>SubStreams tab.
Language Bits
Enables the language identifier bits to be selected
manually, if required. If the Conversion Default option
is selected, the relevant language bits will be selected
automatically, according to the selection in the
Conversion Table field. In this case, the number of the
automatically-selected option is shown alongside the
field heading - e.g. Language Bits: 4.
TV Chipset
Enables the target decoder chipset to be selected
manually, if required. If the Conversion Default option
is selected, the relevant chipset will be selected
automatically, according to the selection in the
Conversion Table field. In this case, the number of the
automatically-selected option is shown alongside the
field heading - e.g. TV Chipset: 3.
Conversion Table
Enables selection of the language conversion table.
Use Packet 26
characters
Enables or disables the use of Pk26 characters in the
teletext data.
System setup
Stripe Presentation
When checked, will stipe as much of the teletext
presentation line width as possible.
Send Subtitles Twice
(aus)
Causes sutitle data to be sent twice - for Australian
requirements.
Enable Single Height
Text
When checked display of single-height subtitles is
enabled. Otherwise all subtitles are displayed double
height.
Lock Channel on
Output Device
Not applicable to the current application.
Send Offair on
Open/Close Device
Not applicable to the current application. Should
normally be
Send as magazine
Page
When checked, data is sent as a magazine page rather
than as a teletext page.
Send Pkt26 AFTER
Rows
This can be used in systems where Pk26 data sent before
the teletext line (e.g. for special characters) causes
problems.
Don't replace italics
with Spaces
Statistics tab
This tab provides basic subtitle statistics, and simple test and subtitle clear facilities.
181
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PoliScript User's Guide
The top half of the tab shows the cumulative number of subtitles received from the server
and the number of sent messages, And displays the text of the last subtitle message. The
statistics can be reset with the Reset button.
The Send Simple Test Subtitle button will send whatever text is currently entered in the
window above it. Send Clear sends a clear message to clear down the currently-displayed
subtitle.
Enabling video printers
To use a video printer for rehearsing subtitle files or manually cueing to air, the Portia
Gateway and the output drivers for the video printer devices must be running, and the
required video printer(s) must be selected.
To enable video printers
1
Check that the Portia Gateway driver and the video printer output drivers are running.
The Portia Gateway has a separate application window:
and an icon on the Taskbar:
Each video printer is represented by a panel on the Windows Desktop, e.g.
and an icon on the Taskbar:
2 If these are not present, the relevant drivers are not running. In this case, choose the
Tools>Output Drivers menu option, check the relevant boxes and click OK.
3 In the Portia Gateway window, select the required video printer(s) by selecting the
appropriate cells in the Output column.
Selected printers are shown in red, and with a 'X' in the Output column.
183
Index
Accent • 13, 18
Adding accents • 50
Add on • 13, 18
Align
Block alignment • 80
Text alignment • 55
Alternative text • 93
ASCII • 96, 102
Associations • 104
Audio scrubbing • 123
Autosave • 90
Autosave interval • 156
About cues • 63, 114, 115, 116
Capturing cues • 66, 69, 70, 71, 72
Cue defaults • 63, 158
Entering and changing cues manually • 72,
74, 75, 76
In Cue key • 13
Out Cue key • 13
Selecting capture method • 157
Specifying check settings • 108
Cumulative subtitles • 41
Custom header • 99
Cut • 13, 18
Blocks of subtitles • 79
Cutting text • 45
B
D
Big 5 • 96
Block • 77
Defaults • 8, 155
Autosave interval • 156
Default font • 156
Default row • 156
OST file • 8, 155
Reading speed • 64, 115, 158
subtitle list settings • 136
Delete • 13, 18
Delete comments • 107
Delete subtitles • 86
Delete video clips • 119
Display
Edit mode screen • 8
Positioning toolbars • 11
Rehearse mode screen • 10, 116
Traditional style • 5, 7
Dongle • 29
Dur • 13, 18
Duration • 65, 115
A
C
Capture settings • 157
Check • 13, 18
Checks • 108, 109, 116
Closed DVD subtitle • 27
Closed subtitle • 27
Colour
Background colour • 54
Enabling and disabling • 156
Subtitle list elements • 136
Text colour • 52
Colour keys • 13, 18
Command • 35, 36
Comments • 105
Adding • 105
Searching • 106
Configuration
OST file • 8, 155
Copy • 13, 18
Blocks of subtitles • 78, 79, 80
Copying text • 46
Cues
E
EBU • 95, 99
Edit • 13, 18
Edit mode screen • 8
Editor • 156
End • 13, 18
Escape • 13, 18
F
Files • 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 97
184
Index
Associations • 104
Media files • 117, 120, 121, 123
Find • 13, 18
Fonts • 13, 18
About • 111
Default font • 156
Font setup • 112
Generating from G3 fonts • 159
Selecting fonts • 51, 85
Formatting
Formatting text • 51
Functions
PC keyboard functions • 18
Poliscript keyboard functions • 13
G
G3 video printer • 57, 162, 163, 164, 165, 167,
168, 182
GBCODE • 97
Generating fonts • 159
Goto • 13, 18
H
Home/Start • 13, 18
I
Imitext
Imitext subtitle • 27
In Cue • 13, 18, 115
Insert • 13, 18
Inserting a subtitle • 40
Insertion modes • 42
Interval • 63, 115
Italics • 13, 18
Applying italics • 51
J
JISCODE • 96
Justify • 13, 18
K
Keyboards • 5, 12, 155, 156
Layouts • 111, 156
PC Keyboard • 18
Poliscript keyboard • 13
Selecting keyboard language • 156
Selecting keyboard type • 155
L
LINGUA • 95, 101
Linking subtitle files to clips • 126
M
Mark text • 13, 18
Marking
Blocks of subtitles • 77, 78
Marking text in a subtitle • 48
Media files • 117, 120, 121, 123
Menu key • 13
Menus • 12
Merge • 13, 18, 60
Move • 13, 18
Multi-configuration • 38
System defaults • 8, 115, 155
O
Open subtitles • 27
Opening • 89
Operating modes • 7
OST file • 8, 155
Out Cue • 13, 18, 115
P
Page Down • 13, 18
Page Up • 13, 18
Paste • 13, 18
Pay as you go • 29
About • 29
Available time • 30, 32
Clock • 29, 30
Dongle • 29
Dongle - selecting • 32
User details • 30
Warnings • 29, 31
Poliscript
Exit • 36
Monitor • 5
Multi-configuration • 38
Operating modes • 7
Options • 5
Overview • 5
Poliscript keyboard • 13
Software • 7
Starting • 35
System defaults • 8, 115, 155
Printing
Print preview • 81
Subtitle files • 80
PU2000 • 94, 95, 98
R
Reading speed • 64, 115, 158
Recut • 13, 18
Rehearse • 13, 18
Rehearse mode screen • 10, 116
Rehearsing subtitles • 87, 116
Rehearsing with Vidcache • 150
Renumbering subtitles • 82
Index
Replace • 13, 18
Row • 13, 18
S
Safe area
About the safe area • 113
Overriding • 44
Specifying check settings • 108
SAO • 13, 18
Save • 13, 18, 90, 91, 92
Autosave interval • 156
SCANTITL • 95, 102
Screens • 7
Alternative styles • 7
Edit mode screen • 8
Positioning toolbars • 11
Rehearse mode screen • 10, 116
Searching
Finding text • 48, 49
Replacing text • 48, 49
Searching comments • 106
Setup • 155
Shortcut menus • 12
Shutting down • 36
Sort
Sorting subtitles • 82
Spell checking • 57
Split • 13, 18, 61
St No • 13, 18
Starting
from the command line • 36
STITLES.RAC • 90
About • 6
Setting file path • 8
Subtitle comments • 105
Adding • 105
Deleting • 107
Searching • 106
Subtitle files • 80
Appending to the current workfile • 94
Checking • 109
Copying • 92
Deleting • 93
Linking to video clips • 126
Reading in alternative text • 93
Selecting G3 output configurations • 57
Setting options • 97
Supported formats • 94
Subtitle list box
Customising • 136
Setting colours for • 136
Working with • 135, 136
Subtitle utilities • 58
Subtitles
Adjusting vertical position • 83, 84
Blocks • 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86
Copying • 78, 79, 80
Creating • 39
Adding a subtitle • 40
Cumulative subtitles • 41
Inserting a subtitle • 40
Starting a new file • 39
Deleting blocks • 86
Entering and editing text • 41
Adding accents • 50
Copying text • 46
Cursor positioning • 41
Editing text • 42
Entering text • 42
Finding text • 48, 49
Inserting a row • 47
Insertion modes • 42
Moving text • 43, 44, 45, 46
Overriding the safe area • 44
Pasting text • 46
Removing text • 44, 45
Replacing text • 48, 49
Formatting
Applying italics • 51
Background colour • 54
Presentation styles • 56
Selecting fonts • 51, 85
Text alignment • 55
Text colour • 52
185
186
Index
Limiting number of rows • 47
Listing • 135
Marking text • 48
Merging • 60
Moving to • 59
Properties • 58
Rehearsing • 87
Renumbering • 82
Sorting • 82
Spell checking • 57
Splitting • 61
Subtitle zero • 114, 115
Timing
About cues • 63, 114, 115, 116
Adjusting using recut • 62
Capturing cues • 66, 69, 70, 71, 72
Cue defaults • 63, 158
Applying italics • 51
Background colour • 54
Entering and editing • 41
Selecting fonts • 51, 85
Text alignment • 55
Text colour • 52
Timecode
About • 114
Adjusting • 62, 85
Restriping • 125
Selecting capture method for cues • 157
Selecting timecode type • 157
Setting frame rate • 157
Timecode card • 5
Timing subtitles • 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 70,
71, 72, 74, 75, 76
Toolbars
Positioning toolbars • 11
Typing limit • 47
Duration • 65, 115
U
Entering and changing cues manually •
72, 74, 75, 76
Undo • 13, 18, 59
Update • 32
Reading speed • 64, 115, 158
Types of • 27
Undoing changes • 59
Vertical position • 83, 84
Supershift • 13, 18
SV3 • 5, 117
Audio scrubbing • 123
Capturing clips • 117
Closing media files • 123
Delete video clips • 119
File formats • 120
Locating the start of dialogue in video •
121, 123
Media files • 117, 120, 121, 123
Mute • 120
Playing media files • 121
Restriping timecode • 125
System defaults • 8, 115, 155
System options • 5, 155
Keyboards • 5, 12, 155, 156
SV3 • 5, 117
Timecode card • 5
Video capture • 5, 117
T
T/C O-ride • 13, 18
Teletext
Teletext subtitles • 27
Text
V
Vertical positioning • 83, 84
Vidcache
About • 139, 140
Allocating space for a recording • 142, 143,
147, 151
Deleting recordings • 146, 151, 152
File confirmation • 153
Generating timecode • 143
Goto functions • 146
Guard band • 145
Linking subtitle files to recordings • 148,
151, 152, 153
Making Vidcache track subtitle display •
146
Naming a recording • 143
Options • 146, 153
Pass through video mode • 145, 146
Play dialogue • 146, 148
Play only mode • 146
Playing recordings • 121, 145, 146
Recording • 143, 145, 146, 147
Recording over existing or deleted files •
142, 147
Rehearsing subtitle files • 150
Renaming recordings • 151
Standby • 143, 147
Use of hard disk • 142, 145, 151
Warnings • 153
Video capture • 5, 117
Index
Video printers • 162, 163, 182
W
Warnings • 116
Pay-as-you-go time • 31
Word • 13, 18
Workfile • 90
About • 6
Appending a file to the current one • 94
Setting file path • 8
187