FFAStrans forum

Hello !

Working on a TV station, editors export their work to an MXF file with a file name (e.g.: AVC-TVE-XXXXXX.mxf)
The file is coded in h264, and uploaded to our website via FTP node.
Sometimes the file must be exported a second time. Problem with the sound, a subtitle or anything else. But the file keep the same name and almost the same length (at the frame)
But when FFAStrans has done a file, it doesn't do anything more on that file.

May be possible to check if the file was re-written and process it again ?
For now I need to copy the file and rename it, and after FFAstrans did his job, i rename the file to the older name.

Any wonderful idea ?

Thank you
Jeff

If your workflow is designed as deleting or removing the input-files after transcoding than you can add command-executor at the very end of your workflow with this command: This removes history of the workflow and you can transcode a file with the same name again.
But you definitely need to remove or delete the input-file.
Otherwise you are caught in a loop as all existing files in you input-folder will be processed again and again and again.

Steinars description about the used variable:
%s_cache_record" represent the full path to the cache history record created by the monitors. Deleting this file through the "Command executor"-node will make FFAStrans reset the history cache for that file/job. WARNING: Wrong usage can lead to FFAStrans going through the same file in a loop if the original file still exists.

EDIT: you need to use at least version 0.9.0.2

Hello Jfou,

Taner is right, you need to delete cache record, delete original file (use command executor) and don't forget to set your delivery folder with "overwrite", otherwise the new file will not be written.
bye.
B.

That's the problem ! I cannot delete the files because they are playing by our play out to be on air.

So I think I must continue to manually rename the files.

Thank you guys !

Hi Jeff,
Not sure understand well your workflow.
You export as MXF and create a H264 so you can delete original file(MXF). Then, export again the same original file(same name but modified) and FFAStrans processed again (with delete cache) and deliver again.
So :
- if your delivery file(h264) is used, you can check "unique name" in delivery folder.
- if your delivery file(h264) is not used, check overwrite.

Where is the problem? Can you tell me please?

Benjamin

jfou1987, if I have understood you correctly:

If your playout system are using/playing the same files as FFAStrans is transcoding, then off course it's impossible to change them until the playout system is finished, because the files are probably locked. And if I'm not mistaken, you cannot automatically delete or move them because the files might NOT be replaced if there's nothing wrong with them. So I think that the only way to solve this is to make FFAStrans able to process files with new dates, and I'm gonna take a look at that very soon. It will probably be an option in the monitor nodes to enable this.

-steinar