Adding Folders to the Task List

Adding Folders to the Task List

To begin defining a task, first open the Add Folder dialog box selecting Tasks/ Add from the Conversion Server's main toolbar. The Add Folder dialog box lets you define the parameters for a specific task. Tasks are defined per file folder. Remember, however, that the same folder can be added to the task list more than once. The "task" is responsible for taking a "first scan" of the folder being monitored and then making subsequent scans looking for newly added media files which in turn are sent to the proper converter.

When the dialog box opens, select the folder you wish to monitor using the From Folder field. Enter the path directory or browse for the folder pressing the browse button. Next define the destination folder for the files that will be converted using the To Folder field. You must assign both a source and destination folder. The destination folder cannot be the same as the From Folder (the folder you are monitoring).

The File Name Prefix and File Name Suffix fields let you automatically create logical aliases for converted media. This is especially useful if you are converting the same media file into diverse formats but want to use the same destination folder. For example, if you are converting the media file myClip.avi into Indeo and Cinepak, two formats that both use the same .avi extension, adding a suffix like _Ind and _Cp will protect them from being overwritten.

The To options let you select the Converter to be used for the selected folder: AVI, QuickTime (QT), and RealMedia (RM).

Under Settings you will define which group of parameters the specified Converter will use. You can select either the Current Settings (i.e. video and audio settings as currently defined in the respective tabs of the specified Converter window) or a predefined template (for AVI and RM conversions only). To select a template, use the Load button. If you are converting to AVI, you will load MCC files. For RM conversions you will load RVT files. The settings being used for a specific task are indicated in the task list under the column "Template". For more about conversion templates, see 3.9 Conversion Templates (.MCC and .RVT files).

If the Convert all files on Start option is active, the Conversion Server will automatically convert all files in the folder when you press the Start button. This, of course, is performed on the "first scan" which is made the first time the task is launched. After the first scan, only newly added files will be converted (no matter how often you start and stop the Conversion Server during an Incite Media Assistant session).

After this initial conversion, the server will continue scanning the folder for any new files that may have been added. Instead, if the Convert only new files option is activated, the Conversion Server will first determine what files already exist within the folder and then periodically scan for the subsequent addition of any new files. The Wait field lets you designate the number of seconds (maximum 300 secs/5 min.) the Conversion Server will delay before sending a newly detected media file to its designated Converter.

The Overwrite Existing Files option lets you overwrite previous versions of converted media. If you are converting the same media file into different formats of the same type (and storing these files in the same folder), make sure this option is deactivated and that you have add a prefix or suffix for the different file formats. This will prevent media files names from being duplicated and protect previously converted material.

Tips & Notes

·	Destination folders (containing the newly converted files) can be monitored in the same task list as the original file folder. In this manner, you can create a "chain-conversion" effect. Be careful, however, not to have more than one task monitor the same destination (To) folder with the Overwrite Existing Files option checked. This would result in an endless conversion loop.

·	It is possible to load or add WLF files containing tasks that scan file folders or use conversion templates that have been deleted. In such cases, Incite Media Assistant will display an error in the To field of the Task List as an indication.

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