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MashCast Media Manager

The Media Manager is a database that catalogs every piece of media you have imported or received from another user. This list may include audio, images, video, shows, and their contents. The Media Manager features a search engine that allows you to search for assets by keyword or title.

You can open and close the Media Manager by clicking on the arrow on the left side of the Media Manager header on the left hand rail.

To perform a keyword or title search, enter the search term in the Search Field and click on the “Search” button or hit the Return key. To view all of the assets in the media manager, leave the Search Field blank and click on the “Search” button.

The following functions are accessible via the Media Manager context menu, accessible by right-clicking on the Media Manager:

Import Files…

The “Import Files…” dialog provides the means for importing files from your desktop into the Mashcaster. This dialog is accessible by right-clicking in the Media Manager, or via the Main Menu.

To import a file:

  • Select the “Import Files…” dialog in one of the following ways:
    • Right-click on an asset in the Media Manager
    • Select “Import Files…” from the main menu.

 

    • Select a file or files to import.
    • NewMBC and Mashcast Networks take the rights of copyright holders seriously. In order for you to bring assets into the Mashcast Network, you must accept Mashcast.net’s Terms and Conditions for importing files.

 

 

  • In brief, these terms state that you are the copyright holder of these assets or have the rights to use these assets. By importing files using this dialog, you are agreeing to these Terms. You may review them by clicking on the Terms and Conditions link inside the Import Dialog.
  • Currently supported file formats include the following:
    • .wav: This is the current Windows standard uncompressed audio file format.
    • .ogg: This is an open source audio standard, and the native audio file format of the Mashcaster.
    • .png: This is an Adobe file format for images containing transparency.
    • .bmp: This is a Windows bitmap format.
    • .jpg:  Jpeg is a well-established standard for compressed images. It is especially effective for photographs.
    • .gif: GIF is an 8-bit image format that supports transparency.
    • .tif: TIFF files are uncompressed image files with broad cross-platform support.
    • .ico: Favicons that appear in the address bar of web sites and desktop icons for your operating system are stored in this format.
    • .swf: Shockwave-Flash format. This is the native format for the Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Flash player.
    Note: Current Mashcaster support for importing .swf files is somewhat limited. Basic Flash 4 animations are supported. Interactivity and certain basic tags are not. To create a Flash-4 compatible file from within a current version of Flash, make sure your Publish Settings are configured accordingly. For up-to-date info on this subject, consult Mashcaster Help Forums, at http:// mashcast.net/support/mc.
  • Mashcaster’s Media Manager is robust enough to accommodate hundreds of files, while providing the ability to locate any one asset quickly and easily. To get the most out of the Media Manager, it is to your advantage to assign keywords to each of the files you import.

    • To save you time, Mashcaster gives you the ability to import multiple files at once. If you would like to assign the same keyword to all of the files in a batch, check the “Apply to All Files” box.
    • Click the “Import” button to complete the import process.

 

Once imported, your files will be added to the Mashcaster Database. 

Search

Mashcaster’s Media Manager provides the ability to search by title, keyword or file type. To perform a search, type a word or phrase into the search field and click on the search button.

 

Note, that you must have the correct filters enabled in order to see the files you are searching for.

Search by File Type

You will see a row of buttons at the top of the Media Manager.

           

Each button represents a filter for its corresponding file type. Blue-Green indicates that the filter is open, and that files of the corresponding type will appear in your search. Amber indicates that the filter is closed, and that files of the corresponding type will be blocked.

SHOW BUTTON
  • This is the Show Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.
    • CHARACTER BUTTON
  • This is the Character Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.
    • MOVIE BUTTON
  • This is the Movie Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.
    • AUDIO BUTTON
  • This is the Audio Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.
    • VOICE BUTTON
  • This is the Voice Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.
    • GRAPHICS BUTTON
  • This is the Graphic Icon, Click on this button to include shows in your search.

    • When Mashcaster opens, all of the file type filters are enabled. You can disable any of the filters by clicking on the corresponding filter button.

    If you have performed a search already, clicking on any of the filter buttons will update the search results field immediately. However, if new assets have been added to the database since the last search was performed, these assets will not appear in the results window until you click on the Search button again.

    Previewing Search Results

    Right-click on any asset and select “Preview” to view it in a separate window.
    See Previewing an Asset.

    Send to Stage

    Sending an asset to the Stage from the Media Manager can be accomplished in one of two ways:

    • Right-click on the asset, and select “Send to Stage” from the context menu.
    • Drag and drop an asset from the Media Manager onto the Stage.

    The asset will be placed on the Stage in a new Layer. (See Layers in Mashcaster). Audio assets will be placed on whichever track is armed (red). If audio already resides on an armed track, it will be overwritten.

    Sorting Search Results in the Media Manager

    To sort search results, right-click on any asset in the Answering Machine and choose from the following sort criteria off of the “Sort” submenu.

    • Date received
    • Date created
    • File type
    • Title

    You may also set the list order by selecting “Ascending” or “Descending” from within this menu.

    Delete

    To delete an asset from the Media Manager, right-click on the asset and select “Delete” from the context menu. If this asset appears in any of your shows, you will be notified before the asset is deleted.

               

    Once the asset is deleted, you will see a blank with a question mark where the asset used to be in any shows which contain the deleted asset.

               

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