computer science

Media Object Server

Media Object Server is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Media Object Server rather than just read about it. In short: The Media Object Server (MOS) protocol allows newsroom computer systems (NRCS) to communicate using a standard protocol with video servers, audio servers, still stores, and character generators for broadcast production. The MOS protocol is based on XML.

Key takeaways

Media Object Server belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Media Object Server to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Media Object Server from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Media Object Server (MOS) protocol allows newsroom computer systems (NRCS) to communicate using a standard protocol with video servers, audio servers, still stores, and character generators for broadcast production. The MOS protocol is based on XML. It enables the exchange of the following types of messages:

Descriptive Data for Media Objects. The MOS "pushes" descriptive information and pointers to the NRCS as objects are created, modified, or deleted in the MOS. This allows the NRCS to be "aware" of the contents of the MOS and enables the NRCS to perform searches on and manipulate the data the MOS has sent. Playlist Exchange. The NRCS can build and transfer playlist information to the MOS. This allows the NRCS to control the sequence that media objects are played or presented by the MOS. Status Exchange. The MOS can inform the NRCS of the status of specific clips or the MOS system in general. The NRCS can notify the MOS of the status of specific playlist items or running orders. MOS was developed to reduce the need for the development of device specific drivers. By allowing developers to embed functionality and handle events, vendors were relieved of the burden of developing device drivers. It was left to the manufacturers to interface newsroom computer systems. This approach affords broadcasters flexibility to purchase equipment from multiple vendors. It also limits the need to have operators in multiple locations throughout the studio as, for example, multiple character generators (CG) can be fired from a single control workstation, without needing an operator at each CG console. MOS enables journalists to see, use, and control media devices inside Associated Press's ENPS system so that individual pieces of newsroom production technology speak a common XML-based language.

History of MOS The first meeting of the MOS protocol development group occurred at the Associated Press ENPS developer's conference in Orlando, Florida in 1998. The fundamental concepts of MOS were released to the public domain at that conference. As an open protocol, the MOS Development Group encourages the participation of broadcast equipment vendors and their customers. More than 100 companies are said to work with AP on MOS-related projects. Compatible hardware and software includes video editing, storage and management; automation; machine control; prompters; character generators; audio editing, store and management; web publishing, interactive TV, field transmission and graphics. Current development is happening on two tracks: a socket-based version, and a web service version. The current official versions of the MOS protocol, as of January 2011, are 2.8.4 (sockets) and 3.8.4 (web service). In 2016 proposals began to introduce IP Video support in the MOS protocol. This proposal allows representations of live IP Video sources such as NDI (Network Device Interface) to be included as MOS objects alongside MOS objects representing files to be played off disk There is also a Java based implementation called jmos that is currently compatible with MOS specification 2.8.2. An open source TypeScript (dialect of JavaScript) MOS connector and MOS Gateway is being actively developed by the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, as part of their open-source Sofie broadcast automation software initiative. An open source Python library and command line tool called mosromgr was developed by the BBC. The mosromgr library provides functionality for classifying MOS file types, processing and inspecting MOS message files, as well as merging a batch of MOS files into a complete running order. In 2017 the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded an Emmy to the MOS Group for "Development and Standardization of Media Object Server (MOS) Protocol."

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Media Object Server

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Media Object Server claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Media Object Server before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Media Object Server ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Media Object Server

In research: Media Object Server appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Media Object Server in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Media Object Server is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcast engineering, Multimedia, Servers (computing), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Media Object Server outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Media Object Server in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Media Object Server means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Media Object Server out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Media Object Server in simple terms?

Why does Media Object Server matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Media Object Server?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Media Object Server.