As of version 2.5 of our playout solutions, we support advanced metadata .xml sidecar files, which replace the sidecar files previously generated by the Library component of our applications. For more information on how this feature works, please refer to the following details:
The sidecar file has the same name as the video file but with the file extension .xml.
It is automatically generated for each video file, independent of the video file extension.
The sidecar file contains all metadata related to the video file.
The sidecar file also includes the In/Outpoint as well as the poster frame information defined in the Library.
If a sidecar file already exists, the In/Outpoint as well as the poster frame is saved in the new sidecar file.
The sidecar file is generated by the Just Control user interface, so at least one user interface that points to the repository has to be opened to generate new sidecar files.
In case new information has to be added to the sidecar file (for example the color space information supported by v.2025.x and higher) a new version of the sidecar file will be made automatically.
Occasionally, we have seen missing sidecar files in situations where several user interfaces are using the same repository at the same time. Click the “Refresh” button in the Library to get the .xml file generated.
The sidecar file is automatically generated for every new video file. If this is not the case, the “Refresh” button in the Library can be used to force this.
Clicking the Refresh button of the Library does NOT refresh already existing XML sidecar files, and instead, the existing sidecar files have to be deleted at the Finder level to regenerate them.
In case the sidecar file cannot be generated, no metadata will be shown in the Library and the video file remains red.
We recommend deleting/copying the sidecar file alongside the video file.
No video file will be shown in the Library in case the video file is missing, and only the sidecar file is available.
Generating the sidecar file can take some seconds. Keep this in mind in case you have several thousand video files in your repositories, and you open Just Control for the first time.
Once the sidecar files are made, accessing the Library will be much faster.
The sidecar file should work with every file system, but we recommend testing it with your system before using it in production.
Search for any kind of metadata (except Name) in the Library, to force generate the sidecar file in all (sub)folders of your repositories.