Interfacing Generic News System to FAB Subtitler LIVE

FAB Subtitler LIVE can import a news rundown in the XML format defined by FAB. This XML format was defined so that interfacing to any news system can be established easily. The news system will have to export the rundown in the described XML format. Alternatively a middleware software can be developed which can convert the rundown of the news system to the described XML format.

XML file with the rundown contains news stories. Every news story contains the following data which is relevant for subtitling:

  • Title of the news story
  • Prompter text (if available)
  • Duration
  • Location of the video file for the news story

To establish the connection between the news system and FAB Subtitler it is necessary to configure the News System to export the news rundown to a network folder where FAB Subtitler has read and write access. FAB Subtitler will monitor the folder with XML files exported from the news system, read the XML file with the rundown, import all relevant stories which have to be subtitled into its own rundown and delete the XML file.

An example of the XML file which can be imported into FAB Subtitler LIVE by using the configuration as described below can be found at the end of this page.

Configuration of FAB Subtitler LIVE

Two different folders will be required:

  • Folder where subtitle files will be stored. Make sure that FAB Subtitler Server is installed on the Windows File Server with this folder

  • Folder where the news system will export XML files to

You will have to configure the settings in Options/Special/News systems and click the Add button to add a folder for every news rundown which shall be used in FAB Subtitler. Generally every news program uses a different rundown and therefore for every news program one separate entry with separate folders will have to be created in Options in FAB Subtitler:

The following data has to be entered:

  • News name: This is the name of the news program

  • Shared folder containing subtitle files: This folder must be located on a Windows File Server where FAB Subtitler Server is installed

  • Folder that contains video files: Folder that contains video files related to news stories. This folder is used when the filename of the video file is specified without the path in the XML file

  • Folder containing news stories: Folder that contains XML files exported from the news system

  • File mask: Shall contain *.xml

Using the rundown in FAB Subtitler LIVE

To start the news XML import in FAB Subtitler LIVE and see the imported rundown in FAB Subtitler LIVE select “News” in the ribbon and activate “News editor”. After that select the news program that you have configured in

You will find more information on how to use FAB Subtitler LIVE in news mode in the FAB Subtitler LIVE manual.

Example of the XML file which can be imported

The XML file contains every news story in the node. The following nodes contain the actual data:

<UniqueID>0001</UniqueID>

The UniqueID node is necessary and identifies the news story. Even if the title of the news story changes, the next XML file import will overwrite the previous news story with the same UniqueID.

<Title>Ukraine airport clash</Title>

The Title node contains the title of the news story

<Text>Clashes over the control of Donetsk...></Text>

The Text node contains the prompter text for the news story

<Duration>14</Duration>

The Duration node contains the duration of the news story in seconds

<Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>

The Video node contains the name of the video file corresponding to the news story without or without the full path to the video file. When the path is not specified then the video folder which is defined in the configuration (as described above) is prepended to the video filename.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<STTWINNEWS version="1">
  <Rundown title="News" start="2014-05-27T19:30:00">
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0001</UniqueID>
      <Title>France reform EU - very long title with many words </Title>
      <Text>France's president^ will tell^ Europe's leaders^ to focus on boosting the economy, as they prepare to discuss the fallout from the European polls.</Text>
      <Duration>14</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0002</UniqueID>
      <Title>Ukraine airport clash</Title>
      <Text>Clashes over the control of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine have left at least 30 pro-Russia separatists dead so far, insurgents say.</Text>
      <Duration>15</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0004</UniqueID>
      <Title>Vietnam boat sinks</Title>
      <Text>A Vietnamese fishing boat has sunk after it collided with a Chinese vessel. </Text>
      <Duration>20</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0005</UniqueID>
      <Title>Thai minister</Title>
      <Text>Soldiers have detained a prominent minister in the ousted Thai government who emerged from hiding to criticise last week's coup. Shortly before he was held, Chaturon Chaisang told the BBC he believed the coup would be a disaster for Thailand.
</Text>
      <Duration>21</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0007</UniqueID>
      <Title>Nigeria army</Title>
      <Text>The Nigerian military say they know where the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are but they will not attempt a rescue. Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff said it was "good news for the parents," although he admitted the military would not risk "going there with force." More than 200 girls were abducted by Boko Haram gunmen from their school in northern Nigeria in April. Earlier, the BBC learned that a deal to release some of the girls was close but was called off by the government. 
</Text>
      <Duration>22</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0008</UniqueID>
      <Title>Japan police</Title>
      <Text>Japanese murder detectives are investigating the case of a young woman whose corpse was posted across Japan. The body of Rika Okada, 29, was discovered in a 2-metre box labelled "doll" in a storage locker in Hachioji city, west of Tokyo. The company that ferried the package from Osaka to Tokyo said that the order was paid in Ms Okada's name. Ms Okada had been missing since late March. The bill for the locker's rental was also settled using her credit card. Shortly before her disappearance, she had written on her Facebook page that she was going to meet an old friend whom she had not seen for many years.</Text>
      <Duration>45</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0010</UniqueID>
      <Title>Playstation in China</Title>
      <Text>Japan's Sony has signed a partnership in China to manufacture and sell its PlayStation consoles on the mainland. 

The deal, formed as two joint ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, gives Sony access to an estimated 500 million gamers in China.

China has had a ban on gaming consoles since 2000, citing their adverse effect on the mental health of young people.

But in January, the government said it will allow foreign firms to manufacture and sell consoles.

China's gaming market, which is currently dominated by PC, mobile and online games, is seen as a key growth area for console makers.

The two partnerships are both with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, one gives Sony a 70% share and the other a 49% stake and both will operate out of Shanghai's free trade zone
</Text>
      <Duration>23</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0011</UniqueID>
      <Title>Macaulay Culkin</Title>
      <Text>Macaulay Culkin has been booed off stage at a concert with his band The Pizza Underground in Nottingham.

The group, who play Velvet Underground songs with pizza-themed lyrics and kazoo solos, also had pints of beer thrown at them.

"Why are you throwing those?" Culkin asked the crowd at the Rock City venue. "I'd rather drink them."

According to reports, the band lasted only 15 minutes before being forced to flee the stage.
</Text>
      <Duration>28</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0013</UniqueID>
      <Title>X-Men</Title>
      <Text>X-Men: Days of Future Past has defeated Godzilla at the US box office, taking an estimated $91m (£54m).

With totals expected to top more than $110m (£65m) over the Memorial Day weekend, the film has left last week's number one movie in its wake.

Brit director Gareth Edwards' monster movie earned $31.4m (£18.6m) bringing its total US tally to $149m (£88.4m) since its release.

Blended, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, took the third spot.

The rom-com, which sees Sandler and Barrymore reunite on the big screen for a third time, took a disappointing $14.2m (£8.4m).
</Text>
      <Duration>27</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0014</UniqueID>
      <Title>Katy Perry</Title>
      <Text>A visually spectacular performance saw Katy Perry close Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow.

There were several costume changes as she smashed through hits including Roar, I Kissed a Girl and Teenage Dream.

Visuals graphics appeared behind her throughout the set and at one point it looked like she was in a computer game. 

"Thank you for staying out to see me," she said to the crowd.
</Text>
      <Duration>19</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0016</UniqueID>
      <Title>Skiing in Sahara</Title>
      <Text>Around 30 years ago, an entrepreneur from Niger spotted a gap in the market that he thought nobody else could fill - a ski-hire shop in the Sahara desert. He is still in the ski-rental business to this day even though he has no customers. 

They are displayed on the porch of the shop - just under a dozen pairs of skis and a handful of snowboards. 

There is also a yellow spoon-shaped snow sledge and a bigger red one if you would rather be properly seated when sliding down a slope. 

Do not expect the latest models though, as most of these were brought here in the early 1980s - only the snowboards came a bit later. 

The ski boots look so heavy the idea of wearing them in this heat is utterly discouraging. 

This is Agadez, a dusty marketplace in Niger surrounded by the Sahara desert, not Courchevel in the French Alps. 

The temperature here rises above 45C and when there is a bit of air it feels like somebody is holding a hairdryer right in your face.
</Text>
      <Duration>55</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0017</UniqueID>
      <Title>Frozen</Title>
      <Text>Disney's animated film Frozen has become the fifth highest-grossing film in box office history.

It now stands behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, with $1.34bn (£795,000) in global ticket sales.

The feat comes two months after it was confirmed Frozen had become the highest-grossing animation in history.

The film's bumper haul has in part been due to its success in Japan, where Frozen has been number one at the box office for 11 consecutive weekends.
</Text>
      <Duration>35</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0019</UniqueID>
      <Title>Students beat casino</Title>
      <Text>When it comes to gambling, everyone knows the casino always comes out on top - right? But in the 1990s a group of students proved the punter didn't have to be the loser. This is the story of the MIT Blackjack Team.

Bill Kaplan laughs, remembering his mother's reaction when he told her he was postponing his entrance to Harvard to make his fortune at gambling. "Oh my God, this is ridiculous! What am I going to tell my friends?" she said. 

Kaplan had read a book about card counting and believed he could use a mathematical model to make good money from blackjack. It was certainly not his mother's dream for her straight-A student son. 

But Kaplan's stepfather was more open to the idea and threw down a challenge. "Play me every night and prove you can win," he said. 

"I crushed him for 2 weeks straight," recalls Kaplan. "He told my mother 'I can't believe this but he can really win at this game - just let him go.' So my mother wasn't wild about it but I went to Vegas and I spent a year there."
</Text>
      <Duration>36</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Back Attacke_7643605.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <UniqueID>0020</UniqueID>
      <Title>Multiple line test</Title>
      <Text>Line 1</Text>
      <Text>Line 2</Text>
      <Text>Line 3</Text>
      <Text>Line 4</Text>
      <Text>Line 5</Text>
      <Text>Line 6</Text>
      <Duration>10</Duration>
      <Video>\\srv2\Data\Video\MXF\SWR\Eier_7642899.mxf</Video>
    </Item>
  </Rundown>
</STTWINNEWS>

This page was last updated on 2024-03-06