Publish/Update Date

How do I get (add, register, import) my deposition files or text files into OnCue?

What files do I need to create clips from my deposition?

OnCue can't see my videos. Where do I put them?

I don't have video but I do have an ASCII text, what do I do?

Transcript File Formats

The transcript files OnCue currently accepts are .mdb ("Sanction"), .cms ("Timecoder") and OnCue .xml formats for synchronized videos and .txt or *.docx for non-synchronized transcripts.

It is important to note that you DO NOT add/import/register the underlying deposition video or the audiovisuals you will be syncing (mpg, mp4, avi, wmv, mp3) into your OnCue database, only the transcript file (the .mdb or .xml or .cms or .txt or *.docx).

IMPORTANT: The underlying deposition or video files should be copied to the “_synchedvideos” folder in your OnCue case, put the loose video files in the root of that folder (not in subfolders). OnCue looks for the video in this folder.

NOTE: We recommend .mdb files over .cms whenever possible due to the inconsistency in their format.

No Sync – No problem – you can still create reports.

If you don’t care about time estimates and want the reports, OnCue can take a plain text file or Ascii (*.txt) file as detailed below.

Synchronized Transcripts (Depositions & Video)

To import sync files, click on the + sign on the Transcripts tab of the Media Bar, which will allow you to browse/navigate to and select your sync file(s).

Now you will see the transcript registered under the Transcripts tab of the Media Bar.  The transcript is named automatically based on the fields in the .mdb or .xml file for first name, last name and deposition date.  If this data is incorrect, you can easily fix the ID and Name by hitting F2 and renaming.

Once you have added a transcript to your case you will be able to see it in the _transcripts folder of your case folder.

Remember, OnCue will not know where the actual video is until it's been copied to the _synchedvideos folder.

Make sure your video names match what OnCue is looking for, you can see what it needs at the top of the designation editor.

Non-Synchronized Transcripts (Text Files)

OnCue can take a plain text file or a MS Word docx file. These files do not need to have page and line numbers to be able to create designations. OnCue will prompt you to set page and lines, naming convention and date. Creating designation run reports with non-synced transcripts is the perfect way to make a script for reading testimony into the court record.

This is also the way to add transcripts for surveillance videos, meetings, and lectures. If you are want to manual sync a video file this is where you add the .txt or the .docx with the words or script to the video.

1. To import non-synchronized file, click on the + sign on the Transcripts tab of the Media Bar, which will allow you to browse to and select your file(s).

   

   
   

2. OnCue asks you for information. You decide how many lines per page, date, type of transcript, even the name.

   

   
   

3. Make your changes (or not) and hit Save Changes. Now you will see the transcript registered under the Transcripts tab of the Media Bar.

   

   
   

4. You can now begin making designations. It is important to know that the transcript will be gray and italicized in the transcript viewer because there is no sync file. Any reports created will not be italicized.

   

   
   

Report –

Issues with a Video?

1. Have sound but no picture on a deposition? Right-click on the file and select Optimize Video.
   

2. OnCue can't see the file? Make sure the file names match what OnCue is looking for (including extension)
   

3. Make sure you copied the files to your OnCue case folder's "_synchedvideos" subfolder in Windows File Explorer (they are not added inside of OnCue like documents, audiovisuals, or transcript files).
   

4. One way to verify that a video issue is related to OnCue–and not the video file itself–is to try playing the video in a media player on your machine (VLC or Windows Media Player, for example).

   
   

Common Issues When Importing Transcripts

Issues can cause an import to fail or result in incorrect timing, and may cause syncing in ProSync to fail. The most common issues are below.

Invalid or Unusual Characters

Some transcript files contain high-ASCII or nonstandard characters that can interfere with the import process.  This can cause OnCue to omit or replace characters as ⍰. Some problematic items include smart quotes, stylized punctuation, special symbols copied from word processors and non-printable or control characters.

How to resolve: Prior to adding, open the file in a text editor (even notepad) and check for weird characters examples include ¶, §, or even an em-dash can cause problems. It could even show up like this ⍰

Cover Pages or Non-Transcript Content

Some transcripts include a cover page or administrative text before the actual transcript content begins. For example if there is a cover page but that is page 0 or doesn’t have a page number at all. OnCue believes this to be a page and therefore will give it a 1 which will cause all your pages to be off from the official transcript.

How to resolve: If possible, remove excessive text or pages prior to adding.

Time Code Issues – Transcript Text files

Often, you can receive a text file with timecodes prior to the line numbers. Currently OnCue cannot import these.

How to resolve: Prior to importing remove time codes that appear before the line numbers on your text file.

Page Breaks and Formatting Artifacts -

Excessive or unexpected page breaks and line breaks can disrupt how the transcript is parsed during import. Hard page breaks and double “returns” can cause OnCue to believe there are extra lines or pages where there are not.

How to resolve: Prior to adding, remove these things when possible.