At my studio there is a new HD profile being installed for play out in the Sony 8K. It accepts SD and HD video clips and upconverts the 4X3 SD to 4X3 HD with black side curtains. The internal upconversion ability makes adding side curtains on SD clips in the profile not an option. We run the 8K in HD 1080i format with a down converter for SD broadcast. The HD output also is broadcast.

We have been using the 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function that is set up on page 7331.7
This works like a dream, the TD doesn't need to be concerned with which 8K inputs need to have curtains added via a DSK.

I now have 4 inputs from the HD profile that may or may not need side flags.
My options to control side flag insertion are not very user friendly that I have laid out here.

1. Return to DSK insertion and not use 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function.....ARRRG!

2. Open page 7331.7 and turn on and off 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function with each HD/SD change in profile aspect. This has a gotcha. After an on or off command TD must then make a preset selection of an internal 8K source, like BLACK, to achieve a status change in the 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function. If you take Profile 1 to air with HD 16X9 video, preset Profile 2 with HD 4X3 video, and then change page 7331.7 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function to ON the side flags will be off as Profile 1 goes until an internal source is preset......ARRRG!

3. Select in Utility A buss either the side flag source or the HD Profile 1-4 as needed for side flag elimination and let the 8K AUTO SIDE FLAG function control other 4X3 sources as before. This is using side flag to flag itself, (Profile 1 side flagging Profile 1).

This could be simplified with a Macro due to difficulty of reaching the Utility A Buss, a two hand selection at best, two hand double punch at worst, (the shifted row is default and Profile 1-4 are top row).
This is the most user friendly although we use Macro's to trigger transitions, a second Macro cannot be selected while a time line is running in the initial transition Macro. The problem is when a 16X9 Profile 1 switches to a 4X3 Profile 2.
Adding the Utility A Buss selection to the transition Macro would multiply each transition effect by 8 (4 Profiles)....ARRRG!

Have I thoroughly confused you? Three ARRRG!'s equals a choke.

4. Our Director of Engineering is investigating the possibility of Grass Valley Profile providing a GPI trigger to Sony 8K that will indicate the native aspect of the video. This status is tracked by Profile after it is ingested.

Could this trigger make source selections on the Utility A Buss?

As is often the case after a robot is doing the job that a brain once did the brain hates to let go of that robot. I love my robots!