Blockz connects to newsroom computer systems (NRCS) like Avid iNews and AP ENPS using the MOS protocol. This article explains what that means and how the two systems work together.
What is MOS?
MOS (Media Object Server) is a broadcast industry standard protocol for exchanging structured data between a newsroom computer system and external broadcast devices or software. It is how your NRCS, the system your producers use to write scripts and build rundowns, communicates with automation tools like Cuez.
When a producer fills in a Blockz cue block inside their NRCS, MOS is what carries that data from the script to the rest of the Cuez platform in real time.
How Blockz uses MOS
Blockz exposes a MOS interface that allows it to exchange block data with any MOS-compatible NRCS. The process works like this:
A producer opens the Blockz plugin inside their NRCS (for example, inside Avid iNews via Tools > Plugins).
They select a block type, fill in the fields, and click Insert Block.
Blockz converts the block data into a MOS object and injects it directly into the story script.
Cuez Automator, connected directly to the NRCS via MOS, picks up the object and uses the block data to control gallery devices during the live show.
The full data path is: NRCS script > Blockz plugin > MOS object > Cuez Automator > gallery devices.
When connecting the Automator, you also select the Blockz Repository for your region (for example, Blockz EU or Blockz US), so the Automator knows which Blockz environment to pull block templates from.
MOS channel
In the Blockz MOS settings (bottom left of the Blockz screen), you can set a default MOS channel. When set, every cue block you insert via the plugin adds this channel as extra metadata on the MOS object.
In ENPS for example, this metadata appears as its own column in the rundown, showing at a glance which stories contain a Blockz cue block. Naming the channel something short and recognizable (for example, a two-letter code) keeps the column narrow and easy to scan.
What a MOS object looks like
Once a block is inserted, a MOS object appears inline in the NRCS story. It is a structured text entry that contains the block type and all field values filled in by the producer. For example:
*CUEZAUTO [A] ANCHOR | Host Name: Marc | CAM: CAM 2*CUEZAUTO [A] LOWER THIRD | Name: Jane | Subtitle: CEO
Real-time updates
Changes made in Blockz, such as new block types, renamed fields, or updated label options, appear in the NRCS plugin immediately with no refresh required. When a producer edits a field in the plugin, the MOS object updates in the story in real time. Cuez Automator and Cuez Rundown reflect these changes automatically.
Supported newsroom systems
Avid iNews
AP ENPS