To view the Output configuration settings, click Output in the Viz Trio Configuration.

Output Configuration Settings

A key feature is the ability to create profiles for different purposes. For example, Profile Setups can be created where different channels have the program and preview function. This makes it fast and easy to switch between different output settings.

Profiles can be defined with different program and preview channels in the Output channels section. It is most common to define a studio with channels mapped to renderer machines (Viz Engine hosts).

Viz Trio supports four methods to resolve which channel is the local program channel. If an unsupported method is used, the Connection Status button does not appear in the Status Bar. Consequently, the operator isn't able to control the local program channel status.

Resolving the Local Program Channel Name

This section covers the following topics:

• Program and Preview Channels

• Profile Setups

• Forked Execution

• Working With the Profile Configuration

Program and Preview Channels

Local preview is Viz Trio’s embedded render window in the lower right corner, which always shows the last page read. Local preview displays graphics as WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) when editing a page. Text and images change immediately as text and images are added to the page. Select which elements to edit using point and click directly in the render window.

External preview (optional) is a separate Viz Engine renderer with its own reference monitor that displays a true preview. External preview shows how the program channel looks before a page is taken to air.

Program is a separate Viz Engine renderer that renders the content that is taken on-air.

Profile Setups

Profile Setups

Two-channel Setup

A typical profile setup is a two-channel setup, program and preview, with one render engine assigned to each channel. A more advanced setup is the use of forked execution. As the term suggests, forked execution is a way to configure a single output channel to contain multiple render engines.

Profiles are used to create different setups, for example in a backup configuration where a switch from a main renderer to a backup is needed. If two output renderers are named A and B, where A is program and B is preview, a profile named "Main" has channel A=program and channel B=preview.

If the renderer that is acting as program (A) in the "Main" profile fails, a profile named "Backup" could have channel B=Program.

GPI

Control playout through a General Purpose Input (GPI), for instance through hardware such as a vision mixer.

When GPI is enabled, the external cursor (the GPI system’s cursor) is displayed in any client that is using the same profile as the external system. A typical setup would be that one Viz Trio client is in the same profile as the GPI system, and functions as a "prepare station" for the producer at the vision mixer desk. Data elements are then made ready and displayed on a preview visible to the producer, and the elements are then triggered from the vision mixer. 

A channel can be designated as a Program or Preview channel by selecting the appropriate check box. The program and preview channels are reciprocally exclusive - only one channel can be set to program, and only one channel can be set to preview. For example, if A is set as program and B is set to preview and C is set to program, A is no longer set as program.

When configured to use video in graphics from a video server (for example Viz One), it is currently recommended to use IP addresses for both Viz and Video channels in order to visualize the transfer progress correctly. Hence, a hostname on the Viz channel works, but not on the Video channel. They must also match the video configuration for both program and preview.

The Video device configuration is used when configured to trigger video elements in a video server setup.

Forked Execution

Forked execution can be used with standalone and transition logic scenes, and replaces the execution of visible containers.

This section covers the following topics:

• Standalone scenes

• Transition logic scenes

• Visible containers

Standalone Scenes

Forked execution supports standalone scenes by executing the same graphics with different concepts on two or more render engines. Concepts are defined per channel when Working With the Profile Configuration tool.

As an option you can also use this setup to handle fail situations by having the same graphics concept rendered on both engines.

Transition Logic Scenes

As with Standalone scenes, forked execution supports setting concepts for Transition Logic scenes. In addition Transition Logic scenes, by defining channels with different render engine setups, can show different states of the same scene on a per engine basis. All states are synchronized for all engines (at all times) in order to achieve an artifact-free and smooth morphing of the graphics from one state to the other.

For example, if you have three render engines you can set up a range of channels with different combinations of render engines per channel.

For example, if a scene has four layers, each layer can be controlled separately from the other layers (see table below). By setting a state per layer you can achieve a varied output depending on the channel used and how that channel is configured in terms of render engines (see table above).

• Layer 1: Shows and hides a geometry (e.g. a cube).

• Layer 2: Shows and hides some text.

• Layer 3: Positions the geometries.

• Layer 4: Animates the layer 1 geometry by showing the next image or a logo.

With the scene layers and configured channels above you can have the following output on each of the three engines:

Visible Containers

Although it is considered deprecated, a behavior similar to that of forked execution is supported. By designing a standalone scene where each root container is a variant of the other, you can configure each render engine to render specific containers (by name). In effect, a scene with two or more root containers can have one or more containers assigned and rendered visible by a single render engine.

Working with the Profile Configuration

This section covers the following topics

• Profile Configuration:

  • To open the profile configuration

  • To add a new profile

  • To rename a profile

  • To delete a profile
    
    

• Channel Configuration:

  • To add an output channel to the Channels list

  • To rename an output channel in the Channels list

  • To remove an output channel from the Channels list

  • To add an output device to the Channels list

  • To remove an output device from the Channels list

  • To add a concept override for a channel output device
    
    

• Output Device Configuration:

  • To add a Viz Engine

  • To add a video device

  • To edit a Viz Engine or video device

  • To delete a Viz Engine or video device

  • To enable scene transitions

  • To enable still preview

Profile Configuration

To Open the Profile Configuration

1. Click the Config button (upper left), and then select Output.

2. Right-click the profile on the status bar (lower-left) and select Profile Configuration... from the menu.

To Add a New Profile

• In the Profile Configuration window, click New profile, enter a new unique profile name in the text field and press Enter.

To Rename a Profile

1. Right-click the profile and select Edit Profile Name or simply double-click the profile and enter a new name.

2. When finished editing the name, press Enter or click outside the Profiles list.

To Delete a Profile

• Right-click the profile and select Delete Profile, or simply select it and press the Delete button.

Channel Configuration

To Add an Output Channel to the Channels List

• Click New channel or drag and drop a Viz Engine or video device to the Channels list.

To Rename an Output Channel in the Channels List

• Right-click the channel and select Edit Channel Name from the menu or double-click the name.

To Remove an Output Channel from the Channels List

• Right-click the channel entry and select Delete channel from the menu or select the channel and press the Delete button.

To Add an Output Device to the Channels List

• Simply drag and drop a Viz Engine or video device onto the channel in the Channels list, or select it and select Add to profile (for creating a new channel) or Add to selected channel from the menu.

To Remove an Output Device from the Channels List

• Right-click the Viz Engine or video device and select Delete Output from the menu or simply select it and press Delete.

To Add a Concept Override for a Channel Output Device

It is possible to override the concept on Viz Engine output level. This concept override takes precedence over concepts set in the show or on the playout elements.

1. Expand the channels output device and append the concept name. This overrides any concepts set elsewhere.

2. Click OK.

Output Device Configuration

Adding a Viz Engine

1. Click Add Viz... in the Profile Setups window to open the Configure Viz Engine dialog box.

2. Enter the Hostname. 

3. Default port for Viz Engine is 6100 or 56000 for Super Channels.

4. Optional: Select Mode.

5. Select whether the video device is a regular or controlled through a Viz Artist Super Channel plugin.

6. Set a delay (optional).

7. Optional: Select an Asset Storage location. Asset Storage lists available Viz Engine clip transfer and playout destinations.

8. Click OK. A status indicator shows if the renderer is on-air.

Adding a Video Device

1. Click the Add Video... button in the Profile Setups window to open the Configure Video Device dialog box.

2. Select the video server Type.

3. Type the Host or IP address.

4. Enter the Port number (optional).

5. Select whether the video device is a regular or controlled through a Viz Artist Super Channel plugin.

6. Set a delay (optional).

7. Select a publishing point from the Asset Storage list, so that stand-alone clips and clips used in pages or data elements are transferred to the right location (the specified Viz Engine) for playout.

8. If the Fullscreen check box is selected, you can define additional values (Use Transitions and Fullscreen Scene) in order to provide transition effects from one video to another.

9. Select the Clip Channel to use.

10. Alternate Clip Channel: When using videoclip transitions the clip from Clip Channel transitions to the clip from Alternate Clip Channel and the next clip transitions from Alternate Clip Channel back to the Clip Channel. The transition clip channel is only enabled in the configuration window if Use Transitions is enabled.

11. Click OK. A status indicator shows if the video device is online.

Editing a Viz Engine or Video Device

• Right-click the device and select Edit from the menu or simply double-click the device.

Deleting a Viz Engine or Video Device

• Right-click the device and select Delete from the menu or simply select it and press the Delete button.

Enabling Scene Transitions

1. Configure the Viz Engine settings as seen in how To add a Viz Engine.

2. Set the Mode to Scene Transitions.

   • Scene Transitions: Allows the renderer to copy (or snapshot) the scenes to create a transition effect between them.

3. Open the Show Properties, and set the Transition Path. See also Transition Effects.

4. Click OK.

5. Add the program renderer to the program channel.

Enabling Still Preview

1. Create two channels, one for program and one for preview.

2. Configure the same render engine twice as seen in how To add a Viz Engine.

3. For the second render engine set the Mode to Still Preview.

   • Still Preview: Allows you to use the program output to get a still preview. To achieve this the Media Sequencer creates a copy of the scene being read and sends commands to your program output renderer asking for a snapshot of the scene while the current scene on air is being rendered. Note that the port used for still preview is 50010.

4. Click Ok.

5. Add the program renderer to the program channel and the still preview renderer to the preview channel.