Author: WebAdmin

Simple, Flexible & Transparent:
PLAYDECK is available in three editions and multiple license models to fit your needs. All prices exclude VAT. Choose the plan that matches your output channels and workflow.

→ PLAYDECK Editions
→ Choose Your License Model
→ Free Trial Edition (incl. Limitations)
→ License Activation
→ Support Options
→ License Portability & Backup
→ Special Conditions & Discounts
→ Upgrades, Downgrades & Cancellations
→ Dongle Details
→ Reseller Conditions

PLAYDECK Editions

We offer three editions that primarily differ in the number of parallel output channels you can use simultaneously:

LITE: 1 output channel – €190.80 per year (≈ €15.90/month, save €132 vs. monthly billing)
PLUS: 2 output channels – €430.80 per year (≈ €35.90/month, save €288 vs. monthly billing)
STUDIO: 8 output channels – €994.80 per year (≈ €82.90/month, save €684 vs. monthly billing)

All editions share the same powerful core: support for virtually every codec/format, low-latency GPU playback, SDI/NDI/HDMI/RTMP/SRT output, overlays, and more.

For a full feature comparison chart (audio channels, recording, scheduling, etc.), visit our Plans & Pricing page: https://playdeck.tv/plans/

Choose Your License Model

PLAYDECK offers flexible licensing to match different workflows:

Online Shop License (most popular): Tied to your email in a personal License Pool. Requires internet for transfers/check-in/out. Easy portability.

USB Dongle License: Hardware-based (USB stick). No internet needed for daily use/activation. Portable by moving the dongle.

Offline License (special cases): Permanently bound to one specific PC (System ID). No internet ever required. Not portable without re-issuance.

Free Trial Edition (incl. Limitations)

Download and test PLAYDECK completely free – no time limit, no credit card required. Switch editions instantly via Menu → Support → Trial Edition.

Limitations:
— Watermark on all outputs
— Occasional random short audio mutes (clearly shown on screen)

All other features are fully unlocked – ideal for real-world testing of your setup.

License Activation

Activation is quick and simple. Detailed guide: https://playdeck.tv/howto/activate-license/

Quick steps:
— Shop/Online: Use License Manager in PLAYDECK with your purchase email → transfer from pool.
— Dongle: Plug in the USB stick – auto-detected.
— Offline: Paste the code we provide into the License Manager.

Support Options

[email protected] – available nearly 24/7, even for trial users or pre-purchase questions.

No forced onboarding. PLAYDECK is built to run easily out-of-the-box. If needed (rare), we can remote-connect via RustDesk to fix issues fast.

License Portability & Backup

PLAYDECK licenses are highly flexible for moving between systems:

License Type	How to Transfer	Internet Required for Move?	Lost / Crash Handling
Shop License (Pool)	Check-in/out via License Manager (tied to email)	Yes	Free instant reset – email us
Dongle License	Plug USB stick into new computer	No	We replace the dongle
Offline License	Bound to one PC – email new System ID for re-issue	No	Re-issue possible

Perfect for freelancers, rentals or multi-PC environments.

Detailed guide for transfering: https://playdeck.tv/howto/move-license/

Detailed guide for recovery: https://playdeck.tv/howto/recover-license/

Special Conditions & Discounts

• NGO / Educational / Non-Profit: 25% discount on all licenses (any edition/duration). Email [email protected] with proof (e.g., official email/certificate) → we send discount code or invoice.
• Multi-Year Pre-Pay: Up to 5 years with 25% discount on total. Contact support for quote.
• No Lifetime License: We release regular updates for driver/OS/codec compatibility and third-party fees. Lifetime would mean missing critical improvements.

If you like to purchase a larger number of licenses, we can discuss special options – please contact us.

Upgrades, Downgrades & Cancellations

Upgrades / Downgrades: Possible anytime. We refund remaining license time pro-rata → you buy the new edition. No direct mid-term switch due to technical reasons.

Cancellations: Cancel anytime via your account at playdeck.tv or email [email protected]. Full access until end of paid period. No penalties.

Dongle Details

Dongle licenses match online pricing (min. 1-year duration), with remote renewals – no new hardware needed.

One-time cost: €15 for the USB dongle stick.

Key advantages:
— Completely offline activation and validation (no internet ever required)
— Portable: Move between computers by simply plugging in (not simultaneous use)

Example: PLUS dongle = €430.80/year + €15 one-time.

Reseller Conditions

Interested in reselling PLAYDECK in your country/region? We welcome partners and keep it straightforward!

— Full permission to promote/sell on your site/ads
— 25% commission per referred sale (via customer discount code or direct payout)
— Claim with simple proof of prior customer contact (e.g., email copy)
— Download Brand Kit: logos, texts, banners

Email [email protected] to start – we make onboarding easy!

This article will show how to create a Audio Playlist and combine this with a looping video, perfect for pre-show waiting Loops.

We start by creating a loop block and insert some mp3 audio file to the block:

Now we add a default image, which is shown, whenever audio-only clips are playing:

And voila, we have a pre-show waiting loop:

But that’s not all. We can also use a video loop instead of a still image. For this we add the video as overlay with a loop setting. The video will be shown in fullscreen, if it has the same size, otherwise we can scale it in the overlay settings:

We could also add an Countdown via overlays.uno. Quick and easy:

The PLAYDECK API is a construct to allow anyone to interface with PLAYDECK. This article will show how to get started developing with the API:

In this article:
→ Introduction
→ Examples
→ Implement the API

Introduction

The PLAYDECK API is bi-directional: You receive the Playout Status, but you can also send Commands to PLAYDECK.

The API is based on WebSockets: They are a part of JavaScript, so you can develop in JavaScript, or NodeJS, or TypeScript. The WebSocket Port is fixed to 11411 and is always enabled in PLAYDECK.

We decided to go with WebSockets, because:

• It supports both directions: From and To PLAYDECK
• No Installation required: Use any Text-Editor
• No specific Network Security required
• Easy to build own User Interface or Animation with HTML

What can be send to PLAYDECK?

• CUE or play Blocks or Clips, Overlays or Actions
• Start/Stop video assets like Streams

What can be received from PLAYDECK?

• Events (e.g. a Block or Clip has started)
• Playout Status (e.g. What is playing and the remaining Block Time)
• Content (e.g. complete Playlist with Blocks and Clips)

Examples

1) Companion

PLAYDECK API is being used by bitfocus Companion in the PLAYDECK module. This gives you a quick touch+feel about what the API is capable of:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/companion/

2) Director View

The API is also used by the Director View, which is part of PLAYDECK. You can find the HTML Templates here:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Director-View

3) HTML Overlays

The API is also used by some HTML Overview Examples, which you can find here:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Overlay-Templates

Implement the API

We prepared some examples for you to quickly review a working script. Please check them in order, as they build up on each other.

Tip 1: You can double click any HTML File to open in the Browser to start the Script/API

Tip 2: You can edit the File “WebSocketSDK\Version.js” to change the IP Address

1) Native Connection (Without the API)

Let’s start with something very minimalistic:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SampleMinimalistic.html

This will open the WebSocket to PLAYDECK with native JavaScript Code and send a Command to PLAY the first Clip in the first Block.

Another Example is this, where you can click Buttons in HTML to start Playout in PLAYDECK:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SampleUserInterface.html

2) Minimalistic Connection (WITH API)

This example will introduce the API:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SampleMinimalisticSDK.html

It uses the Subfolder “WebSocketAPI” and includes its MAIN SCRIPT “AppInterface.js”, which is kind of the “Loader” for the whole API.

The API will now take care of your WebSocket Connection to PLAYDECK, so you don’t have to code this manually. The API also exposes a Template Framework to JavaScript. The Template name is derived from the Filename, so it needs to match. There are several pre-defined functions available. For this example we only use “Start”: This function will be called by the API, once the WebSocket Connection to PLAYDECK has been established successfully. In this example it will PLAY the first Clip of Channel 1.

3) More Framework Functions

Besides “Start” there are many more Framework Functions available:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SamplePlayRandomClip.html

Please see the comments in the JS File for all available Functions.

If you open the Browser Console (typically with F12) you can see the Feedback of the “console.log” instructions.

4) Parse Project Data

To access all Clips the function “DataProject” is available and this example show how to enumerate the Project Data:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SampleShowPlaylist.html

5) Custom Schedule Sample

The last example shows a full working and complete Script for a Custom Scheduling outside of PLAYDECK:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\HTML-Templates\Automation-And-UI\SampleWeeklySchedule.html

This article will show how to work on translations for PLAYDECK.


Introduction

The existing Languages are pre-translated via Online Tools. We use DeepL for this. This works very well for longer sentences (e.g. Settings), but it works also very poorly for single words (e.g. “Input”).

In addition, some translations use more or less space (number of character). This could lead to certain words not “fitting” into a certain Button. If the translation can’t be shortend, we can also make the button wider.

For these reasons, every language needs fine-tuning.

Workflow

The translations are being edited via an external tool called “SIL Editor”, where you can load and edit our language. You can then preview your edits directly in PLAYDECK.

One your Editing is done, you send use the Language File and we import your changes into the App.

Downloads and Installation

You need PLAYDECK in Version 4.2b6, which you can download here:
https://downloads.playdeck.tv/4.2b6/PlaydeckSetup.exe

You need the SIL Editor, which you can find here (only download “SIL Editor”):
https://www.sicomponents.com/download/

And you need the Language File with the Translations:
https://downloads.playdeck.tv/4.2b6/PLAYDECK.sib

—————-

Install PLAYDECK and the SIL Editor, then save the SIB File here:
c:\Users\Public\Documents\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\PLAYDECK.sib

If PLAYDECK detects a SIB File in this location, it will PREFER to use it over the internal translation.

Testrun

Let’s try to edit something and check, if PLAYDECK updates the translation. Double click the SIB File, which will open the SIL Editor. Open the first branch “Tf_about”, which represents the ABOUT Popup in PLAYDECK. Click on “Captions”, which represents all static text fields in the popup. You can minimize all language columns, that don’t concern you – in this example I focus on GERMAN (can be any other language). Now for “l_header” change the translation to something noticable – in this case I simply add “XXX” infront of the text for testing.

Save the SIB File (or press CTRL+S). In PLAYDECK switch to GERMAN in the App Settings:

After restarting PLAYDECK, open the About Popup via “License > PLAYDECK”. It now should reflect your text editing change. Don’t forget to change back after testing. Should this not work, please contact us.

Where to start

We recommend to edit all dynamic texts first, as they are used repeatedly in PLAYDECK and therefor form the “base translation”. You can find them under “Tf_lang > Strings”:

Once that’s done, you can decide for yourself: You can either search PLAYDECK for needed edits by walking through all Settings and Popups. Or you can walk through all Popups directly in the SIL Editor.

Orientation and Editing

The left Side in the Editor represents all possible Popups in PLAYDECK.

Noticable are “main” (Main UI) and “settings” (all settings). These are further devided into groups:

The Groups have the following meaning (only mentioning the onces you need):

– Captions: All static texts visible in the Popup, mostly Labels, Buttons, Menus
– Collections: Rarely used. Only some Dialog Options.
– Extended: Also static texts, but mostly Headlines
– Hints: Texts that appear under the Mouse, eg. the “?” Button or Toolbar Icons
– Multilines: Table Headers and Drop-Down fields with multiple selection. Edited by Double-Clicking.
– Other: Rarely used. Only some Dialog Options.
– Strings: Dynamic Text Blocks. Only used in “Tf_lang”

In the huge middle table, where you edit your texts, there is also a column called “String ID”, which represents the internal name of the corresponding element in PLAYDECK. This “can” be of help in some cases you might be searching for something.

Here are some information on the choice of name:
– l_: Static Text Labels
– b_ or mb_: Buttons
– cb_: Checkbox with Text
– rb_: Radio Button with Text
– pm_: Popup or Right-Click Menu
– os_ or op_: Drop Down Boxes

Tips for Editing

1) Please note, that there are several redundancies (same text over and over), which can’t be avoided, if for example the same text appears several times in PLAYDECK (e.g. Settings).

2) Some Texts also can’t be translated at all, since they are deeply nested within the System or the Video Engine, which are also Settings typically (Drop Down Edits).

3) You can search for any Text in the Editor or click on the Column Header for sorting. This can help to locate the English Original to find your Text Fields for Editing.

4) Any translation not given (empty field) will automatically use the English Original. So you can DELETE the translation to force PLAYDECK to use the English Original

5) All Multiline Translations need to have the same amount of Lines, otherwise PLAYDECK may fail to start or function correctly. Multiline Edits are edited by Double-Clicking the Translation.

6) Some Text Fields have very specific characters, which help formatting and readability in PLAYDECK. These are “<br>” (Linebreak), or ” ” (Empty Space) or “:” or some UTF8-Icons. Just be aware of them and that removing them can cause loss of readability.

7) Most Languages have “lower” and “UPPER” case and some Translations (“Strings” in “Tf_lang”) provide both cases, if needed. For languages that don’t have “case”, use the same translation in both fields.

External Links

You are able to change most of the Links in PLAYDECK to a different location, e.g. the Support Email-Address as well as Links to Online Documentation and other Website.

You are 100% allowed to do so. We only ask to make sure, that emails are responded to and website links are working and updated regularly.

External Contents

All images in “GET STARTED” and all Documentation Files have also been translated. You can find them here:
c:\Program Files (x86)\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\lang

While there is no absolute urgency to replace or update those files, you can if you want to.

The “GetStarted” Folder contains all PNG images, that are shown in the Get-Started Dialogue:

The “Documentation” Folder contain all TXT Files, that are being opened as expert help on several occasions in PLAYDECK:

Should you decide to update these Files, please don’t rename them and send them to use in the same format as the original (PNG with same dimensions and TXT with similar structure).

This article will show how to insert growing files into a playlist.

Definition
A growing file is a file that is still being recorded – it is therefore growing in size.

Recommended Setting
When working with growing Files, we recommend you enabling the Settings “Recalculate File Duration” and “Enable Background-Scan”. The first will make sure, that the File Duration is more accurate and the second will rescan your file every 5 seconds to update its duration in the playlist:

Insert to Playlist
Growing files can be inserted to the playlist like any other file: By Drag Drop from outside of PLAYDECK or using the integrated file explorer. They will be detected as “growing”, which can be verified in the info column. The clip duration will be updated every 5 seconds:

Possible Sources
The files can be recorded anywhere, they don’t need to be recorded in PLAYDECK. In the above screenshot we are using one PLAYDECK recording, another from OBS Studio and another from MagicSoft Recorder.

Possible Formats
Only the following file container formats are supported. But within that container you can use any video codec:
– MKV
– AVI
– MPEG

Cutting and Editing
You can cut and edit growing files the same way as regular files. For example: You can set an OUT point to the file and loop it, while it is still being recorded.

This article explains, how to recover a lost license.

Shop license
If you still can access the PC system with the license, you might be able to recover and move the license by yourself:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/move-license/

But if that PC system has crashed, is lost or you had to re-install windows, you will not be able to recover your license by yourself. In this case, please contact us at [email protected]. We are happy to release the license for you, so it can be checked out again with the license manager.

USB Dongle license
If the USB device is broken or lost, we can replace your Dongle and provide you with a temporary offline license during the delivery time. If the Dongle is still working, we can update the Dongle remotely with an updater-file. Please also contact us at [email protected].

Offline license
The offline license can’t be moved to another PC by default. Please also contact us at [email protected] to receive a new offline license from us.

This article will show how to use Closed Captions and Subtitles

In this article:
→ Introduction
→ Testing
→ Add new CC/Subtitles to Video

Introduction

PLAYDECK supports Closed Captions CEA-608 (NTSC) and CEA-708 (digital television) and Subtitles.

They work differently in PLAYDECK. Here is how:

1. Subtitles
They can only be sourced from Video files and are ALWAYS burned onto the picture. You can select them via right-click on the Clip. The Subtitle track is disabled by default:

Subtitles can be embedded into the Clip, they are called “ASS Embedded”. They can also be an external SRT-file. This File must have the same Filename (except the extension .srt). The SRT-file can be in the same folder or in any of the sub-folders “Subs” or “Subtitles”.

If you send your video feed to anywhere (SDI, NDI, Stream), the Subtitles will be rendered in the picture frame. You can change the optics like font type etc. in the settings.

2. Closed Captions
CC can have many different sources and are either Burn-In or Pass-Through only.
In Video files the CC track can be embedded and is shown as “CC Embedded” when right-click the Clip:

The option to switch between Burn-In and Pass-Through can be found in the settings. Burn-In means, that the CC text will be rendered onto the picture frames, just like Subtitles. If in Pass-Through Mode, the CC Text will only be shown in the Preview, but not on any Output. The task of rendering the CC Text is therefore “passed on” to the next receiver, e.g. YouTube Live Stream.

Besides video files, CC is supported by the following input and output methods, meaning PLAYDECK can read, preview and send CC with:
– SDI Device (If Device supports it)
– Streams with MPG-2 or H.264 Video Codec (any protocol e.g. UDP, RTMP, SRT)
– NDI Device

Please note that NDI support for CC is not universal, therefore only PLAYDECK can send and receive CC via NDI (Loops).

Please also note, that CC contains information about text position and animation, which can’t be changed by PLAYDECK for previewing or burn-in. It is hard-coded into the CC Tracks. The animation names typically are “Roll-Up” or “Pop-On”. They may be changed after pass-through by another receiver.

Testing

We provide this Sample Clip for, so you can test Closed Captions in action:
https://downloads.playdeck.tv/assets/Sample Video_QTCC.mov

1. Add Clip and select CC Track
Add the Video Clip to Channel 1. Right-click the Clip and select the CC Track. Also set the Block to Loop. You should now be able to see the CC Text in the lower Preview. You can disable the “CHANNEL 1” Overlay by right-clicking the Preview.

2. Output the Stream via SDI and NDI
Activate any SDI Device and loop the Signal to another SDI Port for testing (if available). Also active NDI with default settings:

3. Output to UDP Stream
Setup a new local UDP Stream. Make sure the UDP protocol is selected and you use (any) H.264 Video Codec. The Target URL is: udp://127.0.0.1:5001

4. Add SDI and NDI Inputs
We now loop our outputs to new Inputs in PLAYDECK itself. We use INPUT 1 for SDI and INPUT 2 for NDI.

5. Insert Inputs and UDP Stream to Channel 2
We add Input 1 and 2 to the Channel 2 Playlist by Drag Drop of the Input Icon. We then add our UDP Stream by Drag Drop of the Stream Icon. The Stream URL is: udp://127.0.0.1:5001. You can now observe that all 3 new Clips will show their source CC in the Channel 2 Preview area. You have now successfully send and received CC Tracks via SDI, NDI and UDP.

6. Explaining Burn-in and Pass-Through
While playing any Clip on Channel 2, we observe double Text in the PLAYDECK Preview area of Channel 2. This is because Channel 1 is burning the CC onto the picture by default (rendering the Text on all Frames). In addition, Channel 2 detects a CC Track in the Input, that is being “passed through” from the Input. Channel 2 then shows the CC Tracks as Preview in the Channel 2 Preview area. We therefore have 2 CC Texts overlapping each other: One already in the input video feed and another from the CC Track that is passed-through:

7. Switching off Burn-in
As observed in the last paragraph, Closed Caption are burned onto the Picture and then send to SDI, NDI and Streams. We want to change this behavior to just pass-through the CC and have PLAYDECK render the CC in the Preview Area. We therefore activate the checkbox “Pass-Through” in the CC settings. After clicking “Update to Playlist”, we don’t observe double texts anymore on the Channel 2 preview.

8. Controlling with Desktop Output
To check, if the CC is burned into the picture or not, we activate a Desktop Output in “Window Mode”. This always represents, how the video feed is send to devices and streams:

9. Monitoring
You can check the status of your input and output video feeds by enabling the MONITORING window:

Add new CC/Subtitles to Video

PLAYDECK has no tools to add CC/Subtitles manually (by entering text) into videos or video feeds. But there are many tools available in the internet to add CC/Subtitles, e.g.
https://www.veed.io/
https://studio.youtube.com/

This article will show how to send your channel video feed to any desired target and audience.

In this article:
→ Single-Monitor Output
→ HDMI via Extended Desktop
→ SDI / HDMI Output Card
→ SMTP ST 2110 / IP Output Card
→ NDI (Network Device Interface)
→ Streaming (UDP, RTMP, SRT, DVB, …)
→ Dante Virtual Soundcard (DVS)
→ Director View

Single-Monitor Output

The most simple way to show your Video Feed, is to output your Channel in Fullscreen. Enable Fullscreen by Double-Clicking the Preview or Right-Click and select “Fullscreen”:

The Fullscreen Output will use a much higher quality and FPS as the regular Preview. You can exit the Fullscreen by pressing any Mouse Button or the ESC Key.

This Mode is best suited for quick private Slideshows. Here is an example on how to setup a Slideshow with PLAYDECK:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/slideshow/

HDMI via Extended Desktop

Another simple way to send your video feed is to use your HDMI outputs of your PC or your Graphics Card. To make the HDMI Output visible to PLAYDECK, you need to setup a new “Extended Desktop Output”, like you would do, if you added a secondary Monitor:

1. Connect in Windows
Connect your HDMI Device to your PC physically and turn the HDMI on, so Windows can find it. Connect it to your Graphics Card (preferred) or your Mainboard. Right-Click anywhere on your Desktop and select “Display settings”. You should see your new Monitor and it should say “Display is extended” (That’s why it’s called “Extended Desktop”). If you don’t have access to your HDMI Output Device yet (e.g. LED Screen), you can use any Dummy PC Monitor for Setup. PLAYDECK will later scale your (other) output automatically, if you use the same HDMI Port. Please also make sure, your Monitor uses 60 FPS and not 120 or 144, as this might lead to lag.

2. Assign in PLAYDECK
Start PLAYDECK and select your new Monitor as “Desktop Output” for your Channel. Once activated, PLAYDECK will “overlay” its output on the Monitor. It will be On-Top of all other Windows Apps and the Mouse Pointer will be disabled. Should you accidently activate this on your PRIMARY Display, press ALT+F4 to close it, as you cant access Windows or PLAYDECK otherwise.

PLAYDECK is able to re-connect to your Desktop Output, should it disconnect or on a power-loss or if the HDMI Device is receiving power after PLAYDECK has been started already.

This Mode is best suited for local transmission to a TV or LED Screen, e.g. during exhibitions or events.

SDI / HDMI Output Card

Output Cards have a huge advantage over Desktop Output:

– Stronger Video Signal for longer cable transport
– Much less CPU/GPU Usage, as Card will offload resources
– No Frame Drops, as Cards have integrated Frame Rate Control and Conversion
– Much higher picture quality, especially Colors

Output Cards are almost always worth the costs and are highly recommended. They provide a much more stable video transport solution compared to Desktop Output and an overall better experience.

Find a list of all supported Output Cards:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/supporteddevices/

If you need a recommendation, we mostly use BlackMagic DeckLink Cards. They are available for SDI and HDMI:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklink

1. Install the Output Card into your PC
You would need a separate PCIe Slot on your Mainboard. Imagine this Card as “Secondary Graphics Card”. Please make sure, that the PCIe provides the necessary bandwidth needed by the Device. Some PCIe Slots are “shared” and only have half the bandwidth, leading to stuttering video output. This might be changed via BIOS. You can also “host” your Card in an external housing for mobile production, like the “Sonnet Echo Express” and connect it via Thunderbolt, but please be aware that bandwidth available via Thunderbolt is lower than the PCIe bandwidth required for some some Cards like the “DeckLink 8K Pro”.

2. Install Driver for Windows
Most Cards need a specific Driver installed for Windows to operate. Those Driver also deliver Tools to test the Card before using it in PLAYDECK.

Make sure, you always have the latest Version of the Driver installed in your System for maximum stability and quality. For BlackMagic Card, PLAYDECK needs at least “Desktop Video 14.5” as Driver, otherwise the Card will not work as intended:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/family/capture-and-playback

3. Activate in PLAYDECK
Select your Output Cards and Line in PLAYDECK and activate the Device Output. Unlike Desktop Outputs, these Output Cards don’t need a connected display via SDI or HDMI, they will activate right away:

SMTP ST 2110 / IP Output Card

These Cards are very similar to SDI/HDMI Cards described above. Please read there for Installation.

The difference between 2110 and SDI Cards is, that 2110 Cards send the signal via LAN (local area network). This is a modern and growing standard for Studios to transport video signals within the company. While it is theoretically possible to use existing LAN for ST 2110, it is recommended to use a separate LAN with specific PTP-aware switches (precision time protocol). Once setup, the main advantage is, the multiple receiver can easily access the video feed generated by PLAYDECK.

We provide a separate article for 2110 Devices and their Network setup options:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/2110-device-setup/

NDI (Network Device Interface)

NDI is another Network Transport Option for your video feeds. It can be used with the existing LAN (local area network) and doesn’t need specific network configuration. It provides its own “discovery system”, meaning: You send your NDI signal into the network and it will be automatically detected by any NDI receiver.

NDI is the preferred method to exchange video feeds with other Applications. Here are some examples:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/obs-studio/
https://playdeck.tv/howto/vmix/

NDI can also be used in a Cloud Setup, e.g. Amazon EC2 instances, to transport between server:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/amazon-ec2/

You can use NDI to “loop” the Signal within PLAYDECK for specific Tasks, like this Picture-In-Picture:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/pip/

There are many tools available to help you setup NDI in your environment:
https://ndi.video/tools/

If you need to setup a NDI Discovery Server, this will help you:
https://ndi.video/tools/access-manager/
https://docs.ndi.video/all/using-ndi/ndi-tools/ndi-tools-for-windows/access-manager

Note: There has been a problem with NDI causing stuttering after a window update. Here is the solution:
https://www.vmix.com/knowledgebase/article.aspx/376/windows-update-affecting-ndi-stability

Streaming (UDP, RTMP, SRT, DVB, …)

You can pick out of several Streaming Protocols, which all serve a different purpose.

– UDP/RTMP Streaming: Low-latency Live Streaming
– SRT: High-reliability Broadcasts
– DVB: Traditional Broadcasting
– And many more (RTP, RIST, Icecast, HLS

We provided a more in-depth article for streaming:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/output-streams/

Dante Virtual Soundcard (DVS)

This is strictly speaking not a video feed, as DVS is audio-only. This is yet another Network (LAN) Option. The use case for DVS is, if you need to send your audio feed SEPARATE or ADDITIONAL to your video feeds, or in audio-only productions. The most common use case is, that in live events, the audio mixer needs ALL audio feeds of ALL PLAYDECK channel, meaning: He wants to receive 8 audio channel in stereo pairs of your 4 video channel.

We are providing an article to setup and use Dante:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/dante/

Director View

This is a specific Output option PLAYDECK provides, to inform your crew of the state of affairs: This will mix several different video feeds into one video feed and overlay information about remaining time. This is meant to provide assistance in a multi-room or multi-person environment.

This video feed works like a separate channel: You can send it parallel to your other outputs. You can setup and send up to 4 different Director Views. You can pick how many and which channel should be included:

In addition, you can modify the overlay to fit your own company, e.g. integrate your own logo or change fonts.

This article will show how to activate your License and remove the Watermark from the TRIAL Edition.

If you already have activated your License and want to know how to MOVE the License to another System, please see this article.

There is no separate “Full Version” Download, you simply transform your TRIAL Edition into a LITE, PLUS or STUDIO Edition. Always download and install the latest Version of PLAYDECK, since we publish regular updates:
https://playdeck.tv/download/

In this article:
→ Shop License
→ Dongle License
→ Offline License
→ Backup License

Shop License

All your Shop Licenses, that you purchased via playdeck.tv, will be stored in your personal Online License Pool. This helps you organize multiple Licenses.

To transfer your license from the Online License Pool to your System, go into your License Manager:

Now login to your PLAYDECK ACCOUNT. Use the email address and password, which you used during CHECKOUT in the SHOP. Use the FORGOT PASSWORD button, if you need to reset your password:

We can now move the License from you RIGHT Side to the LEFT Side with a Button Click (CHECK LICENSE FROM POOL TO LOCAL PC). This means, that the License becomes UNAVAILABLE to other Systems and becomes AVAILABLE on THIS System. PLAYDECK will now offer to activate the License and restart:

Dongle License

Simply attach the USB Dongle to the PC, then start PLAYDECK on that PC. Please note, that if you detach the Dongle while PLAYDECK is still running, PLAYDECK will close immediately and without prior notice. It is recommended to close PLAYDECK regularly to ensure, that all Data is saved properly.

Offline License

The Offline License is bound to the PLAYDECK System ID and can NOT be moved to another System by the Customer. To activate your Offline License, open the License Manager:

Then click on USE AN OFFLINE LICENSE and copy and paste the Offline License Code into the text field and click OK. PLAYDECK will now offer to activate the License and restart:

Backup License

We have a separate article on how to use the Backup License.

This article will show how to send you PLAYDECK Log Files to our Support Team.

In this article:
→ Send via Internet
→ Send offline via ZIP File

IMPORTANT: Please always send a message to [email protected], informing us about:
– Log Files have been uploaded
– Your PLAYDECK System ID
– Date/Time of last occurrence of issue/problem

Thanks!

Send via Internet

If you have an active Internet Connection on your PLAYDECK System, open the Main Menu and select SUPPORT and then SEND LOG FILES:

Then select the INTERNET Option:

After the upload is complete, please send us a message to [email protected] along with your System ID. If you seen the following Popup, the System ID is in your Clipboard already and you can simply paste it with CTRL+V into your email message:

Send offline via ZIP File

If you DONT have an active Internet Connection on your PLAYDECK System, open the Main Menu and select SUPPORT and then SEND LOG FILES:

Then select the ZIP FILE Option:

After you pick a destination Folder on your System, a 7-ZIP-file will be written there:

Please send us a message to [email protected] along with your ZIP-file.

If your Email-system doesn’t allow sending Files or the ZIP-file itself is too large (> 5 MB), you can also use our download portal to upload the File.

Note: If you are unable to even start PLAYDECK, please ZIP this Folder manually:
c:\ProgramData\JoyEventMedia\Playdeck\logs