RustDesk is a free Remote Destop Software, which we use to login to remote systems.
1. To get started, download our customized RustDesk from our website:
https://get.remote-joy-event-media.de/
This version will use our private RustDesk server (and not the public server) to protect your data and improve the connection speed.
2. Now start RustDesk and send us your connection info, looking like this:
Multichannel Audio is supported in PLAYDECK for all Inputs/Outputs, that being: Device, NDI, Internal. To activate Multichannel Audio, you only have to increase the Audio Channels in Playlist Output:
After that you may select how many Audio Channel you want to display in the VU Meter by Right-clicking it. Now add any Multichannel Clip into the Playlist. We prepared a 7.1 Clip SAMPLE (right-click and “Save as..”) for you:
In PLAYDECK, all Audio Channels are enumerated from 1 upwards, within the current selected Audio Track. If you have multiple Audio Tracks, you first have to select the Track you want to output. Then you can mix the Audio channels in any way possible:
Now you can reference your Audio channels (source) and route them to the NEW channels seperated by comma (target). There are several examples listed with the Routing Popup:
If you want to use 8 Channel in OBS, activate NDI in PLAYDECK Playlist Output, then insert PLAYDECK as NDI Source and you are ready to go:
For cases, where NDI tally flag trigger or ATEM/vMix remote connections cant be used, you can setup a custom trigger at any given point.
If your receiving side is able to understand any custom TCP command, you would setup the remote connection like this:
As a result the TCP command will be send at the given time in the playlist or when you press the overlay button.
If your receiving side is a custom API or needs special formatting, you would need to setup your own script for this:
If you want the current PLAYDECK status in your script, you can use our API:
The best way to connect vMix with PLAYDECK (both ways) is NDI. Multichannel Audio is supported.
You only need to activate NDI as External Output like this:
Activate NDI Output in PLAYDECK and add the NDI as new Source in vMix like this:
The best way to connect OBS with PLAYDECK (both ways) is NDI. Multichannel Audio is supported.
OBS doesn’t deliver NDI out of the box. You need to install an additional PlugIn, which is a quick and easy process:
The NDI PlugIn inserts a new Option into the Tools Menu. Pick NDI Output and activate it:
Activate NDI Output in PLAYDECK. The OBS NDI PlugIn inserts a new NDI Source, which you can add to your OBS Scene like this:
Sometimes the SYNC feature isn’t enough to have simultaneous playback and the operator wants to setup more complex ways of automation between the playlists. This can be done by setting PLAYDECK to remote control itself.
To send a Command, you want to create a new “Remote Control” Overlay. You can now add one of the Custom Commands, that will be recognized by PLAYDECK. Basically you can CUE and PLAY clips, start Actions, show Overlays, etc..
Example: <cueandplay|2|1|1>
This will instantly play Playlist 2, Block 1, Clip 1.
A complete list of all commands can be found within PLAYDECK via “Show Commands”
Your overlay will look something like this:
You add events to the playlist by adding the overlay with the commands to the clip. For example, if you want to start Playlist 2 (first clip) as soon as Playlist 1 starts playing, you would add the above Overlay to Clip 1 like this:
PLAYDECK supports most Amazon EC2 server instances and the NVidia GPU Power they provide. This allows you to setup a cloud based infrastructure for NDI transport or other purposes.
PLAYDECK can be installed on any Windows EC2 instance. Allthough GPU support isnt a requirement with PLAYDECK, it still is recommended for best performance. A list of all EC2 instances:
https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/
If you decide to go with a clean installation of an instance (without a preselected windows image), you need to install the NVidia driver manually like this:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/install-nvidia-driver.html
PLAYDECK also supports a multi-user environment and saves licensed for the whole server instance.
This can be achieved via any supported output card, which supports internal keying.
For this example we use the “Decklink Duo 2”. In PLAYDECK this sample will look like this:
Open the Decklink setup utility “Desktop Video Setup” and set SDI 1+2 like this. This will be used for internal keying, where SDI 1 will receive the video signal from Playlist 1 and will key Playlist 2 over it and output the combined video via SDI 2.
Now you setup SDI 3 as standalone without keying. This will be used to send the video signal from Playlist 1 to Playlist 2 via SDI Loop.
Use a short SDI cable and connect SDI 3 directly with SDI 1. We use this to feed the Playlist 1 signal via SDI 3 into the keying input SDI 1. Connect your final mixed output to SDI 2.
Channel 1 will send the video signal via SDI 3 to SDI 1 for mixing. Therefore you output Channel 1 like normal:
Channel 2 will receive the video layer on SDI 1. Now let PLAYDECK tell the Decklink to use Internal Keying to mix the Channel 2 signal over the one coming via SDI 1. Your final mixed output will be send to SDI 2.
The menu bar takes you to the basic settings of PLAYDECK.
Under the menu item File you will find the commands for creating, opening or saving a playlist, the functions for importing and exporting a playlist as well as for generating a clip run log file.
The menu item Settings takes you to the sub-menu All Settings, where you can make the most important settings. You will find more detailed information in chapter 2.1. Furthermore, you will find the menu item Scripting, where you can extend and individualise the functionality of PLAYDECK with the help of various Java Script files. In addition, you can define keyboard shortcuts for almost every command via the sub-item Keyboard Shortcuts to adapt PLAYDECK perfectly to your usual workflow (see chapter 2.2).
Under the menu item View, you can adjust the visual appearance of the user interface to your personal preferences. For example, you can adjust the line height of the playlist, show thumbnails of all playlist clips or hide the overlay and action buttons.
The menu item Streams lets you start and stop the streaming playback for the two playlist channels and the Production Window and displays the stream status.
Under the menu item Help you can check for available updates, get access to the license manager and get in contact with our support team.
In the upper area of the user interface you will find a preview window of the currently output video signal including audio level for each channel, the buttons for controlling the playout, and a number of time specifications for the playlist (end of playback of the current block, remaining time of the current block and the current clip, countdown to blocks for which the Schedule Block function has been set). Furthermore, between the two playlists you will find the button to start recording and open the edit window, as well as the button to activate the synchronous operation of both playlist channels.
The largest area of the user interface is available below the control section for the playlist and its configuration. Here, you will find all entries that you have prepared for playback with PLAYDECK, clearly arranged in the respective playback blocks. A playback block consists of the block header with block name and information about scheduled start times, one or more lines of media (videos, still images, audio tracks, Youtube clips) or live inputs with the associated information, and a block end that defines the behavior of PLAYDECK when reaching the end of a block. To keep track of longer blocks, the view of the playlist can be customized in many ways. For more information about working with playlists, please refer to chapter 3.
Below the playlist you will find the buttons for controlling the overlays and the actions. Overlays can consist of videos or graphics (with or without transparency), text, scrolling text, web pages or HTML code, which you can show manually or automatically over the output video signal during playback from the playlist. Actions are individual media files in direct access. Pressing an action button interrupts the current playback and starts the stored media file. You can define how PLAYDECK should behave after the action file has finished playing. Please refer to chapter 4.2 Working with Actions for more details.
PLAYDECK can be controlled remotely via a number of different methods, but can also send out control commands itself.
To control PLAYDECK from outside, the following methods are available:
You can remote control both playlists from PLAYDECK via TCP/IP commands from a remote control computer. You can use any tool you like for this, as no special format is required (no special encoding, no line ending command necessary). You can send several commands simultaneously.
Bitfocus Companion and Universe Show Control have already integrated extensive libraries for controlling PLAYDECK, which makes control particularly convenient.
The following control commands are available:
<cue|PLAYLIST|BLOCK|CLIP>
<cueandplay|PLAYLIST|BLOCK|CLIP>
<cuenext|PLAYLIST>
<cueandplaynext|PLAYLIST>
<cuenextblock|PLAYLIST>
<cueandplaynextblock|PLAYLIST>
<cueflex|PLAYLIST|PATTERN>
<cueandplayflex|PLAYLIST|PATTERN>
<cueandplaysync|PL1 BLOCK|PL2 BLOCK>
<cueandplaysyncflex|PL1 PATTERN|PL2 PATTERN>
<play|PLAYLIST>
<stop|PLAYLIST>
<pause|PLAYLIST>
<jumpstart|PLAYLIST>
<jumpend|PLAYLIST>
<previousclip|PLAYLIST>
<fadein|PLAYLIST>
<fadeout|PLAYLIST>
<restartclip|PLAYLIST>
<playoverlay|PLAYLIST|OVERLAY>
<stopoverlay|PLAYLIST|OVERLAY>
<toggleoverlay|PLAYLIST|OVERLAY>
<stopalloverlays|PLAYLIST>
<playaction|PLAYLIST|ACTION>
<playactionsync|PL1 ACTION|PL2 ACTION>
<loadplaylist|AUTOPLAY|FILENAME>
<selectclip|PLAYLIST|BLOCK|CLIP>
<insertclip|PLAYLIST|FILENAME>
<changeclip|PLAYLIST|FILENAME>
<appendclip|PLAYLIST|FILENAME>
<activate|PLAYLIST|BLOCK|CLIP>
<deactivate|PLAYLIST|BLOCK|CLIP>
<muteaudio|PLAYLIST>
<unmuteaudio|PLAYLIST>
<toggleaudio|PLAYLIST>
<hidenotes>
<restartscripts>
<startstream|TARGET>
<stopstream|TARGET>
<startrec>
<stoprec>
A detailed explanation of the individual commands, together with examples, can be obtained by clicking on the button Show Commands.
When PLAYDECK’s NDI output is activated, PLAYDECK receives tally signals from the connected NDI receiver via a return channel. As soon as PLAYDECK is switched live on air there, PLAYDECK starts playing the clip that is currently in the CUE state.
You can connect both playlists to almost any video mixer and have playback start automatically as soon as the corresponding channel of the mixer goes on air. For this purpose, the tally signal of the mixer is registered at the chosen COM port. As soon as a clip is in CUE state, PLAYDECK performs a simple loopback test on the corresponding COM port: If a galvanic connection between pin 3 (Transmit Data) and pin 2 (Receive Data) is registered for at least 50 ms, playback starts immediately.
If you need a corresponding tally-to-USB interface, please contact our support team.
Playback can be automated particularly conveniently if you have connected PLAYDECK to a Blackmagic ATEM Series live production switcher. As soon as a clip is in CUE state, PLAYDECK listens to the connected ATEM mixer. If the corresponding channel is switched live, playback starts immediately.
In order for PLAYDECK to communicate with your Blackmagic ATEM device, you need to install the ATEM Control software on your PLAYDECK computer. It is NOT necessary to start the software. PLAYDECK only requires access to the appropriate drivers and libraries.
Enter the IP address of the mixer (it must be in the same address space as your PLAYDECK system) and click Connect. Then you can select from the two drop-down fields which input channel of your ATEM device PLAYDECK should listen to.
Finally, please activate the checkbox on the left.
PLAYDECK can also be remotely controlled very conveniently when you connect it to vMix. The operating philosophy of vMix is that you can assign a source to several inputs. Enter the IP address of the vMix PC and fill in all vMix inputs for the two playlists to which PLAYDECK is to react with an auto start (separated by comma).
Finally, remote start via TSL UDP Tally protocol is available. PLAYDECK supports versions 3.1 and 5.0.
You can freely select the number of the port to be used for communication.
Enter the TSL ID to which Playlists 1 and 2 are to respond in the corresponding fields (some manufacturers call this ID “Screen ID”, “Channel ID” or “Device ID”). If PLAYDECK is to respond to more than one TSL ID, please separate the IDs with commas.
PLAYDECK expects the signal for Preview on Tally 1 and the signal for Program on Tally 2.