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

To setup your Stream in PLAYDECK, we recommend browsing thru the additional information provided behind the SHOW HELP Buttons. They navigate you to your specific needs and explain the more deep configuration options for each and every streaming protocol:

We provide some additional article on some stream types:
https://playdeck.tv/howto/srt-streams/
https://playdeck.tv/howto/dvb-streams/

Note: NVENC Video Codec does NOT support Interlaced formats anymore, which has been a decision made by NVIDIA. Use “Intel QuickSync SW H.264 Encoder” instead.

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 give pointers on how to improve your Streams even more. In this example we use Cloudflare, but this can be any provider.

These are the optimized Settings as overview. We will explain them in detail:

Video Format

It is recommended to select a specific Video Format instead of using AUTO, just to avoid any problems with automatic detection.

Video Codec

We know that Cloudflare support H.264 Encoding, so we can use our GPU. If you don’t have NVIDIA or your GPU is maxed with other Tasks already, select “Intel QuickSync SW H.264 Encoder”, which will try to use your Onboard Intel-GPU and falls back to CPU otherwise.

We then pick 8 Mb/s as Bitrate, which is a Cloudflare CDN requirement.

With the Options “minrate=8M maxrate=8M” we basically force CBR (Constant Bit Rate) to our Stream. Click this Link on more Info about CBR with H.264.

We also add the Option “g=100”, which sets the Key Frame Interval, also know as “GOP (Group of Picture) length” or “IDR period”. The rule-of-thumb here is to set the GOP twice as high as your framerate, which would be 50 in this case. We use 100 here to compress even more, resulting in less used bandwidth, which in turn makes your Stream more stable. A higher value also reduces buffering, but not all provider can process high values. Reduce your GOP, if you Content has a lot of Action and your need more key frames. The default GOP is 15, which is a failsafe to ensure, that there are no artifacts in the picture.

Audio Format

We use 96 kHz Sample-rate and 32-bit as Bit-depth, which will make absolutely sure, that all possible audio sources are processed at high quality. Since the Audio Stream has a very low impact on the overall bandwidth, it would be unwise to go low.

Audio Codec

There is not much choice here for the Encoder, as AAC delivers high quality low compression audio. Since we picked a higher Sample-rate and Bit-depth, we need to provide a bit more Bitrate here, so we set this to 224 kb/s.

As Options, first we set our AAC Encoder to the “TLS” mode by entering “aac_coder=0”. The Options here are:
0 – Two loop searching (TLS) method
1 – Average noise to mask ratio (ANMR)
2 – Fast constant quantizer method
TLS will have the highest quality with most audio contents. The default here is “2 (fast)”, which is also good, but can lead to crushing sounds at lower bitrates.

Next we also force CBR for our Audio Stream by setting “aac_coder=0 minrate=224K maxrate=224K bufsize=224K”. Click this Link for more info on CBR for AAC.

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

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

This article will show how to upload Files and send them to the PLAYDECK Team.

Open our download portal via this URL: https://download.joy-event-media.de/

You can add your Files now via Drag-drop or file-browser. In our example we already added some PLAYDECK Log-files and a sample video. If you are done adding, please click UPLOAD.

Important: Without the Download-link we cant access your Files. This is to protect Customer data.

After the Upload is complete, please click COPY to put the Download-link into the Clipboard. Then write us a message to [email protected] along with that Download-link:

PLAYDECK can play almost any Codec out there. If the Codec is not supported by your GPU, it always falls back to CPU to make it work. There are very view exception: NotchLC for example cant be played with PLAYDECK.

We understand, that most of you have not much control over the Video Codec selection, as you receive your Video Files from Customer right before the show.

But if you have the Time to transcode the Video Files or even more are part of the production process, then you have more options than just H.264 MP4 Files.

We recommend going with AV1, if your NVIDIA supports it, except when you need Alpha-channel, than switch to HAP. In all other cases fall back to H.265/HEVC. ProRes has the best image quality, but is not really suited for real-time playback, as it is more of an editing and post-production codec.

There is also a Feature in PLAYDECK to quickly transcode your Video Files to a GPU-supported Codec. Please see this article.

H.265/HEVC

General-purpose codec. Use, if your NVIDIA GPU does not support AV1 and if you dont need Alpha-channel.

• Developer: JCT-VC
• GPU Decoding: Yes, but depends on NVIDIA GPU, see this List
• Quality: Good quality at all bitrates
• Alpha-channel: No
• Features: HDR, 10-bit color, 8K

AV1

Most efficient Codec. Use, if you your GPU supports it and you don’t need Alpha-channel. Near-lossless quality and significantly smaller file sizes than ProRes.

• Developer: Alliance for Open Media (Open Source)
• GPU Decoding: Yes, but depends on NVIDIA GPU, see this List
• Quality: Better quality than H.265/HEVC, esp. at lower bitrates
• Alpha-channel: No
• Features: HDR, 10-bit color, 8K

HAP

Very universal Codec. Use, if you need Alpha-channel, and preferred over ProRes because of lower CPU load.

• Developer: Vidvox
• GPU Decoding: No, but lower CPU load than ProRes
• Quality: Better quality than H.265/HEVC, but less than AV1
• Alpha-channel: Yes (with HAP Alpha and HAP Q)
• Features:

ProRes

Offers highest image quality with ProRes 4444. Preserves fine details and colors exceptionally well, at the cost of high CPU load. Use only, if you can afford the CPU load and need highest possible visual quality. This is an editing codec and no real-time codec.

• Developer: Apple
• GPU Decoding: No. High CPU load
• Quality: Better quality than all other, esp. at higher bitrates
• Alpha-channel: Yes (with ProRes 4444)
• Features: HDR, 10/12-bit color, 8K

This article will show how to utilize Internal Keying as means of overlaying Video over Video (Picture in Picture).

1. Setup of Internal Keying

We need to setup PLAYDECK to have a BG FEED and a PIP FEED and mix them into the MAIN FEED. For this we use Internal Keying. See this article for more info on Internal Keying.

Use any Device that is capable of Internal Keying. In our example we use the Blackmagic DeckLink Duo2. Open the Desktop Video Setup and combine and first 2 SDI Outputs. Leave the other Outputs solo:

Next we enable Internal Keying in Channel 1 in PLAYDECK:

2. Setup of BG FEED

Now we need to send our BG FEED to SDI 1. For this we use Channel 2 and send it via SDI Loop from SDI 3 to SDI 1. Please note, that because we combined SDI 1+2, SDI 3 is now designated as “Decklink Duo 2 (2)”:

Then we start any video content on Channel 2:

If you have a SDI Monitor on SDI 2, you can already see the BG FEED playing there now.

We could now go ahead and play any Content with Alpha on Channel 1, which is keyed over the BG FEED, e.g. Alpha Videos (ProRes, HAP-A) or simple Overlays. But since we need our PIP FEEDBACK scaled and positioned, we need to set it up on another Channel.

3. Setup of PIP FEED

We use Channel 3 as PIP FEEDBACK, so we can play regular Video Content here. We want to send it via NDI from Channel 3 to Channel 1 and activate the Output Scaler, so that our PIP is in the UPPER RIGHT Corner:

We now insert a Video Clip on Channel 3, but this could also be Live Video, Streams or anything else:

We loop this NDI Feedback to Input 1:

Then insert Input 1 into the Playlist of Channel 1:

We now downscaled the Channel 3 Playlist into Channel 1, which will be keyed over the BG FEED of Channel 2.

4. FINAL OUTPUT / MAIN FEED

The MAIN FEED is send to SDI 2 and this is the result on the SDI Monitor of SDI 2 (photographed):

This article will show options to prepare your Playlists on another System or import Playlist from other Apps.

In this article:
→ Use Free Channel
→ Use Playlist Trial Edition
→ Append Playlist during Broadcast
→ Automatically Detect and Reload new Playlist
→ Interface with 3rd party Apps

Use Free Channel

You have some spare Channel in PLAYDECK? Use them to prepare and test new Contents, then copy them to your Main Feed Channel. You can DRAG DROP Blocks from Channel to Channel, or copy them with pressing CTRL after starting DRAG DROP.

You can also copy, overwrite or append whole Playlists, by right-clicking the CHANNEL NUMBER:

If you paste new Content on an existing Playlist (or Import XML), you get the option to overwrite or append:

Use Playlist Trial Edition

You can install PLAYDECK on any other machine and edit your Playlists there. Except the Watermark of the Trial Edition, there are no other restrictions, so you can prepare Playlists and send them to your Main System.

Append Playlist during Broadcast

You want to import new Playlists and don’t want to interrupt your Broadcast? No problem: Use the APPEND PROJECT Option in the FILE MENU:

This will load any PLAYDECK Project, but instead of replacing the Playlists, all Playlists will be extended by the Clips found in the Project. You can then safely remove any old Content.

You can apply this procedure to individual Playlists by Exporting a Playlist to XML and Importing that XML on the other Machine. This is done by right-clicking the CHANNEL NUMBER:

This workflow is perfect for any day-to-day schedule, where you add new days and remove old ones.

Automatically Detect and Reload new Playlist

You can also OVERWRITE the current load Project File on your Main System and let PLAYDECK detect this and reload the Project, after which the Playout will resume. Enable this functionality in the Application Settings:

Note: RESUME PLAYOUT only works, if the current Playing Clip exists in the newly re-loaded Project, otherwise Playout stops for that Channel. The Clip is identified by a UNIQUE ID, so it could have moved to another Block in the re-loaded Project.

This workflow is best suited for any automated systems, where Project Files are generated automatically and uploaded to the Main System. Or when the Content Editor does not have access to the Main System and uploads the new Playlist to the NAS/Cloud Storage.

Interface with 3rd party Apps

We don’t support the Playlist Format of other 3rd party Apps, as there is just too much diversity on the market, and a lot Playlist Function (Mixing, Overlaps, Schedules) would not be compatible with PLAYDECK.

If you like to prepare your Playlist in a 3rd Party App, you need to export your Playlist to CSV, then Edit that CSV to work with PLAYDECK, then Import that CSV into PLAYDECK.

Why CSV? Because it is the most easy List Format, which support multiple values per Item. It can be edited with any Text or Table Editor, from Notepad to Excel.

Let’s have a look at our CSV. For this we build ourself a Sample Playlists with 2 Blocks. We mixed in different Content Types: Video Clips with IN/OUT Points, Device Inputs, YouTube Videos, UDP Input Stream, GFX with Runtime, a Note. We also added a Schedule to the 2nd Block:

We now right-click the CHANNEL NUMBER 2 and select EXPORT TO CSV:

We then open the saved CSV File in Notepad (click here to download/open in new Tab):

As you can see, its not “too” much Text Lines. Since the first Lines are just HEADER, it looks even more clear in a Table Editor:

And this is how you write/generate CSV Files: You export your Content in any 3rd party app, open any editor and bring it in PLAYDECK FORMAT. But WHAT IS PLAYDECK FORMAT.

These are the REQUIRED COLUMNS. They can be it ANY POSITION (any column #):
Type = Block, File, Website (or YouTube), Input#, Stream, Note
Caption = Any Text to display in PLAYDECK
Filename = The Path/File or the URL (YouTube and Streams)

These are the OPTIONAL COLUMNS. They can be it ANY POSITION (any column #):
Active = The Checkbox in the first Column in PLAYDECK
Duration = Only used be File-Types that are Images. Leave empty or 0 for endless
CutIn / CutOut = IN- and/or OUT-Point for Trimming
Schedule = Only used by Block-Types

Note: More advanced Properties (e.g. Audio Gain) are not supported, as to keep our CSV Format clean and easy. To import/export ALL Properties, please use XML instead of CSV.

For a general overview of best possible Video Codecs for Playout, please see this article.

While PLAYDECK is able to transcode all Clips in real time to your selected Output Format, this can put a heavy toll on your system during Playout, depending on your use case.

If your CPU usage reached critical level and you get playout lags (mostly perceived as audio stutter), you may want to make sure, that all Clips are decoded via the GPU, because most modern Graphic Cards can handle much more load than the CPU alone, thus making it possible to run multiple output channel with PLAYDECK.

In this article:
→ Using the integrated transcoder
→ What Files are being decoded on CPU in PLAYDECK
→ What GPU’s are recommended?

Using the integrated transcoder

PLAYDECK has an integrated transcoder for video/audio files. It will make it more easy for you to QUICKLY transcode multiple files at once, e.g. if your show starts soon and you just don’t have the time to transcode them via 3rd party tool like Adobe Media Encoder.

In your example we have a Block of Files, that only can be decoded via CPU, like ProRes, and HAP-A Video Codec. We now select any Clip, then press CTRL+A to select all Clips in the Block. You could also use SHIFT to select a Clip range or just CTRL to select individual Clips.

Now we right Clip one of the selected Clips and select “Transcode Clips”:

You will not get a list of pre-defined target video codecs, which all support GPU decoding:

If you are in a hurry or have a huge number of clips to transcode, pick the first option “MPEG-4”, as this options gives you incredibly fast results, while still maintaining a good quality. In all other cases go with the 2nd option “AV1”, as this produces fairly small files on SSD/HDD, while producing extreme high quality files, and also support HDR. The last option is unnervingly slow, but also takes quality and compression a tick higher, but the time/quality ratio is bad in this case. Use this for overnight-transcoding.

Note: Sadly, we can not offer transcoding in H.264 or H.265 because of license reasons.

The transcoder will save the new file next to the old file and add “_transcoded” to the filename:

The new Files will be automatically replaced and re-scanned in your Playlist:

If you need to at any time return to an earlier version of your Playlist, you can use the “Restore Project Backup” function:

What Files are being decoded on CPU in PLAYDECK

ProRes
This high quality video codec has it’s roots on MAC computers, as it also was developed by Apple. Sadly, Apple never released any codec information for Windows Systems, so it’s still fairly impossible to decode ProRes via the GPU. If you need the Alpha Channel, we recommend using HAP-A video codec.

HAP and variants like HAP-A
These video codecs also support Alpha Channel and have very low CPU consumption.

DNxHD, MXF
The codecs also cant be decoded via GPU in PLAYDECK.

What GPU’s are recommended?

We refer to this article for PC Building for PLAYDECK.