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/
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.
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
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 make clips playout-ready in one step (GPU codec, and optionally playlist size, FPS and rotation). 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.
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.
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.
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):
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:
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.
Note: PLAYDECK uses UTF-8 encoding for saving and loading CSV files.
PLAYDECK can play almost any clip in real time. That is convenient — and it can tax the system: CPU-only codecs (ProRes, DNxHD, HAP, MXF), a different resolution or frame rate than the playlist, iPhone rotation that lives only in metadata, squeezed pixels, or odd audio. If CPU hits the limit, you usually hear it first as audio stutter.
For a general overview of best possible Video Codecs for Playout, please see this article.
Transcode Clip writes a new file that is already in shape for your playlist (playout-ready). Right-click one or more clips → Transcode Clip.
Leave the top lists on AUTO if you are in a hurry. Tick the checkboxes below only if you need scale, FPS, rotation, square pixels or a baked-in cut — details in the next section.
The ffmpeg line at the bottom follows your options. You can edit it; a broken command is on the operator. PLAYDECK ships an LGPL ffmpeg (no x264). Hardware H.264 (NVENC/QSV) and software OpenH264 are fine. libx264 will fail.
Need the original file back? Right-click → Transcode Clip: Restore Original.
When you actually need it
Stutter / high CPU — ProRes, DNxHD, HAP, MXF: they decode on CPU in PLAYDECK. Transcode to a GPU codec (leave Codec on AUTO).
Yellow mismatch icons — clip size or FPS ≠ playlist. Tick Scale and/or Match framerate.
iPhone / sideways — tick Rotate, leave AUTO (or set 90° if AUTO does nothing).
Tiny web / YouTube files — Scale to playlist. YouTube clips can be transcoded in the same dialog (download + encode).
Show starts in 10 minutes — AUTO only, OK. No checkboxes required.
AUTO vs optional checkboxes
The dialog is split on purpose so you do not have to fear the wrong setting.
Top = AUTO. Codec, Interlace and Audio are always on. The first item in each list is AUTO. That is the safe default: PLAYDECK picks a GPU encoder if it can (NVENC, QSV, otherwise AV1), keeps progressive files progressive and handles interlaced sources, and for audio copies the original soundtrack when the new file format allows it (MP4: AAC/MP3, MOV: PCM/AAC, MKV: most codecs). If copy would break the file, it writes 48 kHz stereo instead (AAC, or PCM for ProRes/DNxHD).
You can still override: pick a specific codec, force deinterlace, force Copy original audio, or force 48 kHz stereo. You do not have to.
Bottom = optional. Scale, Framerate, Pixels, Rotate and In/Out are off until you tick them. Unticked means: leave the picture/time as it is, only the AUTO encode runs.
Scale to Playlist — enable the size change. Next to it: Fit (full image, black bars), Fill (crop to fill the frame), Stretch (distort to exact playlist size).
Match to Playlist framerate — write a constant playlist FPS. Use this for variable or “weird” rates (iPhone, web) so duration and audio stay in sync.
Convert to Square pixels — only active if the file is not 1:1. Old squeezed HD (e.g. 1440×1080 that should look 16:9). PLAYDECK and VLC can show that differently; the tick writes normal pixels.
Rotate Clip — tick to rotate. The dropdown is AUTO (from file metadata, typical iPhone) or 90° / 180°. Unticked = no rotation. PLAYDECK’s engine ignores rotation metadata; VLC often does not.
Write In/Out into the new file — tick to bake the cut into a shorter file. Unticked = in/out stay live in the playlist.
Leave every checkbox off if the only problem is CPU/GPU codec. Tick only the line that matches the clip you actually have.
After the run
The new file is saved next to the old one with _transcoded in the name, swapped into the playlist, and re-scanned. Multi-select: one pass, each clip keeps its own in/out if Bake is on.
If ffmpeg rejects the command (typo in the memo), PLAYDECK shows the error text. ESC cancels.
Playlist undo: Restore Project Backup if you need an older project state — that is separate from Restore Original on the clip.
What files are decoded on CPU
PLAYDECK can play these, but not via the GPU on Windows. That is when Transcode Clip (Codec AUTO) is worth it.
ProRes High-quality codec from Apple / Mac. Apple never released a GPU decoder for Windows, so PLAYDECK decodes ProRes on the CPU. If you need an alpha channel, HAP-A is the better Windows choice.
HAP and variants (HAP-A) Alpha channel, lower CPU load than ProRes — still CPU, not GPU.
This is fairly simple: You create a new Content Block in your Playlist with one difference: The Block ends as BREAK BLOCK (instead of STOP or PAUSE). For this we select the Block and click on the BLOCK END Icon (or Double-Click the Block end). Then we select BREAK BLOCK.
After Break you choose where Playout continues when the ads are done:
Return to last position
Return to clip from beginning
Continue with next clip
Interrupt current clip is on by default. PLAYDECK then hard-cuts into the Break at the scheduled time. Uncheck it and the current clip is allowed to finish first — the Break plays as next, it does not cut.
This BREAK BLOCK behaves like this: Once it reaches its end, it will return to the clip and position (or other), which was playing BEFORE entering the BREAK BLOCK from OUTSIDE. Meaning: You can jump from anywhere to anywhere in the BREAK BLOCK, and it will remember where to return to.
Schedule Break Block
You can schedule the Break Block like any other Block Type by selecting the Block and clicking the SCHEDULE Icon:
In this example we start our Break Interruption every day at 11:00 o’clock and will repeat this every 2 and half hours for the remaining of the day. There will be no Ad Breaks between 0:00 and 11:30.
A scheduled Ad Break will NEVER fire on its own: If nothing is playing, there is nothing to interrupt and return back to. Consequentially a scheduled Ad Break will NEVER fire within another Ad Break. This also presents opportunity: You can program repeating Ad Breaks with collisions on purpose and have the first one get priority and ignore the other one.
With Interrupt current clip enabled, the Break starts at the scheduled time. With it disabled, PLAYDECK waits for the current clip to end. Live or endless clips never reach a clip end, so a Break with Interrupt off will not start while they are playing. Stop, CUE, or playing a different clip cancels a waiting Break. Pause keeps it.
Using Action Buttons for Ad Breaks
Instead of scheduled Break Blocks, you can also use Action Buttons. For this simply click an empty Action Button and select to play the related Ad Block:
After Block the Action can use its own return method:
Do nothing — uses the Break Block End (After Break)
Return to last Clip/Position
Return to last Clip/Position (−3 Seconds)
Return to last Clip/Position (−10 Seconds)
Return to last Clip and play from beginning
Continue with next clip exists only on the Block End, not on the Action. If you select Do nothing, the Block End will be used, like in our example above. If you select any other Option, the Return method of the Action will be used over the Block End method. This gives new options:
You could use both return methods, depending if the Break Block starts via scheduling or via Action Button
If started via Action Button, you can leave the Break Block EARLY and still return
The second option is perfect for looping Break Blocks, as you return to the previous playout if you click the Action Button a second time.
To fill the Break from a folder and only play what fits in the Break length, see Fill a timed Break from a folder below.
Fill a timed Break from a folder
A Break Block can hold a pool of commercials — fixed files in the playlist, or a folder that stays in sync.
Recipe: ~2 minute Break from a folder
Make the Block a Break Block (Block End → Break). Choose After Break (return to last position, from beginning, or next clip) as usual.
Open Clip Shuffle / Sync on that Block:
Check Sync clips and set the folder (Filter optional — extensions and/or filename patterns).
You can use Sync alone (No Shuffle) if you only want the folder mirrored.
For a timed fill: set Shuffle time → up to 00:02:00 (or your Break length).
Each time the Break is entered (Schedule or Action), PLAYDECK deals a take: only as many clips as fit in that time. Leftovers stay gray (↷) for this Break. Returning from the Break does not deal a new take on the return target.
Alternatives
Shuffle only N (e.g. 1) — one new spot per Break entry; the rest stay gray until the next deal.
Shuffle all Clips — full random order of the synced pool (every active clip in the take).
Folder Sync runs in the background only while the Break Block is not Current and not Next (cooldown ~10s, ~30s when clips were added). Details: Playout Rules — Clip Shuffle / Sync.
Limit how often each spot plays
On a spot, open Playout Rules (pause icon) → Limit Playout, e.g.:
Max playouts (per Day) = 5
optional weekdays, primetime, campaign dates
Automation never picks a gray or limited spot. You can still fire one by hand.
Important with Folder Sync: new files from the folder become new clips. Existing Limit settings are not copied onto them. Before you rely on Sync:
Set Limit Playout on one clip (e.g. Max 5 per day).
Check Default for new clips in that dialog and OK.
From then on, every newly added clip — including Folder Sync — gets those defaults.
If you want to signal your Streaming Server or Broadcasting System to insert Ads for the duration of your Break Block, we recommend the following article:
This article will show how to use how to utilize the second Channel to create L-Band advertisements.
1. L-Band Specifications
Every Station has their own specs on the size, so we just borrow this sample from News18:
The principal is always the same: We “shrink” our main content proportionally to make room for Ads in the remaining area. After shrinking, we leave some overlap to not risk black background. Our final shrink-size is: 1520×855 Pixel.
2. Scale Channel 1 and send to Channel 2
We assume with have our Main Video Content on Channel 1. So we enable the Output Scaler in the Settings to our shrunk size of 1520×855 Pixel. Then we send our scaled Content as NDI signal:
We now loop our NDI signal to Input 1:
We then add Input 1 to the Playlist of Channel 2, by Drag Drop of the Input Icon to the Playlist. We now have the Video Content in L-Band size:
3. Add the Clean Feed for Switching
Since our Final Output will run over Channel 2, we also want our Clean Feed to be selectable in the Channel 2 Playlist. For this, we can simply copy the Channel without the Output Scaler. Use another Input and set Channel 1 as Source:
Then also add that Input to Channel 2. I already renamed both Inputs in the Playlist to be more distinguishable:
You can now quickly switch between L-Bands and Clean Feed.
Click on any empty Overlay Button, then add our Sample PNG:
We now want our Overlay to ONLY play with the Playlist Clip for the “L-Band Feed” Input. For this we select the L-Band Clip and click the Overlay Icon, then add our new Overlay for the whole duration of the Clip:
Our L-Band Overlay will now automatically start together with the L-Band Feed:
Note: Overlays that are assigned to Clips always have a slight reaction delay. This can be overcome by finetuning Playlist and Overlay Fade Times. You could also split the L-Band Feed and Clean Feed to Channel 2 and 3 and use an external Mixer for Transitions.
Introducing a Reference Signal will force the Output Hardware to send Frames based on the Reference Clock.
1. Multichannel SYNC as a use case
If you plan to synchronize multiple channel, you should connect an external clock to your device, then CUE all Channel via LINK (or Commands) and UNPAUSE all Channel. This will start all Channel (almost) SYNC, while the Reference Clock will make sure, that all Channel STAY SYNC. This is only guaranteed for all Channel, that output over the same Device.
This article shows, how to use Action Buttons to start multiple Channel in SYNC.
2. Providing a Reference Signal (GenLock)
Please check with your manufacturer, if your Output Card supports a Reference Input. In this example we use “Blackmagic DeckLink Duo 2”:
If none of your other hardware generates a Clock Signal, you can use separate hardware to generate such a signal, like the Blackmagic Sync Generator.
3. Setting the Reference Input in PLAYDECK
Some Devices need specific reference input settings, like AJA Devices. In this Example, we set the AJA Reference Input to “external” for the Device:
If you click on SHOW HELP, you will see all other Options, that can be set for each device manufacturer.
