This article will show how to use bitfocus Companion together with PLAYDECK. Companion has a ready-to-use module for PLAYDECK. This is the most comfortable way to connect PLAYDECK to your ATEM Mixer or STREAMDECK.
Installation
1. Start PLAYDECK, so Companion can find it
2. Download and install the latest stable Version of Companion
3. Start Companion and add the PLAYDECK Module
4. You are done, if Companion shows a GREEN Checkmark for this Connection. If you cant get a Connection, please disable your Firewall or allow TCP Port 11411.
PLAY Button with Feedback
We will create a Button that will play a selected Clip in PLAYDECK, which turns RED, if the Playout is running.
1. Create a new Button anywhere and add a new Action
2. From the Popup we select PLAY and click DONE
3. We can use Channel #1 or change it to any other Channel we like. We rename our new Button PLAY. Then we switch to FEEDBACKS
4. After adding a new Feedback, we select PLAYBACK STATE and click DONE
5. Same here: We can use Channel #1 or change it. We now have a PLAY Button, that on-click will play any CUE’d Clip Channel #1 (or selected Clip, if no Clip is CUE’d). The Button will get RED, if any Playback is running on that Channel. You can now use this Template to add more Buttons for your PLAY CONTROL, like CUE, STOP, PAUSE or Overlays. In the future we will add PRESETS for these basic functions.
Custom Commands instead of Actions
We will add any PLAYDECK Command to a Companion Button. This is useful, if you are more of a “code” type of person or if there a new Commands in PLAYDECK, which are (not yet) available in Companion. Its also possible to add multiple Commands at the same time.
1. We create a new Button and add a new Action. We now select CUSTOM COMMAND and click DONE
2. In PLAYDECK we open the COMMANDS LIST to review, which Command we want to use
3. We decide that we want to start multiple Overlays on several Channel and after that start 2 Streams:
<startoverlay|1|1>
<startoverlay|1|3>
<startoverlay|2|1>
<startoverlay|2|5>
<startstream|1>
<startstream|2>
4. We wrap up all Commands into one Line and copy it into the COMMANDS Field. If we then press our Button, we start our Overlays and our Streams, as all Commands are executed in the written order.
5. Another good example is starting 2 Channel synchronized:
<cue|1><cue|2><wait|1000><play|1><play|2>
This will CUE both Channel, then wait 1 Second for CUE being ready (Clip Caching), then PLAY both Channel.
Custom Button Feedbacks
Instead of using the pre-defined Feedbacks (e.g. PLAY STATE), you can use Companion VARIABLES to use many more Feedbacks. In this example we will start a specific Block and show its remaining Time on the Button.
1. We add a new Block to Channel #1 in PLAYDECK and rename it MAIN PROGRAM
2. Now we add a new Button to Companion and rename it MAIN. We start the Playback of our new Block via the PLAY FLEX Action, which allows us to use the Block Name instead of the Number
3. Now we check, what VARIABLES we can use for our Button Feedback. In the left Menu we click VARIABLES and then PLAYDECK. For our example we will use the CURRENT BLOCK NAME as trigger for our Feedback and the CURRENT BLOCK REMAIN TIME for our Button Text. You can click the small Copy Icon next to the Variable for easy Copy&Paste
4. We now head back to our Button and add a new Feedback. But in the Popup we dont open PLAYDECK, but the INTERNAL Tab. We then select VARIABLE: CHECK VALUE
5. We want to check, if our Block MAIN PROGRAM is playing specifically, so we add the VARIABLE “$(Playdeck:channel_1_block_name)” as Check Value and compare it against our Block Name “Main Program”. If our Block is playing, we want the Remaining Time to display on our Button, so we add TEXT as CHANGE STYLE PROPERTY and use the VARIABLE “$(Playdeck:channel_1_block_remain)”
