Skip to main content
Skip table of contents

Configure video I/O

Here you define your video inputs and outputs. Currently supported sources/destinations

  • AJA - AJA video cards

  • BMD - BlackMagic Design DeckLink video cards

  • NDI - Video over IP - What is NDI?

  • Tracking only (Input) - useful in XR setups where no video input is needed

  • Experimental - details see below

    • File (Input) - enabled by default

    • SRT (Input/Output)

    • GPU (Output)

See System Requirements for supported cards

Learn more about color profile and color space in how to Configure your color pipeline

How to work with interlaced video

If you are feeding an interlaced video into Pixotope, it will be deinterlaced before coming into the engine. This way we composite the video with the graphics in the best way possible. If you are using interlaced output, it will be re-interlaced after compositing. This intermediate deinterlacing will not be visible in the output and is strictly to improve the compositing quality.

  • Go to SETUP > Configure > Video I/O

  • Output either interlaced or (deinterlaced) progressive.

Academy Tutorial - Using Multiple Video Inputs

  • Learn how to use Media inputs to set up virtual monitors and other video feeds for your scene

Video input

Camera systems are listed by default.

  1. Add additional media inputs if you need untracked video sources in your level (for example, the input for a virtual monitor)

    1. Name your media input

  2. For Input choose the input source (AJA, BMD, NDI, Tracking only)

  3. Optionally override the default settings:

    1. Choose the Video input format (resolution and frame rate) of your camera systems and media inputs - See Supported input and output formats

    2. Choose the Color profile - Learn move about how to Configure your color pipeline

    3. Choose the input type

Fill

default setting, allows for using the internal video keyer

Fill - External Key

the video is keyed externally and is provided as a separate fill and key signal
(when selected, a separate key entry is created automatically)

Fill/Key - External Key

the video is keyed externally and is provided as a combined fill and key signal

Experimental input

File

Experimental features can be enabled in SETUP > Show > Show settings
Use with caution!

File input

This allows you to use an image or video file as input.

  1. Set the Input to File (experimental) in SETUP > Configure > Video IO

  2. Go to SETUP > Configure > Routing

  3. Select the image or video file you want to input

  4. Playing of the file starts immediately and is played in a loop

Limitations

  • There no play/pause controls available

  • The frame rate can not be changed

  • There is no guarantee of fluent playback. The speed depends on the read rate of your hard drive.

SRT

Experimental features can be enabled in SETUP > Show > Show settings
Use with caution!

SRT input

This allows you to use an SRT stream as input.

  1. Set the Input to SRT (experimental) in SETUP > Configure > Video IO

    • The SRT Input will run in listener mode

  2. Go to SETUP > Configure > Routing

  3. Set the Port number

The frame rate of the incoming stream (caller) and the input (listener) must be the same!

If the Editor drops its frame rate will below the one chosen, it will lead to an SRT input buffer overflow. This then causes a rebuild of the videoIO pipeline which will, during rebuild, display “Misconfigured Input Signal”.

Ways to provide an SRT stream
Pixotope

You can use another Pixotope machine to output an SRT stream.

See below how to setup an output SRT stream in Pixotope.

FFMPEG

Run ffmpeg as source via command line

CODE 
ffmpeg.exe -fflags nobuffer -re -protocol_whitelist file,srt -i <here_input_file> -r 30 -g 30 -b:v 25M -vcodec mpeg4 -f mpegts srt://10.11.36.22:16210

Options used:

-fflags nobuffer- lower latency

-re - realtime playback with frame pacing here defined by -r 30

-i <here_input_file> - input source, may be a file (with path) or a url

-protocol_whitelist file,srt - on some (older or not full build) ffmpeg versions, a manual whitelisting of protocols may be required

-g 30 - GroupOfPictures size, here every the 30th frame is a key frame. Lower value means lower latency but very low values may impact quality whilst using temporal codecs (mpeg4, h264)

-b:v 25M- maximum bitrate used - here 25 MBps - quality versus required bandwidth. If user see frame drops (in the logs) it will cause broken image after decoding (broken macroblocks or whole areas of frame) should try to lower that value

-vcodec mpeg4- recommended codec

-f mpegts- transport format (only mpegts is supported)

srt://10.11.36.22:16210 - target IP and port

Video output

The frame rate of inputs and outputs must be the same! 

For example, if your production needs to output in 50p, choose a 50p output format and set your physical camera and the camera system in Director up to match.

  1. Add one or more media outputs

    1. Name your media output

  2. For Output choose the output destination (AJA, BMD, NDI)

  3. Optionally override the default settings

    1. Choose the Video output format (resolution and frame rate) of your camera systems and media outputs - See Supported input and output formats

    2. Choose the Color profile - Learn move about how to Configure your color pipeline

      • Color management in Editor

        • When "OCIO Viewport Enabled" is selected in the Editor, the color space of the Editor viewport is linked to this color space selection.

        • This only applies if SETUP > Show > Settings > Base settings > Compositing color space is set to "Linear space"

    3. Choose the Output type

    4. Optionally output Audio by selecting the checkbox - Learn move about how to Configure audio output

    5. Set the Audio delay if required - the default value is 100 msec

Fill

for internal compositing mode (default)

Key

for external compositing mode

Learn more about Compositing modes

Experimental output

GPU

Experimental features can be enabled in SETUP > Show > Show settings
Use with caution!

GPU output

This allows you to output to an HDMI output of your graphics card directly. The output is stretched to the whole monitor’s resolution and put in the "background". It can be used seamlessly in a dual monitor setup.

  1. Set the Output to GPU (experimental) in SETUP > Configure > Video IO > Output

  2. Use the "Output destination" to select which output on your graphics card to use

GPU output does not support Genlock

SRT

Experimental features can be enabled in SETUP > Show > Show settings
Use with caution!

SRT output

This allows you to output an SRT stream.

  1. Set the Output to SRT (experimental) in SETUP > Configure > Video IO

    • The SRT Input runs in caller mode

  2. Go to SETUP > Configure > Routing

  3. Set the IP address and the Port number

The frame rate of the output (caller) and the listener of the stream must be the same!

If the receiver of the output is not able to consume the incoming packets fast enough its SRT receiver buffer will overflow and most likely break the connection.

Ways to read an SRT stream
Pixotope

You can use the stream as an input to another Pixotope machine.

See above how to setup an input SRT stream in Pixotope.

FFPLAY

Run ffplay as sink via command line

CODE 
ffplay.exe srt://0.0.0.0:16210?mode=listener -framerate 30

Options used:

srt://0.0.0.0:16210 - target port

-framerate 30 - for older versions of ffplay one has to specify the frame rate to secure against buffer overflow

Supported input and output formats

Supported input and output formats
TEXT 
 HD - 720p - 50
 HD - 720p - 59.94
 HD - 720p - 60
 HD - 1080i - 50
 HD - 1080i - 59.94
 HD - 1080i - 60
 HD - 1080p - 23.98
 HD - 1080p - 24
 HD - 1080p - 25
 HD - 1080p - 29.97
 HD - 1080p - 30
 HD - 1080p - 47.95
 HD - 1080p - 48
 HD - 1080p - 50
 HD - 1080p - 59.94
 HD - 1080p - 60
 2K - 2048x1080p - 23.98
 2K - 2048x1080p - 24
 2K - 2048x1080p - 25
 2K - 2048x1080p - 29.98
 2K - 2048x1080p - 30
 2K - 2048x1080p-47.95
 2K - 2048x1080p-48
 2K - 2048x1080p-50
 2K - 2048x1080p-59.94
 2K - 2048x1080p-60
 UHD - 3840 x 2160p - 23.98
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 24
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 25
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 29.97
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 30
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 47.95
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 48
 UHD - 3840 x 2160p - 50
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 59.94
 UHD - 3840x2160p - 60
 4K - 4096 x 2160p - 23.98
 4K - 4096x2160p - 24
 4K - 4096 x 2160p - 25
 4K - 4096x2160p-47.95
 4K - 4096x2160p-48
 4K - 4096 x 2160p - 50
 4K - 4096 x 2160p - 59.94
 4K - 4096x2160p-60
JavaScript errors detected

Please note, these errors can depend on your browser setup.

If this problem persists, please contact our support.

Contact Support Close