Datavideo CG-200 Instruction Manual
CG-200
FREE
CHARACTER
GENERATOR SOFTWARE
Table of Contents
FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT ............................................................................... 5
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ............................................................................. 5
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................... 6
STANDARD WARRANTY ................................................................................................... 6
THREE YEAR WARRANTY ................................................................................................. 7
DISPOSAL .............................................................................................................. 8
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 9
FEATURES .................................................................................................................... 9
MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS: ........................................................................... 10
IMPORTANT NOTES: ..................................................................................................... 10
EXAMPLE CG-200 SET UP WITH TC-200 ................................................................ 12
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ................................................................................... 12
OVERVIEW - USER INTERFACE .............................................................................. 15
SWITCHING THE PREVIEW PANE ON ................................................................................. 16
SWITCHING THE HDMI OUTPUT ON ................................................................................ 17
SETTINGS > PREFERENCES ............................................................................................. 17
Mode ................................................................................................................. 19
HDMI Connection .............................................................................................. 19
Do not restore monitor configuration on exit .................................................... 19
Alternative vertical sync method ....................................................................... 19
Pages / Projects Folder location ........................................................................ 19
Use large icons in toolbars ................................................................................. 19
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Setting a safety Margin ..................................................................................... 19
ADDING A SIMPLE CG OBJECT .............................................................................. 20
OBJECT PROPERTIES DIALOGUE BOX .................................................................... 21
BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 22
TEXT ......................................................................................................................... 22
TEXT SOURCE ............................................................................................................. 22
PRESENTATION ............................................................................................................ 22
CREATING A SIMPLE LOWER THIRD OVERLAY ....................................................... 23
ADDING A CLOCK ................................................................................................. 28
ADDING A STATIC LOGO ....................................................................................... 30
DISPLAYING AN IMAGE SEQUENCE ....................................................................... 36
GROUPING .......................................................................................................... 38
HOTKEYS ............................................................................................................. 45
SCRIPTS ............................................................................................................... 47
INTRODUCTION OF THE SCRIPT EDITOR ............................................................................ 48
THE EXAMPLE OF THE SCRIPT EDITOR OPERATION .............................................................. 51
HOW TO CREATE A SCRIPT FILE ...................................................................................... 51
AUTOMATION ..................................................................................................... 59
THE EXAMPLE OF THE AUTOMATION OPERATION ............................................................... 62
PLAY ON SPECIFIC TIME ................................................................................................ 62
PLAY ON HOTKEY ......................................................................................................... 68
THE OBJECT NAVIGATOR ...................................................................................... 72
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INTRODUCTION OF THE OBJECT NAVIGATOR...................................................................... 72
DISPLAYING THE CG-200 USER INTERFACE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES .................. 76
ADVANCED – USING VARIABLES INSTEAD OF TEXT ............................................... 78
FRAME TEXT ............................................................................................................... 78
CLOCK VARIABLES ........................................................................................................ 78
FORMAT STRING OPTIONS ARE: ...................................................................................... 78
CSV FILE ................................................................................................................... 79
SERVICE AND SUPPORT ....................................................................................... 80
Disclaimer of Product & Services
The information offered in this instruction manual is intended as a guide only. At all times, Datavideo
Technologies will try to give correct, complete and suitable information. However, Datavideo Technologies
cannot exclude that some information in this manual, from time to time, may not be correct or may be
incomplete. This manual may contain typing errors, omissions or incorrect information. Datavideo
Technologies always recommend that you double check the information in this document for accuracy
before making any purchase decision or using the product. Datavideo Technologies is not responsible for
any omissions or errors, or for any subsequent loss or damage caused by using the information contained
within this manual. Further advice on the content of this manual or on the product can be obtained by
contacting your local Datavideo Office or dealer.
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FCC Compliance Statement
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Warnings and Precautions
1. Read all of these warnings and save them for later reference.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on this unit.
3. Unplug this unit from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp
cloth for cleaning.
4. Do not use this unit in or near water.
5. Do not place this unit on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The unit may fall, causing serious damage.
6. Slots and openings on the cabinet top, back, and bottom are provided for ventilation. To ensure safe
and reliable operation of this unit, and to protect it from overheating, do not block or cover these
openings. Do not place this unit on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface, as the ventilation openings on
the bottom of the cabinet will be blocked. This unit should never be placed near or over a heat register
or radiator. This unit should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided.
7. This product should only be operated from the type of power source indicated on the marking label of
the AC adapter. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult your Datavideo dealer or
your local power company.
8. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this unit where the power cord will be
walked on, rolled over, or otherwise stressed.
9. If an extension cord must be used with this unit, make sure that the total of the ampere ratings on the
products plugged into the extension cord do not exceed the extension cord rating.
10. Make sure that the total amperes of all the units that are plugged into a single wall outlet do not exceed
15 amperes.
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11. Never push objects of any kind into this unit through the cabinet ventilation slots, as they may touch
dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in risk of fire or electric shock. Never spill
liquid of any kind onto or into this unit.
12. Except as specifically explained elsewhere in this manual, do not attempt to service this product
yourself. Opening or removing covers that are marked “Do Not Remove” may expose you to dangerous
voltage points or other risks, and will void your warranty. Refer all service issues to qualified service
personnel.
13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer to qualified service personnel under the following
conditions:
a. When the power cord is damaged or frayed;
b. When liquid has spilled into the unit;
c. When the product has been exposed to rain or water;
d. When the product does not operate normally under normal operating conditions. Adjust only
those controls that are covered by the operating instructions in this manual; improper
adjustment of other controls may result in damage to the unit and may often require extensive
work by a qualified technician to restore the unit to normal operation;
e. When the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged;
f. When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service.
Warranty
Standard Warranty
Datavideo equipment are guaranteed against any manufacturing defects for one year from the date of
purchase.
The original purchase invoice or other documentary evidence should be supplied at the time of any
request for repair under warranty.
The product warranty period beings on the purchase date. If the purchase date is unknown, the
product warranty period begins on the thirtieth day after shipment from a Datavideo office.
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All non-Datavideo manufactured products (product without Datavideo logo) have only one year
warranty from the date of purchase.
Damage caused by accident, misuse, unauthorized repairs, sand, grit or water is not covered under
warranty.
Viruses and malware infections on the computer systems are not covered under warranty.
Any errors that are caused by unauthorized third-party software installations, which are not required
by our computer systems, are not covered under warranty.
All mail or transportation costs including insurance are at the expense of the owner.
All other claims of any nature are not covered.
All accessories including headphones, cables, and batteries are not covered under warranty.
Warranty only valid in the country or region of purchase.
Your statutory rights are not affected.
Three Year Warranty
All Datavideo products purchased after July 1st, 2017 are qualified for
a free two years extension to the standard warranty, providing the
product is registered with Datavideo within 30 days of purchase.
Certain parts with limited lifetime expectancy such as LCD panels, DVD drives, Hard Drive, Solid
State Drive, SD Card, USB Thumb Drive, Lighting, Camera module, PCIe Card are covered for 1
year.
The three-year warranty must be registered on Datavideo's official website or with your local
Datavideo office or one of its authorized distributors within 30 days of purchase.
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Disposal
For EU Customers only - WEEE Marking
This symbol on the product or on its packaging indicates that this product must
not be disposed of with your other household waste. Instead, it is your
responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over to a
designated collection point for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic
equipment. The separate collection and recycling of your waste equipment at
the time of disposal will help to conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that
protects human health and the environment. For more information about where you can drop off your waste
equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, your household waste disposal service or the
shop where you purchased the product.
CE Marking is the symbol as shown on the left of this page. The letters "CE" are
the abbreviation of French phrase "Conformité Européene" which literally
means "European Conformity". The term initially used was "EC Mark" and it was
officially replaced by "CE Marking" in the Directive 93/68/EEC in 1993. "CE
Marking" is now used in all EU official documents.
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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Datavideo CG-200, Character Generator software.
CG-200 is designed to be easy to learn and quick to use as well as offering lots of
professional features. It allows producers to create professional overlays in the field
with a Windows laptop instead of having to transport a high end desktop PC with PCIe
cards fitted.
CG-200 outputs a computer generated video stream from a conventional laptop or PC
running Windows via HDMI connection. Instead of RGB the output video format is
4:2:2 YCbCr+Alpha. Special hardware is required to separate picture and alpha
channels such as Datavideo’s TC-200 overlay box or a Datavideo Switcher such as the
SE-2200, SE-2800, SE-2850 and the upcoming TC-100 box.
This manual will cover the CG-200 software only, a separate manual is provided with
the TC-200 overlay box and SE-2200 switcher.
Features
PAL, NTSC and HD video resolutions up to 1080 supported
HDMI / DVI / Display Port CG overlay output*.
Supports Windows based TrueType / OpenType Fonts.
Clock Function HH:MM or HH:MM:SS.
Count down timer HH:MM:SS.
Count up timer HH:MM:SS.
Import images with alpha channel PNG, TGA and GIF
Import text from a file CSV, RTF, TXT.
Horizontal text crawls
Vertical text rolls
Simple object animations
Text and Object transparency
Timed and manually started transitions
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Minimum computer requirements:
* Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10
* DirectX 9.0c June 2010 or later
* DirectX 9 compatible graphics adapter with two outputs,
HDMI or DVI connector on second output,
at least 256 MB of video memory
Important notes:
* CG-200 uses Windows DirectX technology. To ensure that up-to-date version
of DirectX is present on the user’s system, CG-200 installer runs DirectX
WebSetup.
Alternatively download full DirectX end-user redistributable:
https://download.cnet.com/Microsoft-DirectX-Redistributable-June-2010/30002121_4-10176490.html
Please download the DirectX 9.0c offline installer from the above-mentioned
website. Please double-click the downloaded file and then unzip the file to a
temporary folder. Please double-click “DXSETUP.exe” from this folder for starting the
installation of the Direct X 9.0c.
* Since internal Windows components are used to render CG text, CG-200
requires that ClearType technology (that is used by Windows to smooth text
on LCD monitors) is turned off. CG-200 automatically turns it off
on startup and restores user settings on exit. This may result in slightly
deteriorated look of Windows user interface while running CG-200.
* As CG-200 uses Windows RTF component for rendering text, it depends
on Windows DPI settings. If file was saved on a PC with different DPI setting,
the text could appear larger or smallers. CG-200 warns user if such
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a mismatch is detected.
* CG-200 is a real-time application that should update HDMI output
50 or 60 times each second. This requirement means that precious computer
resources should not be consumed by other applications. Please try not to
start any other foreground tasks when CG-200 is running.
* Desktop enhancements (like Windows Aero) are also consuming a lot of
graphics adapter resources, that’s why CG-200 turns it off on startup
and restores user settings on exit.
* Exact pixel-to-pixel output is required on HDMI channel, otherwise separation
of picture and alpha channels wouldn’t work properly. Unfortunately some
graphic adapter drivers enable overscan or underscan mode by default. This
leads to either black borders at the edges of the picture or zoomed picture
with parts of it not visible at all. It’s not possible to turn this feature
off programmatically so overscan/underscan should be disabled manually.
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Example CG-200 Set Up with TC-200
Software Installation
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Step1: Please click the icon to install CG-200
Software.
Step2: Follow the step by step install wizard.
Step3: When finished, please double click the desktop icon to launch
the software.
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Initial Set Up Wizard
Setting the required video mode on first use is straight forward.
Click the drop down and choose your preferred mode then click Next.
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Note : The chosen resolution should match the output of your TC-200 overlay box
and or the video equipment being used.
Overview - User Interface
1. Menus and Tool bars
2. Page / Projects Pane
3. Project Thumbnail Preview
4. Preview Pane.
5. Editing Pane.
6. Properties Pane.
The CG-200 User Interface panes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 can be resized to suit your needs.
Simply click and drag the pane edge using the mouse pointer.
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Switching the Preview pane on
The Preview pane (4) is useful for playing back a CG project when editing or creating a
CG project. It allows you to see how one or all elements in the project will be displayed
when live on the HDMI output.
Press function key F9 to toggle the Preview pane (4) on or off. Alternatively click the
Eye button on the top toolbar.
Short descriptions are shown when the mouse pointer is held over a selected
toolbar button.
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Switching the HDMI output on
This will allow the current CG project to be played out of the laptop to the TC-200
unit or a compatible video switcher such as the SE-2200.
Press function key F10 to toggle the CG HDMI output on or off. Alternatively click the
Display button on the top toolbar.
Settings > Preferences
Preferences can be set from the drop down menu Settings.
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Mode
Choose the video mode to be used in the project. Preview and HDMI outputs may
need to be toggled off first see page 17~19.
HDMI Connection
The laptop HDMI output can be set to on automatically as soon as CG-200 is
launched. If no HDMI device connection is detected an error may be displayed. This
reminds you to have the HDMI cable connected to the TC-200 unit or video switcher
from the laptop.
Do not restore monitor configuration on exit
This tick option refers to the laptop monitor and Windows display mode. The laptop
monitor mode is changed whilst CG-200 is running to allow for best performance on
the HDMI output. It is best left not ticked in most cases.
Alternative vertical sync method
This setting is used in special circumstances where the external equipment needs a
different sync reference. It is best left not ticked in most cases. If you experience video
tearing or shattered CG movement, try to tick this option to improve above-mentioned
situations.
Pages / Projects Folder location
Clicking on the configure button you can have CG-200 automatically navigate to the
required folder on the laptop where your CG-200 pages and projects are stored. A
folder and file tree is then displayed at start up in the Pages pane, see page 15 pane
(2).
Use large icons in toolbars
If ticked then CG-200 must be restarted for the larger toolbar icons to be displayed.
Setting a safety Margin
A percentage of the overall display area can be designated as an outside edge safety
margin for CG objects. This allows you to judge and avoid where CG text, shapes or
images may be too close to the edge of the video area and so avoid objects being
displayed incorrectly.
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Adding a simple CG object
Click on the Add simple object toolbar button to create a CG object that can be defined
as a text object.
Alternatively use the right mouse button to click the checkered background area of
this Editing pane. A menu box will appear, click Add simple object.
An empty CG object box will appear.
This CG object box can be moved to the
required location and resized using the
handles on its outside edge.
Once correctly located and sized use the
right hand mouse button to click on the
same object and choose Properties.
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Object properties dialogue box
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Background
The background of all CG objects (simple object & picture/animation) can be set within
the Object Properties dialogue box shown on page 21.
The background of the object box can be set to a chosen colour and be made partially
or fully transparent.
Text
The text of all CG objects (simple object & picture/animation) can be set within the
Object Properties dialogue box shown on page 21.
The text of the object can also be set to a chosen colour and be made partially or fully
transparent.
Text can be started from the edge of the box and also be defined with a movement
such as Fixed, Horizontal scroll and Vertical roll.
Text Source
The text source of all CG objects (simple object & picture/animation) can be set within
the Object Properties dialogue box shown on page 21.
Sources for the text can be set as:
Object text Directly typed into the object
Clock Using the laptop’s Windows clock time as reference
Text File
RTF File Files held in the same CG Project/ Page folder
CSV File
Timer Count up or down
Presentation
The display of all CG objects (simple object & picture/animation) can be set within the
Object Properties dialogue box shown on page 21.
With options for start delay, effects in/out and duration, the presentation settings
define how and when the current CG object is shown during playback of the CG Page
file.
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Creating a simple lower third overlay
To start a new CG-200 page or project use the drop down menu path File > New
You will be presented with a blank or checkered background that represents the
video space for your chosen resolution.
Click on the Add simple object button on the top toolbar or right mouse click on the
background space.
A new object box will be displayed. Drag it to a lower third position on top of the
background area. Now stretch and resize the object box using the mouse pointer to
create a lower third type oblong shape as below.
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Once correctly located and sized, use the right
hand mouse button to click on the same lower
third object and choose Properties
This will display the properties dialogue box as
shown below.
Set the colour and transparency of the background within the lower third object. The
lower the transparency value the more solid the object will look and less video will
show through the lower third box.
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