epiphan VGADVI Broadcaster Pro, VGADVI Recorder Pro User Manual

UserGuide

VGADVI Recorder Pro

(also covering VGADVIBroadcasterPro)

Release 3.17.0n

July 5, 2016

UG105-06

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Thank you for choosing Epiphan!

At Epiphan Video (“Epiphan”), product function and quality are our top priority. We make every effort to make
sure that our products exceed your expectations.

Product feedback

Your feedback is important! We regularly contact our customers to ensure our products meet your
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your needs. Please let us know how you think we can improve our products by emailing your suggestions to

[e-mail].

Specifications

Go to the Professional Recording and StreamingSystems page of the Epiphan website to get the most recent
product specifications and additional information about Epiphan's VGADVI Recorder Pro.

Warranty

All Epiphan Systems products are provided with a 100% return to depot warranty for one year from the date
of purchase.

Technical support

Epiphan’s products are backed by our professional support team. If you are having issues with your product,
please gather details about your system and contact our team by:

l Emailing [e-mail]

l Live chat via the link on our support site http://www.epiphan.com/support/

l Phone toll free at 1-877-599-6581 or call [phone]

Be sure to include as much information about your problem as possible. Including:

l Problem description

l Details of the video or audio source (type, connection, resolution, refresh rate, etc.)

l Product serial number

l Product firmware version (if applicable, from web admin interface)

Copyright © 2016 Epiphan Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved.

What's new in release 3.17.0?

Firmware release 3.17.0 is packed with new features for VGADVI Recorder Pro. Features include support for
IP cameras as sources, dynamic overlay text in custom layouts, portable configuration presets, control for
streaming and a brand new control interface – Epiphan Live!

New features include:

IP cameras

Firmware 3.17.0 now offers support for IP cameras as sources. Easily connect any RTSP-based camera and
start capturing over a network!

Epiphan Live

Epiphan Live is a new, intuitive and easy-to-use interface for controlling and monitoring streaming, recording
and live switching using a PC, laptop or tablet.

Dynamic text

Users can now create new system-wide variables via HTTP API, insert them into their custom layouts as
overlay text and update variables with a script for dynamic layout overlay text!

Refined streaming control

Precisely control streaming with ease using convenient start/stop streaming buttons in the Admin panel.

Portable configuration presets

Save system settings into portable configuration presets for backup and/or easy transfer of configuration
settings to additional VGA Grid and VGADVI Recorder Pro systems.

Progressive MP4 and improved support for Adobe Premiere Pro

Choose to save recordings as progressive MP4 files for improved post-processing support using tools such as
Adobe Premiere Pro. (Note that Adobe Premiere Pro does not support variable frame rate files, so small audio
offsets are still possible when using it for post processing.)

Resolved issues

The following issues were resolved in 3.16.1e:

l Fixed an issue where minor signal noise was detected when capturing from HDMI sources. Discovered

through our ongoing, automated frame-by-frame testing, but not perceptible to the human eye, some
frames captured from HDMI sources had an undesirable flicker that is resolved in this release.

Table of contents

What's new in release 3.17.0? 4
Resolved issues 5
Table of contents 6

Start here 12

VGADVI Recorder Pro Overview 13

AV inputs 13

What's in the box? 13

Tech specs 17

Quick Start 19

Step 1: Physical set-up and power-on 19

Step 2: Admin discovery and login 20

Step 3: Set up the video source 21

Step 4: Configure the channel 23

Step 5: Testing the stream 24

Step 6: Recording the stream 25

What’s Next? 25

Epiphan Live 26

Accessing Epiphan Live 27

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the Dashboard interface 29

Live switching using the Switcher interface 39

PART 1: Setup 45

The Admin panel 46

Connect to the Admin panel 46

User administration 50

View system information 63
Configure network settings 64

Verify IP address and MAC address 64

Configure DHCP 65

Configure a static IP address 66

6

Tether to a mobile network 68

Network ports used by VGADVI Recorder Pro 69

Perform network diagnostics 71

Configuration presets 73

Configuration presets overview 73

Configuration groups 76

Create a configuration preset 77

Apply a configuration preset 79

Apply theFactory default configuration preset 81

Update a configuration preset 82

Delete a configuration preset 83

Configurationpreset considerations 84

Configure date and time 88

Verify date and time settings 88

Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and RDATE) 89

Configure the date and time manually 91

Change the time zone 91

Configure a local NTP server 91

PART 2: Capture 93

What is a channel? 94

Create a simple channel 95

Create a custom channel 99

Configure encoding 135

Add channel metadata 144

Preview a channel 146

Preview all channels at once 147

Rename a channel 148

Delete a channel 149

Live video mixing / switching 150
What is a source? 155

Connect a source 157

7

Connect an RTSP source 157

List of tested RTSP-based IP cameras 161

Preview a source 163

Configure a source 163

Rename a source 169

Adjust audio volume 170

Troubleshoot capture 172

Remove black bars (matte) from the video 172

Force the capture card to use a specific EDID 175

Unstretch the output video 179

Video not centered (VGAsources only) 179

Remove the combing effect on images 180

Video looks squished (VGA sources only) 181

Video too bright, too dark or washed out (VGAsources only) 182

PART 3: Stream 184

What is streaming? 185

Choose a streaming option 185

Supported streaming formats 186

Stream to viewers 187

Stream content using HTTPor RTSP 187

Configure HTTP and RTSP streaming ports 189

Stream content using HLS(HTTP Live Streaming) 190

Send stream URLs to viewers 191

View the Flash stream 192

Viewing with a web browser 195

Viewing with a media player (RTSP) 196

Disable (and enable) streams for viewers 197

Restrict access to streams for viewers 198

Restrict viewers by IPaddress 199

IPrestriction examples 201

8

Stream to a server 204

Stream to a CDN 205

Stream content using multicast 221

Stream to a media player 226

Stream content using multicast 226

Stream content using UPnP 232

Samples of stream settings 241

Streaming video content 241

Streaming slide content 242

PART 4: Record 243

What is a recording? 244

Recording basics

Record a channel via the Admin panel

Record a channel via Epiphan Live

Configure recording file size and type

Control recording with a mouse

Restart recording

Recorders 255

244

245

247

252

253

253

Add a recorder 255

Change the channels recorded by a recorder 256

Record with a recorder 257

Record a recorder (using Epiphan Live) 259

Rename a recorder 259

Delete a recorder 260

Recorded files 262

View list of recorded files 262

Download recorded files manually 263

Extract tracks from a recording 264

Rename recorded files 266

9

Delete recorded files manually 267

File and recording transfer 269

Automatic file upload (AFU) overview 269

Choose files to include in AFU 270

Enable and set timing for AFU 272

AFU to an FTP server 275

AFU using RSync 276

AFU using CIFS 278

AFU to a secure FTP server 279

AFU using SCP 281

AFU or copy to USB drive 283

View the AFU log 290

Manage the AFU queue 290

Local FTPserver 293

Configure the local FTP server 293

Using the local FTP server 294

PART 5: Maintenance 297

Power down and system restart 298

Restarting the device via the Admin panel 298

Shutting down the device via the Admin panel 298

Shutting down the device manually 299

Save and restore device configuration 300

Save device configuration 300

Load a saved device configuration 301

Perform factory reset 303

Restore factory configuration via the Admin panel 303

Firmware upgrade 305

Check for firmware updates 305

Install firmware 306

Support 309

Download logs and "allinfo" 309

10

Configure remote support 311

Disable remote support 312

Storage disk maintenance 313

Check disk storage space 313

Schedule disk check 314

Perform disk check 314

Rebuild or replace storage disks 315

Verify RAID storage 320

Read data from removed storage disks 321

Third party integration 324

Control with RS-232 / serial port 325

Control with HTTPcommands 331

Configurationkeys forthirdparty APIs 337

Troubleshooting 350

Limitations and known issues 353

Previous releases and features 356

Software and documentation license 358

11

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Start here

Start here

Welcome, and thank you for buying Epiphan’s VGADVI Recorder Pro™. This guide will help you configure your
new system.

To get started, review the VGADVI Recorder Pro Overview and What's in the box? sections. Next, a Quick Start
guide walks you through the basic steps to get a single video (and optional audio) source configured as a
streamable, recordable output from the VGADVI Recorder Pro.

Following the quick start section, a set of task-based procedures help you to tweak the system exactly how
you want. These procedures are broken into five categories: Setup, Capture, Stream, Record and

Maintenance.

About this Guide

Warnings are depicted as follows.

This is a warning.

Tips and Notes are depicted as follows.

This is a tip.

Throughout this guide there are situations where more than one solution will complete a task. In those cases
the guide describes the simplest or most common variation first.

12

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide VGADVI Recorder Pro Overview

VGADVI Recorder Pro Overview

VGADVI Recorder Pro is a professional audio/video streaming system that captures, synchronizes and records
up to four HD video sources, two SDvideo sources and up to three audio sources. Epiphan’s VGADVI
Recorder Pro captures video signals at resolutions up to 2048×2048 (DL model) with rates of up to 80 frames
per second.

This versatile system has a variety of options enabling you to create and configure any number of streaming
channels. You can choose to stream (or record) a single channel at once or a configuration of synchronized
channels with picture-in-picture or picture-with-picture multiplexing selections.

AV inputs

The latest hardware revision of VGADVI Recorder Pro supports the following AVinputs directly. Nearly every
other AV input is supported provided you have the correct converter or adapter.

Table 1 Inputs for VGADVI Recorder Pro



Table 2 Comparison for Networked VGAGrid and Standalone VGA Grid

DVI-I

(dual link)

2 at up to

2048×2048

SDI Audio S-Video Storage

3(3.5 mm)

2

+SDI

/HDMI

2 6 TB

What's in the box?

The VGADVI Recorder Pro is a 2U rackmount server.

13

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide What's in the box?

Latest hardware revision:

VGADVI Recorder Pro can now capture more HD content than ever before. The newest VGADVI Recorder Pro
comes with four HD inputs. Half the inputs are for capturing from DVI/HDMI/VGA sources while the other
half are for SDI sources. As before there are also two S-Video ports.

With this combination of available input ports and applicable DVI, SDI or S-Videoadapters/converters you can
bring in signals from nearly any source. This hardware upgrade also provides audio capture support for HDMI
and SDI in addition to pre-existing support for 3.5 mm analog audio input ports.

Previous hardware revisions

Previous versions of VGADVI Recorder Pro came with two HD inputs. Many, although not all, previous
rackmount hardware revisions can support the latest software release. Compact versions do not support the
firmware upgrade due to hardware limitations. Use the Firmware upgrade feature to see if your device is
upgradeable. Noteprevious hardware revisions do not support HDMIaudio capture.

Unpacking the box

The following list applies only to new devices with the latest hardware revision:

1. Two VGA to DVI-I cables (3 feet / 1 meter in length
each)

2. Two HDMI to DVI-I adapters

3. Two DVI-I cables (3 feet / 1 meter in length)

4. Two composite to S-Video cables

5. Two SDI cables (3 feet / 1 meter in length)

6. One Ethernet cable

7. Power cable

The following table will help you identify the cables and adapters included with your VGADVI Recorder Pro
purchase. Note these images are for identification purpose only. The cables included with your system may be
different with respect length, color, cable casing or shielding.

The cables included with your purchase are not proprietary. If desired, you can use other cables, purchased
separately, to capture your sources.

14

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide What's in the box?

Table 3 Description of Included Cables (Images are for cable type identification, actual cable appearance may vary.)

Image Name Description

Connects a VGA source to the

VGA to DVI cable

system’s DVI port(s). Roughly 3
feet (or 1 meter) in length.

DVI (male) to HDMI
(female) adapter

DVI-I cable (single link)

Composite to S-Video
cable

SDI cable

Connects an HDMI source to the
system’s DVI port(s).

Connects a DVI source to the
encoder’s DVI port(s). Roughly 3
feet (or 1 meter) in length.

Connects a composite output
from an analog sources to the
system’s S-Video port(s).

Connects anSDIsource to the
system via BNCconnectors.
Roughly 3 feet (or 1 meter) in
length.

RJ-45 Ethernet cable

Connects the system to your
network.

15

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide What's in the box?

Front and back panel view

The front of the VGADVI Recorder Pro rackmount server has a set of LED indicators and power buttons while
the back of the 2U rack unit has array of familiar computer connections.

Table 4 VGADVI Recorder Pro Front and Back Panel Descriptions

Label Name Description

Hard Drive LED Blinks when the system is recording or accessing the hard drive.

Power LED Indicates the system is powered on.

Network LEDs Blinks when network activity occurs.

USB Ports

USB Ports

RJ-45 Ethernet Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port.

For connection of external hard drives, flash drives or control
interfaces.

For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, or control
interfaces.

16

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Techspecs

Label Name Description

Audio In (blue)

Audio In (pink)

Audio In (2)

S-Video ports (2) Connect analog video sources (S-Video, composite etc) to the system.

DVI-I Dual Link (2)

SDI ports(2) Connect SDI sources to the system.

Connect amplified line in audio sources to the system. (Use either line
in or microphone in. Both cannot be used at the same time.)

Connect unamplified microphone audio sources to the system. (Use
either line in or microphone in. Both cannot be used at the same
time.)

An Audio In port is located on each card. Connect audio sources to the
system.

Connect analog or HD video sources to the system. (Dual link support
with VGADVI Recorder Pro DLonly).

Tech specs

This table outlines the technical specifications for the latest hardware revision of VGADVI Recorder Pro. Go to
the Professional Recording and StreamingSystems page of the Epiphan website to get the most recent
product specifications and additional information about VGADVI Recorder Pro.

Table 5 Specifications for VGADVI Recorder Pro

Feature HD Rackmount DL Rackmount

Style Rackmount Server Rackmount Server

Dimensions

Maximum Resolution 1920×1200 2048×2048

VGA/DVI Screen Video
Interfaces

S-Video Interfaces 2 2

SDI Interfaces 2 2

Audio Interfaces

493 mm (D) × 422 mm (W) × 88

mm(H) (19.4” × 16.6” × 3.5”)

2 2

3 plus audio support through SDI

493 mm (D) × 422 mm (W) × 88 mm(H)

(19.4” × 16.6” × 3.5”)

3 plus audio support through SDI

andHDMI

17

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Techspecs

Feature HD Rackmount DL Rackmount

and HDMI

Video Codecs / Compression H.264, MPEG-4, MJPEG

Video Bitrate 10 Mb/s

Audio Codecs PCM, MP3, AAC

Audio Sampling Rate 48000 Hz, 44100 Hz, 22050 Hz

Audio Bitrate 64 - 160 kb/s

Key Frames Intervals programmable

RGB plus HSync and VSync

Video Format Options

RGB with Sync-on-Green synchronization

RGB plus CSync signal

Update Rates

Resolution fps

640×480 80

1024×768 60
1280×1024 60
1920×1200 60

- -

- -

Resolution fps

640×480 80

1024×768 60
1280×1024 60
1920×1200 60
2048×1536 15
2048×2048 15

18

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Quick Start

Quick Start

This section helps you get up and running quickly with your VGADVI Recorder Pro.

l Step 1: Physical set-up and power-on

l Step 2: Admin discovery and login

l Step 3: Set up the video source

l Step 4: Configure the channel

l Step 5: Testing the stream

l Step 6: Recording the stream

Before you get started, make sure you have:

l an HD source (i.e. a computer, a tablet, or a phone)

l the appropriate cables or adapters to convert the output to DVI or SDI (if needed)

l ideally, a network with Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

l a computer with a web browser connected to the same network (this is referred to as the “admin”

computer in the steps below)

l optionally, an audio source such as a microphone or the headphone jack from a laptop . Note that

audio signals sent overHDMI andSDI are supported in the latest hardware revision(s). If you have
SDIports, your system supports HDMIand SDI audio.

These instructions include steps for setting up and configuring audio. Skip these optional steps if
you do not want to configure an audio source at this time.

Step 1: Physical set-up and power-on

Complete the following steps to prepare and power on the system. Refer to the Front and Back Panel View
section for your system to locate the appropriate input ports.

1. Turn on your HD source and connect the output cable to a DVI-I or SDI port on the back of the system.

2. (optional) Attach a 3.5 mm audio cable from your audio source to the system’s motherboard audio

input port(blue port on the back of the system).

3. Connect the Ethernet cable to the VGADVI Recorder Pro.

4. Connect the Ethernet cable to your network.

5. Attach the power cable to the system and plug it into a power source.

19

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 2: Admin discovery and login

6. Unlock the front panel and press the power button to turn on the system.

7. Wait for the VGADVI Recorder Pro to complete the power up sequence. The power LED illuminates and

the hard drive LED flashes during start up.

Step 2: Admin discovery and login

The VGADVI Recorder Pro is managed from an Admin panel. This interface acts as a configuration utility and
system monitor. The first time you access the Admin panel you will not know the IP address of the system.

The steps below use DNS-based service discovery (a type of zero-configuration networking) to access the
system. Depending on the operating system on your admin computer you may need to install some software
before you can used DNS-based discovery.

This quick start is meant for systems that support DHCP and DNS, however if your system does
not support these mechanisms, refer to Connect to the Admin panel and Connect to the
Admin panel for alternative discovery mechanisms. Return to step 3 below when you have
completed setting a static IP address for the VGADVI Recorder Pro.

Table 6 Installing Bonjour Print Services

System Action Needed

You must install Bonjour Print Services:

1. Use the following URL - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999

Microsoft Windows

2. Click Download.

3. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application.

MacOSX

Linux

You are able to access the system Admin panel on the local network by specifying its serial number in a web
browser on your admin computer.

1. Find the system’s serial number. It is printed on a sticker on the back of the unit.

2. Type the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer (where

<serial> is the serial number of your VGADVI Recorder Pro):

The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built in to the Mac OS. No special
actions are needed.

The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux
distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the
Avahi package installed.

20

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 3: Set up the video source

http://<serial>.local/admin
For example: http://95dd40d5.local/admin

3. Enter the user name and password then click OK. The administrative user is ‘admin’. Initially no

password is set. To set a password follow the procedure outlined in User administration.

4. Optionally, navigate to the Network link under the Configuration heading and note the IP address of

the system.

Step 3: Set up the video source

The Admin panel has a pre-configured list of the frame grabbers in the Sources section. Each video input card
on the back of the system is a frame grabber. Each frame grabber has one DVI port, one SDI port, one S-Video
port and one 3.5 mm audio port. The sources are listed by their frame grabber serial number.

DVI ports are listed with the suffix .vga, SDI ports are listed with the suffix .sdi, S-Video inputs listed with the
suffix .video, and analog audio inputs are listed with the suffix _analog or, for the audio port on the
motherboard:Analog. Digital audio inputs (for systems with SDIports) are listed with the suffix .hdmi-audio
or .sdi-audio, depending on their source.

The serial numbers for your system will not be the same as the examples shown below.

1. From the Admin panel, scroll to the Sources section. (You will see more sources than shown below.)

21

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 3: Set up the video source

2. Find the DVI (orSDI) source that you have connected by selecting each DVI (orSDI) source (named .vga

or .sdi as the suffix) and verifying if the preview on the right side of the screen reflects your source
material.

3. Make note of the name of the source, or optionally, change the source name to reflect the data it is

capturing.

To rename the input source:

a. Click on the source name at the top of the source configuration window. The name text

becomes red.

b. Edit the name. The following characters are supported: a-z; A-Z; 0-9; + (plus); - (hyphen); _

(underscore); , (comma), . (period); ~ (tilde); #(hash); [ ]; ( ). Although spaces are also supported,
it is suggested you use underscores to separate words.

c. Press Enter on the keyboard. The name is updated at the top of the screen and in the list of

sources at the left side.

4. Optionally, configure the audio source (if connected):

a. Scroll to the Sources section again and select the motherboard audio source. It is prefixed by

the word audio and suffixed Analog (i.e. audio ALC892 Analog). The audio configuration page
appears.

b. From the Input source drop-down list, select Line for the blue port at the back of the system.

c. Click Apply.

Source setup is complete. The system automatically detected and adjusted the image capture settings at start
up and will continue to adjust every 60 seconds during operation (interval is configurable). The system’s goal is
to produce the best quality captured image given the source equipment used. Generally no further
configuration tweaks are needed.

22

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 4: Configure the channel

Step 4: Configure the channel

Now that you have confirmed the system sees your source it is time to add and configure a channel for
output of your source. Channels expose your sources to your streaming users and prepare the sources for
recording.

By default, when you add a channel, the system names it the same name as its source. If you changed the
source name in previous steps, your new channel's name will reflect the new name.

To add a channel for your source:

1. In the Admin panel, click Add channel from theChannels section; a new channel is created and the

channel configuration page opens.

2. From the Use video source drop-down list, select your source.

3. Click Apply.

To review and configure the channel:

1. From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels section.

2. Click the link for your channel; the channel expands.

3. Click Encoding for your channel.

4. No need to change anything right now. Review some of the default settings. The four most useful

settings to know about are codec, frame size, frame rate and bitrate.

a. The codec is set to H.264 by default.

b. The frame size should reflect the resolution provided by your source. You can set it to something

different by typing in the fields or selecting an option from the different sizes shown. Scaling the
image (making it larger, smaller, or different aspect ratio) takes some processing power, so it’s
always best to leave this at the value detected by the system unless you know it is wrong or
know you need to scale the size.

c. The frame rate limit is set to 30. This means the system won’t spend extra computing time to

attempt to receive more than 30 frames per second. For perspective, NTSC TV signals use 24
frames per second and most hand-drawn animations show only 12 unique frames per second.

d. The bitrate is set to automatic, and the system will determine the best value.

5. Click Status for your channel.

6. Notice the Stream Info section has an item named Video that reflects the four settings reviewed in

prior steps (the frame rate is specified as <resolution size>@30 for 30 (frames per second). It also
provides an indication of the current actual frame rate.

23

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 5: Testing the stream

You may now optionally add audio to your channel:

7. Click Sources for your channel; the media source page is displayed.

8. Select the audio source to which you connected your 3.5mm audio cable. If you connected to the blue

line-in on the back of the system, the audio source is the audio source without a frame grabber serial
number.

9. Click Apply.

10. Click Encoding for your channel; the Encoding page is displayed.

11. Scroll to the bottom of the Encoding and click the Enable audio checkbox.

12. Leave the default AAC format and audio bitrate.

13. Click Apply.

Step 5: Testing the stream

The Status page contains a link to the live broadcast stream for your channel.

To preview the channel in a browser:

1. From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels section.

2. Click the link for your channel.

3. Click the Status link for your channel.

4. Right-click on the Live broadcast link for your channel and select Open in a new tab or Open in a

new window.

5. The new tab or window opens with the stream displayed.

a. If the signal is not detected, reset the DVI cable connections and try again.

Your stream setup is complete. Since most of the steps are pre-configured; you are up and running with a
stream very quickly. You can share the live broadcast link with your users.

24

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Step 6: Recording thestream

Step 6: Recording the stream

The stream is set up; you can begin to record the stream.

To record the stream:

1. From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels section.

2. Click Recording for your channel; the Recording page is displayed.

3. Click the red Start button; the text at the top of the screen changes to indicate the recording is

starting, then indicates the length of time since the recording started.

4. Click the black Stop button; the recorder stops.

5. Refresh the page by clicking Recording again; the page reloads and a file list appears that shows your

newly recorded stream snippet.

6. Click the file name to download and view your recording.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a source set up and ready to stream, you can fine-tune the system to your exact
requirements. You can look at topics such as:

l Add a video source (custom channel)

l Create a custom channel

l What is streaming?

l File and recording transfer

l User administration

When you have completed system tuning, make sure to back up the system configuration using the
procedure described in:

l Create a configuration preset

Refer to the table of contents for a complete list of the topics covered.

25

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Epiphan Live

Epiphan Live

Epiphan Live is a friendly and easy to use web and tablet interface designed for users with administrator and
operator-level privileges. (See User administration for more information on setting user privileges). The
Epiphan Live interface allows users to perform basic operation of their VGADVI Recorder Pro, including:

l streaming and recording control for channels and recorders

l live switching between sources and custom layouts while streaming and recording

l video, audio and system confidence monitoring

Epiphan Live is supported on the following operating systems/mobile devices and web browsers:

Operating system
or mobile device

Windows

Mac

Linux l Google Chrome

Android phone or
tablet

iPhone or iPad



Topics in this section include:

Supported web browser(s)

l Google Chrome

l Microsoft Edge

l Google Chrome

l Safari

l Google Chrome

l Google Chrome

l Safari

l Accessing Epiphan Live

l Streaming, recording and monitoring using the Dashboard interface

26

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Accessing Epiphan Live

l Live switching using the Switcher interface

Accessing Epiphan Live

You can access Epiphan Live directly using your web browser, mobile device or by clicking a link within the
Admin panel. (Note you can also use Epiphan Live to access the Admin panel).

In all cases, before connecting to Epiphan Live, you need to know your VGADVI Recorder Pro's IP address. If
you don't know your VGADVI Recorder Pro's IP address or are setting up for the first time, see Connect to the

Admin panel to get your IP.

Connecting to Epiphan Live directly using your computer's web
browser

You can connect to Epiphan Live directly using a web browser on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer.

To connect to Epiphan Live using your web browser:

1. Enter the following information into the address bar of your web browser , using the syntax below:

http://<IP address of your VGADVI Recorder Pro>/admin/m

2. Enter your administrator or operator credentials when prompted; you are now connected to Epiphan

Live.

Connecting to Epiphan Live directly using your mobile device

You can connect to Epiphan Live directly using your Android phone/tablet, iPhone or iPad.

To connect to Epiphan Live directly using your mobile device:

1. Enter the following information into the address bar of your web browser , using the syntax below:

http://<IP address of your VGADVI Recorder Pro>/

2. Enter your administrator or operator credentials when prompted; you are now connected to Epiphan

Live.

Connecting to Epiphan Live from the Admin panel

Accessing Epiphan Live from the Admin panel requires you to first connect to the Admin panel.

To connect to Epiphan Live from the Admin panel:

27

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Accessing Epiphan Live

1. Enter the following information into the address bar of your web browser , using the syntax below:

http://<IP address of your VGADVI Recorder Pro>

2. Enter your administrator or operator credentials when prompted to connect to the Admin panel.

3. Click Epiphan Live in the upper-right corner of the window; the Epiphan Live dashboard opens in a

new window or tab.

Connecting to the Admin panel from Epiphan Live

You can also use Epiphan Live to connect to the Admin panel.

To connect to the Admin panel from Epiphan Live, click the Menu icon in the upper-right corner of the
Dashboard or Switcher interface and then click Admin panel.

28

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the Dashboard inter­face

The Epiphan Live Dashboard view is an easy-to-use interface that allows you to control the streaming and
recording of channels and also monitor your video inputs, audio inputs and system information.

Topics in this section include:

l Understanding the Dashboard interface

l Configuring Dashboard panels for visual confidence monitoring

l Monitoring video and audio sources

l Controlling streaming and recording using Epiphan Live

Understanding the Dashboard interface

You are first presented with the Dashboard interface upon logging in to Epiphan Live. The Dashboard
interface contains many helpful elements used for confidence monitoring and streaming/recording control,

29

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

described in the Elements in the Dashboard interface table below.

The Dashboard view is responsive and automatically adjusts and repositions its elements to fit
cleanly within any size web browser window.

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

30

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Table 7 Elements in the Dashboard interface

Number Title Description

l Warning – This icon displays only if there are any configuration

errors in your channels, sources, streams or recordings. Clicking
the icon displays more detail about the errors.

l Save – Saves any Dashboard layout changes.

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

1

2

3

4

Dashboard header
icons

Dashboard
monitoring panels

Dashboard panel
navigation icons

Dashboard panel
set quantity icons

l Menu – When clicked, displays links to the Switcher view and

Configurable panels used for confidence monitoring. You can set each
panel to display a source, channel, output or basic system information.
Note that the Dashboard monitoring panels appears blank by default
when logging in for the first time.

Click to navigate between three different sets of Dashboard monitoring
panels. The illuminated icon represents your currently displayed panel
set.

l 2x – Changes the quanity of Dashboard panels per set to 2 (as in

l 4x – Changes the quantity of Dashboard panels per set to 4.

Note that you need to press Save to preserve your
layout setting. When a layout is saved, all other
operators and administrators will see your
configured Dashboard layout when they log in or
refresh their Epiphan Live page.

Admin panel.

the screen shot above).

5 Video inputs

6 Channels

7 Audio inputs

8 Recorders

Displays a list of your video inputs configured in the Admin panel and
includes basic status information for each input.

Displays a list of your channels configured in the Admin panel and
includes streaming and recording control buttons for each channel.

Displays a list of your audio inputs configured in the Admin panel.
Includes basic status information and a VU meter for each input.

Displays a list of your recorders configured in the Admin panel and
includes a recording control button for each recorder.

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

Configuring Dashboard panels for visual confidence monitoring

You can customize each Dashboard panel to display a specific channel, or source. Epiphan Live allows you to
configure up to 8 different panels for comprehensive live preview confidence monitoring of channels and
sources. Note that when Dashboard panels are configured, other users idle on the Dashboard interface must
refresh the page in their web browser to display the updated panels.

The limit of 8 live preview panels applies across all other open instances of Epiphan Live
(additional users may access Epiphan Live simultaneously from separate locations, for
example, or an operator may accidentally open a duplicate Epiphan Live interface.)

You can also display the following set of basic system information in your panels:

l CPU load (%).

l Quantity of streaming connections.

l The current streaming bandwidth (bitrate).

l Automatic file upload status (enabled or disabled). See File and recording transfer.

l Storage available on your VGADVI Recorder Pro.

To configure your Dashboard panels:

1. Log in to Epiphan Live (see Accessing Epiphan Live).

2. Click the drop down box under your desired panel (text says "None" if the panel is not yet configured),

and select a channel, source or output from the dropdown menu.

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Control streaming and recording directly from the Dashboard panel! When a channel is
applied to a Dashboard panel, streaming and recording control buttons appear under the
panel.

3. Click Save in the upper-right corner of the page to preserve your changes (if you don't save, then your

panel configuration changes are lost when you refresh or navigate away from the Dashboard).

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

You can navigate between 3 separate sets of Dashboard panels by clicking the circle icons above the

first row of panels.

You can also configure each panel set to display either 2 or 4 panels by clicking the 2x/4x icons above

the upper-right Dashboard panel.

Monitoring video and audio sources

In the Dashboard interface, you can specify video and audio inputs and view the details for each input.

Video sources

By default, the video inputs section of the Dashboard view lists all inputs configured on your VGADVI
Recorder Pro.

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

l A green circle icon next to the input name means that the video source is connected to your VGADVI

Recorder Pro and a signal is received. Accompanying text to the right of the input name provides the
input's resolution.

l A yellow circle icon next to the input name means that your VGADVI Recorder Pro is not receiving a

signal from your source.

l A triangular warning icon next to the input name means there is a source configuration issue that

requires your attention.

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

Configure the video input list

You can customize the video inputs displayed on the Dashboard interface by clicking the Video inputs
header.

Click the checkbox next to the name of each source to show or hide sources in the Dashboard view (the
Dashboard video input list updates automatically). Make sure to save your changes by clicking the Save icon
in the upper-right corner of your browser!

34

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

View video source details

Click the name of a video input to display your source in a small dropdown thumbnail view with warning
details (if there is a warning icon next to your source's name) and accompanying source details:

l HDMI, SDI, DVI and VGA sources display resolution and refresh rate.

l RTSP sources (such as IP cameras) display resolution, frame rate, codec used and bitrate.

Audio sources

By default, the audio inputs section of the Dashboard view lists all inputs configured on your VGADVI
Recorder Pro.

l A grayed-out audio source name means that the audio source is not used in any channels.

l A triangular warning icon next to the input name means there is a source configuration issue that

requires your attention. Click the audio source name to display the corresponding warning message.

l A green circle icon next to the audio source name means the source is connected to your VGADVI

Recorder Pro. The accompanying VU meter to the right of the input name provides the source's volume
level.

Read the VU meter

The on-screen VUmeter uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average
in each 100 ms period is displayed as a series of colored bars. The following table describes the levels at which
the meter changes from green to yellow and red.

35

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

Table 8 Audio VUmeter levels

Color Decibel range

Red 0 to -9 dBFS

Yellow -9 to -18 dBFS

Green -18 dBFS and lower

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

Configure the audio input list

You can customize the audio inputs to display in the Dashboard view by clicking the Audio inputs header.

Click the checkbox next to the name of each source to show or hide sources in the Dashboard view (the
Dashboard audio input list is updated automatically). Make sure to save your changes by clicking the Save
icon in the upper-right corner of your browser!

Controlling streaming and recording using Epiphan Live

You can control the streaming and recording of channels and recorders directly from the Epiphan Live
Dashboard interface.

Stream and record channels

Streaming and recording control buttons are located under the Channels heading in the Dashboard view.

For each channel, the stream control is the left-most button containing the "signal" icon, and the recording
control is the right-most button containing the circle icon.

36

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

When a channel is not being streamed or recorded, the streaming and recording buttons are gray in color and
their respective timers are set to 00:00:00. If streaming has not been configured in the Admin panel, the
streaming button will display the text "Not set". See Stream to viewers to learn how to configure streaming in
the Admin panel.

You can preview a channel by clicking its name to display a small dropdown thumbnail view.

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

To start streaming and recording a channel, simply click the channel's streaming and/or recording buttons.

When clicked, the streaming button turns blue in color and the recording button turns red. The timer
contained within each respective button also begins to count upward.

Alternatively, you can also control streaming and recording of a channel via the Dashboard's monitoring
panels. See Configuring Dashboard panels for visual confidence monitoring for more information.

37

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

If the stream is not able to publish, the streaming button flashes blue and displays "ERROR".

In this case, check the streaming configuration settings for your channel in the Admin panel. (See Stream to

viewers to learn how to configure a stream).

Streaming, recording and monitoring using the

Dashboard interface

Record recorders

You can record a recorder in the Epiphan Live Dashboard view using the button(s) located in the Recorders
section. Note that the Recorders section only appears if a recorder has been added via the Admin panel (see

Add a recorder for more information).

When a recorder is not being recorded, the recording button is gray in color and its timers is set to 00:00:00.

To start recording a recorder, simply click the corresponding recording button.

When clicked, the recording button turns red. The timer contained within the button also begins to count
upward. Click the button a second time to stop the recording.

38

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

Live switching using the Switcher interface

The Epiphan Live Switcher view is a simple interface for live switching between custom layouts while streaming
and/or recording. (For information on creating custom layouts in the Admin panel, see Create a custom

channel or layout.) Live switching can also be performing using the Admin panel (see Live video mixing /
switching

Performing live switching in one interface (e.g. Epiphan Live) does not dynamically update
the visuals in the other interface (e.g. the Admin panel). The other interface must be
manually refreshed to accurately reflect the current live switching layout information.

Topics in this section include:

l Understanding the Switcher interface

l Switching while live streaming and recording

Understanding the Switcher interface

The Switcher view is a simple interface used to seamlessly switch between a channel's custom layouts while
live streaming and/or recording. (See Create a custom channel or layout for more information on creating
custom layouts.)

39

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

The Switcher interface is accessed from the Menu button in the Dashboard interface (see Understanding the

Dashboard interface).

The Switcher view is responsive and automatically adjusts and reposition its elements to fit
cleanly within any size web browser window.

See the Elements in the Switcher view table below for a description of each visual element in the Switcher
interface.

Table 9 Elements in the Switcher view

Number Title Description

Select from a list of channels (configured via the Admin panel) to display

1 Channel selector

2 Menu icon Displays links to the Dashboard view and the Admin panel when clicked.

3 Preview panel

custom layouts specific to your selected channel. Note that when a
channel is selected, you can only switch between layouts within that
channel.

Displays a preview of a selected layout, outlined with a green border.
When the Switch button is clicked, this preview layout becomes the live

40

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

Number Title Description

layout. See Switching while live streaming and recordingSwitching while

live streaming and recording

Displays the layout currently being streamed and/or recorded, outlined

4 Live view panel

5

6

Layout selection
panel

Switch button

with a red border. When the Switch button is clicked, this live layout is
replaced with the layout in the Preview panel.

Displays small previews for all layouts contained within your selected
channel. Click a layout from this list to add it to the Preview panel.

Note that the layout selected for the Preview panel has a green border
and the layout in the Live view panel has a red border.

When clicked, the layout in the Preview panel replaces the layout in the
Live view panel, and is immediately reflected in your streaming and/or
recording.

Switching while live streaming and recording

The Switcher interface lets you easily live switch between custom layouts with the simple press of a button.

To switch a layout while live streaming and/or recording:

1. Log in to Epiphan Live; the Dashboard view opens by default. See Accessing Epiphan Live.

2. Click the Menu icon in the upper-right corner of the Dashboard screen and click Switcher to navigate

to the Switcher interface.

41

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

3. Click the text box next to the "Switcher" header and select your desired channel from the dropdown

list (the text box will appear blank if this is your first time configuring the Switcher interface). Note that
in the channel dropdown list, channels containing only a single layout are grayed-out and are not
selectable.

After selecting your channel from the dropdown, the Switcher interface appears with all of your
channel's layouts displayed along the bottom of the page.

The layout currently being streaming and/or recorded is displayed in the Live view panel on the right

side of the interface (see Understanding the Switcher interface).

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

4. Click your desired layout at the bottom of the page to dock it in the Preview panel. This is the layout

that will be used next in your program.

43

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide Live switching using the Switcherinterface

5. Click the Switch button in the center of the screen to apply your layout in the Preview panel into

your live stream/recording program.

From here, you can prepare to apply another layout to your program by selecting a new layout from the list
and docking it into the Preview panel.

44

PART 1:

If you followed through the quick start guide, you already have a basic configuration and possibly a recording
of an input. Before you tweak the channel or configure more, this part of the manual helps you to get your
VGADVI Recorder Pro properly configured for your network.

Topics covered:

l Connect to the Admin panel

l User administration

l View system information

l Configure network settings

l Configure date and time

l Configuration presets

l Restrict viewers by IPaddress

Setup

45

VGADVI Recorder Pro User Guide

The Admin panel

The Admin panel

VGADVI Recorder Pro is managed from a web interface. This means to perform administrative tasks with
VGADVI Recorder Pro you use an internet browser on a PC (or laptop, or tablet) connected to the same local
Ethernet network.

Connect to the Admin panel

If you know the IP address of the system you may type it into the address bar of your web browser.

http://<IP Address of the VGADVI Recorder Pro>/admin

However if this is the first time you access your system, you likely don't know the IPaddress, so you can use
one of the following connection methods:

For networks with DHCP use one of the following procedures:

l Connect via DNS-based service discovery

l Connect via the Epiphan discovery utility

For networks without DHCP, use the following procedure:

l Connect via persistent static IP address

You can also connect to Epiphan Live – a simple and easy to use web and tablet interface for
confidence monitoring, streaming/recording control and live switching operation. See Epiphan
Live for more information.

Connect via DNS-based service discovery

The VGADVI Recorder Pro uses DNS-based messages to advertise details about itself, including its host name.
With a compatible utility installed on your computer, you can access the system simply by typing its serial
number and the suffix “.local” into the address bar of your browser.

To ensure you have compatible software, refer to the following table.

Table 10 Installing Bonjour Print Services

System Action Needed

Microsoft Windows You must install Bonjour Print Services:

46

VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

System Action Needed

1. Use the following URL - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999

2. Click Download.

3. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application.

Connect to the Admin panel

MacOSX

Linux

To access the VGADVI Recorder Pro's Admin panel via DNS service discovery:

1. Find the system’s serial number. It is printed on a sticker on the back of the system.

2. Type the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer (where

<serial> is the serial number of your VGADVI Recorder Pro):

http://<serial>.local/admin
For example: http://95dd40d5.local/admin

3. Enter the user name and password then click OK. The administrative user is ‘admin’. Initially no

password is set. To set a password follow the procedure outlined in User administration.

The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built into the Mac OS. No special
actions are needed.

The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux
distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the
Avahi package installed.

4. Optionally, navigate to the Network link under the Configuration heading and note the IP address of

the system.

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

Connect to the Admin panel

Connect via the Epiphan discovery utility

Epiphan provides a utility for discovering Epiphan systems on your network. The Epiphan network discovery
utility is a 32-bit Windows executable that works on most 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems.
Download and install the utility via this link: http://www.epiphan.com/downloads/NetworkDiscovery.exe.

To access the VGADVI Recorder Pro's Admin panel via the Epiphan discovery utility:

1. Launch the discovery utility.

2. Click Search to find all the Epiphan systems on the network; a list similar to the following appears.

3. If more than one system appears, select the one you wish to configure by matching the serial number

listed with the serial number marked on the back of the system.

4. Optionally, note the IP Address shown in the stream properties. Use this for quicker access to the

system on future configuration sessions.

5. Click the Web config button; your browser will open and point to the Admin panel page.

http://<IP Address for VGADVI Recorder Pro>/admin

6. Enter the user name and password then click OK. The administrative user is ‘admin’. Initially no

password is set. To set a password follow the procedure outlined in User administration.

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

Connect to the Admin panel

Connect via persistent static IP address

Your VGADVI Recorder Pro has a default persistent static IP address, also known as the recoveryIPaddress.
If ever you need to set it up on a network that does not support DHCP, or you need to recover from a
previous static IP address setting, you can use this method to connect directly to the system for
configuration.

To perform this procedure you will need a workstation computer for which you are able to modify network
settings.

The VGADVI Recorder Pro is pre-configured with the following static address defaults:

l IP Address: 192.168.255.250
l Netmask: 255.255.255.252
l Username: admin
l Password: your admin password (by default set to no password)

To access the VGADVI Recorder Pro's Admin panel via the persistent static IP address:

1. Establish an Ethernet connection between the VGADVI Recorder Pro and the workstation by one of the

following methods:

a. Connect the system to a local Ethernet network shared with the workstation.

b. Connect the system directly to the workstation’s Ethernet port using either a regular or a

crossover Ethernet cable.

2. Record the network settings of the workstation being used to connect to the VGADVI Recorder Pro so

that they can be restored later.

3. Temporarily change the network configuration on the workstation to the following:

a. Use Static IP assignment

b. IP address: 192.168.255.249

c. Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252

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VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

4. Start a web browser on the workstation and browse to: http://192.168.255.250/admin/

5. Log in as the administrator user with the user name admin and the admin password (by default there is

no password); the Admin panel opens.

6. Click the Networking link in the Configuration menu.

7. Select the radio button to use a static address and configure the system with a static IP address and

network settings relevant to the network being used. For specific details about the settings presented,
see Configure network settings.

8. Restore the previously saved network configurations on the workstation.

User administration

User administration

The VGADVI Recorder Pro has three configured users:

l admin

l operator

l viewer

By default, none of these users have passwords. For security purposes you should add passwords to the
admin and operator accounts.

This section describes the following user administration topics:

l User types and privileges

l Set or change user passwords

l Remove user passwords

l Overcome lost passwords

l Configure LDAP

l Change the logged-in user

l Restrict viewers by IPaddress

User types and privileges

VGADVI Recorder Pro's three user accounts are admin, operator and viewer. The user account names cannot
be changed and the accounts cannot be disabled. By default, none of the accounts have passwords.

Admin

The admin account is used for all system configuration. This user has access to all options in the Admin panel.

50

VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

User administration

Operator

The operator account allows users limited VGADVI Recorder Pro configuration control.

If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the Apply
button appears grayed-out in color and is not clickable (as shown in the image below).

The operator account is intended for an operator to configure sources, control recordings (start and stop);
rename, download and delete recordings; switch layouts while live streaming or perform network diagnostics.

Viewer

The viewer account is for all end-users who are permitted to view the streamed channels. By default, when
there is no password, users are not prompted for a username and password when viewing a channel. The
viewer username and password prompt appears only when there is a viewer password set.

In addition to the global viewer account, each channel can set a viewer password that overrides the global
value. See Restrict access to streams for viewers.

Current user

When logged in to the Admin panel, the current username is displayed at the top right corner of the screen.

User privileges

The following table outlines the privileges for each user:

Table 11 User privileges in the Admin panel

Action or Menu Option viewer operator admin

View Channel Output

ü ü ü

51

VGADVI Recorder Pro User
Guide

Action or Menu Option viewer operator admin

Channel Operations

User administration

View Channel Configuration 

Rename a Channel  

Configure Stream Channel  

Configure Stream Sources  

Publish a Stream  

Configure Branding for a Channel  

Switch Layouts while Streaming/Recording 

Start the Stream Recorder 

Stop the Stream Recorder 

View Recorded FilesList 

Rename Recorded Files 

Download RecordedFiles 

Delete RecordedFiles 

ü ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

Source Operations

View Source Configuration 

Rename Source  

Configure Source 

View Source Snapshot 

SystemConfiguration Operations

View System Configuration 

Configure Automatic File Upload  

Select External USBDrive Behavior  

Configure FTPServer  

ü ü

ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü

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Action or Menu Option viewer operator admin

User administration

Configure UPnP Sharing  

Configure Network Address  

Configure USBTethering  

Perform NetworkDiagnostics 

Configure Date andTime preferences  

Set or Change User Passwords  

Configure SerialPort Flow Control  

Upload Branding Images  

Upload Branding Templates  

Select BrandingTemplate  

Enable Remote Support  

Backup Device Configuration  

Restore DeviceConfiguration  

ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

RestoreFactoryConfiguration  

Reboot Device (via Admin panel)  

Shutdown Device (via Admin panel)  

Configure Time Until Next DiskCheck  

Perform DiskCheck  

View DiskInformation 

Rebuild/Clean Storage Disks  

Upgrade Firmware  

View System Information 

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü ü

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User administration

Set or change user passwords

By default, admin, operator and viewer have no assigned passwords. Both the admin and the operator user
have access to the Admin panel, so you should always set a password for both admin and operator accounts.
Refer to your system administrator for your organization’s specific password requirements.

If the admin password is defined and the operator password is undefined, then the operator uses
the admin password by default.

In addition to setting global passwords for viewers, you can also set access passwords and IPrestrictions on a
per-channel basis from the channel's Streaming page. See Restrict viewers by IPaddress.

Passwords are case sensitive and can use all alpha-numeric keys in the ASCII range. Your password can be up
to 255 characters long, but should not include any spaces.

Setting a user’s password causes the user to be logged out. Be ready to log back in with the new
admin password or have operators and viewers log in with the appropriate new password.
Viewers may need to refresh their browser window or press play in their media player.

If you lose the admin password, refer to the section Overcome lost passwords.

Changing the admin password while live streaming disrupts the view of the stream for viewer-level
users. Complete any admin password changes when there is no live stream in progress.

To set a user password:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Access passwords link in the Configuration menu; the password configuration page opens.

3. Highlight and delete the current password for your selected user (the password is currently masked

as dots).

For security reasons, the current password appears as eight dots regardless of password
length, and even if there is no password set.

4. Highlight and delete the confirmation password for the selected user.

5. Select the user’s password field and type a new password for the user.

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The new password must have between 1-255 alpha-numeric characters or special
characters with no spaces. Passwords are case sensitive.

6. Select the user’s password confirmation field and confirm the new password.

7. Click Apply.

8. If you were logged in as the user whose password you just changed, you are logged out and must log

back in with the new password. If you added or changed the viewer’s password, all viewer’s stream will
pause until they log in with the new password.

If desired, you may specify multiple account passwords on the same page before clicking Apply.

User administration

Remove user passwords

If you want to remove passwords for one or more user accounts, you may do so via the Admin panel. If you
don’t remember the admin password, refer to the section Overcome lost passwords.

Note that viewer passwords can be set on a per-channel basis.

Clearing a user’s password will cause that user to be logged out. Be ready to log back in with the
new admin password. If viewers are watching the broadcast when the viewer password is cleared
they will be logged out. Viewers may need to refresh their browser window or press play in their
media player to trigger the login prompt.

To clear a user’s password:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Access passwords link in the Configuration menu; the password configuration page opens.

3. Highlight and delete the current password for your selected user (the password is currently masked as

dots).

For security purposes, the current password appears as eight dots regardless of password
length, and even if there is no password set.

4. Highlight and delete the confirmation password for the selected user.

5. Click Apply.

6. If you were logged in as the user whose password you just cleared, you are logged out and must log

back in without a password. If you cleared the viewer’s password, all viewer streams will pause until
they log in without a password.

To clear a user’s password on a specific channel:

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1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Click the Streaming link for the channel; the channel's Streaming configuration page opens.

3. From the Access control section do one of the two following things:

a. clear the viewer password field; or

b. select Use global settings from the access control drop down.

4. Click Apply.

User administration

Overcome lost passwords

If you have lost the password for the operator or viewer account, you can log in to the Admin panel and reset
the password using the procedure described in Set or change user passwords.

If you have lost the admin password and you have remote support enabled on the system, you can contact
Epiphan support to request a remote password change. See Support. If remote support is disabled, you will
need to return the system toEpiphan for password recovery. Contact Epiphan support to discuss this option.

Configure LDAP

You can use the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for authentication into the system. Specify user
roles by using group DNs for users who log in as the administrator, operator or as a viewer.

The system has only one admin user and one operator: LDAP users log in as either the admin or
operator, they do not have their own private profiles.

When enabled, LDAP authentication is an alternative to the regular system usernames and
passwords. You may still login as admin, operator or viewer using the passwords for those
accounts. Furthermore, any LDAPusers with the name admin, operator or viewer are ignored.The
local accounts are used instead.

For security reasons, you should configure passwords for the local accounts. See Configure
LDAP.

These instructions assume you have a pre-configured LDAP server. The server must support anonymous
binding or have a special bind account with search access privileges. (Note that Active Directory does not
support anonymous binding.)

LDAP referrals, restrictions and failovers are not supported.

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To configure LDAPauthentication for your VGADVI Recorder Pro:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Access passwords link in the Configuration menu; the password configuration page opens.

3. Scroll to the LDAPauthentication section.

4. Click the Enable LDAPauthentication checkbox to enable LDAPauthentication (or uncheck to

disable).

User administration

5. Specify the server IPaddress and (optional) port for your LDAPserver(i.e. 192.168.1.101:389) in the

Server address[:port] field.

6. Use the Connection encryption drop-down to specify the type of encryption, if any used by your

LDAP server.

Connection
encryption

No Encryption No encryption is used to connect to the LDAP server. The default port is 389.

SSL SSL encryption is used to connect to the LDAP server. The default port is 636.

TLS/STARTTLS

7. Specify the fully qualified DN and password for LDAPbind in the BindDN and Bind password fields.

(The password masked as dots on the screen.) These fields are only needed if your LDAPserver does
not support anonymous binding.

8. In Base DN, specify the baseObject in which to search for entries. The system will search this object

and the whole subtree starting at the base DN.

9. By default the search attribute is uid, which is suitable for a unix environment. Specify a different value

in the Search attribute field, if needed. For Active Directory environments, specify
userPrincipalName. The value of this attribute must be unique in the BaseDN.

Description/Default port used

The connection is initially unencrypted then upgraded to TLS encryption is
used. The default port is 389.

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10. In the Administrators (group DN) field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be

part of to be logged in as the administrator. Users must have the member or unqueMember attribute
for the specified group to be granted Administrator access.
If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Administrators(but can still be used for Operators and Viewers).

11. In the Operators (group DN) field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be part of

to be logged in as the operator. Users must have the member or unqueMember attribute for the
specified group to be granted Operator access.
If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Operators (but can still be used for Administrators and Viewers).

12. In the Viewers (group DN) field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be part of to

be logged in as a viewer. Users must have the member or unqueMember attribute for the specified
group to be granted Viewer access.
If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Viewers (but can still be used for Administrators and Operators).

13. Click Apply.

When a user of the LDAPserver next visits the admin or viewer page for the system, the system prompts for
use the username and password. For ActiveDirectory servers, the user needs to enter his fully qualified
username(i.e. username@domainname) in addition to his LDAPpassword.

User administration

Users are required to authenticate once to the system and one time per channel they view.
Therefore users see a prompt to log in to the system (the system name is shown) and a second
time to log in to the channel (the channel name is shown).

In one case, LDAPreplaces the local viewer account instead of working side-by-side with it.

When LDAPis enabled and the viewer account has no password (either there is no global viewer
password or the channel overrides the global password with a blank password), the viewer must
authentication withLDAP, he may not alternatively use the viewer account with a blank
password.

Change the logged-in user

When you log in to the Admin panel as admin or operator, your browser remembers this configuration and
automatically logs you in as the same user when you go back to the site.

Sometimes you need to change from operator to admin, or vice versa.

To change the logged-in user:

1. Exit your browser completely, open an incognito/private window in your browser, or open a different

browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Safari are different browsers).

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2. Connect to the Admin panel using your preferred connection mechanism. See Connect to the Admin

panel.

3. You are prompted for a username and password.



1. Click the logout button at the top right of the screen (beside your user name); you are logged out.

Some browsers may require you click the button twice before the log out action executes.

User administration

Restrict viewers by IPaddress

The VGADVI Recorder Pro permits you to restrict which computers can access broadcasts by building a list of
allowed and/or denied IP addresses. You can do this at a global level for the system and can also override
these settings on a per-channel basis. Both global and per-channel configuration procedures are described
below.

IP address restriction is valid for the viewer only and does not affect the Admin panel or the
mobile configuration interface.

If your viewer account has a password, your viewers must connect to the system from a computer (or
gateway) with a permitted IP address and must also supply the username (viewer) and password before they
can view the broadcast.

To restrict access by IP address you need to know the IP addresses, or range of addresses for your viewers. By
default all IP addresses are allowed to connect to the broadcast.

If you’re not familiar with creating allow/deny lists, refer to the examples below this procedure for assistance
with crafting your lists.

To restrict viewers by IP address:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Access passwords link in the Configuration menu; the password configuration page opens.

3. Type allowed IP addresses or address ranges in the Allow IP’s field. Separate addresses with a comma.

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4. Type denied IP addresses or address ranges in the Deny IP’s field. Separate addresses with a comma.

5. Click Apply.

To restrict viewers of a specific channel by IPaddress:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Streaming link for the desired channel; the streaming configuration page opens.

3. From the Access Control drop-down, select Use these Settings; local password and Allow/Deny IP

lists are enabled.

4. If desired, type a password for the viewer in the Viewer Password field.

5. Type allowed IP addresses or address ranges in the Allow IP’s field. Separate addresses with a comma.

6. Type denied IP addresses or address ranges in the Deny IP’s field. Separate addresses with a comma.

7. Click Apply.

If a user attempts to connect to the stream from a disallowed IPaddress, access is denied. If connecting by
internet browser, the message "IPaddress rejected." is displayed.

User administration

The following table describes the applicable fields.

Table 12 IP Based Restriction Fields

Label Description/Options

Enter individual IP Addresses or IP Address ranges, separated by commas. To specify a
range, use a hyphen (-). Optional spaces improve readability.

Users connecting from addresses in this list are permitted to view broadcasts from the

Allow IP's

Deny IP's

system, provided their IP address is not in the Deny IP’s list.

To allow all (except IP addresses in the deny list, if any), leave the field blank.

You can use the Allow list by itself, or in conjunction with the Deny IP’s list as an exception
to a rule in the allow list.

Enter individual IP Addresses or IP Address ranges, separated by commas. To specify a
range, use a hyphen (-). Optional spaces improve readability.

Users connecting from addresses in this list are not allowed to view broadcasts from the
system, unless their IP address is in the Allow IP’s list. If a specific IP address is in both lists,
access to the stream is denied.

You can use the Deny list by itself, or in conjunction with the Allow IP’s list as an exception
to a rule in the allow list.

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User administration

IPrestriction examples

Allow list with distinct IP addresses

The simplest allow/deny list is to use the list of known IP addresses to craft a list of allowed IP addresses. All
other addresses are denied access to the broadcast.

For example if your system is accessible on your local area network (LAN) and you want to make sure only the
CEO’s specific desktop, laptop and tablet computers (with IP Addresses 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, and

192.165.1.75, respectively) can connect to the broadcast, construct the following allow list:

Allow: 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75

Allow list with a range of IP addresses

Sometimes you’ll want a range of computer IP addresses to connect to your system. This may happen when
you have one range of IP addresses assigned to desktop computers (i.e. in the range 192.168.1.1 to

192.168.1.100) and another range assigned to boardroom computers (i.e. the range 192.168.1.200 to

192.168.1.250). If you only want the boardroom computers to connect to broadcasts from the system you
can specify the range of boardroom IP addresses rather than needing to type in each individual address. The
allow list looks as follows:

Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250

Note that we could have specified two of the IP addresses in the previous example as a range.

Allow list with a range of IP addresses and one or more specific IP addresses

Putting the first two examples together, we want to permit access to IP addresses in the range of boardroom
computers (192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250) and also want to add the desktop, laptop and tablet computers
of the CEO (IP addresses 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, and 192.168.1.75, respectively). Note the first two IP
addresses are consecutive, so they can be added as a second range. Add these IP addresses to the list as
follows:

Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75

Your list can have multiple ranges and multiple distinct IP addresses, provided they are separated by commas.

Deny list with distinct IP addresses

Another simple allow/deny list is to use the list of known IP addresses to list specific denied IP addresses. All
other addresses are allowed access to the broadcast.

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For example imagine your system is accessible on your local area network (LAN) and you want to allow any
computer on the LAN can access the stream except your publicly-accessible boardroom (with IP address

192.168.1.211). You can use the following deny list (leave the allow list empty) to permit all computers except
the boardroom computer:

Deny: 192.168.1.211

As with allow lists, your deny list can specify a range of IP addresses, and can specify multiple ranges or distinct
IP addresses in a comma-separated list.

User administration

Allow list with a range of IP addresses, distinct IP addresses and an exception

Building on the previous examples, consider the situation where you want the CEO’s computers
(192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, 192.168.75) and all boardroom computers (192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250)
to access the broadcast, with the exception of the public boardroom computer (192.168.1.211). Use both
allow and deny lists to create the rule as follows:

Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75

Deny: 192.168.1.211

Both lists can have multiple ranges and multiple distinct IP addresses, provided they are separated by
commas.

Deny list with a range of IP addresses

Converse to the previous examples, consider the situation where you want every computer on the network to
access the broadcast, with the exception of the CEO’s desktop, laptop and tablet computers. Additionally,
boardroom computers should not be permitted with the exception of the cafeteria computer (IP address

192.168.1.222).

The deny list is an "exception" list for the allow list. So to craft the rule described above we need to allow all the
computers in the local subnet, then deny specific sub-ranges including two groups of boardroom computers
ensuring the cafeteria computer's IP address is not in the deny list:

Allow: 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.250

Deny: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.221, 192.168.1.223-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51,

192.168.1.75

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Viewsystem information

View system information

The system information page provides a great deal of useful information about your VGADVI Recorder Pro.
Use the Info link from the Configuration menu to view your current firmware level, system hardware version
(if available) and currently configured channels.

To view system information:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. From the Admin panel scroll to the Configuration menu option.

3. Click Info; the system information page opens.

3. Use the information displayed to get an overview of your system, troubleshoot problems or view

streams for configured channels.

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Configure network settings

Configure network settings

By default the VGADVI Recorder Pro uses DHCP to obtain an IP Address via an Ethernet-based network. If you
want to change the network settings, or if you’re having network-related issues, this section covers the
network-related topics.

l Verify IP address and MAC address

l Configure a static IP address

l Configure DHCP

l Tether to a mobile network

l Network ports used by VGADVI Recorder Pro

l Perform network diagnostics

Verify IP address and MAC address

The Admin panel shows you the system’s MAC address and current IP Address via the Network configuration
page.

To view settings on network configuration page:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Network link in the Configuration menu; the network configuration page opens.

3. Note the MAC address and Current IP address listed at the top of the page.

Table 13 Network InformationFields

Label Description/Options

MACAddress

A media access control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier for the
network interface. The value is read-only and cannot be changed. You may need
to share this value with your system administrator.

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Label Description/Options

Reflects the current internet protocol address (IP address) of the system. This

Current IPAddress

value is either obtained from the DHCP server (if using DHCP) or is the configured
static IP address. The VGADVI Recorder Pro supports IPv4 addresses. It does not
support IPv6 addresses.

Configure DHCP

Configure DHCP

Occasionally, such as when moving your system to a new network, your VGADVI Recorder Pro must switch
from static IP address allocation to dynamic allocation via DHCP. You can accomplish this in four ways:

l Restore factory settings, clearing all your custom settings. See Perform factory reset.

l Load a configuration preset file that uses DHCP networking. See Apply a configuration preset .

l Change the network settings. See the procedure below.

To configure use of DHCP for networking:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Network link in the Configuration menu; the network configuration page opens.

3. Select the radio button use DHCP, if not already selected.

4. Change the MTU Size value only if needed. See the table below for information on maximum

transmission unit (MTU) values.

5. Click Apply to save the changes; the changes are saved and a message appears asking you to reboot.

6. Select the Maintenance link under the Configuration menu; the maintenance page appears.

7. Click the Reboot Now button near the bottom of the page.

8. Wait for the system to reboot.

9. Connect to the Admin panel using your preferred connection mechanism. See Connect to the Admin

panel.

10. Log as admin and reload the Networking page to verify all changes were applied.

The following table describes the fields applicable when configuring DHCP on the VGADVI Recorder Pro.

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Table 14 DHCP Fields

Label Description/Options

Use DHCP Select this radio button to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up.

Configure a static IP address

Use static
address

MTU Size

Select this radio button to use the configured static IP address.

The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on
the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at
the network layer. It’s best if all nodes in your network use the same value, so only change
this value if you know other nodes use a different value.

Configure a static IP address

Your network administrator may require you to use a static IP address for your VGADVI Recorder Pro.

To configure a static IP address:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Network link in the Configuration menu; the network configuration page opens.

3. Select the radio button use static address, if not already selected.

4. Enter the desired IP Address and Network Mask.

Only IPv4 addresses are supported.

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5. Enter the Default Gateway address. If you do not have a default gateway for your network, enter the

same static IP address as in the previous step.

The default gateway cannot be left blank. If no default gateway is specified, unexpected
behavior occurs.

6. Enter the DNS Server address. If you do not have a DNS server, enter the new static IP address of the

system.

7. Change the MTU Size value only if needed. See the table below for information on maximum

transmission unit (MTU) values.

8. Click Apply to save the changes; the changes are saved and a message appears asking you to reboot.

Configure a static IP address

9. Select the Maintenance link under the Configuration menu; the maintenance page appears.

10. Click the Reboot Now button near the bottom of the page.

11. Wait for the system to reboot.

12. Open the Admin panel using the new IP address.

13. Log as admin and reload the Networking page to verify all changes were applied.

The following table describes applicable fields when setting a static IP address.

Table 15 Static IPAddress Fields

Label Description/Options

Use DHCP Select this radio button to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up.

Use static address Select this radio button to use the configured static IP address.

The internet protocol address (IP Address) to assign. This value is may be obtained

IP Address

Network Mask

from your system administrator. The VGADVI Recorder Pro supports IPv4 addresses.
It does not support IPv6 addresses.

Also called the subnet mask, this value denotes a range of IP addresses. This value
may be obtained from your system administrator, determined from another
computer on the same subnet, or calculated using an online subnet calculator.

Default Gateway

The network node that serves as an access point to the rest of the network. This value

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Label Description/Options

cannot be blank unless you are using DCHP. Specify the system’s IP address if you
don’t have a default gateway on your network.

The domain name system server (DNS server) translates human-readable hostnames

DNS Server

MTU Size

into corresponding IP addresses. Specify the system’s IP address if you don’t have a
DNSserver on your network. This value cannot be blank unless you are using DHCP.

The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for
transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed
by Ethernet at the network layer. It’s best if all nodes in your network use the same
value, so only change this value if you know other nodes use a different value.

Tether to a mobile network

Tether to a mobile network

The VGADVI Recorder Pro supports tethering to a mobile device via USB. Tethered networking can work side­by-side with Ethernet routing and either networking system can be a back-up for the other.

When the system falls over to the backup network type (i.e. from Ethernet to mobile, or vice
versa) all streaming sessions with clients or servers directly connected to the system are closed
and the clients will need to reconnect. You may need to provide a new stream URL(containing the
new IPaddress) to your viewers. See the channel information page to get the new stream URL.

By contrast, actively published streams are closed and reconnected via the secondary network
(mobile or Ethernet) automatically, permitted the required publishing server is accessible from the
new network.

To configure tethering to a mobile network:

1. Configure the mobile device to allow tethering via USB.

2. Connect the mobile device to the VGADVI Recorder Pro with a USB cable.

3. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

4. Select the Network link in the Configuration menu; the network configuration page opens.

5. Click the drop-down box next to Use phone/tablet connection in the USB phone/tablet section; the

following choices appear:

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Table 16 Mobile Tethering Options

Label Description/Options

Disabled Specifies that no USB tethering is permitted.

Network ports used by VGADVI Recorder Pro

No tethering

Prefer ethernet

Prefer
tethering

6. Select your choice based on the table above.

7. Click Apply.

Specifies that USB tethering is available for connecting a mobile device as a
configuration utility (i.e. using the web browser), but no mobile data is used.

When chosen, the system tries to use the Ethernet network first. It switches to use
the mobile network (tethering) when the Ethernet network is no longer available.
To prevent viewer interruptions, mobile data will continue to be used until the
mobile network is down or publishing is restarted.

When chosen, the system tries to use the mobile network (tethering) first. It
switches to use Ethernet (hard-wired) when the mobile network is no longer
available. To prevent viewer interruptions, Ethernet data will continue to be used
until the Ethernet network is down or publishing is restarted.

Select this setting if you only have a mobile network.

Network ports used by VGADVI Recorder Pro

The following is a list of incoming network ports used by your VGADVI Recorder Pro system. Depending on
the services you are using, you will need to make sure your firewall permits traffic over the relevant ports.

The port numbers listed below are the default faults for these services. In many cases, you can
use the Admin panel to change the port used for this service.

Port (or range) Protocol Description

21 TCP FTP server, if enabled. See Local FTPserver.

22 TCP SSH for remote support. See Configure remote support.

80 TCP

123 TCP/UDP

HTTP for the Admin panel, HLS streaming if enabled. See Stream content

using HLS(HTTP Live Streaming).

NTP server, if enabled. See Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and

RDATE).

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Port (or range) Protocol Description

Network ports used by VGADVI Recorder Pro

319 and 320 UDP

443 TCP HTTPS for the Admin panel, HLS streaming if enabled.

554 to 554+(x-1) TCP

Random in range
32768 - 61000

1900 UDP

UDP

PTP server, if enabled. See Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and

RDATE).

For RTSP/TCP and RTSP/HTTP streaming on your network (where x is the
number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on
how many channels you have with RTSPstreaming enabled. See Stream

content using HTTPor RTSP. (Note that client video players choose

whether they are using RTSP/TCP, RTSP/HTTP orRTSP/UDP).

*Ports 554 and 555 are also used for internal communications. If
streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external
connection requests.

If the client video player chooses RTSP/UDP, it will negotiate 4 random
UDP ports (two for audio and two for video). The port range is dependent
on theOS of the client video player and can change with updates to that
OS.

UPnP server(for UPnP discovery), if enabled. See Stream content using

UPnP.

Random in range
50000 to 65000

5353 UDP For multicast DNS discovery. Connect via DNS-based service discovery.

8000 to 8000+(x-1) TCP

8889 TCP Operator interface.

In addition to the ports listed above, there are also outgoing connections as follows:

TCP

UPnP media server, if enabled. Each time the UPnP server is started, a
random TCPport in this range is used to enable connections with other
UPnP devices.

For ASF, Flash and MPEG-TS streaming on your network (where x is the
number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on
how many channels you have with streaming enabled. See Stream

content using HTTPor RTSP.

*Ports 8000 and 8001 are also used for internal communications. If
streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external
connection requests.

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l for publishing (Stream to a server) - actual ports used is dependant on the server and protocol

l for File and recording transfer - actual ports used is dependant on your configuration

l remote support (when in use) - port 30 see Configure remote support

l firmware update (checks and downloads) - port 80

Perform network diagnostics

Perform network diagnostics

If your VGADVI Recorder Pro has network trouble, you can perform basic network troubleshooting tasks from
the Network configuration page. In addition to providing the system’s IP address and MAC address to your
network administrator, you can also ping an IP address or use traceroute to determine the path taken to an
address.

Not all networks support ping and traceroute.

To ping or traceroute an IP address:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Network link in the Configuration menu; the network configuration page opens.

3. Enter your IP address into the Address field.

4. Click ping or traceroute; an animation appears to the left of the address to indicate processing is

underway.

5. Upon completion of the command, read the results from the console-like display is shown below the

Network Diagnostics setting.

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Perform network diagnostics



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Configuration presets

Configuration presets

Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration, for situations where
you have changing configuration requirements for your VGADVI Recorder Pro or when you are managing a
number of systems and you want them to have similar configurations.

For an overview of configuration presets, see:

l Configuration presets overview

This section also covers the following related topics:

l Configuration groups

l Create a configuration preset

l Apply a configuration preset

l Apply theFactory default configuration preset

l Update a configuration preset

l Delete a configuration preset

There are also some very important configuration preset considerations to review:

l Configurationpreset considerations

Configuration presets overview

Configuration presets make it easy to manage a group of VGADVI Recorder Pro systems or to use your
VGADVI Recorder Pro in a variety of situations without needing to reconfigure it.

Configuration presets divide the system's settings into the following configuration groups. (For a complete list
of what is included in each group see Configuration presets overview.)

System Sources Automatic file uploads

Network Channels EDID

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Output ports  

Using the Configuration presets section of the Maintenance page, you can create and save configuration
presets using any number and combination of the configuration groups. Mix and match the settings groups
saved together to create sets of configuration settings needed for each situation. You also always have a
special Factory default configuration preset (which cannot be erased) to help you return to factory
configuration without destructively erasing files saved to the system hard drive (see Configuration presets

overview

When you are satisfied with the set of configuration items, you can save it, apply it again at a later date and
even download it, then log into another VGADVI Recorder Pro system and apply it there.

It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the
settings groups included in the preset; all other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration presets

overview section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets.

Configuration presets overview

Configuration presets in action

Here's an example of how configuration presets can make it easy to manage a fleet of systems.

Imagine a company is hired to do the following tasks at a big conference:

l Stream and record each conference session with a picture in picture layout that includes identifying

information about the presenter in the metadata and the background image for the stream.

l Stream and record the keynote with pre-show content, post-show content and live switching between a

number of different layouts during the show.

l Automatically upload backups of the keynote and session recordings.

The company will meet these goals with a fleet of VGADVI Recorder Pro systems.

Before the show, they upload the required backgrounds and create channel configuration presets for the
keynote and each conference track. Each of these is saved as a named preset (for example Keynote, Session 1,
Session 2) with all the pieces needed for that session, including the background image(s), metadata, streaming
settings, etc.

They also create network and automatic file upload (AFU) presets for each of the home and remote locations.

Once at the conference, they upload these configuration files to the fleet of systems and apply the network
and AFU preset. Before each conference session they need only apply the appropriate preset to configure the
system correctly for the session.

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Channel configuration includes background and other image files used. If these files aren't
present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when
deleting background images and logo files.

Let's take a closer look at the types of presets they make:

Configuration presets overview

Internal network and AFU preset

The company uses this preset when configuring and testing from their corporate network. It uses a static IP
address on their corporate network and AFU that uses ftp to upload to a local ftp server.







and ftp settings on the

internal network.





The internal network

preset







is comprised of the

internal network settings





Conference network and AFUpreset

The company applies this preset to the VGADVI Recorder Pro systems when they arrive at the conference. It
changes only the network and AFU settings (using a conference-specific IP address and secure file transfer to
an ftp server).

When applying this configuration preset, all other information including passwords, date/time, channels and
source configurations, remains the same.







and an ftp address on the

conference network.



The conference network

preset







is comprised of the

conference IP address



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Configuration groups

Conference breakout session and keynote presets

The company creates one preset per session and one for the keynote. Each preset includes all the files and
everything needed to recreate a custom channel configured with the layouts and backgrounds needed for the
session.

They upload these presets at the beginning of the conference and apply the correct one prior to each
conference session starting. When they apply the preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged; the
preset only affects the channel(s) and their configuration. This preset includes a channel the background file
and has metadata specifying the speaker's name.

 

has the presenter data

and background image for

Session 1 preset

session 1.

 

has the presenter data

and background image for

Session 2 preset

Note that after applying a preset, files from the previous session remain present on the system and continue
to upload via sftp (if not yet complete), but the channels reflect the newly loaded session's background file
name and presenter name.

session 2.

Summary

Configuration presets are a versatile tool to help you use VGADVI Recorder Pro in a variety of conditions. Try it
yourself and see!

Configuration groups

The following table describes what settings are saved with each configuration group.

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Table 17 Configuration group definitions

Group Name Symbol Settings included in the configuration group

Date and time settings, serial port settings, remote support settings, custom

System

Network Network settings and tethering configuration.

disk check schedule, access passwords, deny/allow lists and LDAPconfiguration
settings.

Create a configuration preset

Sources

Channels

AFU

EDID

Note that SFTP/SCP private keys are included (in encrypted format) in the automatic file upload
preset.

All audio and video source configuration settings (including no signal images)
except EDID settings, which are in their own group.

All channel configuration data and current recording state, all layouts, images
used in layouts, streaming state, all recorder configuration data and current
recording state, individual and global UPnP settings.

Automatic file upload type and parameters, including SCP/SFTPidentity (stored
in an encrypted form).

EDID settings for sources. (Applying configuration presets with this group
automatically applies the included EDIDs. This process can take a while.)

Create a configuration preset

You can create as many configuration presets as you need, however there is a limit to the amount of space
you have for configuration presets (256 MB). For each configuration preset you create, you get to name the
preset and choose the groups of setting types to include. See Configuration groups for more information
about the groups of configuration items.

It's good practice, after completing configuration of your VGADVI Recorder Pro, to save a full backup (with all
groups selected) so you may restore it at a later date (i.e. after a change that wasn’t wanted or after a factory
reset).

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Note that configuration presets that include network or system settings require a system
reboot when applied.

To create a configuration preset:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Maintenance link in the Configuration menu; the maintenance page opens.

3. Scroll to the Configuration presets section.

Create a configuration preset

4. Type a description for your preset in the Name field.

5. Ensure only the desired configuration groups are selected from the Sections group. (For full system

backup, select all groups.)

6. Click Save; your configuration preset appears in the list.

If you try to save a configuration preset but one or more of the related image files is missing,
you'll see an error. You'll be unable to save the preset until the missing files are restored or the
layouts referencing the files are changed to remove the references.

If you try to save a configuration preset but there isn't enough space, you'll see an error
message.You'll need to delete some presets before proceeding.

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There is a maximum amount of 256 MB available to save configuration presets and a maximum
size of 128 MB for a single configuration preset.

Apply a configuration preset

Apply a configuration preset

When you apply a configuration preset, the system settings for all included configuration groups are updated.
Other settings on the system are not affected. For example if you apply a preset that includes the
configuration groups channels and automatic file upload, your network settings, passwords, time server,
source configurations, etc are not modified. Similarly, if you apply a configuration preset that has only
network settings included, only the network settings change.

If you apply a preset that has the network or system configuration group, a reboot is required. If you apply
a preset that has the EDID configuration group, the system may appear unresponsive for a short time while it
applies these EDIDs to the video grabbers.

You can verify which configuration groups are included in a preset by looking at the list to the right of the
configuration preset name. The term 'all' means all groups are included. Otherwise groups are listed
individually.

You may apply multiple presets one after another. If you apply two (or more) configuration
presets that include a particular configuration group, the settings (for that group) from the last
applied preset are the active settings. In short, last in wins.

To apply a configuration preset:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Maintenance link in the Configuration menu; the maintenance page opens.

3. Scroll to the Configuration presets section.

4. Click the Apply button next to the configuration preset you wish to apply.

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Apply a configuration preset

5. The system asks for confirmation before proceeding.

If the configuration preset includes the network or system configuration groups, a
reboot is necessary.

6. ClickOK to apply the configuration preset; the configuration preset is applied.

7. The system reboots if needed.

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Apply theFactory default configuration preset

Apply theFactory default configuration preset

Your VGADVI Recorder Pro comes with a special factory default configuration preset.This configuration
preset cannot be erased and is always presented at the top of the configuration presets list. It contains all
possible configuration settings groups.

Using the Factory default configuration setting is similar to using the Factory reset method (see Perform

factory reset) with a few important differences.

In short, the Factory default configuration preset is less destructive than Factory reset. This table
describes the exact differences.

Table 18 Factory default configuration preset vs Factory reset



Deletes all created channels

Deletes all recorded files in channels

Deletes all created recorders

Deletes all recorded files in recorders

Resets network configuration

Resets user passwords

Deletes all created configuration presets

Deletes all branding files

Resets all Source settings

Resets EDID to factory

Deletes all SCP/SFTP identities

Factory default

configuration preset

ü ü

ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

Factory reset function

ü

Deletes all LDAP settings

Deletes all Automatic file upload settings

To apply the factory default configuration preset, follow the instructions in Apply theFactory default

configuration preset and select the Factory default preset. A reboot is required.

ü ü

ü ü

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Update a configuration preset

Update a configuration preset

If you need to update a configuration preset to include different configuration groups, or simply new settings
for the same groups, you can do so easily via the Admin panel.

To update a configuration preset:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Maintenance link in the Configuration menu; the maintenance page opens.

3. Scroll to the Configuration presets section.

4. Find the preset you wish to change from the presets list.

5. Copy the name of the preset into the Name field.

6. Selected the desired configuration group(s) from the Sections group.

7. Click Save; a confirmation dialog asks you to confirm you want to overwrite the configuration preset.

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8. Click OK; your configuration preset is updated in the list.

Delete aconfiguration preset

Delete a configuration preset

You may want to trim the list of configuration presets to only those that are needed for your ongoing needs.
You can delete all configuration presets at once by doing a factory reset, or you can delete individual
configuration presets from theMaintenance page.

To delete a configuration preset:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Maintenance link in the Configuration menu; the maintenance page opens.

3. Scroll to the Configuration presets section.

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Configurationpreset considerations

4. Click the Delete button for the configuration preset; a confirmation message appears.

5. Click OKto confirm you want to delete the preset; the preset is deleted.

Configurationpreset considerations

Configuration presets are groups of settings applied to the system, leaving other settings intact. The following
considerations will help you get the most from your configuration presets.

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Configurationpreset considerations

Channel and recorder index number behavior

Each channel and recorder has an index number. The first channel created on a system is channel 1,
subsequently channel 2, 3, 4, etc. Recorders are also created starting at index 1 with numbers incrementing as
new recorders are created. The channel (or recorder) index number is found to the left of the channel or
recorder name in the Admin panel:

Configuration presets that contain the channels configuration group specify the channels in the preset by
their index number. This means if you have channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 when you save your preset, applying that
preset will overwrite the configuration of your current channels with indexes 1, 2, 3 and 4. If prior to applying
that preset you also had channels with indexes 5 and 6, the configuration settings for those two channels are
erased when the preset is applied(because the preset only has 4 channels).

There are three areas where channel (and recorder) index numbers affect what happens when applying
configuration presets. Read Recording and streaming statesRecorded files (in channels and recorders) and

Deleting channels for more information.

Recording and streaming states

The Configuration groups section of this chapter shows that each channel and recorder's recording and
streaming state is included in the channels configuration group. This means that if a channel is streaming or
a channel (or recorder) is recording at the time you create a configuration preset, it will immediately start
recording (or streaming) when you apply that preset. Similarly, if a configuration preset is saved when
channels or recorders are not recording (or streaming), those channels and recorders will not be recording
(streaming) when the preset is applied

This means a channel or recorder may stop recording or streaming as a result of applying the
preset.

For example, when applying a preset with channel 3 set to record (the same example applies for streaming):

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l If channel 3 exists prior to applying the preset and is already recording, the file will continue recording

uninterrupted unless the recording file type is differentin the preset (in which case a new file is started).

l If channel 3 exists prior to applying the preset and is not already recording, it immediately begins

recording.

l If no channel with index 3 exists prior to applying the preset, the channel is created and it immediately

begins recording.

Configurationpreset considerations

Recorded files (in channels and recorders)

Channels and recorders keep a list of files recorded in theirRecordings section of the Admin panel. These
files remain on the system even if the channel or recorder configuration is changed or removed as a result of
applying a configuration preset.

For example, prior to applying your configuration preset, you have channels with indexes 1, 2 and 3; each of
these has five recording files. When you apply a configuration preset that has channels with index 1 and 2
only, you'll notice those channels each still have the same 5 recording files. Channel with index 3 is no longer
present, but the files are not lost!

Overwritten channel files are still available. To access and download/delete these recorded files, enter the
following into the address bar: http://<deviceIP>/admin/channelN/archive or
http://<deviceIP>/admin/recorderN/archive, where N is the index of the removed channel/recorder.

For example, if a Channel with index 3 is no longer present, its corresponding files can be accessed by
entering the following into the address bar:

l http://192.168.0.183/admin/channel3/archive

If you now create a new channel with index 3 (or load a preset that contains a channel with index 3), you'll find
it starts with five recorded files in the Recordings section. These are the same recorded files that existed at
the start of this example.

Furthermore, if you delete any of the recordings, you are deleting the only instance of those files. Using our
previous example, if you delete one of the five recordings from channel index 1, you'll find that even after
applying different presets channel 1 will have only four recorded files.

Deleting channels

Recorded files are stored on the system based on their channel or recorder number. All files saved for channel
index 1 are in one folder, and all files for recorder index 2 are in another. When you delete a channel (or
recorder), you permanently delete all recordings for that channel (or recorder) even if those recordings were
made while a different preset is applied.

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Applying a configuration preset with a different set of channels or recorders is not the same as
deleting a channel.

When deleting a channel or recorder that has recorded files, the Admin panel warns you of other
configuration presets that use the same channel or recorder index numbers. When you see this prompt, we
recommend you take a moment to look through the Recordings list to make sure you're OK to proceed with
permanently deleting all the recorded files.

Configurationpreset considerations

Branding content

Branding content files (logos, background images, etc) are included in your configuration presets and must be
present on the system when creating a preset that includes the Channels group, otherwise a failure is
reported.

Configuration presets are not user profiles

Configuration presets should not be confused with the concept of user profiles. Specifically, the following
issues arise from trying to use configuration presets as user profiles:

l recorded files are not removed between application of configuration presets (users could see each

other's files)

l configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted with no password (users could affect each other's

presets)

l branding and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration

presets (users could erase branding or recordings belonging to other users)

l applying a configuration presets does not clear the settings from groups not part of the preset (user

information is not private)

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Configure date and time

Configure date and time

The VGADVI Recorder Pro uses the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing
and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The
Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone
and your network.

This section covers the following date and time-related topics:

l Verify date and time settings

l Change the time zone

l Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and RDATE)

l Configure a local NTP server

l Configure the date and time manually

Verify date and time settings

The current date, time, time zone, and synchronized time protocol settings are shown when the Date and
Time configuration page is loaded in the VGADVI Recorder Pro Admin panel.

To view settings on the date and time configuration page:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Date and Time link in the Configuration menu; the date and time configuration page opens

and the following information is displayed:

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The date and time configuration page also indicates whether the system is currently using synchronized or
manually set time, and whether or not a local network time protocol (ntp) server is running.

The following table describes the date and time configuration fields.

Table 19 Date and Time Options

Label Description/Options

Time Zone The currently selected time zone.

Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and RDATE)

Enable time
synchronization

Protocol The time synchronization protocol.

ServiceIPAddress The time synchronization server address.

Set time manually

Date

Time

Whether or not a time synchronization protocol is being used for setting time. (If not
selected, time is set manually.)

Whether or not time is set manually. (If time is not being set manually, a time
synchronization protocol is used.)

The current date. (This is the current date even if the radio button Set time manually is
not selected.)

The current time. (This is the current time even if the radio button Set time manually is
not selected.)

Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and RDATE)

By default the VGADVI Recorder Pro uses the network time protocol server (NTP server) protocol and a time
server from National Research Council Canada. You can continue to use this time server or configure a new
server that is more appropriate for your network and location. Your system administrator can provide the
correct time synchronization server settings.

To set the time synchronization method:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Date and Time link in the Configuration menu; the date and time configuration page

opens.

3. Click the Enable time synchronization radio button if it is not already selected.

4. Choose one of the following choices from the Protocols drop down:

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Table 20 Synchronized Time Options

Label Description/Options

NTP

RDATE

PTP v1

5. Tailor the synchronization protocol with the required parameters as described below.

Configure synchronized time (NTP, PTP v1 and RDATE)

Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used for clock synchronization over the internet.
There are many publicly available NTP servers you can use, or your company may
have its own NTP server. For more information about NTP and to find
NTPservers, refer to http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome.

RDATE is a tool for querying the current time from the network. It is generally
considered obsolete and has been replaced by NTP. It's offered here for
backwards compatibility with older timekeeping systems.

The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used for clock synchronization over the
internet. It has clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it more
granular than NTP.

6. If NTP is selected:

a. Enter the IP address or server name for the NTP server in the Server IP Address field.

NTP uses UDP packets and port 123. If the system is behind a firewall and accessing an
external NTP server, UDP packets must be permitted on port 123.

7. If RDATE is selected:

a. Enter the IP address or server name for the RDATE server in the Server IP Address field.

b. Select an update interval from the drop down box.

8. If PTP v1 is selected:

a. Select the multicast address of PTP v1 server from the PTPdomain drop-down.

PTP Domain Description

Default PTPat multicast address 224.0.1.129

Alternative 1 PTPat multicast address 224.0.1.130

Alternative 2 PTPat multicast address 224.0.1.131

Alternative 3 PTPat multicast address 224.0.1.132

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PTP uses UDP packets and ports 319 and 320 . If the system is behind a firewall and
accessing an external PTP server, UDP packets must be permitted on ports 319 and 320.

9. Click Apply.

Configure the date and time manually

Configure the date and time manually

By default the VGADVI Recorder Pro uses NTP for time synchronization. If your system does not have access
to a time synchronization server, or if you do not wish to use one, you can choose to manually set the date
and time.

To manually set the date and time:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Date and Time link in the Configuration menu; the date and time configuration page

opens.

3. Type the desired date in the Date field. Use the format yyyy-mm-dd.

4. Type the desired time in the Time field. Use the format hh:mm:ss.

5. Click Apply.

Change the time zone

By default the system has the Canada/Eastern time zone set. Configuration of the time zone is necessary to
ensure synchronized time servers provide the correct time to the system.

To select another time zone:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select the Date and Time link in the Configuration menu; the date and time configuration page

opens.

3. Select the new time zone from the Time Zone drop down box.

4. Click Apply.

Configure a local NTP server

The VGADVI Recorder Pro can run a local NTP server.

To configure a local NTP server:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

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2. Select the Date and Time link in the Configuration menu; the date and time configuration page

opens.

3. Select the check box Enable local NTP server.

Configure a local NTP server

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PART 2:

Capturing is the process of taking the signals from your video and audio sources and encoding them in a
format that is ready for streaming and recording.

If you followed the quick start guide, you're already capturing, streaming and possibly recording your sources.
The section of the guide helps you fine tune and troubleshoot the capturing process.

When using VGADVI Recorder Pro, you can stick to all the default capture and encoding settings, or you tweak
them to set the up exactly as you like.

You can capture a single source at once, capture multiple sources in a custom channel or even switch between
sources or groups of sources(layouts) while streaming and recording.

Techniques for creating channels to capture, stream and record a single source; to create custom channels
with multiple sources and multiple layouts; and how to switch layouts while capturing are all described in this
section.

The chapters in this section include:

l Channels

l Live video mixing / switching

Capture

l Sources

l Troubleshooting

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What is a channel?

What is a channel?

VGADVI Recorder Pro uses Channels to organize and display content captured from DVI, VGA, HDMI, SDIS-
Video and audio.

Channels make your sources (DVI, VGA, HDMI, SDI, S-Video and audio) available for streaming and
recording.You choose how you want to configure your sources (and extras like images and text overlays) into
layouts within your channel.

DVI2PCIe cards do not support audio over HDMI. VGADVI Recorder Pro systems with DVI2PCIe
cards will not be able to capture audio through HDMI sources.

VGADVI Recorder Pro gives you a lot of control over how your sources are streamed. You are not limited to
creating a Channel list that is a one-to-one reflection of your Sources list. You can make channels from some
or all of your sources and you can add the same source to multiple single-source or multi-source layout
channels.

For example, you could use the same source in all three of these situations, concurrently:

- as the only source in Channel 1 at 1080p, 30fps, 10,000 kbps;

- as the only source in Channel 2 at 720p, 15 fps, 2,000 kbps;

- in Channel 3 as part of a multi-source layout with picture in picture.

All channels can be streamed and recorded simultaneously. Following the example above, you could record
any combination of those three channels, and stream one, two or all three of them using any available
streaming methods.

In addition to creating multi-source channels, you can customize your channels by adding images, company
information, corporate colors and time stamps. VGADVI Recorder Pro has a visual layout editor to help you
create exactly the layout you want to stream.

For each channel you create, you can use the layout editor to create one or more channel layouts. Then, while
recording and/or streaming, you can switch live between different layouts.To learn about creating layouts,
read Create a custom channel and Custom channel layout editor. To learn how to do live video mixing / live
video switching, see Live video mixing / switching.

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You can also view channels and perform live switching using the Epiphan Live control
interface. See Configuring Dashboard panels for visual confidence monitoring and
Switching while live streaming and recording for more information.

You can now create and upload customized “No Signal” images for use in your channels. These images are
assigned to a specific source and display in any channel where the source is used but has no input detected.
For more information on how to create a "No Signal" image, see Add a No Signal image to a source .

Through channel configuration and fine-tuning you can maximize your stream quality, minimize your
processing requirements and bandwidth. You can also specify how the video is presented and streamed to
sharing destinations and viewers. Topics in this section include:

l Create a simple channel

l Configure encoding

l Create a custom channel

l Custom channel examples

Create a simplechannel

l Custom channel layout editor

l Add a video source (custom channel)

l Add an audio source (custom channel)

l Add an image (custom channel)

l Add a text overlay (custom channel)

l Live video mixing / switching

l Preview a channel

l Delete a channel

l Rename a channel

Create a simple channel

Channels arrange the output from sources into a viewable and recordable stream. Although there are may
ways you customize a channel, this procedure walks you through the most basic channel setup with a
single source. For multiple-source channels and advanced layout editing see Add channel metadata. (You
can always update this channel later to use multiple sources or multiple layouts.)

After creating this channel you'll be ready to stream it using the system default settings. Instructions to
configure encoding, branding and CDNstreaming are described in separate procedures.

To create a simple channel:

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1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

3. Ensure a DVI,HDMI, VGA or SDI input source is connected to the device and you know the name of the

source it is connected to. If you're not sure, see What is a source?.

4. From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels menu option. A list of existing channels, if any is

displayed.

5. Click Add channel located at the bottom of the list; the Sources page opens.

6. You're automatically editing the Default layout in the channel layout editor.(By default a 16:9 visual

layout editor with a black background is shown.)

Create a simplechannel

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7. Click Add new item to add a layer to the layout; a drop down appears allowing you to choose the kind

of item to add to your layout.

8. Select Video Source from the drop down; the new item is added to the layout and the Source settings

box appears on the right side of the page.

Create a simplechannel

9. Click the Source drop down and select your source; your source appears in the visual layout editor

above.

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10. For best results, keep the Keep aspect ratio when scaling checkbox checked in the Source

settings box.

11. Use the red and white source handles in the visual editor to stretch your image to the full size of the

layout.

Create a simplechannel

12. If audio is desired, scroll down and choose an audio source from the displayed list.

13. Click Save at the lower right corner of the page; the layout changes are saved.

Because this is a single-source channel with only one layout, the channel's name is updated
to display the source’s name next time you view the channel. Click the channel name to
refresh and view this, if desired. If you wish to change a channel's name directly, see
Rename a channel.

Your channel is ready for basic streaming and recording.

By default (on a new channel), when the source doesn't have a 16:9 aspect ratio, the system
automatically detects the correct aspect ratio and updates the layout after you leave and return
to the layout editor screen. This happens because the encoding page has the Use current signal
resolution as frame size setting selected by default. If you want to change the aspect ratio for
your channel, see Configure encoding .

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There are a lot of creative things you can do next with your channel, including creating more layouts and
editing this layout to add images and more sources. See Create a custom channel for more information.

Create a custom channel

Create a custom channel

VGADVI Recorder Pro has two styles of channels:

1. Simple channels with a single source that fits the full screen, as discussed in Create a simple channel.

2. Custom channels with one or more layouts, sources, background matte color and images.

Both types of channels are created using the same interface. In fact, custom channels are the same thing as
simple channels, but they're described separately in this manual because they are more complex. We call a
channel a custom channel (or custom layout channel) when it has multiple sources, image elements, multiple
layouts or any combination of those items.

So the only distinction between simple channels and custom channels is whether you choose to add any extra
elements to the channel.

When making simple channels, your source takes up the whole screen, but with custom channels, you can
organize sources, pictures and text overlays in different locations on your screen. We call these layouts, and
each custom channel you create can have multiple layouts.

If you want to change the way things appear in your stream while streaming (aka video switching or video
mixing), you'll need to create one layout for each of the views you want for your stream. Later, while you are
streaming, you can switch live between the layouts using the Admin panel.

If you're planning to do live switching with your channel, we recommend you set the frame size to
a fixed size instead of using the default automatic detection of source frame size. Setting the
frame size to a fixed value ensures you don't experience any stream interruptions if the source
frame size changes due to layouts that contain a single source that has a different frame size than
those in other layouts.

As you saw when creating a simple channel, the first thing you need to do is create your (first) layout. Before
getting started with custom channel layouts we recommend you review the Custom channel layout editor and
get some inspiration from our Custom channel examples. Then use the remaining topics in this section to help
you create and configure your perfect custom channel layout(s)!

l Create a custom channel or layout

l To upload an image

l Delete an uploaded image

l Add an image (custom channel)

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l Add a video source (custom channel)

l Add an audio source (custom channel)

l Set the background color (custom channel)

l Add a text overlay (custom channel)

l Delete or move a layout (custom channel)

l Resize and position layout items using percents or pixels (custom channel)

l Rename a layout (custom channel)

Once you have your layouts created, read about Live video mixing / switching to learn how to change between
layouts while streaming and/or recording.

Each layout you add to your channel adds a bit of overhead on VGADVI Recorder Pro- and more
complex layouts take more resources. So it's a good idea to make sure you delete any layouts
you're not using.

Create a custom channel

Custom channel layout editor

The visual channel layout editor gives you full control on size and position of the pictures, sources and text
overlays you add to your channel.

You can edit existing channel layouts (even ones you initially created as simple channels) or you can create a
new channel or a new layout within a channel to work with. To add a new layout, see Create a custom channel

or layout.

To select a layout for editing:

1. Login to the Admin panel as admin. See Connect to the Admin panel.

2. Select your channel from the channels menu and click Sources for the channel.

3. Select the layout you want to edit by clicking anywhere in the layout row; the layout editor shows the

current state of the selected layout for your channel and the row for the layout you're editing is
highlighted green.

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