Main Configuration

Reading time ~16 minutes

Main initial

Common Settings

Press the "Common settings" button, the following dialog appears:

Engine_common_settings

Engine Mode

Cinegy Capture engine mode is defined by choosing one of the available options:

  • Capture Pro

  • Capture Solo

  • Capture Desktop

  • Capture Appliance

Note
 The corresponding hardware dongle license should be available for the selected Cinegy Capture engine mode to be enabled. Please contact the Cinegy Sales Team to get information on purchasing Cinegy Capture editions.
Note
 Capture Desktop Edition mode is linked to the Cinegy Desktop license. It can be only installed locally together with Cinegy Desktop installation, and can only perform capture jobs if Cinegy Desktop is running.
Note
 The Capture Appliance Edition is not available for public sale.

Primary Network Interface

The "Primary network interface" drop-down list contains all the current network adapter IPs installed on the machine running Cinegy Capture Manager. Selecting the appropriate network adapter ensures stable network load balancing.

Note
 If the "Auto" option is selected, Cinegy Capture Agent will use the random available network adapter IP instead of the specific IP address. This option should be used if Capture engines are installed over the internet and controlled by "remote" Capture Controls.
Note
 Selection of the network adapter IP to be used should be based on system administrator recommendations.

Logger Settings

To help the user manage Cinegy Capture Service logs, the following parameters are provided:

  • Logging level - set the logging level to "Debug" for generating a full log, "Normal" for creating a log file containing error messages only, and "None" for no logging.

  • Roll interval – specify the frequency of a new log file creation;

  • Max archived files – define the maximum number of log files to be created in the specified "Roll interval" period (0 means no restriction on the number of files);

  • Roll size – limit the log file size.

Open log folder_button

To view the created log files folder, press the "Open log folder" button.

Master Account Control

Here, you can specify the account under which the service is started. You can use the local system account or a specific account with sufficient permissions (including the 'log on as a service' privilege). Using an account without sufficient permissions or rights will cause outright failure or faults, which will be tracked in diagnostic logs. You need to enter the login name and the password for this specific account in the corresponding fields.

Caution
 Make sure the user account under which the service is running has enough privileges to write to network shares used for Cinegy Capture tasks.

If the ping function is disabled by the system administrator, which means that the ping request to check the validity of paths for ingest is blocked, select the "Do not use Ping to check the storage availability" option.

Caution
 All changes will be applied only after the service restart.

Adding Service

Add_button

To add a new service, press the "Add" button. Having pressed the "Add" button, a new service instance will be added to the "Servers" list and installed.
Added engine service
Note
 It is possible to add and configure only one Cinegy Capture Service in Capture Desktop Edition mode.

Once installed, the "Cinegy Capture Service (N)" is added as a regular Windows service. Now you can start the service directly from Cinegy Capture Manager simply by pressing the "Start" button:

Engine_starting_service

The settings are not defined for the service started for the first time.

Engine_configure_service

Service Configuration

To set up the specified Cinegy Capture engine service, press the "Configure" button; the Capture engine configuration wizard appears:

Engine_configuration_wizard_step2

This configuration window is split into the following sections: Common settings, Audio settings, Preview settings, and Metadata processing.

Common Settings

Here, define common settings for your engine service:

Common_settings

  • Allow to edit in Control application – select this option to enable editing parameters available in the engine settings panel.

    Note
    		 Please note that if this option is not selected, engine settings will not be displayed on the engine settings panel.

  • Input TV format – choose the source TV format from the drop-down list and define whether 8- or 10-bit stream processing should be used.

    Important
    		 For the list of supported TV formats refer to the Cinegy Capture System Recommendations.

  • Color primaries – use the drop-down list to define the chromaticity coordinates of the source primaries. The table below presents the available options depending on the selected input TV format and the defined bit depth:

    TV Format Bit Depth Color Primaries

    PAL SD, NTSC SD

    8 bit

    Auto
    BT.601

    10-bit

    720p

    8-bit

    Auto
    BT.709

    10-bit

    1080i/p

    8-bit

    Auto
    BT.709

    10-bit

    Auto
    BT.709
    BT.2020

    UHDp

    8-bit

    Auto
    BT.709
    BT.2020

    10-bit
    Tip

    • Auto-detect automatically

    • BT.601 - ITU-R Recommendation BT.601 also known as Rec. 601 (former name CCIR 601)

    • BT.709 - ITU-R Recommendation BT.709 also known as Rec. 709 or BT.709

    • BT.2020 - ITU-R Recommendation also known as Rec.2020
    Note
    		 The selected options for color primaries take effect only when Apple ProRes and AVC-Ultra 4K Intra encoders are used.

  • Video Accelerator - use the drop-down list to select whether the default CPU or an external graphics card will be used for encoding and processing.

    Note
    		 The drop-down list options depend on the graphics card(s) installed on your machine.
    Note
    		 Currently, only NVIDIA-based accelerator is supported, other types might not work properly.
    Note
    		 Make sure that the GPU card selected as the video accelerator supports interlace field coding; otherwise, interlaced encoding processing will fail even if an appropriate GPU device is selected for the video encoder.

  • Capture source – the video stream capturing source type. This parameter is mandatory.

    Important
    		 Refer to the Capture Source article for the list of supported input devices.

  • Channel description – the custom channel description to be used as the engine service name. If this field is left empty, common numbering is used (Engine (1), Engine (2), etc.).

Audio Settings

Here, the configuration of audio tracks for your engine service is displayed:

Audio Settings

The "Audio channels" field contains the list of configured audio channels.

Note
 Please note that in Cinegy Capture Pro the number of configured audio channels is unlimited.

In the "VU Zero Position" field the VU meter zero level has to be defined.

Audio Channel Configuration

Add_button

Press the "Add" button next to the "Audio channels" field; a new PCM stereo track will be added to the audio channels list.

Remove_button2

Press the "Remove" button to delete the currently selected audio channel.

Edit_button2

Press the "Edit" button to change the currently selected audio channel; the "Audio Channel Configuration" dialog box appears:

Audio_channel_configuration

Select the audio channel type from the "Audio channel type" drop-down list. There are 3 types currently supported:

  • PCM stereo

  • AC-3 downmix

  • AC-3 decoder

Nielsen Watermarking

The "Nielsen watermarking" group provides parameters for Nielsen watermarking encoding configuration. Check this option to enable watermarking functionality.

The following parameters are available for configuration:

  • SID – Nielsen source ID. One or more SIDs are assigned to each content provider or distribution source. Included as a component of each watermark, the SID uniquely identifies the distribution source.

  • Check digits – two upper-case alpha characters, corresponding to the SID assigned by Nielsen.

  • Distribution type – specify the watermark type: Program Content or Final Distributor. Typically, Program Content watermarks are assigned to syndication content or content providers (i.e., broadcast networks, etc.), while Final Distributor watermarks are assigned to local broadcast affiliates or cable network content.

  • Watermarking – define the type of watermarking to activate this session. The following types are available for choosing:

    • NAES II – for Legacy NAES II watermarking;

    • NAES VI – for NAES VI watermarking;

    • Both – for NAES II and NAES VI activation.

  • Existing watermarks – determine the method of handling a second Final Distributor code if Final Distributor codes are already present in the stream (NAES II HF and NAES VI). The options are:

    • Overwrite – the original watermarks are replaced with new ones;

    • Preserve – pre-existing watermarks are left intact; new watermarks are inserted only in portions of the audio stream where there are no pre-existing watermarks.

Note
 Please note, that legacy NAES II watermarks will be overwritten and Nielsen watermarks NAES VI will be appended. Unlike NAES II watermarking, processing Nielsen watermarks does not support overwriting of audio codes that are present in the stream before the watermarking process begins. Instead, the watermark engine leaves space for the second (and possibly the third) Final Distributor SID in the program band.

Preview Settings

Preview_Settings

Add_button

Press the "Add" button next to the "Previews" field to add a new stream preview to the list.

Edit_button

Select the preview type and press the "Edit" button to edit the corresponding stream preview configuration.

Remove_button

Press the "Remove" button to remove the selected stream preview from the list.

On_button_control
Off_button_control

You can control the selected stream preview directly from the "Preview settings" panel using the toggle button located next to the stream preview for its enabling/disabling. The toggle button is displayed in green when stream preview is enabled and in red – when disabled.

The "Preview Settings" configuration parameters depend on the selected preview type: MPEG-TS or Shared RAM.

MPEG-TS Preview Configuration

Note
 MPEG-TS stream generation is not supported in Capture Desktop Edition mode.

When the "MPEG-TS Preview" type is selected, the corresponding parameters should be configured:

MPEG-TS preview configuration

  • Name – enter the MPEG-TS preview name to be displayed in Cinegy Capture user interfaces.

Common Settings

  • Broadcast mode – choose the data transmission method (unicast or multicast).

  • Preview size – choose the preview size by selecting the appropriate preview resolution from the drop-down list. This enables video stream downscaling to the defined size. The "Original" value means no downscaling.

    Tip
    		 The preview sizes list may vary, depending on the TV format of your engine specified via Cinegy Capture Manager. It is recommended to choose the smallest preview size to optimize the CPU load when using mobile devices for the capture process control.
Stream Settings

  • Stream type – specify the stream type: RTP, UDP, or SRT.

    Important
    		 For detailed information, please refer to the RTP/UDP/SRT URL Format article.

  • IP address – enter the destination IP. In unicast mode, enter the destination station address and port here. In multicast mode, enter the IP and port of the multicast group that will be used for multicasting.

    copy_URL

    Use this button to copy the full RTP/UDP/SRT preview URL to the clipboard.

  • TS packets – specify the number of transport stream packets placed in the payload portion of the RTP/UDP/SRT packet.

    Note
    		 Refer to the network technical documentation for more information on RTP/UDP/SRT packets.
Source Parameters

  • Primary source IP – use the drop-down list to select the IP address of the local network adapter that will be used for multicasting.

  • Backup source IP – use the drop-down list to select the IP address of the local network adapter that will be used for multicasting instead of the primary source IP in the event of its random failure.

    Note
    		 It is recommended to set up a static IP address for this adapter. The "Primary source IP" and "Backup source IP" parameters affect multicast mode only.

  • Time to live (TTL) – define the number of routers (hops) that multicast traffic is permitted to pass through before expiring in the network.

    Note
    		 The "TTL" parameter affects multicast mode only.
    Important
    		 Refer to the network technical documentation for more information on the TTL option.
Compression Options

Here, you can define such parameters as video encoder type (MPEG-2, H.264 or H.264 NVIDIA GPU, HEVC NVIDIA GPU, Daniel2, Daniel2 NVIDIA GPU), bitrate, chroma subsampling type (4:2:0, 4:2:2), encoding method (vary depending on the selected encoder type), the length and type of the GOP sequence.

Tip
 The recommended bitrate value and GOP parameters are adjusted automatically according to the selected preview size and preview encoder; however, they can be changed afterward according to your needs.

Select the "Closed GOP" checkbox to set the closed GOP type.

Note
 The closed GOP is not available for Daniel2 and Daniel2 NVIDIA GPU video encoders.

Define the audio type and its associated audio bitrate by choosing the desired options from corresponding drop-down lists.

Real-time Preview Configuration

To set up the real-time preview configuration, select the H.264 video encoder to use for rendering.

Enable_web_preview

The "Enable WEB preview" option enables/disables real-time preview mode in Cinegy Capture Web Control.

Selecting the "Enable WEB preview" option automatically adjusts required compression parameters for real-time preview in Cinegy Capture Web Control:

Enable web preview parameters

Important
 Refer to the Cinegy Capture Web Control Manual to learn about controlling Cinegy engines remotely from any mobile device.

Shared RAM Preview Configuration

When the "Shared RAM preview" type is selected, the corresponding parameters should be configured:

shared_RAM_configuration

  • Name – enter the Shared RAM preview name to be displayed in Cinegy Capture user interfaces.

Common Settings

  • Output name – defines the name of the Cinegy Capture Service stream in the shared RAM.

  • Global namespace – check this option to enable sharing between several users on the machine, or between applications and services.

  • Preview size – choose the preview size by selecting an appropriate preview resolution from the drop-down list. This enables video stream downscaling to the defined size. The "Original" value means no downscaling.

    Tip
    		 The preview size list may vary, depending on the TV format of your engine specified via Cinegy Capture Manager. It is recommended to choose the smallest preview size to optimize the CPU load when using very large streams for the capture process control.

Having specified preview parameters, press "OK" to add the configured stream preview to the list.

The selected stream preview will be displayed in the "Preview" list. You can add as many stream previews of different types as you need.

Metadata Processing

Metadata_Processing

  • Data processing – enables/disables the embedded VANC (Vertical Ancillary Data Space) data stream capturing.

Timecode Settings

Having configured all the necessary parameters, press "Next" to set up the timecode settings.

Timecode_Settings

In the "Timecode settings" configuration group define the following parameters:

  • Source – select the timecode source from the drop-down list.

    The "PC clock" timecode source is set by default which means that the current PC time will be used for timecode generation. Having selected the capture source, more timecode sources become available, for example, analog (A)LTC or VITC, digital HANC embedded RP188, digital SDI embedded DVITC, DLTC or RS422, etc.

    Note
    		 The list of available timecode sources depends on the capture source type currently selected.
    Note
    		 If the selected timecode source does not provide timecodes, the timecode monitoring window on the Capture panel in Cinegy Capture Control will display --:--:--:-- indication, and the start of the capture session will not be possible.

  • Timecode type – choose the required timecode type for the capture session from DF (Drop-frame) and NDF (Non-drop-frame) options.

    Note
    		 The "Timecode type" option is topical only for sources in the NTSC standard.

  • Processing mode – choose timecode processing mode for timecode normalizing. The following options are available:

    • None – no additional processing; only original timecodes received from the selected source are used.

    • Free run – original timecodes received from the selected source are used if the Cinegy Capture Service is idle. When the capture session starts, timecodes are generated by adding 1 frame to the initial value of the session with the selected TV format frequency. Any timecode loss or inconsistency from the timecode source is ignored during the capture session.

      Note
      		 If no timecode from the selected source is provided, the capture session cannot be started.

    • Handle frames count – original timecodes provided by the selected source are used if the Cinegy Capture Service is idle. When the capture session starts, the initial timecode value is taken from the selected timecode source. Timecode is generated by adding 1 frame to the initial value of the session with the selected TV format frequency. Any timecode loss or inconsistency with the timecode source is ignored during N frames capturing. Then, the timecode value is taken from the timecode source (each N frames). If the taken timecode is inconsistent with the current generated one and the inconsistency is greater than the maximum value defined in the timecode analyzer for the current Capture template, the timecode break will be detected.

      Note
      		 If no timecode from the selected source is provided, the capture session cannot be started.

    • Adaptive – original timecodes received from the selected source are used if the Cinegy Capture Service is idle. When the capture session starts, the timecode from the selected source is used. In case of timecode loss from the timecode source during the capture session, the timecode will be generated by adding 1 frame to the initial value of the session with the selected TV format frequency. If the timecode from the selected source recovers and the taken timecode is inconsistent with the current generated one and the inconsistency is greater than the maximum value defined in the timecode analyzer for the current Capture template, the timecode break will be detected.

      Note
      		 If no timecode from the selected source is provided, the capture session cannot be started.

  • Substitution settings – check the "Always use fixed start timecode" option and define the start timecode in the hours:minutes:seconds:frames format, which will be applied for every capture session. In this case, the specified timecode will be used as the start timecode for every capture session, ignoring in such a way the start of the actual timecode from the timecode source.

    Note
    		 This option automatically substitutes the defined timecode source and processing mode by the PC clock in the "Free run" processing mode.

Buffer Settings

  • Encoding buffer – the number of frames allocated in the memory to handle short system performance downfalls. A value of 50 is suitable for SD or I-frame HD encoding. Higher values, such as 100, are recommended for Long GOP recordings or machines with more available RAM.

  • File writer buffer – defines the buffer size of writing files in Mb to handle short storage performance downfalls.

Scaling Settings

According to your requirements, here you can choose one of the following scaling presets for your Capture engine: "Best performance", "Best quality" or "Balanced".

Capture Source Settings

Having configured all the necessary timecode parameters, press "Next" to set up the parameters corresponding to the selected capture source type.

Note
 Refer to the Capture Source article to get more information on the specific capture source type configuration.

Verifying Capture Engine Configuration

Proceed with the setup; the defined configuration summary will be displayed for review. Press the "Finish" button and wait until the specified settings are applied:

Engine_applying_configuration

Once successfully configured, the particular engine is ready to perform the recording and continues running even after the Cinegy Capture Manager application is closed.

The "Cinegy Capture Service (N)" will be added to the list of Windows services running:

Windows_services
Caution
 Administrator rights are required to start/stop the Cinegy Capture Service.

The dynamically updated stream preview along with the engine status and configuration information will be displayed:

Engine_preview_service

Having configured the stream preview types, it is possible to set whether the picture preview or real-time one will be displayed in the preview window. To do this, right-click anywhere within the preview window:

Preview_mode

Check the "Realtime Preview" option to enable real-time preview; otherwise, the picture preview is enabled.

Tip
 The services are completely separated from any GUI elements or each other: the Cinegy Capture Manager application can be closed while the services keep running.

Interface Overview

The interface of the Cinegy Capture Manager "Main" tab consists of several panels:

main_interface

The Engine Services panel lists all the added Cinegy Capture Services as well as allows selecting the configured Cinegy Capture Services.

The Service information and Engine information panels list the parameters defined via common engine settings and Capture engine general settings.

The configured engine input source details are displayed in the Engine input panel.

The engine previews are available on the corresponding Engine previews panel. The checkmark next to the preview name indicates that it is enabled. The data of the corresponding engine preview can be copied to the clipboard and then be defined as the input name for another Cinegy application installed on the same machine (e.g., Shared RAM); or for playback by the multimedia player (e.g., RTP signal path).

The Selected preview window shows the currently selected preview.