ZEN Master 20 October 2026 Release
19 min
Zixi ZEN Master Release Notes
The following updates will be included in the Zixi ZEN Master October 20, 2026, release.
Features
The following new features were implemented in this release:
Deprecations
- API Keys - Advance notice: in the January 2027 release (date to be confirmed), API Key values become show-once. The value is returned only when the key is created and GET /api_keys/:idwill no longer return the key value, for all keys including existing ones. Store key values securely at creation time and ensure any integration that fetches a key value by ID is updated before then. Existing API Keys continue to work until then.
AI Incident Analysis
ZEN Master now provides the option to generate an AI Analysis report for an Incident.
- The report includes Incident details, overview, history, root cause assessment, recommendations, and notes
- The Analysis can be generated (or re-generated at a later time) via the 'AI Analysis' button in the Incident details page
- AI incident analysis is opt-in and now available, enabled per customer – please contact your Zixi representative for more information
- See AI Incident Analysis
Transport & Processing
New "Conditioning" section on Targets, replacing "SCTE-35 Manipulation (POIS)":
- "Latency Offset", "Make Timeline Continuous" and "PID Mapping Profile" can now be applied to a Target without enabling SCTE-35 Manipulation
- The full set of Conditioning fields ("Enable Conditioning", "Make Timeline Continuous", "Enable SCTE-35 Manipulation", "PID Mapping", "Latency Offset", "SCTE-35 Modification Profile", "NULL Packet Search Window", "SCTE-35 PID") is shown on the Target details page and summary bar
- Note: existing API integrations can keep sending and reading the previous field names; they remain supported
- Error Concealment remux options added to the Conditioning section of Targets:
- Adds "CBR Padding", "Remux Mode", "Remux Buffer Size", "PCR Interval" and "Smoothing"
- Targets: SRT, RIST, RTMP Push, UDP/RTP, Zixi Pull, Zixi Push
- "Smoothing" and "Bursty Input" options on UDP/RTP Targets, in ZM UI and API:
- Parity with the Zixi Broadcaster output settings, previously configurable only on the Broadcaster
- Existing Targets are unaffected: when the options are not set, behavior is unchanged
- "External ID" field added to all Source types:
- Previously available only on Failover Sources
- "Disconnect idle stream" option on RTMP Targets:
- Off by default; controls whether the output is dropped when its bitrate falls very low. The setting now persists across clone, disable/re-enable and recovery
- "Interlaced" option on MPEG-2 Transcoding Profiles:
- Interlaced is validated for resolutions up to 1920x1080
- SRT Target billing code and password now validated as you type:
- The separate "Validate billing code" button is removed; saving is blocked until the pair is valid, so invalid billing details are caught before submission
- AWS Elemental Link support removed from Sources and AWS MediaLive Channels:
- Note: existing AWS Elemental Link Sources are deleted during the upgrade
- SRT Listener Sources sharing a listening port now confirm the single latency shared by that port:
- Previously the Source could show a latency the Broadcaster was not actually running
- See Zixi, UDP/RTP, RIST, SRT, RTMP Targets
Cloud and Infrastructure
Controlled replacement of AWS EC2 instances with a new AMI from ZEN Master:
- Applies updated Cluster configuration (AMI, subnet, Broadcaster version and related settings) one instance at a time while monitoring system health and stream reconnection
Create New Cluster Options
Cluster create/edit now starts with a management-type selection: Manual, AWS, GCP, Azure or Linode:
- Each type opens its own dedicated form; cloud options are disabled when no scaling account is configured for that provider
- g7 GPU instance types (g7.2xlarge to g7.12xlarge) in AWS Broadcaster launch options
- AWS instance refresh failures now show the actual error returned by AWS instead of "unknown error"
- Broadcaster session cookies cleared when opening a Broadcaster from ZEN Master:
- Cookies for previously opened Broadcasters no longer accumulate in the browser
- See:
TAMS
- TAMS Deployments: named TAMS store with endpoint and credentials, stored once and reused by Adaptive Channels:
- Includes a connectivity test; credentials are write-only and injected into the Broadcaster output configuration by ZEN Master
- TAMS Sources and Flows provisioned automatically for Adaptive Channels with a TAMS Target:
- UUIDs are generated or accepted from an external system, persisted, and readable via the API
- TAMS configuration in the ZEN Master UI: Deployment picker on Channels, provisioning status and UUID visibility
- See Configuring TAMS
Note: TAMS outputs require Zixi Broadcaster v19 or later.
Broadcaster v19 implements TAMS 5.1 and should be compatible with any 5.x or earlier version. We have not yet tested on later versions of TAMS, but theoretically, it should work since TAMS maintains backward compatibility.
Monitoring and Alerts
"Hops" tab on the Source page showing the upstream hop chain, with an "Upstream Hops" graph:
- Per hop: stream type, input IP, application, device, version, host and node IDs, with a link to the matching Source when it is managed in ZEN Master
- Graph: per-hop CC errors, unrecovered and dropped packets
- See Hops Diagram
- "Deep Logging" indicator on Broadcasters that still have advanced-mode logging enabled:
- Shown in the Broadcaster and Cluster lists and on the Broadcaster details page
- Faster Tag lists and Tag-filtered searches for accounts with many Tags
- IO server health check now reports a failure when offline monitoring has stopped
- Sidebar error and warning counts on Broadcasters now open the list pre-filtered
Other
- UI polish
- "HD" and "HDD" storage labels renamed to "Disk"
- Status icons in the results column of multiple-edit and multiple-confirm dialogs
- "+Add" buttons on list pages labelled with the object type they create
- API Key "Expiration" column readable in light mode
- Announcement Configuration form rebuilt with minor refinements
SCTE / ESNI
The following SCTE / ESNI additions and changes are included in this release:
ESNI
- UPID format displayed in the MediaPoint is now configurable per media
- Viewing Policy and Audience panes blank for the last entry in the list:
- Connected ZEN Master objects (or the "no content" message) now show for every entry
- Expired media not removed automatically after the configured deletion grace period
- ESNI audit log records more detail:
- Which MediaPoints were triggered, which policies were applied or removed (and when nothing changed), failures to apply or remove policies, and which Targets became active as a result
- Loading indicators on the ESNI Monitoring, Database and Configuration pages
- Tables show "Loading..." while data is fetched instead of appearing empty
- ESNI Monitoring Schedule "Past" window extended from 24 hours to 14 days
- "ESNI Schedule Access Regex" on a Role clearing after a period of time:
- A saved regex now persists until a user edits or clears it
SCTE
- SCTE-35 report download now respects the columns selected in the UI
- "Remove existing SCTE-35 signals" option on HLS Pull Sources:
- Keeps only the SCTE-35 converted from EXT-X-CUE-OUT and EXT-X-CUE-IN ad markers
- SCTE-35 modification rules are now evaluated sequentially:
- Each rule applies to the message as already modified by the preceding rules
- SCTE-35 messages using component splice mode decoded incorrectly:
- Produced wrong break duration and auto-return values
- "Segmentation Duration" in SCTE-35 Modification Profile rules labelled in milliseconds when the value is in seconds
API
The following API additions and changes are included in this release:
Technical Reference
- For a detailed technical reference on field changes, see the accompanying document in the Customer Portal:
- ZEN-Master-API-Updates-Reference-2026-10-20.csv.zip
Removed Fields
- Channels:
- Remove AWS Elemental Link support.
- Removed fields:
- mediaconnect_source_id
- Channels: AWS MediaLive Channels
- MediaConnect Sources:
- Remove AWS Elemental Link support.
- Removed fields:
- elemental_link_id
- elemental_link_region
- elemental_link_account_id
Added/Updated Fields
- Live Events:
- Add response details (200, 500) for Go to Live Event Stage.
- POST /live_events/{eventId}/stages/{stageName}
- SCTE-35 Profiles:
- Add a Create rule that turns a Time Signal (Type 6) into a Splice Insert (Type 5) with user-set fields.
- Added fields:
- conversionType
- out_of_network_indicator
- spliceEventIdConfig
- uniqueProgramIdConfig
- breakDurationConfig
- timingConfig
- providerAvailIdConfig
- isTurnOffAutoReturn
- returnMessageTiming
- Sources:
- HLS Pull Sources can now remove SCTE-35 signals already embedded in the stream.
- Added override_scte_with_cue field for HLS Sources.
- POST /sources/hls
- GET, POST, PUT /sources
- Sources:
- Expose external ID for all Sources.
- Added external_id field.
- Sources: Demux, Failover, File, HLS, Inter-Cluster, MediaConnect, Multiplex, Multiplex SPTS, OnAir, Other, PID Mapping, RIST, RTMP, SRT, Transcoded, UDP/RTP, ZEC, Zixi Push/Pull.
- Sources:
- Add a create-only cleanup_outputs flag for ZEC push and Zixi Broadcaster push Sources that stops any pre-existing manual (non-ZEN Master) outputs already sending the selected input once the Source is implemented. It is an action, not a stored property, and is never returned on the Source.
- Added cleanup_outputs field.
- Sources: ZEC Push, Zixi Push.
- Sources:
- Add a Synchronize Playback toggle to ZEN Master File Sources.
- Added synchronize_playback field.
- Sources: File (Local, URL).
- Sources:
- Update functionality.
- Source stream_id can now only be set at creation time and is ignored on update. It is now validated: letters, digits, hyphens and underscores only, max 200 characters, and a Stream ID already used by another Source in the account is rejected with 409.
- Sources:
- PID Mapping Profiles can be added to Sources.
- Updated pid_mapping_profile_id field for Sources.
- Changed from Boolean to Integer.
- Added pid_mapping_profile_id field.
- Sources: Failover, File Local/URL, NDI, PID Mapping.
- Sources:
- Enhance response filtering for Sources.
- Added tag query parameter.
- GET /sources
- Targets:
- Expose Error Concealment Remux for Targets.
- Added fields:
- error_concealment_cbr_padding_kbps
- error_concealment_cbr_padding_pcr_interval_ms
- error_concealment_remux_mode
- error_concealment_remux_buff_size_ms
- error_concealment_smoothing_ms
- Targets: RIST, RTMP, SRT, UDP/RTP, Zixi Pull/Push.
- Targets:
- Add verify_srt_stream_id to SRT Pull (Listener) Targets that accepts only clients whose SRT stream ID matches the Target name.
- Added verify_srt_stream_id field.
- Targets: SRT Pull (Listener).
- Targets:
- Define a Target's Channel type (Pass-Through / MediaConnect / MediaLive).
- Added channel_type field.
- Targets: RIST, RTMP, SRT, UDP/RTP, Zixi Pull/Push.
- Targets:
- Add two Broadcaster settings to ZEN Master UI and the API.
- Added bursty_input field.
- Updated smoothing description.
- Targets: UDP/RTP.
- Targets:
- New field controls whether to drop the output if its bitrate falls too low.
- Added disconnect_on_idle field.
- Targets: RTMP.
Added Functionality
- Sources:
- Require at least one PID per interleave component.
- Create SPTS Multiplex Source.
- Query parameter: name:
- Enhance functionality to handle multiple values.
- More than one name value is treated as a logical OR.
- Objects: Access Keys, Broadcasters, Channels, Clusters, Events Profiles, Feeders, Live Events, MediaConnect Sources, PID Mapping, Receivers, Remote Access, Sources, Tags, Targets, Transcoding Profiles, ZECs
Documentation Only
- PID Mapping Profiles:
- Update documentation to match backend processing.
- Changed target_pid to required that allows null.
- Value is required when action: "map" and source is not "pmt". Otherwise, set to null.
- SCTE-35 Messages:
- Specify timestamp fields as int64.
- Updated fields:
- pts_time_90khz
- pre_roll_90khz
- SearchAfter
- SCTE-35 Profiles:
- Change fields from integer (ms) to number (seconds) to match the backend.
- segmentationDurationConfig.value
- returnMessageTimingConfig.value
- Sources:
- Document activeBroadcasterObjects in Sources response.
- GET /sources
- GET /sources/{id}
- Sources:
- Specify timestamp fields as int64.
- Updated fields:
- up_time
- Timestamp
- Sources:
- Update field definitions for HLS Sources and Error Concealment.
- Updated fields:
- target_bitrate
- latency
- error_concealment_fix_cc
- error_concealment_cbr_padding_pcr_interval_ms
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