Adding a Zixi Source – OnAir
Adding a Zixi Source – OnAir
The OnAir source is a special variety of the Zixi Push source, designed to accept a live stream from the Zixi On Air Pro app for iOS (available in the App Store).
Once the source is created, you can email the configuration details to the device user, who will be able to click a link in the message to open the OnAir Pro app and set up the connection automatically.
To add an OnAir Source:
In the main navigation, click Sources.
Click + Add. The Create New Source selection window is displayed.
Click on Zixi. The Create Zixi Source window opens.
Be sure to set the Mode to Push and the Application to OnAir to get the correct fields.
In the Info section, in the Name field, type a logical name for the Zixi source.
In the Tags field, select one or more of the predefined Tags from the drop-down list. Tags are used for access control. By selecting a Tag, you are relating this Source to that Tag. Tags are associated with certain roles (through the Users & Roles screen), and roles, in turn, are associated with users and user groups. If you would like to create a new Tag, see Creating a Tag.
In the Events Configuration Profile field, select from the dropdown list the profile that you would like to apply to this Source. By default, the Default profile is applied.
Events Profiles consist of a series of rules that determine precisely how various types of Events are logged and what results they trigger.
The Source's location is used to represent it in the proper position in the Map display (see Maps). By default, the location is determined automatically based on the Source's IP. If you would like to manually set the location of the Source (Optional), use the following procedure:
- Click on the Edit icon next to the Location field. A search box is shown below the Location field.
- Enter identifying info for the location (e.g. street address, zip code, coordinates). Search results are displayed below the search box as you type.
- Click on the desired location. The selected location populates the Location field.
Check the Use Private IP checkbox if the device with the OnAir Pro app is on a VPN with a private IP address, and enter that IP address in the Location field.
in the Ingest Cluster field, select from the drop-down list one of the available Ingest Clusters as the destination for the Source.
In the Target Broadcaster/s field, select your broadcaster preferences. Either select a specific broadcaster to be used OR specify your preference for using primary vs. backup broadcasters, options are: Prefer Primary Broadcasters, Primary Broadcasters only, Backup Broadcasters only or Prefer Backup Broadcasters.
For managed clusters, it is not recommended to select a specific broadcaster, as the broadcaster’s availability may not remain stable.
Enter a Source Password if you want to require a password to allow a stream to connect to the source.
In the Public Output field, if you would like to allow access to the stream directly through a supported player, select the Allow checkbox.
If you selected the Allow checkbox, then enter a password in the Password field to authenticate access to the stream (optional).
Under Content Analysis select one of the following options:
- Full - select this option if you would like to enable full Content Analysis (CQA), including analysis of the stream's audio and video content, including audio levels, audio silence detection, frozen video detection, and more.
- TR101 Only - select this option to perform TR101 analysis only (without video and audio content analysis). The analysis can be used to check the integrity of the TS and the most important elements of the stream. The analysis includes priority 1 and 2. To learn more about TR101 analysis see TR 101 290 Technical Report.
- None - no content analysis is enabled.
It is generally recommended to enable full Content Analysis unless it is causing technical problems. If Content Analysis is disabled, the system won't detect errors in the video and audio content of the stream and won't generate warnings for such events.
To prevent the source from being accidentally deleted, check Deletion Protection.
If you would like to disable auto-pull, select the Disable Auto-Pull checkbox.
Disabling Auto-Pull will lock Channels using this Source to the Source's Ingest Cluster and Targets to the Source's current active Broadcaster. This setting only applies to Pass-Through Channels.
If Auto-Pull is enabled, in the Auto-Pull Latency [ms] field, specify the maximum latency for auto-pull actions. The Broadcaster will update the latency as required, by using the maximal defined latency and then reducing the latency gradually. (Default: 1000 ms)
If Pull was selected in step 7 and the Source is using AES encryption, in the Decryption Key field, enter the static key that was used for encryption.
In the WebRTC Playback section, select the desired playback method.
WebRTC enables you to monitor the stream via web browsers and mobile applications with real-time communication (RTC). WebRTC needs to be activated independently for each Source in ZEN Master (by default it is disabled).
Select one of the following options:
- Disabled - users will not be able to view this Source using WebRTC (default)
- Pass-Through - passes the stream through to WebRTC without transcoding. This option can only be used if the input stream is already in a WebRTC compliant format (video - H.264 codec with Baseline or Main profile and no B frames, Audio - Opus codec).
- Auto - ZEN Master automatically transcodes the stream using the optimal profile for each specific user. In this option Zixi Broadcaster will decode the video, transforming it into RAW frames, which will be passed to the WebRTC library, where it will be re-encoded for each individual user.
Best quality. However, if monitored by multiple users this can consume extensive resources.
- 1080p/720p/480p/360p - ZEN Master transcodes the stream to a WebRTC compliant profile with the specified resolution. The transcoding is done by Zixi Broadcaster's transcoder.
This method requires a Zixi Broadcaster with X264 or Nvidia for transcoding. This method allows many users to monitor the stream without encoding separately for each individual user, which saves CPU capacity. Since there is only one stream version, it is recommended to encode to a low resolution and low bitrate so that the stream will be viewable by all users monitoring the stream.
In the Initial State section, select the Disabled checkbox if you would like to disable this Source upon initial configuration.
Select the Muted checkbox if you would like to disable error/recovery notifications for this Source upon initial configuration.
You can Enable/Unmute the Source at any time.
If you would like to adjust the advanced settings, click Advanced. The Advanced settings fields are displayed.
If you would like to track usage for this Source, enter your Billing Code details. See Billing Codes.
Note that billing codes are not supported for Push Sources until Broadcaster v19+.
If you would like to track auto-pull usage separately, enter you Auto-Pull Billing Code details.
For either or both billing codes, click the Validate billing code button to verify that the code is valid.
Traffic shaping is a network management technique used to control and optimize the flow of data. Check the box to enable it (this setting will be ignored for Broadcasters earlier than v18.2).
In the Auto Pull MTU field, specify the maximum transmission unit (largest data packet that a network-connected device will accept) in bytes for the Auto Pull.
To set the detection of frozen video, in the Frozen Video Minimal Duration field, specify the default minimal duration in seconds of frozen video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Frozen video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher.
To set the detection of blank video, in the Blank Video Minimal Duration field, specify the default minimal duration in seconds of blank video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Blank video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher.
The Ignore Monitoring PIDs field prevents ZEN Master from issuing alerts for empty audio streams. If you wish to enable this, enter a comma-delimited list of PID numbers that should not be monitored for null content.
Click Save.
Emailing Source Details to Be Used on the Device
In the top right “kebab” icon, select Config.
Enter an email address to send the Source configuration to your Apple device.
Click outside the input area and click Send.
Close the Configuration window.
See Streaming using ZEN Master for instructions on how to use the configuration information in the email in the On Air Pro app.
Zixi Broadcaster Source Configuration Parameters Table
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Info | |
Name | Specify a name for the Zixi Source in ZEN Master. |
Tags | Select one or more of the predefined Tags from the drop-down list. Tags are used for access control. By selecting an Tag, you are relating this Source to that Tag. Tags are associated with certain roles (through the Users & Roles screen), and roles, in turn, are associated with users and user groups. If you would like to create a new Tag, see Creating a Tag . |
Events Configuration Profile | Select from the dropdown list the profile that you would like to apply to this Source. By default, the Default profile is applied. Note: Events Profiles consist of a series of rules that determine precisely how various types of Events are logged and what results they trigger. |
Location (Optional) | The Source's location is used to represent it in the proper position in the Map display (see Maps). By default, the location is determined automatically based on the Source's IP. Enter identifying info for the location (e.g. street address, zip code, coordinates) and select the desired location from the suggestions that are shown. |
Input | |
Mode | To create a Zixi Broadcaster Source, select the mode used for sending the Source. For OnAir, choose Push |
Application | To create an OnAir source, select the OnAir radio button. |
Configuration | |
Ingest Cluster | Select from the drop-down list one of the available Ingest Clusters as the destination for the Source. |
Target Broadcaster/s | Specify which Broadcaster/s within the cluster on which ZEN Master can deploy the source. Either select a specific Broadcaster to be used OR specify your preference for using primary vs. backup Broadcasters. Options are: Prefer primary Broadcasters, Primary Broadcasters only, Backup Broadcasters only or Prefer Backup Broadcasters. Note: For managed clusters, it is not recommended to select a specific Broadcaster, as the Broadcaster’s availability may not remain stable. |
Public Output | If you would like to allow access to the stream directly through a supported player, select the Allow checkbox. |
Password (optional for Public Output) | If you selected Allow in the Public Output field, specify a password in this field to authenticate access to the stream. |
Content Analysis | Select one of the following options:
|
Hide Thumbnail | Select this option to hide the Source's thumbnail from where it is displayed (e.g., the Preview Pane, Grids, etc.). |
Disable Auto-Pull | If you would like to disable auto-pull, select this checkbox. Note: Disabling Auto-Pull will lock Channels using this Source to the Source's Ingest Cluster and Targets to the Source's current active Broadcaster. This setting only applies to Pass-Through Channels. |
Auto-Pull Latency [ms] | Specify the maximum latency for auto-pull actions. The Broadcaster will update the latency as required, by using the maximal defined latency and then reducing the latency gradually. (Default: 1000 ms) |
WebRTC Playback | Select the desired playback method. Note: WebRTC enables you to monitor the stream via web browsers and mobile applications with real-time communication (RTC). WebRTC needs to be activated independently for each Source in ZEN Master (by default it is disabled). Select one of the following options:
Note: Best quality. However, if monitored by multiple users this can consume extensive resources.
Note: This method requires a Zixi Broadcaster with X264 or Nvidia for transcoding. This method allows many users to monitor the stream without encoding separately for each individual user, which saves CPU capacity. Since there is only one stream resolution, it is recommended to encode to a low resolution and low bitrate so that the stream will be viewable by all users monitoring the stream. |
Initial State | |
Disabled | Select this checkbox if you would like to disable this Source upon initial configuration. |
Muted | Select this checkbox if you would like to disable error/recover notifications for this Source upon initial configuration. |
Advanced | |
Billing Codes | If you would like to track usage for this Source, enter your Billing Code details, see Billing Codes . (Supported for Broadcasters v14.8+) Note that billing codes are not supported for Push Sources until Broadcaster v19+. |
Billing Channel ID | An optional arbitrary string - you can enter anything you want to for your record-keeping. This is not related to ZEN Master Channels. |
Billing Password | Enter the password that corresponds to this billing code. |
Auto-Pull Billing Code | If you would like to track usage for this Source when using Auto-Pull connections, enter the billing code that corresponds to this stream. The relevant billing can be obtained from the organization that received the billing code from Zixi. |
Auto-Pull Billing Password | Enter the password that corresponds to this auto-pull billing code. |
MTU/Auto Pull MTU {bytes} | Specify the maximum transmission unit (largest data packet that a network-connected device will accept) in bytes for the Auto Pull. (For Pull sources only.) |
Frozen Video Minimal Duration {seconds} | Specify the default minimal duration in seconds of frozen video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Frozen video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher. For existing sources, you may need to restart the source. |
Blank Video Minimal Duration {seconds} | Specify the default minimal duration in seconds of blank video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Blank video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher. For existing sources, you may need to restart the source. |
Ignore Monitoring PIDs | Ignore PIDs with empty audio streams to prevent false warnings - enter a comma-delimited list of PID numbers that should not be monitored for null content. |