HOW TO: Work with OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Node "Direct Link"

What is the "Direct Link" ?

The "Direct Link" feature allows you to

• record or stream the signal that is played by OnTheAir Video, OnTheAir Node or OnTheAir CG Server without the need of a video input device. This can be very useful for Web TVs that need to stream their signal.
• It can also be used just to "preview" the signal that is getting out of OnTheAir Video or OnTheAir Node.

 

The "Direct Link" should not be confused with the "Virtual output", which is a kind of virtual playback device when you don't want to use a "real" video output. You can read more about the differences between the the "Virtual Output" and the "Direct link".

 

How does it work ?

For the Direct Link to work, you need to be running OnTheAir Video 3 or OnTheAir Node 3 on the same computer as MovieRecorder 3.

• Start OnTheAir Video (or OnTheAir Node)
• Start MovieRecorder or MovieStreamer HLS 
• Start playing in OnTheAir Video or OnTheAir Node. Then:

In MovieRecorder:

• You should see them show up in the list of Sources in MovieRecorder 3:

• Enable the checkbox in front of the source that you want to use
• That's it ! You can use that as any other source in MovieRecorder to either record or stream.

In MovieStreamer HLS 

• Click on the "Source" popup menu on the right hand side drawer and select "OnTheAir Video" or "OnTheAir Node" as a source.
• That's it you can use it as a regular video source, select your encoding settings...

A few things to know

Note that:

• The direct link does not work between different computers, it only works between applications running on the same computer.
• The OnTheAir Video or OnTheAir Node engine must be initialised (i.e. you need to have started playing) to be able to use the direct link and see it as a source in MovieRecorder.
• You can start OnTheAir Video or OnTheAir Node AFTER MovieRecorder, and you should see them showing up in the Sources list of MovieRecorder 3 when you start playing.
• The direct link feature does NOT work with OnTheAir Video Express.
• The direct link feature does work with MovieRecorder or MovieStreamer HLS in DEMO mode, so you can use a DEMO version to preview the output of OnTheAir Video 3 or OnTheAir Node 3. 

Again, the "Direct Link" should not be confused with the "Virtual output", which is a kind of virtual playback device when you don't want to use a "real" video output. You can read more about the differences between the the "Virtual Output" and the "Direct link".