Month: August 2018

ProTally Release Build is here!

Awhile back, I wrote about the on-screen tally software I recently developed. We needed a way for our CG operators to know when their source was on-air or about to be on-air. I won’t rehash the definitions or inner-workings again, so if you didn’t read that first post, I recommend you read that before this.

I had hoped to give a release build much sooner but lost time waiting on some other people to test it in their environments. We’ve been running it in our environments for almost 2 months now with no issues, so I finally gave it some final polishing and bug squashing to get it ready for release. The interface has changed some, and for now, you can choose between a generic TSL 3.1 device or, specifically, a Ross Carbonite. (Not a Carbonite Black, Solo, or any of the other models.) Why specifically that model? Because I have two of them, and that’s what I know and use!

Screen Shot 2018-08-30 at 4.12.01 PM
Here is an example of it being used with ProPresenter as a border box.
Screen Shot 2018-08-30 at 4.13.11 PM
Here is an example of the filled-in box version, as some people may prefer that instead.
Screen Shot 2018-08-30 at 9.37.21 PM
Here is what it could look like in ProVideoServer.

I hope to add support for the Blackmagic ATEM protocol soon. I need to connect with someone who has one, so if that’s you and you’re interested in testing with me, drop me a line!

If you’d like to download either the source code or a release build for the Mac platform, I’ve made both available on my Github repository here:https://github.com/josephdadams/ProTally/

And this should go without saying, but even though I’ve made software to augment your use of software like Renewed Vision’s ProPresenter and other products, it is in no way associated with any company or product. This is distributed under the MIT license and is available for anyone to use without cost.

Tally ho!

Controlling ProPresenter from a Ross Carbonite

I had someone send me an email recently asking how they could set up their Ross Carbonite to control ProPresenter, advancing slides and playlists through a custom control. After writing it out for them, I thought I would share this step-by-step tutorial.

It does require a Communications module license in ProPresenter. If you don’t own one, you can purchase it from RenewedVision.

First of all, in ProPresenter, you need to set up the Communications module to be a RossTalk Device (not a Controller).
  1. Go to Preferences, and choose the Communications module from the menu at the top.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.28.38 PM

  2. Click “Add Device” at the bottom and choose “RossTalk” from the list.
    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.28.40 PM

  3. Under Behavior, choose “Device”. If you wanted to control your Ross Carbonite from ProPresenter, you would choose “Controller”.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.28.53 PM

  4. Type in the IP address for the Carbonite and the port you wish to use. The default RossTalk port is 7788. I would recommend limiting the traffic to the single network interface that is connected to the same network as your Carbonite.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.29.08 PM

  5. When you are done creating the device, click Connect.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.29.14 PM

  6. If ProPresenter has connected successfully to the Carbonite, the button will turn green.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.29.18 PM

Next, you will want to create a new Device on your Ross Carbonite switcher to connect to the ProPresenter computer.
  1. On the Carbonite, hit Menu, then choose System > Next > Next > Device Config.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.32.19 PM

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.33.13 PM

     

  2. If you don’t see Add (new), scroll the far left knob (device select) until that option appears.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.33.38 PM

  3. Turn the far left knob to choose the slot you want to assign it to. For this example, I chose Slot 1.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.34.37 PM

  4. Turn the middle knob to select Type: RossTalk.
  5. Hit Next.
  6. Use the far left knob to change the subtype of the server to xpression_1.0.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.35.30 PM

  7. Hit Next.
  8. Turn the knobs to enter in the IP address of ProPresenter computer.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.36.10 PM

  9. Hit Next.
  10. Turn the far right knob to set the Port if you didn’t use the default of 7788.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.36.22 PM

  11. Tap the far left knob to save the device.
  12. Tap the far left knob again to confirm the new device settings.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.36.57 PM

  13. Now Hit Menu, then choose Config > Input (the far left knob).

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.37.55 PM
    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.37.58 PM

  14. Turn the far left knob to scroll through the inputs until you find the input for your ProPresenter computer. In my example, my ProPresenter input is labeled GFX.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.39.10 PM

  15. Hit Next twice until you see the Device option. It should be unassigned.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.39.24 PM

  16. Tap the center knob to enter the Device assign settings.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.40.13 PM

  17. Turn the far left knob to select the Device Slot you set up earlier in Step 3. I chose Slot 1.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.40.19 PM

  18. Tap the far left knob to add the device, then tap again to confirm.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.40.25 PM

  19. Now any time you bring that ProPresenter input up in Preview or Program on the switcher, it should automatically bring the device settings up on the menu screen of the Carbonite.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-23 at 10.43.25 PM

  20. If you tap the far right knob (NEXT), it will advance to the right in ProPresenter, going to the next slide. If you turn the far left knob (UP/DWN) to the left or right, it will advance up or down in the playlist.
  21. If you hit the NEXT button beside the Menu button on the Carbonite, you can see other options for the device. You can clear the various ProPresenter layers, etc.For your reference, those are:
    • Layer 0: Clear All
    • Layer 1: Clear Live Video
    • Layer 2: Clear Background
    • Layer 3: Clear Slide
    • Layer 4: Clear Props

Now you need to record a Custom Control in order to create a macro for this.

  1. Hit CC, and then select a blank bank/button.
  2. Hit record.
  3. You’ll need to then put the ProPresenter video input in Preview, to bring up the device settings.
  4. Tap the far right knob for “Next”, which will advance the slide.
  5. Then stop recording.
  6. You can edit the CC to remove the step of putting ProPresenter in Preview, as that was only for recording purposes.

I hope this helps!