Overview of CasparCG 1.8

CasparCG is fast:

• Play two videos with audio tracks — for example a looping DVCPRO50 background and a spinning logo as a QuickTime Animation with alpha channel — and play them simultaneously directly from disk to the same or separate SDI / HD-SDI channels, without pre-loading. You can even go from one video to another in the same output with transitions like mix, wipe, push and slide!
• Stack several Flash layers on top of each other (both SWF’s and FLV’s) and retain full control such as starting, stopping, updating texts or whatever you want each Flash layer to do.
• Play one or several Flash files on top of one or several videos – at the same time – and output everything to SDI / HD-SDI, HDMI or DVI monitors.
• Plays videos and animations in any frame rate and resolution that your hardware can handle. SD, HD and even 2K! With a Dell R5400 machine you can play and transition between two simultaneous DVCPRO50 videos (PAL 50i, 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo audio) to a SDI output.
• Installs in minutes with everything you need to start playing video and Flash templates (examples included.)

CasparCG is cheap:

• All you need to get started is a Windows computer, the latest Flash Player (ActiveX) and the free download of CasparCG. If you want to create Flash content you need a copy of Flash Professional.
• If you’re not satisfied with playback to the computer screen, there’s SDI cards starting as low as $199 and you’re set for broadcast!

CasparCG is intelligent:

• Using the power of Flash, you can make the play-out server smart and self-reliant. Have it fetch new data when needed instead of having to control it from another device, or why not dynamically adjust the font size of a text based on how long it is?
• You can even script the Flash templates to talk to each other so that a logo on one layer moves out of the way when a long text in another layer would otherwise cover it.

CasparCG is flexible:

• CasparCG isn’t a one-trick solution — you can customize it to fit your needs. Use it for broadcast, podcast, events, stage shows, digital signage or anywhere you want to have a playback server that can be controlled via a network (or by itself; collecting data from databases, XML files, RSS feeds or external devices such as sensors and buttons.)
• Develop once and use on several platforms: see for yourself how we used the same Flash election results application in a TV broadcast and on the web where users could choose how to chart the results themselves!
• Add intelligence and interactivity by developing in Adobe Flash with ActionScript/JavaScript just like millions of web sites.
• Create advanced presentations yourself, or take advantage of what millions of people have already developed and shared online! Instead of being forced to hire specialists or having to train your staff in closed-off systems, they can use skills they may have already acquired from web development or other graphics software.
• Displaying stories from web feeds or showing real-time generated graphics based on dynamic data such as audio levels, time of day or values from a database? No problems; CasparCG lets you use the full scripting capabilities of Flash, but with the added features of direct-from-disk video and audio playback, plus the possibility of stacking several layers of Flash with alpha channels.
• Playing video and audio in most formats and codecs, including QuickTime with support for alpha channels.
• Display fullscreen on computer monitors, projectors or output with SDI and HD-SDI to a broadcast mixer.

CasparCG is standards-driven:

• Unlike many broadcast systems, you’re not forced to use proprietary graphics editors with CasparCG. Use all common graphics/animation/video editors to create content.
• Supports all broadcast standards such as PAL, SECAM and NTSC standards, as well as the different flavors of HDTV. Interlaced and progressive output to SDI and HD-SDI (via Bluefish and DeckLink cards.)
• Communicates via TCP/IP commands that can be sent by any program and device that is network-enabled.
• Uses the open and transparent formats such as Flash and ffmpeg.
• Script with ActionScript just like millions of people online that create Flash content.
• Full C++ source-code available online and for free (available in the summer of 2009.)

CasparCG is proven:

• CasparCG is being used in national TV broadcasts, and is currently displaying everything from lower-third name signs, election results, game show scores and channel idents in six nationally broadcast channels. Now you can do the same!