Producers
From CasparCG Wiki
Please note: This page currently only has information about version 1.8.
Please see Category:CasparCG_Server_2.0_pre-release for info about the CasparCG Server 2.0 alpha version.
A producer is the term for the CasparCG components that renders and plays media such as video, animations, images and audio.
A producer listens for commands and data sent from a client controller, then loads and renders that media and sends it to a consumer that displays that media in a variety of ways.
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FFmpeg Producer
The FFmpeg Producer can play all media that FFmpeg can play, which includes many QuickTime codecs such as Animation, PNG, PhotoJPEG, MotionJPEG, as well as H.264, WMV and several audio codecs as well as uncompressed audio.
File Path
All files played by this producer must be placed in the _Media subfolder, by default C:\CasparCG\_Media
Real-time Scaling of Videos Rendered with a Differing Resolution from the Output
You can use the real-time scaling capabilities to play a video rendered with square pixel aspect ratio.
Transitions Between Videos
You can play two simultaneous video files from disk to the same consumer during any of the built-in transitions such as mix, wipe, push and slide of a user-selectable number of frames. If your video files have alpha channel (key) those will work as well.
Currently it is not possible to play two continuous videos at the same time, due to a lack of commands for doing so, even though the software already has the capability to do so.
However, FLV videos played by the Flash Producer can be played on top of videos played by the FFmpeg Producer.
Sending parameters to FFmpeg
Sending along parameters for FFmpeg-specific commands is not supported in the current version of CasparCG Server. Such commands could use FFmpeg functions such as de-interlacing of fields-based videos.
File naming limitations
Even though most Producers support Unicode characters, there are some limitations in the FFmpeg Producer that causes media not to be found if it contains less common characters and even spaces.
Recommended: Show-Titles_A_03_Upper_Alpha.mov
Not supported in FFmpeg Producer: Show Titles A 03 Upper Alpha.mov
Compatibility
This producer can output to all consumers.
Flash Producer
The Flash Producer uses Adobe’s Flash Player to play SWF and FLV including full control over all dynamic content. You can even load multiple Flash files as layers that is stacked and composited by the CasparCG Server and can then be controlled independently from a client program.
File Path
All files played by this producer must be placed in the root folder (by default C:\CasparCG\_Media) or in a user-created subfolder.
Interlacing
In the current version of CasparCG Server, if the criteria for rendering with fields is met the Flash Producer will always renders with upper/odd fields. It cannot currently be set to render with lower/even fields dominance. This limitation will likely be removed in a future version.
By changing the frame rate in the Flash Document Properties inside Adobe's Flash Professional to twice the normal rate, the Flash Producer and an SDI Consumer will output interlaced dynamic output. Please see the tables in the Frame Rates section for examples and guidelines.
The current version of CasparCG Server assumes that interlaced output via any of the consumers should be made with upper/odd field dominance if an interlaced output preset is chosen in the Bluefish Feature App.
Criteria for Rendering with Fields
When the Flash Producer is launched, it communicates with the consumer and receives three settings that is then used to setup the rendering:
- Whether the consumer is set to either progressive or fields based rendering.
- What resolution the consumer is set to output.
- What frame rate the consumer is set to output.
Compatibility
This producer can output to all consumers.
Limitations
In the current version of CasparCG Server, if the criteria for rendering with fields is met the Flash Producer will always renders with upper/odd fields. It cannot currently be set to render with lower/even fields dominance.
TGA Producer
The TGA Producer displays Targa 32-bit bitmaps with alpha channel and without RLE compression. Even if your bitmap doesn't have an alpha channel, you must create a fully white alpha channel.
File Path
All files played by this producer must be placed in the _Media subfolder, by default C:\CasparCG\_Media
Resolution
The image is not scaled, so it must be created in the same resolution as the current consumer, for example 720x576 for PAL SD, 1280x720 or 1920x1080 for HD.
How to save correctly from Photoshop
Compatibility
This producer can output to all consumers.
Color Producer
The Color Producer generates a solid RGB color as fill and a grayscale value as key. The purpose of the producer is mainly to be used as an output test.
Parameters
To trigger the color output, send a hash tag # followed by the hexadecimal value of each of the fill channels in the order blue, green and red followed by the value of the key.
Examples: To get a solid blue with a fully white key; you send #FF0000FF.
Compatibility
This producer can output to all consumers.
