In this blog post and video, you will learn how to control multiple PTZ cameras simultaneously using software and hardware solutions. A great free solution you will learn about is called OBS or Open Broadcaster Software. A paid solution that can be used to control multiple PTZ cameras at the same time is called vMix. Finally, we will look at a hardware solution from PTZOptics called the SuperJoy.

Why control multiple PTZ cameras at the same time?

More and more, video producers are also becoming camera operators. With the advent of remotely controlled PTZ cameras, a single video production person can also operate PTZ cameras with the click of a button. In many scenarios, video producers are operating two or three PTZ cameras at the same time using a video production software like OBS, Wirecast, vMix, Livestream Studio or the Tricaster. Many video production software solutions have integrated PTZ cameras controls for PTZOptics cameras which allow the software on a Mac or PC computer to connect to PTZ cameras over the local area network.

In most cases today, video production software operators are able to quickly take control of a robotic camera and move the camera’s position directly through the live streaming software they are using. This is ideal during a live production, because a production operator can simply make a few clicks, zoom in a camera, check the focus and then transition to the camera taking the video live.

Another popular way to control multiple PTZ cameras is to have a hardware joystick for the video production operator to use. Hardware joysticks are popular because a team of two can split up the tasks between live video switching and camera operation. Whether you are using hardware or software for PTZ camera controls, it’s nice to be able to move multiple PTZ cameras at the same time with the click of a button.

How to control multiple PTZ cameras in OBS at the same time

Using OBS you can control PTZOptics cameras in a couple of different ways. The most popular way is to install the free PTZOptics OBS plugin which adds some great robotic camera control features to OBS. Once installed, you can open up the plugin and control up to 8 cameras. The plugin even create specific hotkeys for calling PTZ presets and it adds the ability to control cameras with an XBox joystick. There is another way to control PTZOptics cameras with OBS called a “Dockable” interface using HTML codes available from PTZOptics. The HTML files can be used with the “Docks” feature of OBS to dock a PTZ camera controller directly into the OBS interface. You can learn more about that here. 

The third way to control PTZOptics cameras with OBS involves using HTTP commands. A document reviewing all of the HTTP commands for PTZOptics cameras can be found at the PTZOptics downloads page. These commands can be entered into OBS using the “Browser Source” input and they can be used to call a PTZ camera preset for example. In this way, you can enter multiple HTTP commands into OBS using multiple browser sources in the same scene to control various cameras. 

Pro Tip: Set up each camera in your network with sequential static IP addresses. In this way, you can easily input HTTP commands into OBS for this purpose. 

Using OBS to control multiple cameras at the same time simple involves a scene that is setup with multiple browser sources with HTTP commands. Remember to select “Refresh when active” to ensure OBS issues the HTTP commands everytime that you select the scene in OBS. 

Pro Tip: You can issue other HTTP commands besides camera presets as well. Check out the full list of HTTP commands in the PTZOptics documentation to learn more.

How to control multiple PTZ cameras with vMix

You can control multiple PTZ cameras with vMix using the Pro or 4K versions of the software. In order to take control over PTZ cameras inside of vMix you will need to know your PTZ camera’s IP address and be on the same local area network as the cameras. If you do not know your camera’s IP address, you will need to follow the instructions in the cameras set up video. Once you know your camera’s IP address, you can simply enter it into vMix to gain PTZ camera control. 

Select PTZOptics as the camera type, enter the IP address and click connect. You can use the Pan, Tilt and Zoom controls to start moving your camera around the room. As you are controlling the camera, notice the speed options available for manual pan/tilt and preset pan/tilt. These are the controls you can use to tell vMix the speed at which you want the camera to move in a manual setting and during presets. 

In order to control multiple PTZ camera movements with vMix, you will need to start by creating PTZ presets. Once connected to a PTZ camera with vMix, you are able to create presets inside of vMix using the “Create Input at this Position” button. When you click this button, vMix will create an input with a thumbnail image of the camera’s current location. When you bring this input into the vMix Preview window, vMix will recall that PTZ preset and move the camera. In this way, you can move your PTZOptics camera around your space and create multiple PTZ presets. Each preset gets a nice little PTZ input inside of vMix for easy recall. 

You can repeat the process above with each PTZ camera that you would like to use. Once done, you should organize the PTZ cameras you would like to be able to move with a single click. From here you can use the vMix Multi View feature available in the input settings of any input. Choose the input that you would like to use to trigger all the PTZ cameras. You can then add each PTZ camera input to the Multi View as you build a single input with multiple inputs attached. In this area, you can uncheck each PTZ input making it so the PTZ positions will be recalled but not overlaid on top of each other. Once done, you can transition to this vMix input and call multiple presets at once. You can do this for multiple scenes in your area and quickly call multiple PTZ presets at the exact same time with a single click. 

Pro Tip: If you are using multiple PTZ cameras with vMix, make sure to use a good graphics card. If you have an NVIDIA graphics card make sure to add vMix as a default application in the “NVIDIA Control Panel.” Once you do this, double check in the vMix settings that you have your graphics card enabled. 

How to control multiple PTZ cameras at once with a joystick

PTZOptics has a new product called the PTZOptics SuperJoy. This joystick controller has a new feature called the “SuperPreset” which allows you to use a custom joystick button to control multiple PTZ cameras. The PTZOptics SuperJoy features four custom buttons that you can set up to do all sorts of video related tasks. For example, you can set up a custom SuperJoy button to turn on IP connected lighting in a studio setting. You can control pretty much anything that accepts a TCP/UDP, or HTTP command. Luckily, PTZOptics cameras have been designed to work with this joystick and the engineers have already setup the “SuperPreset” to control up to 6 cameras at once. 

To get started, connect your PTZOptics SuperJoy to the network. You will need to connect your joystick to the cameras you which to control. The SuperJoy is able to control PTZ cameras using Serial or IP connections. The easiest way to connect your joystick to cameras is through the IP interface. You can reach this interface by entering the IP address shown on the device screen into any modern web browser. This will bring up the joystick interface which you can use to configure the unit. The first thing to do is make sure that all of your PTZ cameras are connected properly. Next you can navigate to the “custom” tab which allows you to configure the four custom buttons on the joystick. 

These custom buttons can be set up to issue HTTP, TCP, and UDP commands over your network. There is also an option to choose “SuperPreset” which allows you to issue multiple PTZOptics cameras preset commands at once plus add a single HTTP command. The idea is that for a seamless scene change you can move multiple PTZ cameras and issue an HTTP command to a software like OBS or vMix to change changes with a single command. Going down the SuperPreset list you can select multiple cameras and choose the order in which the joystick will issue the commands. At the end you can also choose an HTTP command.

Conclusion

There are now quite a few ways to control multiple PTZ cameras with a single button. Doing this is ideal for fast-paced video productions with small teams. In recent years, as video production software has allowed producers to add camera control to their workflow, more has become possible. Controlling multiple PTZ cameras at once during a production can make life easier for operators. My advice is to think about where you want your PTZ cameras to be during a given live stream. Map out the PTZ preset positions you would like cameras to move and then correlate them to other cameras you might have. Once you have mapped out where you want your cameras to move and when, create simple one-click buttons to do so. This will make scene changes in your live streams much easier to manage. 

The post Controlling Multiple PTZ Cameras in Scenes appeared first on PTZOptics.

Controlling multiple cameras at the same time used to take a crew of camera operators. Today there are a variety of ways to control multiple robotic (PTZ) cameras with a single click of a button. Controlling multiple PTZ cameras at the same time is ideal for “scene changes” where you would like some or all of your PTZ cameras to move to a new location at the same time.

How to control multiple PTZ cameras in OBS at the same time

Using OBS you can control PTZOptics cameras in a couple of different ways. The most popular way is to install the free PTZOptics OBS plugin which adds some great robotic camera control features to OBS. Once installed, you can open up the plugin and control up to 8 cameras. The plugin even create specific hotkeys for calling PTZ presets and it adds the ability to control cameras with an XBox joystick. There is another way to control PTZOptics cameras with OBS called a “Dockable” interface using HTML codes available from PTZOptics. The HTML files can be used with the “Docks” feature of OBS to dock a PTZ camera controller directly into the OBS interface. You can learn more about that here.

The third way to control PTZOptics cameras with OBS involves using HTTP commands. A document reviewing all of the HTTP commands for PTZOptics cameras can be found at the PTZOptics downloads page. These commands can be entered into OBS using the “Browser Source” input and they can be used to call a PTZ camera preset for example. In this way, you can enter multiple HTTP commands into OBS using multiple browser sources in the same scene to control various cameras.

Pro Tip: Set up each camera in your network with sequential static IP addresses. In this way, you can easily input HTTP commands into OBS for this purpose.

Using OBS to control multiple cameras at the same time simple involves a scene that is setup with multiple browser sources with HTTP commands. Remember to select “Refresh when active” to ensure OBS issues the HTTP commands everytime that you select the scene in OBS.

Pro Tip: You can issue other HTTP commands besides camera presets as well. Check out the full list of HTTP commands in the PTZOptics documentation to learn more.

The post Controlling Multiple PTZ Cameras With OBS at the Same Time appeared first on PTZOptics.

What is OBS?

If your church is getting started with live streaming, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a great place to start. OBS is free software, available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux-based computers. The software offers features that allow users to transition between multiple cameras, mix sound sources, play pre-recorded video, and even add graphics and titles. The output can be recorded or streamed to nearly any content delivery platform like YouTube, Facebook, Livestream, or Twitch.

OBS is a great software for churches to live streaming worship services because it’s totally free and fairly easy to use. You can download The Unofficial Guide to Open Broadcaster Software for free here. You can also pick up a paperback copy on Amazon here.

The best part is that it is easy to get started. Having the guide on hand really helps with volunteers, plus you can take the online course available to walk you through each step in OBS here. 

Let’s review some of the top questions worship leaders have in regards to live streaming with OBS.

Question 1: How Do I Connect a Camera to OBS?

The first step in connecting a camera to OBS is getting that camera hooked up to your computer. There are numerous ways to do that. One way is a direct USB connection using a webcam like the PTZOptics Webcam, or a broadcast quality camera with a USB connection like the PTZOptics® PTZ USB Camera. Another option is to connect a camera via HDMI or SDI using a capture device like the Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder or the Elgato Game Capture HD60 S. 

Once the camera is connected, add it to OBS:

1. Click on the + sign under sources. 
2. Select “Video Capture Device.” 
3. Name the source (camera one, PTZOptics 1, etc.) in the next box that appears.
4. Click on the dropdown where it says, “device.” 
5. Select the camera name (for a USB connection) or the name of the capture device (for HDMI and SDI connections.) 
6. Click OK.

If your camera is plugged in and turned on, you should see an image in the box. Click OK. 

Note that some cameras can be connected via a network and stream over RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) or NewTek’s NDI (Network Device Interface). That process is similar but has a few more steps. You can watch a quick video of this process below or read a detailed blog on this topic here.

Question 2: How Do I Connect an Audio Mixer to OBS?

Again, the process for connecting an audio mixer starts with getting the source connected to the computer. There are two main methods. One is to run a cable from your soundboard directly into your computer’s microphone jack. Two, if you have a camera with an audio input port (like PTZOptics PTZ cameras), you can plug the cable from your soundboard in there. The third option is to use a USB audio interface like the Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 2×2. This accepts an XLR feed from the soundboard and feeds it to the computer via a USB connection.

Once you have the audio mixer connected, add it to OBS:

1. Click on the + sign under sources. 
2. Select “Audio Input Capture.” 
3. Name the source (soundboard, PTZOptics 1, USB Interface, etc.) In the next box that appears.
4. Click on the dropdown where it says, “device.” 
5. Select the source you wish to use.
6. Click OK.

Question 3: How Do I Set up OBS for a Church Stream?

Once you have all of your sources connected, it is time to get everything set up and ready. To be sure you have the right video and audio sources available, you will want to add scenes. If you are only using one camera and don’t want to add any additional graphics or pre-recorded video, you could have only one scene. However, if you want to switch between different sources, you will want more than one scene. Switching scenes may involve changing from one camera to another, from a camera to your presentation software, or to titles or graphics you have created or imported into OBS.

To Add a Scene in OBS:

1. Click on the + sign under scenes.
2. Name your scene. (You can name it whatever you want as long as it helps you identify it.)
3. Now click on the plus under “sources.”
4. Choose the type of source you wish to add. For instance, if you want to create a scene with the camera you added earlier, choose “Video Capture Device.”
5. In the next dialog box choose “Add Existing” and select the device you want.
6. Click OK

You can add as many sources as you want and control their visibility using the little eyeball icon to the right of each source. 

Question 4: How Do I Retrieve RTMP Steaming Information and Put It Inside OBS?

Now you are almost ready to stream. RTMP streaming information is a crucial connection between OBS and your live streaming destination. When you schedule your live stream on either YouTube or Facebook for example, they will give you an RTMP sever URL and secret key. You will need to enter this information into OBS in order for OBS to live stream to your scheduled content. 

Pro Tip: You can skip this step entirely by logging into your streaming destination with your login credentials inside of the OBS streaming tab found in the settings areas. OBS supports this feature for most popular streaming services.

Add your stream key to OBS:

1. Go to your streaming provider, Facebook Live, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. and find the stream key for the event you desire to stream.
2. Copy the key.
3. In OBS, click on settings.
4. Choose the “Stream” tab on the left.
5. Choose your streaming provider from the “Service” dropdown menu.
6. Paste your stream key into the Stream Key field.
7. Click OK.

You are now ready to stream a church service with OBS.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Church-Blog”]

The post How to live stream a church service with OBS appeared first on PTZOptics.

Guess what? The digital copy of this book is 100% free here.

Right Now

The reality is that teachers can absolutely benefit from reading Technology Tools For Online Education right now. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, education has almost entirely transitioned to online courses. This has left many teachers scrambling to adapt in order to learn how to keep their students engaged in this new setting. As always, teachers are often working long hours. It can feel impossible to learn a wide range of new tools and make a lesson plan at the same time. This guide makes learning how to use online tools simple so that you can get to work creating the perfect online environment for your students. 

When You Want To Prepare For The Future

COVID-19 was a wake up call that showed us just how unpredictable the world really is. Though it is nice to think that something like this will never happen again, the fact is that we just don’t know. Even now, there is no clear date for when schools will reopen, and many experts seem to think that it simply will not be safe for a while. This guide can help you to prepare for a future where you might need to leverage these skills again and on an ongoing basis. 

When You Want To Improve

Though there is a need for this kind of material now more than ever, the reality is that this book isn’t purely for the post-pandemic world. The future of every industry is largely rooted in technology. In this book, you will not only learn how to teach online. You will also learn how to leverage incredible online tools to create a more expansive and modern approach to educating your students. Whether you are teaching entirely online or you just want to give your students access to online opportunities that will help them to grow, you can learn how within these pages. 

Conclusion

The truth is that there is no right or wrong time to read this book. In this guide, you will learn how to use helpful tools that you can use to improve your education process. Whether it is out of necessity or simply to stay modern with your approach to teaching, the fact is that this information will always be helpful. Learn how to embrace the future and leverage these amazing tools to create a better teaching experience for you and your students. It is always a good day for educators to educate themselves. 

The post When Educators Should Read Technology Tools For Online Education appeared first on PTZOptics.

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era for churches. Even churches that were slow to adopt new technology have found themselves embracing tech tools to keep their congregations connected. While this may have eventually been a shift that occurred over several years, many churches were forced to enter into a new reality in weeks or even days. Fortunately, there are many easy to use tools that were already available and made getting started faster and easier than was possible even a few years ago. Churches flocked to services like Facebook Live, Skype, and Zoom to connect with congregation members forced to stay away by fears of spreading the virus and state and local “shelter in place” ordinances. 

Going to church from home is now the new normal. A small percentage of churchgoers have done this for years. This was thanks to televangelists and churches that broadcast services on television. Others were early adopters of live stream options. Churches have been adopting broadcasting and streaming technologies at different rates. Some are still experimenting while others have robust streaming church ministries. But, all of a sudden, church at home is all we have.

While we have reached a point where restrictions on gathering are beginning to lessen, it is going to be some time before everyone comes back. Those who are at a higher risk from the effects of COVID-19 may wait much longer before they feel safe returning. So, even as things begin to return to some form of normal, we are faced with a question. How are we going to include everyone in our worship and learning experiences?

Live streaming was a significant first step, but eventually, the church will need to think about ways to make experiences more interactive. How can we use the tools we have to offer more than just a one-way broadcast? How can we offer something that does more to replicate the interactive experience of the gathered body of the church? One option to begin to rebuild this sense of community in the online world is through the use of tools that allow for two-way video communication. One very popular example is Zoom.

Zoom: Meeting vs. Webinar

An important distinction to understand when working with Zoom is the difference between Zoom meetings and Zoom webinars. Most users of Zoom or other video conferencing software are likely familiar with the meeting format. In most cases, everyone shows up on the screen, and anyone can talk whenever they want. These are perfect for when the interaction is an essential element of the meeting. 

The meeting format is what comes standard with Zoom. The webinar feature, on the other hand, is an available upgrade. The webinar is designed to be more of a one-way experience. The host can add several panelists but, by default, the rest of the participants are not connected to audio and video. They can see and hear but not be heard or seen. The host can elevate any participant to become part of the panel and share their audio, video, and screen. Still, the webinar is designed for one or more people speaking to an audience.

In the picture above you can see this church is using Zoom video conferencing on one laptop and OBS on a second laptop. The laptop running Zoom video conferencing is using a PTZOptics 20X-USB camera in order to bring in video and audio from their audio mixer. The OBS laptop is connected over the LAN (local area network). This laptop is used to capture the video from the PTZOptics camera over the network using RTSP. Using RTSP the OBS laptop can capture 1080p video with embedded audio. The church has noticed that the recordings are much higher quality then zoom when they are recorded with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). It is possible to run OBS and Zoom on the same computer but for this scenario, the church decided to have to volunteers helping and using two computers really helped.

Part of the discussion for churches trying to create a more interactive environment in this new normal is deciding how much interaction is desired for different types of activities. For example, a worship service may be a situation where it is best to limit interaction. This is especially true with large congregations where the endless rows of small video thumbnails may be distracting. And there won’t likely be an opportunity for most people to speak anyway. The webinar format may be the best choice in this situation. It still does allow for the possibility of elevating a participant to share audio and video for such things as scripture reading or prayer.

Most churches have actives that, in a live format, are more interactive, like small group meetings and Sunday school classes. Inviting people to be seen and heard online may be the key to recreating the gathering experience. This is where the Zoom meeting may be a better option. Everyone can see and hear and be seen and heard. 

Limiting Distraction and Keeping Things Secure

Quite a few churches have run into the issue of having their meetings disrupted through a process that has become known as Zoom bombing. This is where a nefarious actor gets ahold of the meeting information and purposely disrupts the meeting often through inappropriate screen sharing. But even well-intentioned church members can disrupt a meeting without the use of good meeting security and moderation. 

Here are some Zoom best practices to keep your meetings safe and distraction-free:

1. If there is no reason to have all the participants on screen or able to speak, consider using a webinar. Webinars can be publicly listed, and there is no risk of anyone disturbing the meeting. Only the host and select panelists have the login information that enables them to share audio, video, and their screen.
2. When using the meeting format, when possible, consider using the password and waiting room feature. This limits who can enter the meeting.
3. Set your meeting settings to mute participants on entry and don’t allow people to unmute themselves. This way, the moderator can control who is speaking when.
4. Use the “raise hand” feature so that the moderator will know when someone wishes to speak.
5. In the meeting settings, disable participants ability to share their screen.
6. Consider using a meeting moderator in addition to the host to help with these tasks such as granting access, watching for raised hands, and unmuting participants who wish to speak.

Once you get comfortable with Zoom, there are even more features to explore. These include built-in chat and break out rooms that allow smaller groups to meet within the same larger meeting.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Church-Blog”]

The post Using Zoom to Create Interactive Church Experiences appeared first on PTZOptics.

OBS camera control options

The PTZOptics Camera Control Plugin comes in two varieties. You can install the plugin for direct access through the OBS software OR use Dockable Web sources. The plugin allows for direct access through the user interface on your computer so that you can use camera presets and settings on the fly. The plugin allows for the most advanced control because it creates new hotkeys for camera control, and provides Xbox controller compatibility. The dockable web controls are nice because they can be placed directly into the OBS interface. Either way you can create PTZ camera presets that are used to quickly and automatically operate your cameras through the OBS interface. The video below reviews how you can use the open source control software from PTZOptics to automatically have your PTZ cameras move when you select a scene in OBS.

As the PTZ in PTZOptics designates, these cameras are a “pan, tilt, and zoom” type that allows for presets that snap them into place at the click of a button. Users have a variety of control options when it comes to using the OBS plugin and the devs are constantly adding new inputs on a consistent basis. Some popular options include the keyboard and mouse as well as a Microsoft Xbox One controller. Support for a variety of hotkey commands as well as these control inputs means that the OBS Plugin is as robust when it comes to access as it is when it comes to performance. Installation couldn’t be simpler, either. You just install the plugin, go to the Tools section of the menu, and locate the new PTZOptics controller functionality.

There you will see that you can adjust the settings for up to 8 different cameras. Available for both Mac and Windows, the OBS Plugin is a must-have for live streamers that are serious about getting the most out of their sessions. A quick overview of the core features reveals a plugin with a full fleet of useful features.

These include controlling up to 8 PTZOptics cameras simultaneously via IP, PC support for the use of an Xbox controller for user inputs, various modes such as compact, preview, and advanced. You also get full-screen camera preview modes in SD or HD for Windows systems. Users are allowed to assign a name to each camera as well which should help with the organization and setup of the stream in terms of camera placement.

You can set up to 9 presets for each camera and you can even assign a name to these presets themselves as well as implement an image preview that shows you what that designation does. Naturally, producers get control over pan, tilt, and zoom speeds as well as pan and tilt speed locks.

As for the camera itself, you get iris controls, focus controls, varying exposure modes like Auto, Manual, SAE, AAE, and Brightness as well as image controls like Contrast, Luminance, and Hue. You can choose between the various exposure modes as well as flipping or mirroring the image on the screen.

For ease of use, you can implement on-screen input controls and receive a real-time report on camera options. Another amazing aspect of the OBS Plugin that has nothing to do with the software itself is how dynamic and supportive the community of users is. If you’re having a hard time, or you need to learn a few tips or tricks, there are so many resources on the Internet for this that it is astounding. Users need not worry about going all-in with the OBS Plugin because it is ready for the job.

http://143.198.120.149/apps/obs/

The post OBS Plugin for Camera Control appeared first on PTZOptics.