Adding a Source – Zixi Broadcaster

You can add an input from a Zixi Broadcaster to a Broadcaster cluster to be managed as a source in ZEN. This is done by selecting Zixi in the New Source menu.

When configuring a Source using a Push stream from a Zixi Broadcaster you can apply Network Bonding to the stream. This divides the stream into several network channels using multiple NICs and subsequently reunites them at the Ingest Cluster. When using Network Bonding, you need to specify which NICs will be used for this Source.  

You can select several inputs from a single Broadcaster to simultaneously create a new Source in ZEN Master for each input.

To add a Broadcaster Source:

1. In the main navigation, click Sources.
2. Click + Add.
   The Select Source Type window is displayed.
   
   
   
3. Click on Zixi.
   The New Zixi Source window opens.
   
4. In the Application section, select the Broadcaster radio button.
   The fields relevant for creating a Source from a Broadcaster are shown.
5. In the Broadcaster field, select from the drop-down list one of the available Broadcasters.
   A list of available Inputs on that Broadcaster is displayed.
   

6. Select one or more Inputs by clicking the  button for the desired input.

   Each input that is selected creates a separate Source in ZEN Master.

   Selected Inputs are shown above the Filter box. (You can remove an Input by clicking the  button for that Input).
   

   For each input that is selected you can edit the name of the Source in the Name Default: the name of the input on the Broadcaster.
7. If you would like the Source configured in ZEN Master to replace (i.e. stop) any current Outputs configured on the Broadcaster, select the Replace existing manual outputs checkbox.
8. If you want the Source to be sent over a single NIC (i.e. no bonding) then do the following:
   1. Do not select the Bonding
   2. In the Broadcaster Output NIC field, if you would like to specify which NIC is used, then select the IP of that NIC from the drop-down list. By default, Any is selected.
9. If you would like to use Bonding, then do the following:
   1. Select the Bonding checkbox.
   2. Select two or more NICs by clicking the "+" button for each of the desired NICs.
      
      Selected NICs are shown above the Filter (You can remove an NIC by clicking the "X" button for that NIC).
      
      For each NIC that is selected you can adjust the following parameters:
      • In the Max Bitrate field, enter the maximum bitrate to be used on this NIC.

      • If you want to use this NIC only when there isn’t sufficient bandwidth available on the other NICs, then select the Backup checkbox.
        

        If the Backup checkbox is not selected then this NIC is used in parallel with the other selected NICs.

10. In the Ingest Cluster field, select from the drop-down list one of the available Ingest Clusters as the destination for the Source.

11. In the Target Broadcaster/s field, select the broadcaster preferences. Either select a specific broadcaster to be used OR specify your preference for using primary vs. backup broadcasters, options are: Prefer primary Broadcasters (default), Primary Broadcasters only or Backup Broadcasters only.
    
    

    The Target Broadcaster options are only available non-AWS clusters. AWS  clusters are automatically set to Prefer primary Broadcasters mode.

12. In the Access Tags field, select one or more of the predefined Access Tags from the drop-down list.
    Access Tags are used for access control. By selecting an Access Tag you are relating this source to that Access Tag. Access Tags are associated with certain roles (through the Users & Roles screen), and roles, in turn, are associated with users and user groups. If you would like to create a new Access Tag see Creating an Access Tag.
13. In the Latency [ms] field, select the latency time for the stream.
14. If you would like to enable the Zixi auto encryption feature for encrypting the source stream, select the Encrypt checkbox.
15. In the Source Password field, specify a new password that will be used by the Ingest cluster to authenticate the stream that is received from the Feeder. Click RND to generate a random password.
16. In the Public Output field, if you would like to allow access to the stream directly through a supported player, select the Allow checkbox.
17. If you selected the Allow checkbox, then enter a password in the Password field to authenticate access to the stream.
18. If you would like to generate email notifications whenever a PID change is detected, select the Alert on PID changes checkbox.

19. If you would like enable Content Analysis (CQA), verify that the Content Analysis checkbox is selected (default).

    It is generally recommended to enable Content Analysis it is causing technical problems. If Content Analysis is disabled, the system won't detect errors in the video and audio content of the stream and won't generate warnings for such events. Even when Content Analysis is disabled the system will still detect TR 101 errors in the stream.

20. If you would like to configure advanced settings, click Show Advanced.
    The advanced settings window is displayed.
    
    

    1. If you would like to show traceroute info in the History tab for this Source (for Zixi Broadcasters, v13 and above), select the Traceroute History checkbox.

       This feature is most useful for debugging connections with relatively static routes, such as through fiber or other private networks. It should not be activated for Sources sent through cloud providers since those routes constantly fluctuate.

    2. Click Hide Advanced.

21. Click Save.