Adding Adaptive Channels

Adaptive Channels deliver a group of streams (with the same content) that are created to support different types of devices and various network conditions. Each stream in the group has a different bitrate.

The adaptive Channels support the HLS standard.

The following procedure describes how to add an Adaptive Channel in ZEN Master. In addition, an explanation of each of the configuration parameters is given in the table below.

To add an adaptive channel:

1. In the main navigation, click Channels.
2. Click + Add.
   The Create New Channel selection menu is displayed.
   
3. Click More Options.
4. Click on Adaptive.
   The Create Adaptive Channel screen is displayed:
   
5. In the Info section, in the Name field, type a name for the adaptive channel.
6. In the Tags field, select one or more of the predefined Tags from the drop-down list.
   Tags are used for access control. By selecting a Tag, you are relating this Channel to that Tag. 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 Tag, see Creating a Tag.

7. In the Events Configuration Profile field, select from the dropdown list the profile that you would like to apply to this Channel. By default, the Default profile is applied.

   Events Profiles consist of a series of rules that determine precisely how various types of Events are logged and what results they trigger.

8. In the Configuration section, in the Processing Cluster field, select from the drop-down list one of the Channel Processing clusters that has been configured in ZEN Master. The selected cluster will be used to process this Channel.

   If the Source does not exist in the cluster, then the cluster will pull the Source automatically.

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

   For managed clusters, it is not recommended to select a specific broadcaster, as the broadcaster’s availability may not remain stable.

10. If you want to configure an alternative path for disaster recovery, in the Alternative Channel (Disaster Recovery) field, select the Channel that will be used as the alternative path. For more details, see Disaster Recovery (Alternative Path). 
11. If you would like to log HLS ad markers for this Channel, select the Log HLS Ad Markers checkbox.
12. In the Sources section add one or more Sources to the Channel and configure the bitrate for each Source. This is done as follows:
    1. Find the Source that you would like to add either by scrolling through the list of available Sources or by entering a search word into the Filter textbox. If the Source that you would like to add is not yet configured in ZEN Master see Sources.
    2. Add a Source by clicking the  button next to the Source.
    3. Click on the Bitrate textbox for the Source and enter the expected bitrate. Default: the current measured bitrate.

    4. Repeat the above procedure for each Source that you would like to add to the Channel.

       If you would like to remove a Source from the Channel, click on the  button next to the Source.

13. In the Initial State section, select the Disabled checkbox if you would like to disable this Channel upon initial configuration.

14. Select the Muted checkbox if you would like to disable error/recovery notifications for this Channel upon initial configuration.

    You can Enable/Unmute the Channel at any time.

15. If you would like to customize the HLS/CMAF configuration, click Advanced (for Broadcasters running v12+).
    The Advanced settings are displayed.
    
    
    1. Under HLS, set the values for the Segments and Segment Duration, or if you would like to disable HLS, deselect the checkbox.
    2. If you would like to enable CMAF (DASH + fMP4 HLS), select the checkbox and set the values for the Segments and Segment Duration.
    3. If you would like to convert the captions format from CEA-70 to WebVTT, then select the Convert… checkbox.
    4. Under SCTE-35 to CUE-OUT/IN conversion, select your preference for converting SCTE cues. Options are: None, CUE-OUT only or CUE-OUT and CUE-IN (default).
    5. Under Timecode (EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME) Source, select your preference for inserting a timecode. Options are: None, System time (default) or SEI Timecode.
    6. Select the Disable Renditions Synchronization checkbox if you would like to disable synchronization between the Sources. (Supported for Broadcasters v14.8+)
16. Click Save. 
    The new Channel is created.

Adaptive Channel Configuration Parameters Table