Adding a Source – Transcoded

You can create a transcoded Source based on an existing Source. The transcoding parameters are set by selecting one of the pre-configured transcoding profiles. The transcoded Source can then be added to a Pass-Through Channel making it available to various types of Targets such as YouTube Live or Facebook Live using RTMP protocol.

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

To add a Transcoded Source:

In the main navigation, click Sources.
Click + Add.
The Create New Source window is displayed.
Click on Transcoded.
The Create New Transcoded Source window opens.
In the Info section, in the Name field, enter a unique name to identify this Source in the system.
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 Source 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.
In the Events Configuration Profile field, select from the dropdown list the profile that you would like to apply to this Source. 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.
The Source's location is used to represent it in the proper position in the Map display (see Maps). By default, the location is determined automatically based on the Source's IP. If you would like to manually set the location of the Source (Optional), use the following procedure:
1. Click on the Edit icon next to the Location field.
  A search box is shown below the Location field.
2. Enter identifying info for the location (e.g. street address, zip code, coordinates).
  Search results are displayed below the search box as you type.
3. Click on the desired location.
  The selected location populates the Location field.
In the Input section, in the Source field, select from the drop-down list the Source that the transcoded source is based on.
In the Configuration section, in the Ingest Cluster field, select from the drop-down list the Ingest Cluster on which the Sources that you would like to group together are located.
In the Target Broadcaster/s field, specify which Broadcaster/s within the cluster on which ZEN Master can deploy the source. Either select one or more specific broadcasters (for Manual clusters) 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.
In the Transcoding Profile field, select one of the pre-configured transcoding profiles to apply to this source. If you would like to create a new transcoding profile, see Adding Transcoding Profiles.
If you would like to preserve closed captions for this Source, verify that the Preserve closed captions checkbox is selected (default).
If you would like to crop the input stream, select the Crop checkbox and set the cropping parameters as follows:
1. In the Units section, select the type of units used to define the crop. Options are: Pixels or Percentages.
2. Enter the crop position for each of the parameters Left, Top, Width and Height in the appropriate fields.
If you would like to assign the transcoding process to a multi GPU Broadcaster, select the Assign to GPU checkbox, and then select from the drop-down list the desired GPU instance. Options are: 0 (default), 1, 2 and 3.

This feature is useful if you are running several heavy transcoding activities, as it enables you to distribute the load among several different GPUs.
In the Pad to CBR field, enter the amount of CBR padding to be added (in kbps).
In the Configuration section, select the Alert on PID changes checkbox if you would like to generate email notifications whenever a PID change is detected.
Select the Log SCTE-35 checkbox if you would like to log SCTE-35 markers for this stream.

To log SCTE-35 markers, SCTE-35 needs to be enabled both on the Ingest Cluster and on the Source configuration.

SCTE-35 logging is only available for v13.1.40262+ Broadcasters.
If Log SCTE-35 was selected, you can choose to receive alerts for SCTE-35 markers by selecting the Enable SCTE-35 alerts checkbox.
In the Public Output field, if you would like to allow access to the stream directly through a supported player, select the Allow checkbox.
If you selected the Allow checkbox, then enter a password in the Password field to authenticate access to the stream.
If you would like enable Content Analysis (CQA), verify that the Enable Content Analysis checkbox is selected (default).

It is generally recommended to enable Content Analysis unless 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 TR101 errors in the stream.
If you would like to monitor CEA-608/CEA-708 closed captions, select the Monitor CEA-608/CEA-708

Monitoring CEA-608/CEA-708 Closed Captions requires using a version 14.4 or newer Broadcaster.
If you would like to disable auto-pull, select the Disable Auto-Pull checkbox.

Disabling Auto-Pull will lock Channels using this Source to the Source's Ingest Cluster and Targets to the Source's current active Broadcaster. This setting only applies to Pass-Through Channels.
If Auto-Pull is enabled, in the Auto-Pull Latency [ms] field, specify the desired latency for auto-pull actions. (Default: 1000 ms).
In the WebRTC Playbacksection, select the desired playback method.

WebRTC enables you to monitor the stream via web browsers and mobile applications with real-time communication (RTC). WebRTC needs to be activated independently for each Source in ZEN Master (by default it is disabled).

Select one of the following options:
- Disabled - users will not be able to view this Source using WebRTC (default)
- Pass-Through - passes the stream through to WebRTC without transcoding. This option can only be used if the input stream is already in a WebRTC compliant format (video - H.264 codec with Baseline or Main profile and no B frames, Audio - Opus codec).
- Auto - ZEN Master automatically transcodes the stream using the optimal profile for each specific user. In this option Zixi Broadcaster will decode the video, transforming it into RAW frames, which will be passed to the WebRTC library, where it will be re-encoded for each individual user.
  
  Best quality. However, if monitored by multiple users this can consume extensive resources.
- 1080p/720p/480p/360p - ZEN Master transcodes the stream to a WebRTC compliant profile with the specified resolution. The transcoding is done by Zixi Broadcaster's transcoder.
  
  This method requires a Zixi Broadcaster with X264 or Nvidia for transcoding. This method allows many users to monitor the stream without encoding separately for each individual user, which saves CPU capacity. Since there is only one stream version, it is recommended to encode to a low resolution and low bitrate so that the stream will be viewable by all users monitoring the stream.
Select the Ignore Transcode Thresholds checkbox if you would like to override the Transcode thresholds on your Ingest Cluster (i.e. to allow use of full CPU/GPU and memory capacity).
In the Initial State section, select the Disabled checkbox if you would like to disable this Source upon initial configuration.
Select the Muted checkbox if you would like to disable error/recovery notifications for this Source upon initial configuration.

You can Enable/Unmute the Source at any time.
If you would like to adjust the advanced settings, click Advanced.
The Advanced settings fields are displayed:
If you would like to track usage for this Source, enter your Billing Code details. See Billing Codes.
In the Auto Pull MTU field, specify the maximum transmission unit (largest data packet that a network-connected device will accept) in bytes for the Auto Pull.
To set the detection of frozen video, in the Frozen Video Minimal Duration field, specify the default minimal duration in seconds of frozen video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Frozen video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher.
To set the detection of blank video, in the Blank Video Minimal Duration field, specify the default minimal duration in seconds of blank video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Blank video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher.
Select Force I-Frames on SCTE-35 markers if a SCTE35 marker is detected and it contains a specific video timestamp (PTS), the encoder will generate an IDR-frame on the video frame with the closest or equal timestamp. If there is no timestamp in the SCTE35 marker, the transcoder will generate an IDR frame as soon as it can
In the HTML Overlay URL field, if you want to include an HTML overlay on the stream, such as a scoreboard, enter the URL of the HTML. The external HTML will be pulled directly to the processing Broadcaster and rendered over the transcoded video output.
Click Save.

Transcoded Source Configuration Parameters Table

*Info*
Parameter	Description
Name	Specify a name for the Transcoded Source in ZEN Master.
Tags	Select one or more of the predefined Tags from the drop-down list. Tags are used for access control. By selecting an Tag, you are relating this Source 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.
Events Configuration Profile	Select from the dropdown list the profile that you would like to apply to this Source. By default, the Default profile is applied. Note: Events Profiles consist of a series of rules that determine precisely how various types of Events are logged and what results they trigger.
Location (Optional)	The Source's location is used to represent it in the proper position in the Map display (see Maps). By default, the location is determined automatically based on the Source's IP. Enter identifying info for the location (e.g. street address, zip code, coordinates) and select the desired location from the suggestions that are shown.
*Input*
Source	Select from the drop-down list the Source that the transcoded Source is based on.
*Configuration*
Ingest Cluster	Select from the drop-down list one of the available Ingest Clusters as the destination for the Source.
Target Broadcaster/s	Specify which Broadcaster/s within the cluster on which ZEN Master can deploy the source. 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. Note: For managed clusters, it is not recommended to select a specific Broadcaster, as the Broadcaster’s availability may not remain stable.
Transcoding Profile	Select one of the pre-configured transcoding profiles to apply to this Source. If you would like to create a new transcoding profile, see Adding Transcoding Profiles.
Preserve closed captions	If you would like to preserve closed captions for this Source, select this checkbox (default).
Crop	If you would like to crop the input stream, select this checkbox and set the cropping parameters as follows: In the Units section, select the type of units used to define the crop. Options are: Pixels or Percentages. Enter the crop position for each of the parameters Left, Top, Width and Height in the appropriate fields.
Assign to GPU	Select this checkbox if you would like to assign the transcoding process to a multi GPU Broadcaster, and then select from the drop-down list the desired GPU instance. Options are: 0 (default), 1, 2, and 3 Note: this feature is useful if you are running several heavy transcoding activities, as it enables you to distribute the load among several different GPUs.
Pad to CBR [kbps]	Specify the amount of CBR padding to be added (in kbps). This parameter is optional. If you do not specify a TS Bitrate, the transport stream will be variable bitrate (VBR) with no additional null packets added. If you specify a bitrate, the transport stream will be constant bitrate (CBR) where null packets are added as necessary to achieve the specified bitrate. CBR transport streams are typically required when sending a stream to a satellite head-end or to a professional integrated receiver-decoder (IRD). The overhead of MPEG TS is about 7%. To determine the bitrate setting, sum the max video bitrate and audio bitrate from the encoding profile and then add the other PIDs (if choosing to pass all PIDs) and add 7%. If the bitrate needed for the transport stream exceeds the value specified, the Broadcaster will give a “bitrate too low” error message. VBR transport streams are typically used for HLS, DASH, RTMP, and other similar live streaming workflows.
Alert on PID changes	If you would like to generate email notifications whenever a PID change is detected, select this checkbox.
Log SCTE-35	If you would like to log SCTE-35 markers for this stream, select this checkbox. Note: To log SCTE-35 markers, SCTE-35 needs to be enabled both on the Ingest Cluster and in the Source configuration. Note: SCTE-35 logging is only available for v13.1.40262+ Broadcasters.
Enable SCTE-35 alerts (for Log SCTE-35)	If you would like to receive alerts for SCTE-35 markers, select this checkbox
Public Output	If you would like to allow access to the stream directly through a supported player, select the Allow checkbox.
Password (for Public Output)	If you selected Allow in the Public Output field, specify a password in this field to authenticate access to the stream.
Enable Content Analysis	If you would like to enable Content Analysis (CQA), verify that this checkbox is selected (default). Note: It is generally recommended to enable Content Analysis unless 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 TR101 errors in the stream.
Disable Auto-Pull	If you would like to disable auto-pull, select this checkbox. Note: Disabling Auto-Pull will lock Channels using this Source to the Source's Ingest Cluster and Targets to the Source's current active Broadcaster. This setting only applies to Pass-Through Channels.
Auto-Pull Latency [ms]	Specify the desired latency for auto-pull actions. (Default: 1,000 ms)
Ignore Transcode Thresholds	Select this checkbox if you would like to override the Transcode thresholds for your Ingest Cluster (i.e. to allow use of full CPU/GPU and memory capacity).
Initial State
Disabled	Select this checkbox if you would like to disable this Source upon initial configuration.
Muted	Select this checkbox if you would like to disable error/recovery notifications for this Source upon initial configuration.
Advanced
Billing Codes	If you would like to track usage for this Source, enter your Billing Code details, see Billing Codes. (Supported for Broadcasters v14.8+)
Billing Passwords	Enter the password that corresponds to this billing code.
Auto-Pull Billing Code	If you would like to track usage for this Source when using Auto-Pull connections, enter the billing code that corresponds to this stream. The relevant billing can be obtained from the organization that received the billing code from Zixi.
Auto-Pull Billing Password	Enter the password that corresponds to this auto-pull billing code.
Auto Pull MTU	Specify the maximum transmission unit (largest data packet that a network-connected device will accept) in bytes for the Auto Pull.
Encoder	If you would like to specify a specific encoder to use for transcoding (decode and reencode processes), select the desired option from the drop down menu. By default, if there is an Nvidia GPU available, it would auto detect and use that, however you can override this behavior by selecting a different option from the list.
Frozen Video Minimal Duration	Specify the default minimal duration in seconds of frozen video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Frozen video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher. For existing sources, you may need to restart the source.
Blank Video Minimal Duration	Specify the default minimal duration in seconds of blank video after which the Broadcaster will trigger a Blank video alert. Default: 10 seconds. This setting is supported for Broadcaster version 16.3 and higher. For existing sources, you may need to restart the source.
Force I-Frames on SCTE-35 markers	Selecting this option will do the following: If a SCTE35 marker is detected and it contains a specific video timestamp (PTS), the encoder will generate an IDR-frame on the video frame with the closest or equal timestamp. If there is no timestamp in the SCTE35 marker, the transcoder will generate an IDR frame as soon as it can.
HTML Overlay URL	If you want to include an HTML overlay on the stream, such as a scoreboard, enter the URL of the HTML. The external HTML will be pulled directly to the processing Broadcaster and rendered over the transcoded video output.