ZEC Adding UDP Outputs

Owned by Elisa Diel (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 02 Nov 2022 by Eli Pielet (Writec) (Unlicensed)
5 min read

This enables the ZEC to send a UDP stream. The UDP stream is not protected by the Zixi protocol. The UDP streams can be one of the following types:

  • UDP – plain UDP
  • RTP – Real-Time Transport Protocol
  • RTP + SMPTE 2022 FEC - SMPTE 2022 standard with Forward Error Correction

To Create a UDP Output:

  1. In the ZEC Outputs page, click . The New output window is displayed.



  2. Type in the unique identifier for this output in the Output Name.
  3. Select an Input Stream to be made available on this output from the drop-down list.
  4. Select the Show in Matrix check box to display this stream in the Matrix (see ZEC Using the Matrix). Default: Selected.
  5. Select UDP.
  6. Specify the Output parameters (see Output Stream Parameters Table).
  7. If you want to specify Billing Codes to identify and differentiate traffic on a ZEC for billing purposes, select this checkbox (see Output Stream Parameter Table below).
  8. If you want to remux the stream to CBR (used for professional IRDs) in order to avoid bandwidth waste or add NULL packets and adjust the stream clock (PCR) in order to make the stream CBR, select Remultiplex/Pad and configure the respective parameters (see Output Stream Parameters Table).
  9. You can decrypt an encrypted stream as it enters the ZEC. To decrypt a stream, select the Decrypt Stream checkbox and fill in the parameters as describes in the Output Stream Parameter Table below. For more information, see Decrypting an Output Stream in ZEC.
  10. If you want to enable the ZEC decoder to send audio back to the ZEC encoder, select the IFB/Talkback checkbox.
  11. Click OK.

The new UDP Output with its settings is created and now appears on the Outputs screen.

Output Stream Parameters Table

ParameterDescription
Output Parameters

Host

Specify the destination IP address or URL.

Port

Specify the target UDP port.

TTL

Specify the time-to-live (TTL). Used mainly to limit the range (or “scope”) of a multicast transmission. Leaving it as blank uses the default value specified by the operating system.

Smoothing [mms]

Enables transmission of the output at the correct rate. Required when the receiving device is sensitive and can’t lock on to the stream (in such a case, the recommended latency is 100 - 1000 ms).

RTP

Enables use of the Real-time Transport Protocol.

SMPTE 2022 FEC:

Disables the FEC or specifies the type of FEC matrix to D1/ D2.

This setting can be modified without interrupting an existing stream.

In the SMPTE-2022 FEC standard, 1-D and 2-D parity codes are systematic FEC codes of decent complexity that provide protection against bursty or random losses. To enable SMPTE-2022 FEC (Forward Error Correction) select one of the following parity options from the drop-down menu:

  • 1D (single dimension FEC) - SMPTE-2022 1D can fix a problem in ONE packet per row. This means that the number of rows specified should consider the packet loss rate- the shorter the row, the more error resilience can be achieved on the expense of bitrate level. However, longer rows increase the delay that the FEC will add. It is recommended to select this option when the packet loss is sporadic.
    The stream will occupy the source port and two ports above it (e.g. if the source port is 8988, it will occupy 8990)
  • 2D - SMPTE-2022 2D uses a table of packets, which includes rows and columns. This option is more error resilient, but it increases the delay by (row*column) packets and increases the bitrate with R+C packets per each table of R*C packets. It is recommended to select this option when packet loss is bursty.
    The stream it will occupy four ports above (e.g. if the source port is 8988, it will occupy 8992).

Bind to IP

Select from the drop-down list the local IP address to be used for this Output, OR select Any to enable any IP to be used.

Local Port

Specify from which local port to source the stream, if desired (instead of randomly chosen by the operating system).

Billing CodesBilling codes are used to identify and differentiate traffic on a ZEC for billing purposes. When a billing code is added to a Source or Target, ZEC can track the traffic on that ZEC input or output separately from other inputs and outputs on the same ZEC. Billing codes are created by ZEC personnel on the ZEC Customer Portal for a particular organization.
Billing CodeEnter the billing code that corresponds to this stream. The relevant billing can be obtained from the organization that received the billing code from Zixi.
Billing passwordEnter the password that corresponds to this billing code.
ReMultiplex/PadSelect this checkbox to enable remuxing from VBR MPEG-TS to MPEG-TS CBR (used for professional IRDs) or padding with null packets.
Mode

Select one of the following:

  • Pad – adds NULL packets and adjusts the stream clock (PCR) in order to make the stream CBR.
  • Remultiplex - performs demux->mux and rebuilds the stream according to the below parameters.
Target bitrate [kbps]:Specify the CBR bitrate to target for a remuxed stream.
Buffer Size [ms]Specify the size of the buffer that will be used for the remixing. A larger buffer increases the quality, but also increases latency.
No NULL PacketsSelect this option to re-multiplex the stream to CBR but remove the NULL packets in order to maintain low bitrate.
Enable DecryptionSelect this checkbox to decrypt an encrypted stream.

Decryption type

If the stream has been encrypted, you can decrypt through the output by selecting this checkbox and specifying the type of ecryption that was used.

Select Automatic to decrypt a stream that has been encrypted using Automatic encryption.

Only if the stream has not been encrypted, select None (default).

Important Notice: if the stream has been encrypted you must decrypt it in the output.

Decryption keyIf the decryption type includes a key, enter the key to decrypt the stream during output.
Enable IFB/TalkbackSelect this checkbox to enable IFB/Talkback for one-way communication from the director or assistant director to on-air talent or a remote location. Selecting the checkbox allows the decoder with a ZEC to send audio back to the encoder with a Zixi Feeder. This offers the ability to, for example, give audio feedback to the camera operator.
PortThe port that will be used to send the audio feedback.