PTZ cameras
BirdDog NDI PTZ cameras in a visual radio studio
BirdDog cameras send their picture over NDI, and VRA controls them over NDI too. Angles are recalled from the studio microphones and framed while the camera is off air, all on the network the camera sits on.
What VRA does with BirdDog.
Controlled over NDI
Pick the BirdDog model and VRA sets NDI control. Choose the camera's NDI source from the sources your studio machines discover, listed per machine, and it doubles as the preview.
Full NDI and HX3 side by side
NDI and NDI|HX3 models get the same NDI control in VRA, so a P400 and an X1 Ultra can work in one studio and answer to the same triggers.
The same angle from a mic or a button
An angle stores a camera position and the command that takes it to air. An Audio Manager trigger, a macro or a dashboard button all run the same angle.
The next shot is framed off air
After calibration, Camera Assist frames a camera that is not on air to the shot size and face count you set per angle, from close up to wide. When the switcher takes it, the picture is already right.
Add it from the model list
NDI control is only set through the model list, and BirdDog has no entry in the manual list. A BirdDog that is missing from the list cannot be switched to NDI by hand, so ask us to add it.
How to set it up.
Requirements
- Camera Assist running on the same network as the camera.
- The camera's IP address, plus its username and password if it uses them.
- A preview source if you want pictures in VRA Cloud.
- A video switcher connected to VRA. Camera Assist moves and frames the camera; the switcher makes the cut.
Install Camera Assist on a machine in the studio network.
On the Cameras page, choose Add new camera, then PTZ camera, and pick your BirdDog model from the list. The model fills in the protocol, the port and the lens data.
Enter the camera's host and, if it asks for them, a username and password. Add a preview: an NDI source, a stream URL or, where the model has one, the camera's own stream.
Set the PGM trigger, the switcher command that takes this camera to air. Save, and check that Camera Assist reports the camera as connected.
Build angles from preset slots or captured positions. Run calibration before you switch on AI framing.
BirdDog questions
Which BirdDog cameras does VRA know? +
The Eyes A200 and A300 in both generations, the P100 to the P4K, the X1, X4 and X5 Ultra models, the O4 and the XL Ultra. Each one is set to NDI control when you pick it.
Is my BirdDog model supported? +
Look for it in the model list when you add a camera. The entry sets the protocol and lens data, and badges show which models have PTZ and NDI. If yours is missing, send us the model and firmware before you fall back on a generic profile.
Does VRA replace my video switcher? +
No. Camera Assist moves and frames the camera. The angle's PGM trigger tells your switcher to take it to air, so the switcher still makes the cut.
Can I mix in a fixed camera? +
Yes. A fixed camera gets a preview and a PGM trigger, so it can go on air like the others. It has no movement and no AI framing.
BirdDog
About BirdDog.
BirdDog builds NDI PTZ cameras, from the Eyes A200 and A300 to the P series and the X series. In VRA's model list every BirdDog is set to NDI control. The X series and the O4 are NDI|HX3 models; the P and Eyes models and the XL Ultra use full NDI.
What you can do with this connection
Automated camera switching for radio
Switch cameras from microphone activity and prepare PTZ shots off air.
More infoThe products behind it.
More integrations.
NewTek
NewTek NDI|HX PTZ cameras, from the 2017 PTZ1 to the PTZ3 UHD, run on NDI. VRA automates them over NDI and frames each shot while the camera is off air.
PTZOptics
PTZOptics Move, Studio and NDI cameras speak VISCA over IP or NDI, by model. VRA automates each one over its own protocol and frames the next shot off air.
Marshall
Marshall CV PTZ cameras fit on a radio desk, from the compact CV605 to the 30x CV730. VRA automates them over VISCA over IP or NDI and recalls angles.
Check your studio setup with us.
Tell us your camera models, video switcher and radio automation. We will check the connections and show you the workflow that fits your station.