PTZ cameras
Panasonic PTZ camera automation for radio
VRA drives Panasonic AW PTZ cameras over Panasonic's HTTP interface and recalls an angle as soon as the matching mic opens. The preview can come straight from the camera's own stream, so an AW camera shows up in VRA Cloud without an NDI source.
What VRA does with Panasonic.
Panasonic's own HTTP control
Pick an AW model and VRA sets Panasonic's HTTP control on port 80. Enter the camera address and its login if it has one, then test pan, tilt and zoom before you save angles.
Preview from the camera itself
Switch on Use native MJPEG stream and VRA pulls the camera's built-in MJPEG stream as its preview. You don't set up an NDI source or a stream URL for it.
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.
MJPEG or NDI, not both
The native stream and an NDI source exclude each other: switching MJPEG on clears the NDI source. On an AW-HN or AW-UN, pick one per camera.
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 Panasonic 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.
Panasonic questions
Do I need NDI to see Panasonic cameras in VRA? +
No. VRA can pull the built-in MJPEG stream from any camera set to Panasonic control and use it as the preview. NDI is an option on the AW-HN and AW-UN models, which have NDI|HX built in.
Is my Panasonic 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.
Panasonic Connect
About Panasonic.
Panasonic's AW range covers HD models in the AW-HE and AW-HN series, 4K models in the AW-UE and AW-UN series, and the AW-HR140 and AW-UR100 for outdoor use. The AW-HN and AW-UN models also output NDI|HX. All of them are in VRA's model list.
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.
Sony
Run Sony BRC and SRG cameras from your studio microphones. VRA recalls angles over VISCA over IP and frames each shot before it goes on air.
Canon
Canon CR-N and CR-X PTZ cameras can run Canon's own auto tracking. VRA automates them over Canon's XC protocol, and each angle uses that or VRA's framing.
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.