PTZ cameras
PTZOptics camera automation for visual radio
Whether a PTZOptics camera speaks VISCA over IP or NDI, VRA can run it from your studio microphones. It recalls an angle when a mic opens and frames the camera before your switcher takes it.
What VRA does with PTZOptics.
VISCA over IP or NDI, by model
Move, Studio and the SDI and USB models get VISCA over IP on port 52381. The 12X, 20X and 30X NDI models and the NDI ZCams are set to NDI control. Pick the exact model and the protocol follows.
Badges show what moves
The model list badges each PTZOptics camera for PTZ and NDI. The ZCam and ePTZ box cameras carry no PTZ badge, so check it before you plan angles on one.
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.
The Link 4K is not controlled
The Link 4K 12X, 20X and 30X list Dante AV-H as their protocol, and VRA has no control path for it. Camera Assist cannot move them today.
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 PTZOptics 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.
PTZOptics questions
Which port does a PTZOptics camera use in VRA? +
VISCA over IP models default to port 52381, the standard VISCA over IP port. Change it in the camera settings if your camera listens on another one.
Is my PTZOptics 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.
PTZOptics
About PTZOptics.
PTZOptics makes network PTZ cameras for streaming and studio work: the Move and Studio lines, the earlier SDI, USB and NDI generations, the ZCam box cameras and the Link 4K. VRA's model list carries all of them, with the protocol set per model.
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.
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.
BirdDog
BirdDog PTZ cameras run on NDI, and VRA automates them over NDI too. Eyes, P and X series cameras recall their angles when a presenter starts talking.
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.
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.