PTZ cameras
Vizrt PTZ camera automation for visual radio
VRA automates the Vizrt PTZ3 PLUS and PTZ3 UHD PLUS, the NDI|HX3 cameras Vizrt released in 2024. An angle is recalled when a presenter starts talking, and the camera is framed to its shot size before your switcher takes it.
What VRA does with Vizrt.
Controlled over NDI|HX3
Pick the PTZ3 PLUS or the PTZ3 UHD PLUS and VRA sets NDI control. Pick its NDI source in the same sheet, then test movement and the PGM trigger before you save angles.
Pick the exact model
The two models have different zoom lenses. Picking the right one loads its field of view and pan range, which AI framing uses, together with calibration, to work out how far to move for a shot size.
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.
FreeD data is not used
The PTZ3 PLUS models can send FreeD tracking data over NDI|HX. VRA does not read it: control runs over NDI and the framing comes from Camera Assist.
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 Vizrt 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.
Vizrt questions
Can I mix the PTZ3 PLUS and the PTZ3 UHD PLUS in one studio? +
Yes. Both are set to NDI control, and each camera keeps its own angles and its own lens data.
Is my Vizrt 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.
Vizrt
About Vizrt.
Vizrt's PTZ3 PLUS (HD) and PTZ3 UHD PLUS (4K) send video, control and FreeD tracking data over NDI|HX3. Both are in VRA's model list and are set to NDI control when you pick them.
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.
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.
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.
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.