The wait is over, OnTheAir Video 4 and OnTheAir Video Express 4 are now available as release versions. Since we announced it, we have added many new features and improvements along the way, and it's not over. We are still working on some new nice features that we'll add in coming up releases, so stay tuned!
Release notes for OnTheAir Video & OnTheAir Video Express 4
- Full Compatibility with macOS Big Sur (11.0).
- Universal application for better performances on Apple Silicon computers.
- Full compatibility of NDI® with Apple Silicon computers.
- New icon as the ones used for all our Universal applications.
- Video Preview + Audio Vu-Meters: A window allows you to preview what OnTheAir Video is playing out.
- Automatic Folder-based Playlist: Select a folder with media files, and OnTheAir Video will automatically populate the playlist with the content of the folder. Add a file, it will be added to the playlist automatically. Delete a file, the file will be removed from the playlist.
- Shuffle playback: As with music playlists, the next clip will be randomly played.
- Rename clips: Sometimes your file names are cryptic, now you can rename the clips in the playlists, so it says something more obvious. Also useful if you have split a clip in 2 with two different parts.
- Auto-update modified clips: If a media file has been modified (replaced or deleted in the Finder for example), it will automatically update in the playlist.
- New "Clip end behaviours": Cue next clip.
- Added the ability to select a clip to "Play next", so OnTheAir Video can chain to any clip in the playlist.
- Added an "auto-cue" feature. When using the cue mode, the next clip will be automatically cued after a specified duration.
- Added the ability to add "Comments" in a playlist.
- Added the ability to Disable Clips, so they don't play but remain in the playlist for later use.
- Added support for new codecs: DNxHR and AVC-Intra 200
- Added the audio countdown announcements. Get a voice telling you when the remaining time is 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2.
- New controls in inspector timeline (go to a specific Timecode, select if you want to display the file TC or the elapsed time)
Release notes only for OnTheAir Video 4 (features not available in OnTheAir Video Express)
- Built-in CG: (Requires the Dynamic Graphics Overlay Option) Additionally to still images, you can now import CG Projects in OnTheAir Video to be overlaid on top of the video playback.
- Secondary Audio Output: Additionally to the video output on the selected video device, you can now also output to another available audio output on your Mac. Works with CoreAudio, so supports the audio devices that are available for macOS (including Dante or MADI).
- Transitions: You can use either built-in transitions such as cross-fades, or custom transitions (made with your own movies with an Alpha Channel)
- Scheduler has been completely revamped. Schedule editor is now in the application. With the ability to group playlists in "Events" that can be repeated.
- If the Schedule is modified by a third party application, it is automatically reloaded. There is no need to "Reload" the schedule manually anymore.
- Added the ability to "Loop" an event => you can loop multiple playlists.
- Added the ability to set a preset duration to a playlist, so you can know if you are having overrun and underrun
- Added the ability to add a timed start of a clip in a playlist directly. Set its auto-start date/time. If the playlist is opened, and that the clip is after the currently playing clip (to make sure it is chronological), it will start playing at the specified date/time.
- Validation report: Generate a report for a playlist to print (with offline clips, offline actions, ...). This is very useful for long playlists, to have a quick overview of possible issues.
- Streaming input: Supports HTTP, RTMP and TCP video input to play a web stream easily. Just add a "stream clip" to your playlist, enter the HTTP, RTMP or TCP url and start playing it back. Stream clips can be previewed in the inspector. You can either use a "real" live signal, and even play a VOD file from a web server.
- Improved Actions (can now be relative to the start or end, and have a custom icon)
- Countdown until next Live event: In the "Timer" window, you can now show how long there is until the next live event
- Support for OP47 Subtiltling. (Requires the CC option). It is supported either in an MXF file with OP47, or using SRT or .STL sidecar files.
- Support for SRT sidecars files with Closed Captioning. (Requires the CC option)
- Support for SCTE-35 triggers. (Requires the CC option)
- Ability to control a VideoHub or a Ross video router without the need of OnTheAir Switch. This can be done using Actions.
- REST API: OnTheAir Video is now coming with a full REST API that allows to control it remotely from a webpage:
Improvements in OnTheAir Video & OnTheAir Video Express 4
- There is no installer anymore. Just drag and drop the application to the Applications folder. See below for more info.
- Scrubbing in long GOP video clips in the inspector has been improved.
- 4K decoding performances improvement
- Improved remote editing of playlists. Now when you edit the xpls playlist document from another computer, OnTheAir Video will properly reload it, even if it is currently playing. If the currently playing clip is deleted from the playlist, it will stay in the playlist, keep on playing, and be removed from the playlist once done.
Important changes and warnings:
- Playlists will be incompatible with OnTheAir Video 3: Once you have saved your playlists with OnTheAir Video 4, if you try to open them with OnTheAir Video 3, a copy of it will be opened and you will have to save it again. The reason is that there are new "attributes" that don't work anymore (such as Comments, graphics items, transitions, etc...)
- The Schedule file is no longer a .txt file, it is now a XML file by default. The 'old' .txt file will automatically be converted to a XML. If you are using a third party tool to create your Schedules, .txt schedules can still be imported, but changes made to it in the user interface will only be saved to the XML. We advise you to change to the new XML format (JSON is also supported). Contact us for more info and help.
- The as-run-logs have been moved by default to the same location as the technical logs. The reason is we wanted to have one less window asking to get access to the "Documents" folder. If you had a different folder set than the default one, it will be maintained there, but if you did not modify the default location, they will be moved.
- Actions Folder has now moved to "/Library/Application Support/Softron/OnTheAir Video/OnTheAir Video/Actions/". It is not located next to the application anymore. We will copy your current actions to the new location, but we will not delete them from the current location so if you still use OnTheAir Video 3 this will still work. But remember this if you want to modify the Actions later to look in the correct location.
- OnTheAir Tools is not installed by default (it's not needed to create schedules anymore, only for the "Log analyser" tool, so it can still be downloaded from our website.
- AppleScript examples are not installed (the ones to be used as Actions, or to control OnTheAir Video). They can be downloaded from our website.
- The playback preferences are different than the one of OnTheAir Video 3. So if you switch from one to the other, make sure to change them (which video device is used and the format) in both versions.
- When starting OnTheAir Video, it will now show a warning: "Full Disk Access is not enabled". This is not mandatory, but it helps to have less warnings when OnTheAir Video need to access video files in your storage.
- Changes in the playback start times in chain mode:
- when the playlist is playing, and the "auto-update start times" option is enabled, the duration of the offline files will not be counted in the start times, so you will know exactly when the following clips will start.
- after a clip was started, it will keep the time at which it started playing.
OnTheAir Video 4 is now available for everyone to download as a pre-release version. It is probably one of our biggest releases ever with a host of new features to enhance both the user experience and the performance. As an example, we are adding CG projets directly into OnTheAir Video through the “Dynamic Graphics Overlay” option.
Our development team probably got too excited about this release and decided to add even more exciting new features like a powerful HTTP/REST API, new playback behaviours and many other things. This is why our release date has slipped "a bit". But, every new license purchased includes a free upgrade to version 4, and there are already TV channels that are using the pre-release version for their production and broadcast, so if you need the best playout software you can already order it now. You won’t need to purchase anything when the final version is released, and, as always, you will enjoy our free support and update.
There are many new features with OnTheAir Video 4. Too many to be listed all here. The best is that you download and try it out, but here are a few that we wanted to highlight:
- Dynamic graphics overlay: OnTheAir Video now comes with a built-in Character Generator. Add animated logos, tickers, lower third very easily in your playlist.
- Transitions: Use either built-in transitions such as cross-fades, or custom transitions (made with your own movies with an Alpha Channel) to add more dynamics to your playout
- On screen video and audio preview. Preview directly on your computer screen what you are playing out.
- Secondary Audio Output: Additionally to the video output on the selected video device, you can now also output to another available audio output on your Mac. Works with CoreAudio, so supports the audio devices that are available for macOS (including Dante or MADI).
- Streaming input: Supports RTMP video input to play a web stream easily. Just add a "stream clip" to your playlist, enter the RTMP url and start playing it back.
- Improved for 24/7 playout stations: We have improved the built-in scheduler of OnTheAir Video for easy broadcast scheduling. But we also have added features to be used by major broadcasters, such as a new integration with Wide Orbit Traffic software for advanced master control operation. OnTheAir Video can now be used as a playout automation solution with features that were until now available only with expensive solutions.
- Improved for Live shows: With audio countdown announcements, get a voice telling you automatically when the remaining time is 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2. No need to have someone look at the remaining time.
- And many more improvements: such as Automatic Folder-based Playlist, shuffle playback, Comments, new REST API to control OnTheAir Video remotely, simply from a web page, etc...
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.8
Warning:This version requires macOS 10.12 or later.
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.8 only
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.7.2
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.7.2 only
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.6.6
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.6.6 only
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.6.4
Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.6.4 only
Warning:Version 3.6.2 now requires:macOS 10.10 or later. Blackmagic-Design drivers 10.9.5 and later
This is a minor release, but with a major change: It now comes with an installer. Because of Gatekeeper, we had to provide an installer.
BE AWARE: The OnTheAir CG will be installed in a folder named "OnTheAir CG", so you will have to delete the previous versions that were in a folder named "OnTheAir CG 3". Make sure you also remove them from the dock so you actually start with the new version.
A few good news: There are some sample projects and HTML pages provided so you can actually get started with the wonders of the REST API. Get a web developer working on this to see all you can do with that. Contact us for more info if needed.
Release notes for OnTheAir Video CG 3.2.4
NDI™ is exciting, right? It's even better on the Mac! Softron is adding to the excitement by implementing NDI™ in all of our playout applications. Now, thanks to NDI™, you can transfer HD and 4K video over a simple Ethernet cable. No need for routers or even SDI cables anymore. All this while preserving the ease-of-use and reliability of our products.
!! New driver requirements for Deltacast cards: You should use drivers 5.21 or later. Check the System Requirements.