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ADENAcademy · In-Depth · Lesson 1 of 6

Review of the Online Director Page

This lesson reviews the Online Director interface of AREC Media Stations. It covers the Director, Cameraman, and Textual Overlay tabs, as well as recording, streaming, PTZ, audio, layout, theme, and overlay controls.

Review of the Online Director Page

“Online Director” is the built-in control page of an AREC Media Station. It shows the recording and streaming video output of the Media Station (called mixed video) and allows modifying it.



It also allows users to control audio sources, configure presets, use PTZ controls for cameras, and more. For easier access, all of these functions are divided into subpages (tabs). The first tab that a user will see when logging in the “Online Director” is the “Director” tab, so we will walk through it first.


“Director” tab



This is the main tab of the “Online Director”. Here is what each button and function does:

  1. Preview window: displays the mixed video (PGM output of the station, what it is recording and streaming).

  2. Time: displays the time length of the current recording session.

  3. Live: click to start and stop streaming independently from recording. This button is only available if at least one of the streams is in “Enable streaming button” mode (refer to Basics Lesson 7 "Configuring streaming settings on AREC Media Stations").

  4. Record: click to start recording. If the recording is paused, click to resume recording. Clicking this will also start streaming if at least one of the streams is in “Together with recording” mode.

  5. Pause: click to pause recording. Streams can only be paused if recording is in progress. Unpause by clicking “Record”.

  6. Stop: click to stop recording. If a stream is in “Together with recording” mode, it will also automatically stop the streaming.

  7. Snapshot: click to take a snapshot. If recording is in progress, clicking will also create a bookmark/timestamp in the recording.

  8. Audio: indicates the current audio input volume.

  9. Front USB storage capacity: displays the maximum recording length that will fit on the connected USB storage device, up to the maximum recording length limit of the station. This indicator appears only if a USB drive is connected to the station’s front USB port and the station is in “Record to USB” or “Copy to USB”/”Front USB Storage” mode.

  10. Primary storage capacity: displays the maximum recording length that will fit on the primary storage, up to the maximum recording length limit of the station. Recording length is not displayed if “Loop recording” is enabled. In this case, the duration is replaced by the “Loop recording” indicator.

  11. CPU usage: displays the current CPU usage of the station. The indicator turns red when the CPU usage is very high.

  12. Backgrounds: click to show all available background images below. Click on a background to start using it.

  13. Layouts: click to show all available layout types (17) and layouts for a selected type (18).

  14. Overlays: click to show all available overlay images below. Click on an overlay to start using it.

  15. Themes: click to show all available themes below. Click on a theme to switch to it. There is a pencil icon next to every theme. Clicking it allows modifying the name, layout, overlay and background of this theme. This is covered in In-Depth Lesson 6 "Editing layouts on AREC Media Stations".

  16. Audio inputs: click to show all audio inputs below. Drag volume bar sliders to increase/decrease volume and click on speaker icons to mute/unmute inputs.

  17. Layout types by channels: click to change the type of layout that is displayed below (18). The number of options here depends on how many channels a model supports.

  18. Layouts: click on a layout to start using it.

  19. Director tab: click to open the Director’s tab (this page).

  20. Cameraman tab: click to open the Cameraman tab. It is used to control PTZ and preview video channels individually.

  21. Textual overlay tab: click to open the Textual overlay tab. It allows you to create and edit a textual overlay.

  22. Administrator page: click to open the “Administrator” page.

  23. Video Manager page: click to open the “Video Manager” page.

  24. Log out: click to log out.


"Cameraman" tab



This tab is used to control pan, tilt, and zoom of video sources selected in the Media Station’s channels and preview each source independently. Here is what each button and function does:

  1. Preview window: displays the selected video channel (2) or the station’s mixed video.

  2. Channel selection: click to change which video channel to preview (1) and control.

  3. Pan, tilt, home: click on the arrows to pan and/or tilt the video source. Click “Home” to activate the home preset of the video source.

  4. Speed: drag the slider or click on the buttons to lower or increase the pan and tilt speed of the video source.

  5. Zoom: drag the slider or click on the buttons to zoom in or out. The zoom bar will be greyed out if the source does not support zoom position feedback.

  6. Presets: click a preset number to toggle this preset for the selected video source. If using NDI|HX, P00 activates preset 1, P01 activates preset 2, and so on, since preset 0 is not available in this protocol.

Under certain conditions, individual channel preview will be replaced with mixed video preview. For example:


  • Enabling 1080p50, 1080p60, or 2160p30 recording and streaming mode on the latest AREC Media Stations (e.g. LS-210, LS-310, LS-410).

  • Previewing TI-series Media Stations (e.g. LS-110, LS-200, LS-300) on a browser without the FBVLC plugin.


Refer to this guide if you are experiencing issues with video preview: ADENA Hack: How to troubleshoot AREC Media Stations.


"Textual overlay" tab



This tab allows you to create, customise, and position a textual overlay on top of the mixed video. Here is what each button and function does:

  1. Preview window: displays the current layout, background, and overlay of the Media Station.

  2. Textual overlay: by default, the textual overlay is at the very centre of the preview window (1). To change its position, click and drag anywhere within the preview window.

  3. Colour: click on any colour to change the textual overlay to this colour.

  4. Bold: click to make the textual overlay bold.

  5. Align: click to centrally align the textual overlay.

  6. Font size: click to change the textual overlay’s font size.

  7. Font: click to change the textual overlay’s font.

  8. Text box: click and type what the textual overlay should say. Click “Clear” to remove the text and restore default parameters, or click “Apply” to confirm the textual overlay and display it in the mixed video.


Once applied, the textual overlay will be displayed until the station's overlay is changed (directly or via a theme change) or the station is rebooted. After it is applied, the overlay can also be removed by clicking "Clear" on this page.


That concludes the lesson. You can now test your knowledge and understanding by answering the questions on the lesson's form and watching the linked videos before moving on to the next lesson.


After you submit your answers on the form, make sure to click "View Scores" to see whether you answered correctly. You will also receive an email at the address you used when starting this lesson, containing your answers and a "View Scores" link.



Training Videos


Training video – Online Director Webpage



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