Setting Up Network Stream Capture

Overview

Starting in Cablecast 7.2 we added the ability to independently record Network Stream sources. Before this, you were only able to record Network Streams as they played out Live on your channel. Now you can record Network Streams directly to your server without needing them to be played live.

In this article, we will go over how to set up your Network Stream Capture device. To learn how to use Network Capture, be sure to check out our article on that topic.

Setting up the Control Module

We will first need to create the control module that the Network Capture device will use to record our streams.

Navigate to Settings Menu in the menu bar on the left-hand side, then select Location Settings.

Once in the Location Settings Menu, we are going to click on the I/O tab and then choose Control Module Sets.

To create a new Control Module, click on New. Name your new Control Module Network Capture, then in the Server drop-down menu, you will want to choose your video server, and in the Control Module drop-down menu, choose the CablecastVideoServerNetworkEncoderCM. Leave the Port/IP field blank. You'll choose the encode location in the Device config for the Network Encoder. Click Save when finished.

Creating Network Capture Device

Now that we have our Control Module, we can create the Device that we will use to do the recording.

Navigate to our Settings menu and Location settings again.

Select the I/O Tab and click on Devices.

Once in the Devices, we will click on New at the bottom of the list.

Under the Basic Settings, name this new device something like Network Capture or Network Encoder. Then set your Router Input to 0 before changing the Device Function to Record Only. Then set your Device Type to Video Server.

Under the Device Settings, we are going to select the new Control Module that we just created for Device CMS. We do need to set up a Device address and you can set that to 1. You can leave the fields empty for Take Delay and Post Roll. Lastly select Stop Record for your Device End Action.

Lastly in the Record Settings, select the Codec that you want to record at and set your Bitrate. We recommend using h.264 and setting your bitrate between 5-10 Mb/sec. You can also select whether you want to enable primary and secondary languages, if you're using Cablecast captions and translations. You can also determine if you want to record a secondary language if you're utilizing MAP with Cablecast. More info on MAP here.

In the File Stores section, you'll determine where you want files to get recorded. You'll see a list of your configured File Stores here. Generally, this is going to be the primary File Store or E drive on your video server.

Now when you go to your Force Matrix or Control Rooms, you will see a new device that you can use to record your Network Streams. Be sure to check out our article about using the Network Capture device.