Go create!

WATCHOUT 7 is packed with new features. Click the list to the left to see more details! Here are some of the most important updates:

• Support for 10-16-bit color depth
• Wide Colour Space (REC.2020+ and beyond)
• HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Support for codecs, such as NotchLC and H265
• New video and audio engine
• Asset Manager
• Multi-user collaboration 

One of the most important new features in WATCHOUT version 7 is the Asset Manager. The Asset Manager can be run on a stand-alone computer or the production unit, basically it can be anywhere on the WATCHOUT network and can be used by anyone with access rights. 

The Asset Manager contains all the show data (such as media, display settings, composition, and EDID) and has a multi-user functionality that allows multiple users to collaborate on show creation. 

To maximize predictability and performance in playback, the Asset Manger will either automatically optimize content used in the show before distribution to the media server, or you can define and pre-program your choice of playback formats.

 

 

WATCHOUT now supports multi-user collaboration on show creation. With the Asset Manager, it is possible for content creators and show programmers to work simultaneously on the same WATCHOUT show. 
This allows better collaboration between content creators, directors, show operators, and programmers. 

For WATCHOUT programmers, the user interface will still seem familiar, although more streamlined, and with a more modern look. There are some important updates to the user interface that should be kept in mind: 

• New Property window that is context-dependent
• Discovery features for network objects and WATCHOUT nodes in the new Devices window
• Media files are stored in the Asset Manager and listed in the Assets window

The video engine has been totally re-designed for added power, speed and performance. 

• Up to 16-bit color depth
• HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Enhanced sync across servers
• 120 Hz frame rate
• REC 2020
• New codecs and file formats such as NotchLC and H265
• NDI now supports output
• Overall better visual quality and improved playback performance

The audio engine has been rebuilt from scratch, with new possibilities and new architecture. This increases the flexibility of the utilizing audio in show design, for better multisensory experiences for the audience. 

• Dante ready
• Improved playback performance and sync
• New audio bus concept (as mixer devices) can be routed to different outputs
• Multiple audio devices are allowed on the same server

 

In WATCHOUT version 7, time-sync is done through NTP (Network Time Protocol), with less than 2 milliseconds delay on local networks.  

Additional improvements:

• Less network usage
• Allows sync across wireless networks such as WiFi, 3G, 4G, and 5G
• External app for LTC inputs
• Multiple timelines can sync with multiple LTCs

In WATCHOUT version 7, you can create, edit and run a show from the Producer (production interface) without a license key. Shows created without a license key have access to a limited suite of codecs (stills and HAP video). 

With a version 7 license key running on the Producer, you gain more features such as high-end codecs, for example NotchLC and H-265, and full access to the collaboration features in the Asset Manager. 

Note: You'll need a version 7 license key/s for your media server/display computer regardless.

As in previous versions of WATCHOUT, the user interface in version 7 has windows for Stage, Timelines, Main Timeline and Assets  (formerly called Media). In version  7 there are two new windows: Devices and context-dependent Properties. Both present show-relevant info in an easily understood and timely way. Windows for Variables and Stage Tiers are also available.

The general look is sleek and structured with clearer error messages, orientation guides for show navigation and consistent icon use. 

The Stage window is your canvas - the place where you organize your displays and decide what is seen and where. In other words it's where you preview and edit your show.

The Stage is oriented in pixels, starting from the origin point (x=0, y=0, z=0), X= horizontal, Y= vertical, Z= depth. 

To view and navigate in your show, there are three camera modes:

• Default
• First person
• Projector

A timeline in WATCHOUT is a graphic representation that displays content in a linear chronological order. You take a media file, place it at a point in the timeline (becoming a media cue) and when the playhead reaches that time, the media cue will play.

In version 7, there is a Main Timeline set by default when you open a new show. This is shown in the Main Timeline window and also listed in the Timelines window. You can then add further timelines from the Timelines window and set the playback order of all timelines to suit. 

The Timelines window lists the timelines used in your show.

Previously known as the Media window, the Assets window lists the media used in your show. Media files (assets) are stored in the Asset Manager.

• Quick preview and progress bar while file is optimized
• Add folders for better organization
• Hover over an item to view its properties

The Devices window shows the nodes available on the network, their role and their address. A node can be a WATCHPAX media server, or a Producer machine for example.

This window also lists the displays, audio and capture devices which are associated with these nodes. 

 

Find out relevant info fast!

The Properties window is context-dependent, and displays informaton related to the window or item currently selected. 

For example: If you click on a file listed in the Assets window, the Properties window will show Name, Type, Frame rate, etc. If you click on a timeline in the Timelines window, you'll see the Name, Duration, and any Triggers that have been applied.

The Main Timeline presents the layers, cues and effects in the show. This window is opened by default when you create a new show, to help get you started!