Video Cues

Video Cues play video files to a logical output — a projector, LED processor, or display. Video playback is verified in this beta, including natural completion, pause/resume holding position, seeking, replay, and output windows reattaching at the live position. This page documents the implemented behaviour and the remaining beta limitations.

Creating a Video Cue

1. In Edit Mode, click the Add button and choose Video Cue (or press Alt+V).
2. The cue appears as New Video Cue — rename it immediately.
3. In the cue editor, assign a video file and choose the logical output target.

Supported formats: the H.264 / MPEG-4 family (.mp4, .mov). Codec support varies by machine, so always test show files in rehearsal on the actual playback machine rather than assuming a file that plays on one computer will play on another.

Playback behaviour

A Video Cue plays to its natural completion — the end of the file — unless stopped or looped. During the show:

• Pause / Resume holds the video position and continues from the same frame.

• Seek lets you jump within the media; replay restarts from the beginning.

• If an output window is closed and reopened, it reattaches at the live position rather than restarting the video.

• Playback Mode — Autonomous plays straight through; Stepped waits for Next Step (N in Show Mode) at each step point, for frame-by-frame operator control.

• Loop video — repeats the file until stopped. Like looping audio, a looping video never completes on its own; pairing it with auto-advance draws a preflight warning.

• Duration — how long the cue occupies the cue list. The cue completes at natural media end or at the set duration, whichever governs.

Audio

Video audio routes to the system default / engine audio path. Use Mute video audio when the sound should not be heard. Video audio cannot currently be routed to an audio bus like an Audio Cue can.

Visual composition

• Layer — which visual layer the video occupies. When several image and video cues run at once, they compose by layer order rather than replacing each other.
• Visual Geometry — Fit, Fill, or Stretch sizing, plus position, scale, rotation, crop, and opacity.
• Transitions — how the video enters and leaves the output: Cut or Fade for Enter and Exit.
• Take Type — how one visual cue hands over to the next.
• Logical output target — which project-owned output the video plays to. Open Output Mapping opens the projection-mapping editor for that output. See Outputs, Displays and Commissioning.

Warning: A timed Dissolve Take is authored in the editor but is not implemented at runtime — it fails deterministically. Use Cut in this beta. Preflight warns whenever a dissolve Take is configured, so tech rehearsal will catch it before showtime.

Show Mode behaviour

When a Video Cue fires in Show Mode, the target output window shows the video at its layer and geometry. The Now Running card tracks its progress. STOP or PANIC clears it; Blackout (B) clears visual output while leaving the cue armed.

Troubleshooting

No visible output

1. Verify the output window is open (press O or Toggle Output Window).
2. Check the cue’s logical output target is bound to a physical display — a Missing binding is reported in preflight and in Settings, and content is never silently moved to another display.
3. Confirm the video file exists and preflight passes.

Video stutters or does not load

Re-encode to H.264 in an .mp4 container and test on the show machine. Avoid very high bitrates.

Dissolve does not happen

Timed Dissolve Take is not implemented in this beta. Switch the Take Type to Cut; preflight flags any configured dissolves for you.