[JIM] HLS Output v.6.2
- Christian Schabasser
We are excited to introduce a significant enhancement in version 6.1 regarding Capture Presets. In addition to conventional file outputs, users can now leverage HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) output. This feature broadens the scope of possibilities for seamless integration into your third-party systems' workflow.
The introduction of HLS output enables the effortless realtime sharing of recordings with external production personnel using web-based players and annotation tools. Simply provide them with the URL, and they can easily track the recording using a standard web server.
It's important to note that the web server component is not included in just:in mac and needs to be installed and configured separately.
HLS Capture Preset
The first step is to create an HLS-based Capture Preset. Open the Just Control Configuration panel, select the specific device, and switch to the “Capture Presets” tab.
Create a new Preset, choose “Custom” as the “TV Norm”, then select “HLS” as the container type. Proceed with the appropriate “Aspect Ratio”, and then select “H.264” as the codec option. Please refer to the H.264 codec explanations in previous chapters for more details. Next, open the HLS-related settings by pressing the “HLS Settings” button.
Adjust the segment duration setting (values between 2–5 seconds are recommended) and enter a custom Manifest name if needed. If no custom Manifest name is defined, the stream manifest will match the actual file name of the recording.
Once you have completed the settings, finalise the configuration by selecting the audio options. Additionally, you can select available Capture Preset options such as “Burnt-in-timecode” or “Overlay logo” to further customise your workflow.
Web Server
Please note that a web server is required to open the stream manifest in a web browser. In this example, we will use the preinstalled Apache web server on macOS, but you are free to choose any other web server for this workflow. Be aware that a reliable setup with any available web server is required, so ensure that you test your workflow before deploying it in a production environment.
macOS comes with a preinstalled Apache web server, and the configuration file can be found here:
/etc/apache2/httpd.confEnsure that you change the “DocumentRoot” directory of the web server to a custom one fitting your needs, and adjust the permissions of this new directory to be “755”. See the example below:
# DocumentRoot: The directory out of which you will serve your
# documents. By default, all requests are taken from this directory, but
# symbolic links and aliases may be used to point to other locations.
#
#DocumentRoot "/Library/WebServer/Documents"
#<Directory "/Library/WebServer/Documents">
DocumentRoot "/Users/administrator/www"
<Directory "/Users/administrator/www">Once this is done, restart the web server with the following command:
sudo apachectl restartYou can test the web server by creating an index.html file within the new root directory. Afterward, simply open a web browser and enter “localhost” to view the test page.
Destination Preset
Next, create a new Destination Preset that points to the web server's new “DocumentRoot” directory, as this will serve as the Destination Preset for the HLS Capture Preset.
HLS Output Testflight
Now that all components are configured, open the Just Control user interface and select the newly created HLS Capture Preset along with the appropriate Destination Preset, then start the recording process.
As the HLS Preset operates similarly to any other Capture Preset, you can still configure High-res and Proxy recordings. Additionally, use a third Capture ID for the HLS output.
Check the root directory of the web server to find the HLS segments and the HLS manifest (“.m3u8” ending).
Open a web browser and enter the specific URL with the manifest (“http://localhost/demo.m3u8”). Now you can view the stream while the recording is in progress.