Release Notes

OnTheAir Video 4 is now available for everyone to download as a pre-release version. It is probably one of our biggest releases ever with a host of new features to enhance both the user experience and the performance. As an example, we are adding CG projets directly into OnTheAir Video through the “Dynamic Graphics Overlay” option.

Our development team probably got too excited about this release and decided to add even more exciting new features like a powerful HTTP/REST API, new playback behaviours and many other things. This is why  our release date has slipped "a bit". But, every new license purchased includes a free upgrade to version 4, and there are already TV channels that are using the pre-release version for their production and broadcast, so if you need the best playout software you can already order it now. You won’t need to purchase anything when the final version is released, and, as always, you will enjoy our free support and update.

There are many new features with OnTheAir Video 4. Too many to be listed all here. The best is that you download and try it out, but here are a few that we wanted to highlight:

1. Dynamic graphics overlay: OnTheAir Video now comes with a built-in Character Generator. Add animated logos, tickers, lower third very easily in your playlist.
2. Transitions: Use either built-in transitions such as cross-fades, or custom transitions (made with your own movies with an Alpha Channel) to add more dynamics to your playout
3. On screen video and audio preview. Preview directly on your computer screen what you are playing out.
4. Secondary Audio Output: Additionally to the video output on the selected video device, you can now also output to another available audio output on your Mac. Works with CoreAudio, so supports the audio devices that are available for macOS (including Dante or MADI).
5. Streaming input: Supports RTMP video input to play a web stream easily. Just add a "stream clip" to your playlist, enter the RTMP url and start playing it back.
6. Improved for 24/7 playout stations: We have improved the built-in scheduler of OnTheAir Video for easy broadcast scheduling. But we also have added features to be used by major broadcasters, such as a new integration with Wide Orbit Traffic software for advanced master control operation. OnTheAir Video can now be used as a playout automation solution with features that were until now available only with expensive solutions.
7. Improved for Live shows:  With audio countdown announcements, get a voice telling you automatically when the remaining time is 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2. No need to have someone look at the remaining time.
8. And many more improvements: such as Automatic Folder-based Playlist, shuffle playback, Comments, new REST API to control OnTheAir Video remotely, simply from a web page, etc...

• XDCAM: Issue when setting in point with XDCAM clips. (First frame would still be shown)
• Inspector: Resize issue of the inspector window when changing from the Timeline to the Attributes tab

• Added compatibility with newer models of the Stream Deck

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.8

Warning:This version requires macOS 10.12 or later.

• Added the ability to "scrub" one frame left or right in the playlist (keyboard shortcut: ctrl + shift + left/right arrow)
• Added support for new M|Family/li>
• Support for Stream Deck Mini and XL, with a new editor
• Added compatibility with the "Afterburner card" of the new Mac Pro
• Now using NDI® SDK 4.1
• Disconnection/Reconnection of multiple NDI® sources
• When shutting down the computer, we won't show the confirmation "Are you sure you want to stop playback".
• Updated AJA, Blackmagic-Design, Deltacast and FFMEG versions
• Clip selection is now kept when changing playlist
• Playback of some MPEG and MXF files
• Playback of FLAC/MKV files
• M|Family: "Reference Source" preference is now properly saved
• Compatibility with new Contour Design's ShuttlePro
• Compatibility of GPICommander with Catalina

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.8 only

• AJA: CC output is now working again

• Thumbnails are not reloaded every time the playlist opens
• Inconsistencies with durations of clip using 23.98 fps
• Brought back support for DNxHD (in .mov containers)

• Direct Link is now available for OnTheAir Video Express as well.
• An issue creating artefacts when outputing in SD with the SMART resize and graphics option enabled
• An issue with demo frame when outputing in NDI

• When user has not accepted access to audio input for Audio LTC, a message is shown
• Issues with 23.98 fps
• Timecode offset was not properly added for Audio LTC sources

• Some UI looks in Mojave
• Playback continues for some corrupted files with problematic frames at the end
• MPEG 4 files can now be decompressed again (note that this is not H.264 we are talking about but MPEG-4)
• Inspector does not stay in "front" anymore when application goes in background
• Issues in inspector when playing growing "Classic" QuickTime movies from MovieRecorder
• Possible crashes when using Live inputs with Blackmagic-Design devices in NTSC world
• AJA: Issues with internal key

• Playback continues for some corrupted files with problematic frames at the end
• MPEG 4 files can now be decompressed again (note that this is not H.264 we are talking about but MPEG-4)
• Possible crashes when using Live inputs with Blackmagic-Design devices in NTSC world
• AJA: Issues with internal key
• Some possible issues when accessing OTACG Server with the REST API, or from OnTheAir Node's CG plugin

• Open .csv files and map the fields to create a playlist
• Added support for ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K
• AJA: Issue when using reference input
• NDI: In DEMO mode, when pausing video, it would flash the demo frame
• Duration issue with some mpg files (would show a duration longer than what it actually is
• A/V Desync when playing some mpg files
• Issue in macOS 10.11, playlist could seem empty, but they were not

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.7.2

• Added support for AJA Io 4K Plus (this required us to upgrade to the latest SDK)
• Performances with UHD decompression
• Updated a few libraries and SDK used
• Added a preference for the behaviour when space bar is pressed (pause or resume playback)
• A few issues (mainly cosmetic) with Mojave
• The duration of some MXF files (for example the ones created by MovieRecorder 4) is now correct
• Selecting the OnTheAir Video input in preview on the ATEM could stop the playback of a clip
• Possible crash when using 'Contact Support' on a computer not connected to the web

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.7.2 only

• Added "AppleScript" preference pane to "preauthorize" OnTheAir Video to control other applications using AppleScripts
• Added support for CC embedded in MXF XDCAM files
• Added support for CC embedded in MOV H.264 files
• Added "CLIP STOP" logs in as-run-logs to improve accuracy of log analyzer
• Memory leak with Live inputs using direct link
• Error outputting to some Blackmagic-Design devices with files containing CC
• CC was not supported on Deltacast devices

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.6.6

• Scrubbing in the playlist directly or in the popover window now have the same behaviour (will be blocked when next clip is buffered)
• Stream Deck: The skip to previous and next icons are now properly enabled
• Playlist: An issue that could happen when files had the "Grey" tag
• Detlatacst Cards: The reference input preference is now properly saved

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.6.6 only

• Added support for CC in MPEG files
• Live Input: An issue when the format of a Live input would change (when auto detect was on)

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.6.4

• Added support for Stream Deck
• When modifying the Audio gain, it is also modified when playing the clip in inspector
• Added a preference to enable/disable the premultiplied output (when ARGB Keying is enabled)
• NDI® output names now use the application name (was previously using the computer's Bonjour name)
• AJA devices: routing to Composite or component output
• When a document is in "bakcground", the "already played" cells are a bit darker (easier to read)
• The naming of some video devices (when using 2 identical cards in one computer it could have been confusing)
• Issues with some mp3 file when playback format was set to 59.94p

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.6.4 only

• Added support for Closed Captioning CEA-608 with SD files (paid option required)
• Issues with playlist absolute start time when automatic start time was enabled

• Added the ability to play H.265 (HEVC) files with hardware acceleration. Requires macOS 10.13 or later and a Mac using a 6th generation core intel processor or later
• Added new preferences when controlling the playback with ATEM Production Switchers
• When using the "Contact Support" feature, there is not anymore that 7MB limit for logs
• UI issues with macOS 10.13

Warning:Version 3.6.2 now requires:macOS 10.10 or later. Blackmagic-Design drivers 10.9.5 and later

This is a minor release, but with a major change: It now comes with an installer. Because of Gatekeeper, we had to provide an installer.

BE AWARE: The OnTheAir CG will be installed in a folder named "OnTheAir CG", so you will have to delete the previous versions that were in a folder named "OnTheAir CG 3". Make sure you also remove them from the dock so you actually start with the new version.

A few good news: There are some sample projects and HTML pages provided so you can actually get started with the wonders of the REST API. Get a web developer working on this to see all you can do with that. Contact us for more info if needed.

Release notes for OnTheAir Video CG 3.2.4

• When a Live input from a direct link was not quit properly and it then came back on, there was an audio issue
• When multiple devices using the same name were connected, only one was seen. (For example multiple UltraStudio 4K, or multiple AJA Io 4K)
• Crash when playing WAV files
• Audio issues in 1080i29.97 when using the SMART engine with AJA devices

NDI™ is exciting, right? It's even better on the Mac! Softron is adding to the excitement by implementing NDI™ in all of our playout applications. Now, thanks to NDI™, you can transfer HD and 4K video over a simple Ethernet cable. No need for routers or even SDI cables anymore. All this while preserving the ease-of-use and reliability of our products.

• Support for NDI® output
• Important behavior change: When reaching the end of the last clip in an event, instead of looping back to the beginning of the event, OnTheAir Node will stay on "hold last frame" of the clip.
• When a clip is paused, and the user does a "skip to next," the playback starts again on the next clip (useful for Live events that were set to pause and that ends)
• Some "growing files" could remain opened even after they have been closed.

!! New driver requirements for Deltacast cards: You should use drivers 5.21 or later. Check the System Requirements.

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.4

• Updated video devices SDK and frameworks (this is the main reason for the version number change)
• Added touch bar compatibility
• AJA cards now appear/disappear in the list of playback devices when the device is connected/disconnected
• The menu "Contact Softron Support..." now gathers the unified logs of macOS Sierra
• Read performances on some network drives
• Scrubbing on some files
• Scrubbing elapsed and remaining times accuracy
• Time window size of Timecode information
• Internal and External Key opacity are now done on Alpha
• Some DNxHD QuickTime MOV files were indicated as not valid
• Playback of some H.264 files
• Playback of some ProRes files on network drives
• DNxHD 440 RGB files in a YUV output
• HDMI output with AJA Io 4K
• Audio Issues with AJA devices (we can now select a minimum of 6 channels)

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.4 only

• CC is now also working for 720p and 1080p
• Inaccuracy of the "Absolute Start Time"

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Video Express 3.3.13

• Fixed a crash when copy/paste into a playlist without selecting a clip
• Fixed a crash when using DNxHD in ARGB 10bit format
• Fixed HDMI output with AJA cards in UFC mode
• Fixed value of out point in inspector

Release Notes for OnTheAir Tools 1.31

• Fixed printing of Log Analyzer reports is not blank anymore

• Added support for more audio channel options with AJA and Deltacast outputs
• GPICommander integration (for better compatibility with macOS Sierra)
• Issue with "Finder Label Colors"
• Duration of still images
• Duration of playlists
• Only try to connect to ATEM if the checkbox is enabled
• Playback issues with some files

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video Express and OnTheAir Video 3.3.11

• Icons for the audio level and field inversion attributes
• Added support for some AC3 audio tracks (with 1536 as sample size)
• Decompression performances when fps of file is different than fps of output
• Some slow read on long GOP codecs
• Speed for generating thumbnails on long GOP codecs
• Some UI issues in Mavericks

Release Notes for OnTheAir Video 3.3.11 only

• Added a different icon if CC is present in the file, but cannot be outputted (because it is in CEA-608 or format is different than video output)
• Smart engine render performances improved on Mac Pro
• Issues with scheduler that would not start if all the items in the playlists were modified since it was last opened