Browse Terms

• Terms are listed alphabetically below.

Alpha Channel

A color channel that stores pixel transparency. A value of 0 means fully transparent, and 1 means fully opaque.

Art-Net

A DMX-over-IP protocol used to bring lighting control data into WATCHOUT. Incoming Art-Net channel values can be mapped to variables using external keys.

Asset Manager

The centralized service that handles the entire lifecycle of media in a WATCHOUT 7 show - ingesting source files, optimizing them for playback, and distributing the results to Runner nodes. See Asset Manager.

Asset Watcher

A service that monitors selected folders and automatically imports new or changed files into the show. It enables unattended content ingestion workflows.

Audio Bus

An audio bus is a virtual mono path that collects tracks from one or more audio cues and routes them to one or more output device channels. Buses are numbered from 1 upward and can be named.

Audio Device

An audio device is any device capable of playback. In WATCHOUT, device types include WASAPI, WASAPI exclusive, ASIO, Dante, and NDI.

Auto Run

A per-timeline property that starts the timeline automatically when the show is loaded by the Director. It is commonly used for unattended playback workflows.

Axis Gizmo

An axis gizmo is a 3D editor control used to move, scale, and rotate objects.

Bezier Handle

A directional control on a warp or mask junction point that shapes mesh curvature. Each handle has a length and angle, and smooth mode keeps opposing handles tangent.

Bits Per Pixel

Bits per pixel (bpp) is the number of bits used to represent one pixel. For example, 8 bits per channel with three channels gives 24 bpp.

Blend Mode

A compositing mode that controls how a Cue's pixels combine with content behind it. Common modes include Normal, Add, Multiply, Screen, Lighten, Darken, and Linear Burn.

Blind Edit Mode

A mode for editing a Timeline or composition without affecting live playback. Edits go into a copy that you Apply or Discard. See Blind Edit Mode.

Channel Mapping

Channel mapping routes audio cue channels to device channels in two stages: cue channels map to buses, then buses map to output device channels.

Chroma Key

A keying effect that removes a selected color, typically green or blue screen, from a Cue. The keyed areas become transparent for compositing over other content. See Chroma Key.

Chromaticity

Chromaticity describes color without brightness information.

Chrominance

Chrominance describes color information in relation to luminance.

Chroma Subsampling

A compression technique that stores color (chroma) information at a lower resolution than brightness (luma), exploiting the eye's lower sensitivity to color detail. Written as a:b:c — common ratios are 4:4:4 (full color, no subsampling), 4:2:2 (half-resolution chroma, common in broadcast), and 4:2:0 (quarter-resolution chroma, used by H.264 / HEVC and most network video).

Codec

A codec is software or hardware used to encode and decode data streams such as audio or video.

Codec Mapping

A configurable rule table that determines how source codecs are converted during optimization. For example, ProRes or H.264 inputs can be mapped to GPU-friendly playback codecs. See Formats & Codecs.

Cold Spare

A backup Node kept ready to replace another Node. If a Node fails or is taken offline for service, give the spare the same name as the Node it replaces. WATCHOUT resolves that name to the spare, and every Device assigned to it follows. Run only one Node with a given name at a time. See Network Overview.

Color Bit Depth

Color bit depth is the number of bits used per color channel. With 8-bit channels, each channel can represent 256 values.

Color Channel

A color channel is one component in a color model. RGB has red, green, and blue channels.

Color Depth

Color depth is the number of distinct colors that can be represented. It is related to color bit depth.

Color Gamut

A color gamut is the full range of chromaticities a device can capture or display.

Color Model

A color model is a numeric representation of color, such as RGB, HSV, or CMYK.

Color Space

A color space is a constrained coordinate system for representing color values, such as sRGB or Rec.2020.

Composition

A nested timeline unit that groups multiple Cues into a single, self-contained entity. It appears as one Cue in a parent Timeline but contains its own layers and timing. See Compositions.

Compression

Compression refers to methods used to reduce data size, such as in image or video files.

Conditional Cue

A Cue with an expression-based condition that controls whether it renders or triggers. Conditions are evaluated during playback against current variable values. See Conditional Cues.

Content-Addressed Storage

WATCHOUT's internal storage model where optimized media chunks are identified by cryptographic hash rather than filename. This enables deduplication and efficient incremental transfers. See Asset Transfer.

Control Cue

A point-in-time instruction on a Timeline that changes playback state for one or more target Timelines when reached by the playhead.

Corners

A per-Cue distortion effect that moves each corner of a Cue independently for perspective and quadrilateral mapping adjustments. See Corners.

Cross-Fade

A transition where one Cue fades out while another fades in over an overlap region. It is commonly used for smooth scene changes.

Cue

An object placed on a Timeline layer. Cues can hold media or control behavior such as markers, outputs, and variable automation.

Cue List

A tabular window showing Cues across Timelines with sorting and filtering tools. It is useful for auditing and managing Cues at scale. See The Cue List Window.

Cue Set

A named group containing one or more variants. The active variant determines which media is used by Cues assigned to that set. See Cue Sets and Variants.

Dante

A professional networked audio protocol for routing multi-channel audio over IP with low latency and precise synchronization.

Devices Window

A Producer window for managing logical devices in the show, such as displays, virtual displays, audio devices, and capture sources. See The Devices Window.

Director

The system coordinator in a WATCHOUT network. The Director keeps authoritative show state, coordinates playback across Runners, and hosts external control integration.

Display

The fundamental output unit in WATCHOUT. A display maps a rectangular stage area to a physical or network output on a specific node.

Display Grid

A tiled arrangement of displays created as rows and columns in one operation. It is used for LED walls, monitor arrays, and projector matrices.

Display Mask

An alpha-based overlay applied per display to control visible output areas and edge shaping. Masks are applied after warp in the render pipeline.

DMX / DMX Universe

DMX is a control protocol widely used in lighting systems. A DMX universe is a block of up to 512 channels. In WATCHOUT this data is typically received via Art-Net.

DNxHR

An Avid intermediate video codec. WATCHOUT does not list DNxHR among its supported source codecs — the optimizer's recognized video codec families are HAP, Notch LC, ProRes, H.264, HEVC, MPEG, QuickTime RLE, and raw RGB/YUV. (DNx/VC-3 support is present in the bundled third-party MainConcept decoder SDK but is not enabled as a WATCHOUT ingest format.)

Easing Curve

The interpolation profile between tween points that controls acceleration and deceleration over time. Examples include Linear, Cubic InOut, and Bounce.

EDID

Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) communicates display capabilities to connected devices, such as a GPU.

Edge Blending

The process of smoothing overlap regions between adjacent outputs so they appear as one continuous image, instead of showing a bright seam. See Edge Blending.

EOTF

Electro-Optical Transfer Function. The curve a display or projector uses to convert an incoming signal back into light. Each projector has its own EOTF, often selectable by the projector's color mode. The EOTF must invert the source's OETF for image brightness to match what was intended. A mismatch shows up as uneven brightness in edge-blended overlaps.

EXR

OpenEXR is a high dynamic range image format with high precision and alpha support. It is commonly used for HDR pipelines and image sequences.

Expression

A mathematical formula that drives dynamic behavior in a show. Expressions can reference variables and are used in effects, triggers, and Cue logic.

External Key

A protocol-specific identifier string that links an incoming external message to a WATCHOUT variable. Without an external key, a variable cannot receive external input. See Variables and Inputs.

Failover

A basic redundancy approach using a cold spare: a backup Node takes over by using the same name as a Node that has gone offline. WATCHOUT resolves the name to whichever Node is currently present. Run only one Node with a given name at a time.

Feedback Report

A compressed diagnostic package containing logs, system details, and optionally Show data for troubleshooting and support cases.

Frame Blending

A playback mode that crossfades between neighboring source frames when source and output frame rates differ, reducing judder at the cost of higher GPU bandwidth.

Free Running

A Cue behavior where media playback follows system time instead of Timeline transport. Free-running media can continue while the Timeline is paused or scrubbed.

Gamma Correction

Gamma correction is a concept that includes gamma encoding and gamma decoding, used to align image storage and display with human visual perception.

Gamma Decoding

Gamma decoding reverses gamma encoding and converts encoded values back to linear values.

Gamma Encoding

Gamma encoding transforms image data so darker tones receive relatively more precision and brighter tones receive relatively less.

Gaussian Blur

A blur effect based on a Gaussian distribution, used to soften and defocus content. Higher blur radius increases quality cost.

GDTF

General Device Type Format, an open standard for describing intelligent lighting fixtures. In WATCHOUT it can be used for fixture/channel mapping workflows.

Genlock / Framelock

Hardware synchronization methods used to align output timing across devices. Genlock ties timing to an external reference signal, while framelock synchronizes buffer swaps across GPUs.

GOP (Group of Pictures)

The sequence of frames between consecutive I-frames in a temporally compressed video. Long GOPs (H.264, HEVC) achieve smaller file sizes but make scrubbing and seek slower because every position must be reconstructed from the previous I-frame. Short GOPs — or I-frame-only codecs like HAP — give instant seek at the cost of larger files.

HAP / HAP Q / HAP Alpha

A family of GPU-oriented video codecs designed for high playback performance and responsive scrubbing. HAP Q emphasizes quality, and HAP Alpha preserves transparency.

Hands Off

The strictest timeline lock mode. It prevents editing and operator playback control from Producer for that timeline.

HDR

High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques enable a wider luminance range between dark and bright image regions than SDR.

HEVC

H.265 video codec known for strong compression efficiency. In WATCHOUT it is often used as an optimization target when smaller file size is important.

Hit Testing

An API function that checks whether a stage coordinate intersects active visual cues. It is used for touch and interactive control workflows.

HTTP REST API

WATCHOUT's HTTP control interface for Timeline playback, variables, Cue Sets, monitoring streams, and other automation actions.

I-frame

A video frame encoded independently — decodable without reference to any other frame. Codecs that use only I-frames (HAP, Notch LC, ProRes) allow instant seeking. Codecs that use P-frames and B-frames between I-frames (H.264, HEVC) trade seek performance for smaller files. See GOP.

Image Sequence

A numbered set of still frames treated as one media asset. WATCHOUT optimizes image sequences into efficient playback media.

Jumbo Frames / MTU

Network tuning where MTU is increased (commonly from 1500 to 9000 bytes) to improve throughput for high-bandwidth media traffic.

Junction Point

A control point in warp or mask meshes that defines local geometry and, for masks, visibility behavior. Junction points can include Bezier handle controls.

Key and Fill

A compositing method where one layer acts as a key source to mask another layer. It supports luma and alpha based keying modes. See Key and Fill.

Layer

The core organizational and compositing structure in a timeline. Layer order determines draw order when cues overlap.

Layout Preset

A saved Producer workspace arrangement for window positions and visibility. Presets allow quick switching between operational layouts. See Customizing Your Workspace.

Learn Mode

A variable configuration feature that captures the next incoming external control signal and assigns its external key automatically. See Variables and Inputs.

Linear Wipe

A wipe transition effect that reveals or hides content with a straight moving edge. It is controlled by angle, position, feather, and completion parameters. See Linear Wipe.

Linked Handles

A tween point option that keeps Bezier in/out handles coupled for smooth continuous curve motion through that point.

Lossless Compression

Lossless compression reduces data size without losing original information.

Lossy Compression

Lossy compression reduces data size by discarding some information, usually with quality tradeoffs.

LTC

Linear Time Code, a time reference encoded as audio carrying hours, minutes, seconds, and frames for synchronization workflows.

LTC Bridge

A WATCHOUT service that decodes incoming LTC and synchronizes timeline playback to external timecode.

Luma

Luma is the perceived brightness component of an image signal.

Luminance

Luminance is a photometric measure of emitted or reflected brightness.

Marker Cue

A point-in-time timeline annotation used for organization, operator guidance, and navigation. It has no visual or audio output.

Media Cue

The primary visual or audible cue type in a timeline, including image, video, audio, 3D, virtual display, and related media sources.

Mesh

A mesh is a 3D surface composed of connected polygons.

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a protocol for control and musical devices. In WATCHOUT, MIDI data can drive variables and control actions.

MIDI Bridge

A WATCHOUT service that receives MIDI messages and forwards translated updates to the Director for variable and playback control.

MPCDI

Multiple Projector Common Data Interchange, a VESA standard format used to exchange projection calibration data such as warp and blend information. See MPCDI.

MSC (MIDI Show Control)

A SysEx-based command protocol used in show control. WATCHOUT supports common MSC commands such as GO and STOP for timeline operations.

Multicast

A network delivery mode where one sender's packets reach many receivers at once. The switch duplicates packets only to ports that asked for the stream. A single sender therefore feeds any number of receivers without extra bandwidth. WATCHOUT uses multicast for ST 2110 video, node discovery, and PTP.

Multicast Discovery

The UDP multicast mechanism WATCHOUT nodes use to discover each other automatically on the network.

NDI(R)

Network Device Interface, a video-over-IP protocol used by WATCHOUT for both network video input and output. NDI is a registered trademark of Vizrt NDI AB.

NDJSON

Newline-Delimited JSON, a streaming format where each line is a JSON object. WATCHOUT provides NDJSON event endpoints for real-time state updates.

NMOS

Networked Media Open Specifications, a set of standards from AMWA for discovering ST 2110 senders and receivers (IS-04) and connecting them under operator control (IS-05). NMOS handles routing and inspection. It does not carry the video itself. Run NMOS on a separate controller network where possible.

NMOS Controller

A WATCHOUT service that discovers ST 2110 senders and receivers on the network and routes them to each other under operator control, using the NMOS standards (IS-04 for discovery, IS-05 for connection). It runs on a Node that hosts the NMOS Controller role, appears in the Nodes window service list, and opens its own web interface from Producer. The controller manages discovery and routing only. It does not carry the video itself. See NMOS.

Node

A machine on the network running WATCHOUT software. A node can host any combination of services — Director, Asset Manager, Runner, Producer — and the same node can change roles between shows. A node hosting the Runner service is referred to as a Runner node when the Runner role specifically matters.

Node Name

The human-readable name a node identifies itself by on the network, shown as Name in the Nodes window. WATCHOUT ties displays and service roles to a node by its name, not its IP address. A node can be renamed. Two live nodes must have different names.

Nodes Window

A Producer window for discovering, monitoring, and managing WATCHOUT machines and service roles on the network. See The Nodes Window.

Notch LC

A high-quality GPU-accelerated video codec supported by WATCHOUT. It is commonly used as an optimization target for ProRes workflows.

NTP

Network Time Protocol used to synchronize clocks across WATCHOUT nodes. Accurate time sync is critical for multi-machine frame alignment.

NVIDIA Quadro Sync

A dedicated hardware sync board for NVIDIA professional GPUs that enables genlock and framelock across outputs.

OETF

Opto-Electronic Transfer Function. The curve used to encode linear light into a signal before transmission. WATCHOUT applies an OETF at output based on the show's color mode (Rec. 709, sRGB, Rec. 2100 PQ, Rec. 2100 HLG). The receiving display reverses the encoding with its EOTF to recreate the original brightness.

Opacity

A cue property controlling transparency from fully transparent to fully visible. Opacity can be keyframed and combined with fades.

Operative

The external control intake service that receives protocol messages and forwards normalized input updates into the WATCHOUT control pipeline.

Optimization

The Asset Manager process that converts source media to playback-optimized formats, stores output in chunked content-addressed form, and prepares it for distribution. See Asset Manager.

OSC

Open Sound Control, a network protocol for structured control messages. WATCHOUT uses OSC for variable updates and playback commands.

Output Cue

A cue that sends external payloads, such as strings over TCP, UDP, or HTTP, at precise timeline times.

Output Type

The display routing mode that determines where rendered output goes, such as GPU, SDI, NDI, or Virtual.

Perspective Correction

A warp option that improves interpolation behavior under perspective-heavy transformations, reducing distortion artifacts.

Placeholder Cue

A Cue that holds a sized placeholder instead of real media. Use it to block out layout and timing on the Stage before final content is assigned. Add one with Add Placeholder Cue. It renders a stand-in rectangle at the Cue's configured size. Whether placeholders draw on output is controlled by the show-level Render Placeholders on Runners preference.

Playhead / Play Cursor

The vertical time indicator in the timeline editor showing current playback position. It advances during playback and can be moved for scrubbing.

Polygon

A polygon is a surface defined by three or more vertices. In WATCHOUT, polygons are triangles.

Presentation Tier

A visibility filtering layer used to decide which cues are rendered on which displays. Cues and displays must share at least one tier to render together.

Producer

The design and programming application for WATCHOUT. It is used to build shows, configure outputs, and operate production workflows.

ProRes

A family of intermediate video codecs commonly used in professional production. WATCHOUT supports ProRes as input and optimizes it for playback.

PSN (PosiStageNet)

An open UDP protocol for real-time positional tracking data. WATCHOUT can map PSN fields to variables for interactive stage behavior.

PTP

Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588), a network-wide clock used by ST 2110 receivers and other professional IP media systems. WATCHOUT uses the SMPTE ST 2059-2 profile with a configurable domain number from 0 to 127. WATCHOUT is PTP follower-only and requires an external PTP leader (often called the grandmaster).

Render Info Overlay

A per-display diagnostic overlay that shows runtime technical information directly on output, such as display identity and frame data.

Route

The destination assignment for display output, including output type and channel/port selection on a target node.

Runner

The rendering engine in a WATCHOUT network. Runners receive show state and playback instructions from the Director and render assigned outputs.

SDI

Serial Digital Interface, a professional uncompressed video transport standard over coaxial cable used in broadcast and live production.

SDP

Session Description Protocol, a short plain-text block that describes one ST 2110 sender's address, port, video format, and timing. Pasting an SDP into a WATCHOUT capture configures the receiver in one step, replacing field-by-field entry.

SDR

Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) is the traditional luminance range used by standard video systems.

Show

The top-level production container that includes Timelines, Cues, Displays, variables, and media references.

Snap / Snapping

Timeline editing behavior that aligns cue edges to nearby reference points such as cue boundaries or the playhead to improve timing precision.

Soft Edge

A gradual intensity falloff at overlapping display boundaries used to create continuous projector blends. See Edge Blending.

SPS

Seamless Protection Switching, the SMPTE ST 2022-7 technique of sending the same stream on two networks. The receiver picks whichever packet arrives first. A single switch or cable failure then causes no dropped frames. WATCHOUT enables SPS per board in the ST 2110 Interfaces dialog.

SSE

Server-Sent Events, an HTTP streaming mechanism used by WATCHOUT APIs to push live updates to connected clients.

ST 2110

SMPTE ST 2110, the broadcast-industry standard for sending uncompressed video, audio, and ancillary data as separate streams over IP. It replaces baseband SDI coax with multicast UDP on a standard Ethernet network, synchronized by PTP. WATCHOUT senders and receivers carry ST 2110-20 (uncompressed video) only.

Stacking Order

The rules that determine which overlapping content appears in front. Stacking can be controlled by layer order, Z depth, and timeline-level options.

Stage

The visual canvas of WATCHOUT - a continuous spatial workspace representing your full output surface and display layout.

Static IP

A fixed manually assigned network address for a node. Static IPs are recommended for stable show networking.

SVG Shape

A vector-based shape asset created in WATCHOUT's built-in shape tools. Shapes are rasterized at configured resolution for playback.

Test Pattern

A built-in diagnostic output mode used to verify routing, geometry, masking, and signal path independently of show content.

Texture

A texture is an image applied to a mesh surface.

Timeline

The main time-based workspace where cues are placed, sequenced, and controlled across layers.

Timeline Trigger

An expression-based rule on a timeline that automatically issues play, pause, or stop actions when conditions become true.

Tween

To animate a cue property over time. To tween a property, place tween points at different times — WATCHOUT interpolates between them so values such as position, scale, and opacity change over the cue's duration. Each tweenable property is an effect.

Tween Expression

An expression that dynamically modifies tween values at runtime, enabling data-driven and interactive animations.

Tween Point

A value at a specific time inside a tween curve, also called a keyframe. Transition type controls interpolation to the next point.

Uniform Scaling

Uniform scaling means scaling equally on x, y, and z axes.

UV-Coordinate

UV-coordinates map texture positions onto polygon surfaces and are also called texture coordinates.

Variable

A named numeric value used as dynamic input for expressions and control logic. Variables can be driven externally or by variable cues. See Variables and Inputs.

Variable Cue

A cue that animates a variable value over time using tween data on the timeline.

Variant

A named slot within a Cue Set that stores an alternate media choice. Switching active variants changes all assigned Cues together. See Cue Sets and Variants.

Vertex

A vertex is a point in space. Three vertices define a triangle in a mesh.

Virtual Display

A display that renders to an internal texture buffer instead of a physical connector. Its output can be reused as media elsewhere in the show.

VLAN

Virtual Local Area Network, a network segmentation technique used to isolate and prioritize show traffic.

Warp / Warp Mesh

Mesh-based geometry correction that repositions rendered pixels so output aligns with physical surfaces. Warp is controlled by editable junction points and curves.

WATCHOUT 6 Protocol

A legacy-compatible text command protocol supported in WATCHOUT 7 for backward integration with existing control systems.

WATCHPAX

Dataton's dedicated media server hardware line, preconfigured and optimized for WATCHOUT deployments.

WHEA

Windows Hardware Error Architecture, the Windows system that logs hardware faults reported by the CPU, memory, PCIe bus, and other components. WATCHOUT counts these events per node and shows the total as Windows Hardware Errors in the Nodes window. A WHEA event means Windows detected a hardware problem — check the Windows Event Viewer for details. It is outside WATCHOUT's scope. See Common Issues.

White Point

A white point is the reference color used to represent white in a given color space or output system.

Wireframe

Wireframe rendering draws polygon edges as visible lines to show mesh topology and polygon density.

Working Directory

The local folder where a WATCHOUT node stores cached assets, show data, and internal runtime files.