Following multiple customer requests, global leader in LED processing for video walls, Brompton Technology, has developed a device profile for the Tessera LED video processor that is fully integrated into the Companion application. This means that thousands of users of 4K Tessera SX40 and Tessera S8 LED processors, who also utilise Companion and Elgato Stream Deck in their video workflow, can now control multiple Tessera functions as well as other devices simultaneously.
As creators of custom, automated solutions for the broadcast and events industries, Bitfocus Companion is an open source software project that turns an Elgato Stream Deck into a professional shotbox surface to trigger a wide variety of AV devices such as media servers, video decks, matrix switchers, scan converters and vision mixers amongst others.
“When Companion came out, it captured a lot of people’s imaginations and offered an invaluable tool for AV professionals. It meant that a single person could now control a number of different AV devices simultaneously from a Stream Deck, for instance controlling media servers and a presentation switcher such as Barco’s E2 EventMaster, which would often be a two-man job,” says Hugh Davies-Webb, Product Manager at Brompton.
One of the key elements of Companion is that the application is open source, free to own, and can be run cross-platform. “You can run it on a Mac, on a PC, or even on a Raspberry Pi!” exclaims Davies-Webb.
Following the release of an IP control API in recent versions of its Tessera software, Brompton had multiple users asking about the possibility of integrating with Companion. The integration was made possible thanks to the company’s software team who created a device profile for the Tessera LED video processor that was compatible with the Companion application.
“Tessera features such as LED screen brightness, preset selection, source selection, black out, freeze and test pattern selection are now just one button away on your Elgato Stream Deck’s LCD display thanks to this latest integration,” says Davies-Webb, who further explains that the software allows the user to map button to events. For example, one button lets the user activate LED screen blackout and another deactivates it, a different button could set the screen at 50 percent brightness or increase it to 100 percent depending on the requirement.
“You can also assign colours, texts and pages to the buttons. The possibilities are truly endless as each button can have its own legend, which means each user can create their own personalised Stream Deck setup specifically tailored to a particular event or show,” he concludes. “The beauty of this integration is that it allows AV professionals to incorporate a Tessera LED video processor into the rest of their video workflow and be able to operate events whilst also controlling other bits of equipment simultaneously using Companion.”
The device profile for the Tessera LED video processor is available with Companion version 2.2.0 onwards. The latest version can be downloaded from https://bitfocus.io/companion/download/builds/
Brompton Technology will be exhibiting at this year’s NAB Show in the North Hall, booth N7125.