Graphics

Hey all,
I'm still very much a beginner in the web app development realm, but barring any specific built-in roadblocks I think my theory is sound.

We deal with live Horse Racing data and I want to build a web site/app that serves as a visual resource for our operators. We currently use virtual scenes that I've built within XPression itself, but there are aspects to this I'd like to iron out, like not wanting a constant TeamViewer window into XPression at all times just to see the Virtual Output.

My current idea is to just build a site they can access from their browser to get all the same info, and which would also be more customizable since they often run multiple productions from one station at a time rather than multiple Team Viewer windows into multiple XPression systems.

Could a site like that utilize the same Datalinq Server data that XPression is using?
Just plugging in the IP:8888 (or localhost:8888) has no response and I'm not really sure what else to try offhand without any information.

It's not a hard road-block, since the Datalinq Server data is coming from somewhere as well; that data is just a little less accessible to me and I want to stay as tied to the XPression project as I can.

Appreciate any insight that anyone might have!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Mike DeMarco
Video Production Engineer
Las Vegas United States
------------------------------

Hey Mike,
Unfortunately the Datalinq Server is proprietary comms and can't be accessed by third parties. 

For what you want to do I think there are some alternatives though. You want to generate a remote preview of different scenes in XPression.

You could configure an Up Next Preview in XPression:
Edit > Hardware Setup > Preview & Monitor > Up Next Preview Output

There are 3 types of framebuffers that I think would work for your workflow.
1. NDI Framebuffer (you can add an NDI output and use it only for preview - assuming you are on v8+) 
2. Desktop Preview Output (outputs a still frame to Ross Video Dashboard) 
3. RossLinq Output (FTP's a still frame to an FTP Server) 

Any of those framebuffer types could be assigned as your preview output. 

With that configured now whenever a Take Item in the XPression Sequencer is focused (highlight in blue) that preview frame will be sent to the up next preview output. 

Additionally, and what you'll want to do, is remotely trigger XPression to preview a specific scene to the preview output.

There is a RossTalk command: UPNEXT [take item ID]<CR><LF>

So if you send XPression the RossTalk comamnd: UPNEXT 2000

It will generate a preview to the preview frame for Take Item 2000. 

Bit of a long way around to what you want to do, but most common way of fulfilling the workflow need you have here. Let me know if you need more detail on any of that. 

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2022 12:24
From: Mike DeMarco
Subject: Datalinq Server Data Outside of XPression

Hey all,
I'm still very much a beginner in the web app development realm, but barring any specific built-in roadblocks I think my theory is sound.

We deal with live Horse Racing data and I want to build a web site/app that serves as a visual resource for our operators. We currently use virtual scenes that I've built within XPression itself, but there are aspects to this I'd like to iron out, like not wanting a constant TeamViewer window into XPression at all times just to see the Virtual Output.

My current idea is to just build a site they can access from their browser to get all the same info, and which would also be more customizable since they often run multiple productions from one station at a time rather than multiple Team Viewer windows into multiple XPression systems.

Could a site like that utilize the same Datalinq Server data that XPression is using?
Just plugging in the IP:8888 (or localhost:8888) has no response and I'm not really sure what else to try offhand without any information.

It's not a hard road-block, since the Datalinq Server data is coming from somewhere as well; that data is just a little less accessible to me and I want to stay as tied to the XPression project as I can.

Appreciate any insight that anyone might have!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Mike DeMarco
Video Production Engineer
Las Vegas United States
------------------------------

Thanks Garner.
That's a bit disappointing. Not the end of the world though, guess I'll just have to tie into our data engineer's database instead.

And thanks for the suggestions, but I don't think that's really what I'm looking for.
In XPression, it's not really a preview that I want to see, it's a living status board that is just always live and giving relevant information to the operator using the same types of Datalinq and Visual Logic that our live production scenes are using.
What you're saying would work (though the still frames might be quirky), but I would basically have to reset my UPNEXT after every action the operator takes to recreate the preview. Seems like it would be quite messy. (Also, XPression Prime might potentially be another limitation there)

Attached an example of the scene/virtual output:


------------------------------
Mike DeMarco
Video Production Engineer
Las Vegas United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2022 16:13
From: Garner Millward
Subject: Datalinq Server Data Outside of XPression

Hey Mike,
Unfortunately the Datalinq Server is proprietary comms and can't be accessed by third parties. 

For what you want to do I think there are some alternatives though. You want to generate a remote preview of different scenes in XPression.

You could configure an Up Next Preview in XPression:
Edit > Hardware Setup > Preview & Monitor > Up Next Preview Output

There are 3 types of framebuffers that I think would work for your workflow.
1. NDI Framebuffer (you can add an NDI output and use it only for preview - assuming you are on v8+) 
2. Desktop Preview Output (outputs a still frame to Ross Video Dashboard) 
3. RossLinq Output (FTP's a still frame to an FTP Server) 

Any of those framebuffer types could be assigned as your preview output. 

With that configured now whenever a Take Item in the XPression Sequencer is focused (highlight in blue) that preview frame will be sent to the up next preview output. 

Additionally, and what you'll want to do, is remotely trigger XPression to preview a specific scene to the preview output.

There is a RossTalk command: UPNEXT [take item ID]<CR><LF>

So if you send XPression the RossTalk comamnd: UPNEXT 2000

It will generate a preview to the preview frame for Take Item 2000. 

Bit of a long way around to what you want to do, but most common way of fulfilling the workflow need you have here. Let me know if you need more detail on any of that. 

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2022 12:24
From: Mike DeMarco
Subject: Datalinq Server Data Outside of XPression

Hey all,
I'm still very much a beginner in the web app development realm, but barring any specific built-in roadblocks I think my theory is sound.

We deal with live Horse Racing data and I want to build a web site/app that serves as a visual resource for our operators. We currently use virtual scenes that I've built within XPression itself, but there are aspects to this I'd like to iron out, like not wanting a constant TeamViewer window into XPression at all times just to see the Virtual Output.

My current idea is to just build a site they can access from their browser to get all the same info, and which would also be more customizable since they often run multiple productions from one station at a time rather than multiple Team Viewer windows into multiple XPression systems.

Could a site like that utilize the same Datalinq Server data that XPression is using?
Just plugging in the IP:8888 (or localhost:8888) has no response and I'm not really sure what else to try offhand without any information.

It's not a hard road-block, since the Datalinq Server data is coming from somewhere as well; that data is just a little less accessible to me and I want to stay as tied to the XPression project as I can.

Appreciate any insight that anyone might have!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Mike DeMarco
Video Production Engineer
Las Vegas United States
------------------------------