Two parts to this post. Firstly, the 'why', and secondly, the 'what'. Why is important because it allows vMix to consider how they might wish to solve for the need in their own way. What is important because it is how I believe I can solve this for myself in a custom way using the API.

Why I am requesting this

On production lines with a replay operator, the director/assistant director/producer roles use asset and timing information in order to call the show smoothly. It is always much easier to see and read information than it is to constantly relay it over comms. So, EVS, as a wide standard in televised sports, addresses this need by offering a secondary output from the server that is routed into multiviews for the production line. These are called 'character outs' and are the output channels of the replay server with an overlay of information. This way, the director/assistant director/producer can see what the replay operator is looking at, what clip numbers they call up, and information about the playback time remaining for a current clip or the overall playlist. They still talk plenty with replay operators throughout the show, but this passive pipeline of information massively cuts down on certain inquiries and allows more energy to focus on other needs.

For example, by having this information in front of them, the director/assistant director know the timing themselves and are prepared to prep and call the next shot/segment coming out of the replay package. Or, if they see that the replay operator has the wrong asset loaded up (maybe it was supposed to be a pre-taped Player X interview but instead it's a pre-taped Player Y interview currently called up), then they can recognize this early and ask the replay operator to correct before it becomes a stressful last-second situation.

What I am requesting

I would like to build my own character outputs (probably using VB scripting to feed GT titles overlaid on 'copies' of Replay A and Replay B which I could then send out via OMT, NDI, or SDI for production line multiview purposes). In order to do this, I would need the following data available via XML/API for vMix Replay *(some items are available currently, like timecode. but just noting the full list for the context of the use case):

• current controlled replay channel (A, B, A-B linked)
  
• replay A playhead timecode
  
• replay B playhead timecode
  
• replay A playback speed
  
• replay B playback speed
  
• replay A current camera angle
  
• replay B current camera angle
  
• replay A current event time remaining
  
• replay B current event time remaining
  
• replay A playlist time remaining
  
• replay B playlist time remaining
  
• replay A playlist event count (e.g. 'this is event 3 of 5 in the replay A playlist selection')
  
• replay B playlist event count (e.g. 'this is event 3 of 5 in the replay B playlist selection')
  
• replay A current event ID
  
• replay B current event ID
  
• replay A current event tags (closest analog to 'clip name' in other replay solutions)
  
• replay B current event tags (closest analog to 'clip name' in other replay solutions)
  
• replay A current event category (closest analog to 'playlist name' in other replay solutions)
  
• replay B current event category (closest analog to 'playlist name' in other replay solutions)
  
  

When there is not a current value for these (such as not having a current event ID because the user is just playing on the timeline), I would expect to see an empty/negative value indicating so. The way I envision building, I'd essentially be using the presence of certain values to inform what is displayed in playlist playback versus timeline playback.

A reference image for EVS character outputs (since I will be modelling mine loosely off of that):

+1

a much needed feature

+1

+1

+1

Give us all the data and don't hold back API functions!

+1

+1 - This would help up for production but also for our Replay Review System

+1