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Sports round timer suggestions
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We have a sporting event with multiple rounds, each round requires a countdown timer, of varying length.
I have setup a sreamdeck for the person responsible for the round timers, with simple buttons for "Set 2 minute timer", "Set 3 minute timer"..., "Start", "Stop".
The streamdeck buttons run scripts that adjust multiple countdown timers in various graphics inputs (all built in GT designer). This seems reliable in testing so far, but it's a bit of a hassle every time I need to add a new graphic I have to add it to all the scripts.
I also have to dedicate one of my fullscreen outputs to a timer graphic just so the controller can see it.
Does anyone know of a more efficient way to do this? Is there perhaps a way to have a master timer that the others mirror?
I also would like a way to view the timer current state, perhaps on the web controler or something, so I can free up that fullscreen output.
Or perhaps there is a third party timer we could use instead, that vmix just takes in via data sources.
Cheers
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Joined: 12/27/2012(UTC) Posts: 5,085  Location: Belgium Thanks: 284 times
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Hi,
Do i understand correctly that the sporting event relies on the vMix timing for official timing ?
Personally i would get an external countdown that is able to send the time to vMix where you can then link it to your titles etc at will
- an app created specifically for timer control of the sport with the appropriate setting options sending the time to vMix (httprequest or even file usable by the datasource) would be my favourite.
- having a time displayed and screencaptured from your big time display to overlay in titles also comes to mind (http://www.xnotestopwatch.com/)
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Joined: 3/17/2017(UTC) Posts: 413  Location: Luzern - Schweiz Thanks: 61 times
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/26/2011(UTC)
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Location: London
Was thanked: 8 time(s) in 4 post(s)
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Thanks for your fast replies.
Currently the official sport timing is just a bloke with his iPhone and a physical bell he rings!
We've just been triggering the vmix timers ourselves when we hear the bell, but it's not always perfect, especially if they pause the round to assess a foul or injury, so I figured using a vMix countdown controlled directly by him was an upgrade!
A dedicated timer app which vmix can take as a data source would indeed be my favourite but I haven't found something suitable yet. It would actually be useful for other jobs too, like simple everyday conferences providing speakers with a countdown.
I can't just screencapture another timer because it won't look very good in our graphics, unless I use something like Scoreboard OCR, but at this point it feels like I'm over complicating what is really just a simple timer.
I'm aware there are various scoreboard solutions, but this is also kind of overkill. The sport doesn't have a great deal of data to track, and i want to give the timing bloke as simple an interface as possible.
I'm looking at xnote now, but I don't immediately see how to bring the timer in realtime into vmix as a data source.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 3/17/2017(UTC) Posts: 413 Location: Luzern - Schweiz Thanks: 61 times
Was thanked: 55 time(s) in 49 post(s)
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 12/27/2012(UTC) Posts: 5,085 Location: Belgium Thanks: 284 times
Was thanked: 920 time(s) in 759 post(s)
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Originally Posted by: Andrew  Thanks for your fast replies.
Currently the official sport timing is just a bloke with his iPhone and a physical bell he rings!
We've just been triggering the vmix timers ourselves when we hear the bell, but it's not always perfect, especially if they pause the round to assess a foul or injury, so I figured using a vMix countdown controlled directly by him was an upgrade!
A dedicated timer app which vmix can take as a data source would indeed be my favourite but I haven't found something suitable yet. It would actually be useful for other jobs too, like simple everyday conferences providing speakers with a countdown.
I can't just screencapture another timer because it won't look very good in our graphics, unless I use something like Scoreboard OCR, but at this point it feels like I'm over complicating what is really just a simple timer.
I'm aware there are various scoreboard solutions, but this is also kind of overkill. The sport doesn't have a great deal of data to track, and i want to give the timing bloke as simple an interface as possible.
I'm looking at xnote now, but I don't immediately see how to bring the timer in realtime into vmix as a data source.
understand and i hope the event accepts you giving them a more "precise" and better way for them Also understand your issue with other alternatives as i was in the same boat. That said , any application (ready made or diy) that can send a httprequests to vMix will be helpfull As such i started looking online for stopwatch or countdown timerscripts in vb.net for example ( there are many simple example ones) and added the httprequest instruction at regular interval sending data to a title which solved my first step liek you need ( Warning can lead to a lot of expansion :-) )
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/26/2011(UTC)
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Just realised I never replied to this, sorry!
Thanks for your help Doggy.
The event was too soon to be developing anything new so we used my streamdeck > vmix countdown setup. It worked a treat, the graphics wouldn't always be in perfect sync but luckily only I can see more than one of them at a time!
I am hoping to have a little app made to do this before the next event, and if it's successfull I'll share it on here for all.
Cheers
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 12/27/2012(UTC) Posts: 5,085 Location: Belgium Thanks: 284 times
Was thanked: 920 time(s) in 759 post(s)
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Originally Posted by: Andrew Just realised I never replied to this, sorry!
Thanks for your help Doggy.
The event was too soon to be developing anything new so we used my streamdeck > vmix countdown setup. It worked a treat, the graphics wouldn't always be in perfect sync but luckily only I can see more than one of them at a time!
I am hoping to have a little app made to do this before the next event, and if it's successfull I'll share it on here for all.
Cheers
There you are ;-) i would start to have the bloke get rid of the i-thingy and let them have to press a physical single (detonator) button connected to the vMix computer (long cable even), when the time finishes (also displayed on a monitor to see) let the pc yell out "DING" (the bell) . If they insist on having the i-thingy in their hand instead of starting a stopwatch let them load the vMix webapp and press a shortcut on the screen (shortcut instructs the timer etc)
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/26/2011(UTC)
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God no, never let anyone near the vmix webapp! Got so many of my own shortcuts on there they could make a right mess of the broadcast!!
I think an external app, controlled by phsyical buttons, and into vmix as a datasource over the network is going to be the best solution :)
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 12/27/2012(UTC) Posts: 5,085 Location: Belgium Thanks: 284 times
Was thanked: 920 time(s) in 759 post(s)
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Originally Posted by: Andrew God no, never let anyone near the vmix webapp! Got so many of my own shortcuts on there they could make a right mess of the broadcast!!
LOL Quote:I think an external app, controlled by phsyical buttons, and into vmix as a datasource over the network is going to be the best solution :)
physical button is easy to do the old fashioned way , Serial to USB adapter, and then let an app handle it (to vMix), have done something similar over long distance https://support.darkroom...using-a-serial-interface
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Joined: 4/23/2017(UTC) Posts: 1,144  Location: Germany Thanks: 3 times
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I like the streamdeck approach. In combination with a USB server (SEH for example) you can use the streamdeck over the network at almost any place. This works great with lecture capture situations and could be a solution for the timers as well. (Buttons can be linked to multiple apps) One row for vmix, one row for other apps with times.
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