Getting Started with Automatic Camera Preset Recall

It is a good idea to ensure that the Bypass Auto Recall On/Off is enabled so there is no attempt to recall presets while setting your camera shots.

For IP based microphones, each Microphone tab offers the ability to set-up 16 zones + 4 crossover zones. NM-T1 and Discrete microphones will have zones that correspond to each microphone lobe based on the inputs. Each zone constitutes a camera shot driven by the microphone.

For each zone used, select a camera you wish to use for the preset in the dropdown and use the PTZ controls to frame your shot.

• It is a good idea to sit in the location of the shot (even better with multiple people) so you can get a good view of the shot.
• You can set the frames however you like. Typically a frame of two people with some buffer on the sides works very well as a camera preset, but this is subjective to the use case and the room.
• Once happy with your selection, hit the Save button in the Primary Position controls to save the PTZ Coordinates of that frame.
• Repeat for all your zones on that microphone.
• Optionally you can re-label the zones from Zone n to something more meaningful (e.g., Front Left, Top of table etc.)

In the example below, we are using a Sennheiser TCC2. We've labeled each with a friendly name for easier identification, and we're using 6 zones.

On the setup page, there is also the ability to set up a home shot which activates whenever the following events occur:

• There is silence in the room for an extended period of time.
• Far-end speaks for an extended period of time.
• Crosstalk is detected.

The home shot should be a general overview shot of the space.

Just select the camera and save the coordinates.

If using the plugin with microphones that require angle data, load the preset so you have visibility of the camera shot and stand yourself at the extremities of the that shot. This will give you the starting and ending angle coordinates to determine the range that is required to load that preset.

Note: When configuring zone angles in the ACPR plugin, specifically HA/VA angles, ensure that only whole numbers are used. Decimals are not allowed and will cause errors in the system.

• Horizontal Angles are the primary focus for the ranges to load a camera preset. Any audio signal detected within that range will load the preset.
  • Try to avoid angle overlaps between zones unless using vertical angles to distinguish between these.
• Vertical Angles are completely optional – they are typically used to distinguish between a standing vs seated zone if someone is presenting at a screen or whiteboard.

If using ACPR in larger spaces, there is a good chance you have multiple microphones being used for ACPR. This is great to allow for more presets, but let’s say a user speaks while in between two microphones – you may find the LED for active zones darts between two microphones which ACPR detects as crosstalk (eek!).

The crossover zones (17-20) allow you to specify to the plugin that the speaker may be detected by another microphone. Set these zones up as you would any other, but also include the microphone they can be detected by (and the angle ranges of that second microphone if using a mic that provides angle data). Therefore, if a speaker is detected within either of these crossover points then the plugin will no longer treat this as crosstalk and will load the preset as expected.

Test Your Presets

Disable the Bypass button, move around the space and speak in your designated zones. Monitor the switching to see if they are functioning as you expect and tweak any angles and preset shots as necessary.

You can adjust the PTZ Switch Delay which determines in seconds how long someone needs to speak before it actions a preset recall. Please consider that the higher the value the longer it will take to action a switch, the lower the value the preset switching may be very snappy and the plugin will be more sensitive to crosstalk.

Give crosstalk a test and see if it recalls the home position as you see fit. You can adjust the detection time in the ‘Setup’ page of the plugin.

Primary/Secondary Cameras

For each primary camera you can determine a secondary camera that runs alongside it. These will typically be installed right next to each other physically so they can share similar camera angles when recalled. This means that if the primary camera is in use, Q-SYS can position the secondary camera behind the scenes before actioning the switch. The result is that the far-end never sees the PTZ movement of the cameras for a better experience.

The inputs for the secondary cameras on the Mediacast Router are +8 from the input of the primary camera it will be paired with:

• If paired with input 1 then the input for the secondary camera will be 9. The secondary pair for input 3 will be input 11 etc., you will just need to amend your Mediacast Router to account for these additions.

If you don’t have secondary cameras to pair with your primary cameras, then you can use the home camera to mask the switch while the cameras are being positioned. The result will be a brief switch to the home camera for a few seconds. These can be enabled in the ‘Setup’ page using these toggle buttons. Please bear in mind that this will add additional latency to the preset switch.

The Camera designated for the ‘Home’ Position Masking should be used ONLY for the home position and stay in this position.

HA and VA angles must be whole numbers. Decimals are not allowed and will cause errors in the system.