Viz Pilot User Guide
Version 8.8 | Published September 25, 2023 ©
Software Requirements
Note: This is a general overview only. Always check the release notes for exact requirements.
This section contains the following topics:
System Requirements
Minimum Client System Requirements
-
Windows 10
-
64-bit (x64) processor
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2 GB RAM (64-bit)
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40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Supported Client Operating Systems
-
Windows 10 Enterprise
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Windows 10 Pro
Supported Server Operating Systems
-
Windows Server 16
-
Windows Server 19
Note: Certain specific operating system versions and service packs are not supported after the official Microsoft support end date, which is also the end date for Vizrt support. End dates for support that expires before the official Microsoft support end date will be announced in release notes for new versions of Viz Pilot.
Minimum Supported Versions of Software Components Required by Viz Pilot
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Database, one of:
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Graphic Hub 3.0 (with Graphic Hub REST 2.0) or newer, or
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Oracle 11 or 12.2
-
-
Media Sequencer 4.0
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Viz Engine 3.3
Note: Irfan View is required for enabling preview of some templates when running Windows 10.
Recommended Server System Requirements
This is dependent on the overall system configuration and should be agreed with your local support.
Viz Pilot Database Requirements - Oracle
Viz Pilot Database Requirements
In this case, the Viz Pilot database is an Oracle database server. Usually, two database servers are installed where one is used for manual failover. Viz Engine graphics data is stored on Graphic Hub.
Viz Pilot Database Administrator Requirements
The Pilot Database Administrator tool (Pilot DBA) is a small application used for installing, upgrading, exporting, importing, and setting various parameters for the Viz Pilot Database. It's purely a DBA tool, and should therefore only be used by database administrators.
Viz Pilot Database Requirements - Graphic Hub
In the current example, the Viz Pilot database is a Graphic Hub, accessed via a Graphic Hub REST server. For full installation and migration information, see the Graphic Hub User Guide.
Migration from Oracle to Graphic Hub
To move data from Oracle to Graphic Hub, the schema in the Oracle database must be Viz Pilot 6.x or later. To upgrade the schema for use by the Pilot DBA, see Database Administration. Once the schema is 6.x or later, import the data into Graphic Hub.
Once the data has been imported into Graphic Hub, the schema version will follow the Graphic Hub version. Any required schema updates will be made the first time Graphic Hub is started up after a version upgrade for the selected data directory.
Note: The Pilot Database Administrator tool (Pilot DBA) is no longer required once you have migrated to Graphic Hub.
New Installations
For new installations, install Graphic Hub as described in the Graphic Hub User Guide.
Director Requirements
The table below lists machine specifications for a typical newsroom system setup, where Director is the control application receiving the playlist:
|
Component |
Requirement |
|
Software |
Viz Pilot Media Sequencer Note: In order to configure the MSE database in Director, it is required to have installed VS13 libraries. They can be found here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40784. Optional: Viz World Client (32-bit), TimeCode Monitor, Viz PreCut. Optional: If you are using a local Viz Engine to preview video clips from Viz One, Viz Engine must be installed with video codecs (for example MPEG-4 codec and Haali Media Splitter). Optional: Windows Media Player 11 for video clip preview in Object Store. |
|
Local drive access |
Oracle database is used to access Oracle client files and folders. |
|
Network access |
Mapped drive to Object Store still store folder. |
Info: Director receives its Viz One connection parameters from the Viz Pilot database.
Note: Using remote preview that does not require a local Viz Engine or graphics cards on the client machine is recommended.
Viz Pilot News Requirements
The table below shows a basic setup of Viz Pilot News:
|
Component |
Requirement |
|
Software |
Viz Pilot Optional: Object StoreViz World Client (32-bit) 12.0 or later Newsroom system client Optional: If you're using a local Viz Engine to preview video clips from Viz One, Viz Engine must be installed with video codecs (for example MPEG-4 codec and Haali Media Splitter). Optional: Viz EasyCut or Viz PreCut for video clip editing. |
|
Local drive access |
Read access to Oracle client files and folders, if using Oracle. |
|
Network access |
Mapped drive to Object Store still store folder. |
Note: Using remote preview that does not require a local Viz Engine on the client machine is recommended. Local preview is not recommended.
Info: Viz Pilot News receives its Viz One connection parameters from the Viz Pilot database.
Note: The timeline editor in Viz Pilot News does not work on virtual machines.
Template Wizard Requirements
Template Wizard can be installed as a stand-alone product for editing and running Viz Pilot templates without a Viz Pilot Database server; for example, for Viz Trio or Viz Ticker3D. No Oracle Client is required for stand-alone installation. The use_database setting in the ContentPilot.ini file (under the [TEMPLATE_WIZARD] section) must be set to ‘n’.
Although it can be installed on the same machine as Viz Artist, it's recommended to install Template Wizard on a separate design client for template designers.
Template Wizard Specifications
|
Component |
Requirement |
|
Software |
Media Sequencer Optional: Windows Media Player 11 for video clip preview in Object Store Optional: Viz World Client (32-bit) |
Template Wizard connects to the Media Sequencer for testing and previewing template graphics. The Media Sequencer connection defaults to localhost. To use a different host, set the command line option -mse <host> in Template Wizard’s target path.
Pilot Data Server Requirements
Pilot Data Server
The Pilot Data Server is installed as an application layer on top of the Viz Pilot database. It acts as an application server for accessing the Viz Pilot database and other services. The Pilot Data Server may be asked to handle requests from scripts to provide information on data elements, or to tell Preview Server which scenes and data to render.
The Script Runner Service comes packaged with the Pilot Data Server. Thumbnail Generator is an optional component, which can be selected during Pilot Data Server installation.
Script Runner Service
The Script Runner Service provides users with a simple way to use the Update Service without needing to create their own service. See Update Script Editor.
Thumbnail Generator
The Thumbnail Generator is a Windows service that automatically generates thumbnails of data elements as they are created or changed. The thumbnails are stored in the Viz Pilot database.
Thumbnail Generator requires a Preview Server, which is used to serve the thumbnails in the data element feed.
Pilot Data Server Specifications
|
Component |
Requirement |
|
Software |
Pilot Data Server |
|
Services |
Vizrt Pilot Data Server Vizrt Script Runner Vizrt Thumbnail Generator |
|
Operating system |
See the Viz Pilot Release Notes |
Crop Service Requirements
Crop Service
Crop Service is a tool for basic cutting and zooming of images, which allows users to quickly add new images to a data element.
Crop Service Specifications
|
Component |
Requirement |
|
Software |
Crop Service |
|
Services |
Vizrt Crop Service |
|
Operating system |
See the Viz Pilot Release Notes |
Viz Engine Preview Server Requirements
The Preview Server is used in situations where one or more Viz Engines provide frames for snapshot or thumbnail generation. It is used by the Viz Trio client or Viz Pilot to fetch previews of overlay graphics; for example, for the Timeline Editor or the Thumbnail Generator.
Note: Although the Preview Server can run on the same machine as a Viz Engine, it's also possible to specify additional Viz Engines in order to spread the load.
Preview Server can manage a pool of Viz Engines, and clients can query it for a Viz Engine that matches a specific video mode. Preview Server provides load balancing and video mode matching, and can be used to create a redundant renderer pool. The pool of Viz Engines is configured on the Preview Server Web Interface.
For complete information on requirements, see the Preview Server Administrator Guide .