Display Setup

Introduction & Preparation

Display setup in Cue Pro differs significantly depending on the operational mode.

Pro Tools Integrated Mode

In Pro Tools Integrated Mode, Cue Pro draws overlays directly onto Pro Tools®' video output. Video playback is handled entirely by Pro Tools® - Cue Pro simply adds visual overlays to the existing video stream. Display settings are minimal - only the AVX Video Device settings are available in the DISPLAY tab.

The Video checkbox on the AVX Video Device enables or disables the video output independently of the overlays. When unchecked, overlays are still rendered but the underlying video from Pro Tools is not passed through to the device. This can be useful when only the overlay output is needed.

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Important: The Avid® Video Engine (AVE) must be enabled for Pro Tools Integrated Mode to function. Ensure that Video Engine Enable is ticked in Pro Tools® → Setup → Playback Engine menu.

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Media Mode

The remainder of this chapter covers Media Mode display configuration.

In Media Mode, Cue Pro handles video playback directly and can output to a variety of display sources simultaneously - each with their own unique display & overlay settings. Each video device in the DISPLAY tab in Preferences / Settings offers separate settings, allowing precise control over what each video device displays.

When Cue Pro is launched in Media Mode, it scans the system for all available video devices. PCIe cards or external devices with multiple outputs show up as separate video devices per output.

Cue Pro Edit and Cue Pro Studio offer a maximum of two simultaneous Avid®, Blackmagic and/or AJA hardware video device outputs. These can be from the same multi-output hardware video device, or from two different hardware video devices. If a video device offers more than two outputs, only two of them can be enabled in Cue Pro at any one time.

When using Avid®, Blackmagic and/or AJA hardware video devices, ensure that the hardware has been installed/connected according to the manufacturer's instructions, the latest driver software is installed, & the associated setup apps have been run to confirm that the video outputs are displaying correctly on external video monitor displays - independently of Cue Pro.

Important: When running Pro Tools® 11 or later simultaneously on the same computer in Media Mode, the Avid® Video Engine (AVE) must be disabled. Leaving this enabled can severely impact Cue Pro's performance, and in the worst case can cause the video devices to be blocked by Pro Tools® - such that they don't show up as video output devices in Cue Pro. The AVE can be disabled by going to Pro Tools® → Setup → Playback Engine menu and making sure that the Video Engine Enable option is not ticked.

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Note: If using Avid®, Blackmagic or AJA hardware in Media Mode, a restart of Cue Pro is required after a change is made to the Pro Tools® Video Engine Enable setting.

Finally, to prevent other displays going black when engaging Cue Pro's dedicated video full-screen mode, please open the Apple menu → System Settings → Mission Control and make sure Displays have separate spaces is enabled.

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Video Devices

There are currently 5 possible types of video devices available in Cue Pro:

1. Internal Video Device - The video player view in the top right of the main Cue Pro window. This video device also corresponds to the Mini Player Window.

To toggle Mini Player Mode, use the hotkey combination Shift & Command & M. The size and position of the Mini Player window is maintained even after relaunching Cue Pro.

2. Fullscreen Video Device - A specific computer monitor can be assigned to play the video in full-screen mode by pressing Command & Shift & F or by clicking the fullscreen icon in Cue Pro's controller bar.

The monitor to be permanently used for the full-screen mode is assigned using the Go Fullscreen on this screen setting in the Preferences / Settings → DISPLAY tab.

3. Hardware Video Device - Cue Pro supports the following video hardware:

Blackmagic Design:
DeckLink, UltraStudio, & Intensity Ranges

AJA:
KONA, Io & T-TAP Ranges

Avid:
Artist I/O DNx Range

4. NDI Video Device - An NDI (Network Device Interface) display sends the Cue Pro output (optionally including overlays) over a local network instead of to a directly attached monitor or hardware video device. Other NDI‑compatible software or hardware on the same network can receive this stream, which is useful for feeding remote client displays, streaming/recording systems or additional machines without adding extra video cables or interfaces. As with the other display devices, NDI outputs are listed in the Display preferences where they can be enabled, disabled and configured individually.

5. Syphon Video Device

Cue Pro features support for the Syphon framework. This allows Cue Pro to share video frames with other Syphon‑enabled applications in the most efficient way possible - directly on the GPU. Using this technology, it is possible to playback movie files in sync to a timecode source and to feed them to other applications to e.g. map the video onto an uneven surface by using third party software such as Resolume, Millumin or MadMapper.

If a very wide or tall movie is required to be projected, it is also possible to use multiple copies of Cue Pro on different machines all attached to the same timecode source. Each copy will then playback a separate movie file containing a part of the original file small enough to be displayed by one projector.

Display Device List

The Device List shows all video devices currently available on the system. Access the Device List from Cue Pro menu → Preferences / Settings → DISPLAY tab.

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Each display device in Cue Pro can be enabled/disabled individually by toggling the blue circular Device ON/OFF switch immediately to the left of the device name.

At the bottom of the DISPLAY tab there are two buttons: Add NewTek NDI Video Device and Add Syphon Video Device. Clicking one of these buttons adds the corresponding network‑based display device to the list above and immediately greys out the other button, so only one of these options (either NDI or Syphon) can be added to Cue Pro at a time.

Note: The settings chosen in the Device List are applied globally to Cue Pro and are independent of specific Project or Timeline settings.

Performance Optimisation

For each enabled video device, Cue Pro renders video frames several times per second (depending on the settings and the type of device) - even if the connected display is not powered on or disconnected. Disabled video devices won't render content - which improves Cue Pro's resource consumption when playing back. Thus, to maximise system performance, it is advisable to only enable the devices that are needed. Though with most modern processors this is not an issue, in the worst case with older processors & high resolution video files - this can cause some playback anomalies like, 'stuttering' & 'hiccups'.

When using two hardware video device outputs simultaneously, consider turning off the internal and fullscreen video devices where possible.

Video codec types factor greatly in the overall performance of Cue Pro. The best performance is achieved using Intraframe-only codecs like DV and Motion JPEG for SD and Apple Pro Res, Avid® DNxHD and AVC Intra for HD material. While they produce way larger files, they don't require a lot of CPU when being played back as the frame data can simply be read and decoded without a lot of processing overhead.

It is generally a good advice to avoid Interframe codecs such as H.264. Even though they produce much smaller files and are generally compatible, they require a comparably high amount of CPU power as more data needs to be processed. This can lead to slightly, 'rubbery' or, 'laggy' video playback. For more information on this, please refer to the Appendix section Video Coding Basics.

For 4K output, playback performance is strongly dependent on the computer and the actual file being played back. Again, most Intraframe-only codecs perform well. But as is also the case in other media players, 4K H.264 files will usually still play - but jumping to specific sections within the file can be a problem.

Faster drives to play video & audio files will improve the overall performance. Dedicated internal SSD media drives are preferable. If using external drives, mains powered generally perform better than bus powered.

UHD and 4K Playback

UHD (Ultra High Definition, 3840x2160) and 4K (4096x2160) video playback is supported in Cue Pro. These resolutions can be displayed on computer monitors that support them, provided the computer has sufficient processing power, video RAM, and graphics capabilities.

When using AJA hardware video devices, only one output can be used with UHD/4K resolutions. The only exception is the AJA Kona 5. For two simultaneous 4K outputs on a Kona 5, the card needs to be flashed with the 8K firmware variant instead of the 4K firmware. This firmware can be selected in the AJA Control Panel application:

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HDR (High Dynamic Range) Playback

When using HDR files, the metadata will be extracted and forwarded through Blackmagic and AJA devices supporting this. Cue Pro supports HLG and HDR10 formats. HDR support is currently in an experimental state.

To properly render HDR content, go to Cue Pro menu → Preferences / Settings → MISC tab and enable the option called Enable 10 Bit Video Rendering Pipeline.

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For 4K HDR playback, it is recommended to enable the Enable Hardware Decoding option in Cue Pro menu → Preferences / Settings → MISC tab.

Note: This option is switched off by default and is generally advised to be kept off when playing other video file types.

Setting the output format of Avid®, AJA & Blackmagic Design video devices

To avoid playback issues whenever changing timelines or projects, it is vital to confirm that the frame rate & screen resolution of hardware video devices are set to match the timeline & associated video correctly. This can be done from the Output Format at the bottom of expanded settings of each Avid®, AJA or Blackmagic device in the Device List:

To reveal the Output Format, click on the left-most grey arrow of the relevant video device to show the Expanded settings - so that the arrow is pointing up.

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Note: These settings are only available for Avid®, Blackmagic & AJA Video devices.

The Timeline frame rate is visible here:

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The active Timeline is denoted by the blue circular Selection to the left of the Timeline name.

Note: If the frame rate of the video format does not match that of the timeline, the timeline frame rate will not be adjusted. So if for example a video device has a frame rate of 25 frames per second with a timeline frame rate of 24 frames per second, one frame of the timeline will be played out twice per second - resulting in 'stuttery' playback.

If the Automatically match timeline frame rate and resolution checkbox is set, an output format for the device will be chosen automatically that matches the timeline's frame rate and resolution. The best results can be achieved if the frame rate and resolution of the output device & timeline are identical because no scaling and frame rate conversion needs to take place which can otherwise lead to display quality loss.

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Note: While this can be a very easy & useful option, leaving this option enabled can lead to some playback issues like black screens when the correct settings are not auto-matched with some video files. So it is generally advised to set this off - which then relies on the frame rate & resolution being set correctly manually under Output Format.

Note: If there is no video format that matches both the frame rate and the resolution of the timeline, Cue Pro will try to match only the frame rate. If there's also no video format matching the timeline's frame rate, a fallback display mode will be used.

Correcting Video Playback Latency

Cue Pro is able to individually correct the consistent video playback latency caused by each monitor, display screen or projector.

This does not affect the actual static start position of the video file in the timeline.

Note: Please ensure that any Dolby Atmos Renderer hardware is first bypassed when correcting the monitor latency. Dolby Atmos Renderer latency is compensated for elsewhere and requires the Video Playback Latency to be corrected first.

There are various analysers available to measure this offset:

Dedicated hardware analysers like Sync-One2
(https://sync-one2.harkwood.co.uk)

iOS apps like Catchin' Sync
(https://quietart.co.nz/catchinsync/)

Follow the specific directions that come with the analyser to calculate what the offset value of a particular display is. This process usually involves playing a test video file through Cue Pro, while directing the device at the display so it can measure the white visual flashes in-between the black - with their corresponding audio beeps. This will provide a figure in milliseconds.

Enter this value in the Display Delay Compensation field, which can be found at the bottom of the expanded settings of the relevant video display device.

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Entering for example 50 milliseconds, the video will play back 50 milliseconds earlier so that it compensates for the delayed projection - while keeping the audio in place.

Test again to confirm the offset has been correctly compensated for.

To ensure that a constant offset value is maintained by the monitor, it is advisable to turn off any automatic picture improvement settings (for example inter-frame smoothing) in the internal menu settings of the LCD or projector. This will reduce any internal processing, which prevents extra variable display latency based on the complexity of the visual content. Using the same analyser test above but with a test video file with randomly spaced flashes/beeps can help to identify this issue. Run the test again if any of these settings are changed.

Dolby Atmos Renderer Delay Compensation

Any audio that passes through a Dolby Atmos Renderer, induces some additional latency - which then introduces the need for a reverse video delay compensation when playing back in sync to a DAW.

To compensate for this, with audio passing through the renderer, measure the offset again (as detailed in the Correcting Video Playback Latency section above) - to determine the number of milliseconds that the video is ahead of the audio.

Click on the button labelled Atmos in the centre of the Cue Pro main window to the left of the Timecode counter. Enter the measured offset amount into the Dolby Atmos Renderer Delay Compensation tab that appears & activate the Enable field.

Entering for example 50 milliseconds, the video will play back 50 milliseconds later so that it compensates for the delayed audio.

The Atmos button will turn blue when enabled.

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Test again to confirm the offset has been correctly compensated for.

Whenever the Dolby Atmos Renderer is not in use, disable the delay compensation by clicking on the Atmos button & deselecting the Enable field.

The Atmos button will turn grey when disabled.

Genlocked Playback & Video Reference Setup

With Cue Pro Edit and Studio, the accuracy of genlocked playback can be leveraged to achieve the tightest synchronised playback possible. To benefit from genlocked playback, a Blackmagic Design, Avid® or AJA video device with video reference input is required.

When starting up, Cue Pro will scan the system for all available video hardware and enable the genlock automatically. Cue Pro will always use the genlock of the first card available in the system as timing and speed reference.

Note: Where more than one video device is attached, if the first device does not offer video reference, the next video device that offers video reference will be used to genlock to.

If genlock is supported with a video device, the video reference information will be displayed underneath the main timecode counter.

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If genlock is not supported with a video device, no video reference information will be displayed underneath the main timecode counter.

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Note: This is also the case if no video reference signal is seen connected to an AJA video device that supports video reference.

To achieve genlock, it is essential that the video reference frame rate matches the output frame rate of the Avid®, Blackmagic or AJA device. Ensure that the correct output frame rate is selected for the corresponding device in Cue Pro's Preferences / Settings → DISPLAY tab.

If the frame rates match with Blackmagic devices (including Avid® Artist I/O devices based on Blackmagic Design hardware such as DNxIQ & DNxID), LOCKED will be shown in green after VIDEO REF.

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If the frame rates match with AJA devices (including Avid® Artist I/O devices based on AJA hardware such as DNxIP & DNxIV), the frame rate of the attached video reference will be shown in green after VIDEO REF.

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If the frame rates do not match with Blackmagic devices (including Avid® Artist I/O devices based on Blackmagic Design hardware such as DNxIQ & DNxID), not locked will be shown in red after VIDEO REF.

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Note: This is also the case when no video reference signal is seen connected to a Blackmagic device that supports video reference.

If the frame rates do not match with AJA devices (including Avid® Artist I/O devices based on AJA hardware such as DNxIP & DNxIV), the frame rate of the attached video reference will be shown in red after VIDEO REF.

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Note: The behaviour of the video output with mismatched video reference is undefined, and different depending on which hardware device is being used, and at which frame rate. At worst, it can lead to weirdly distorted or flashing video output, or no video being displayed at all.

Display Troubleshooting

If an attached device does not show up in the device list, or does not display correctly - this is typically caused by these reasons:

Hardware Video Device Being used by other software

This can be Pro Tools®, or other audio and video applications. Please close those apps.
If Pro Tools®, please follow the directions at the beginning of this chapter to deactivate the Avid® Video Engine (AVE) before relaunching Cue Pro.

Incorrect video reference

When using Video Reference, it is common for many hardware video devices to show black or distorted output if the incoming video reference format does not match that of the selected output format. Correct the incoming video reference source to match the video format exactly. Unplugging the video reference cable will help diagnose if this is the cause of the problem.

Outdated hardware driver

Ensure you are running the latest driver versions for your Blackmagic Design or AJA hardware. Running outdated drivers is a common cause of display and sync issues. See the System Requirements and Compatibility chapter for current driver versions and download links.

If issues persist, send an email to:

support@non-lethal-applications.com

Please supply as much information as possible, including:

• Computer model
• Operating System
• DAW Type
• DAW Version
• Video File Codec type
• Video File Frame rate
• Timeline Frame rate
• Hardware Video Device Output Format setting
• Has the issue just started occurring or has this been an issue from when
  the app was first used?
• If this is something that started happening at some point, can it be pinned
  down to something specific like a new version of our app, a new OS
  version or a change in the hardware setup?

Using this line of questioning, it is often possible to self-diagnose many performance issues. Try re-following the setup guides in this chapter again before sending in a support request.