Preferences
Vector saves its settings in one Preferences window with eight tabs.
Opening the Window
Section titled “Opening the Window”Menu → File → Preferences, or Cmd/Ctrl+P.
The window is 520 points wide, floats over the page and opens on the first tab.
Close or Escape closes it.
Vector needs a license key. See Getting a License.
Until you enter a key, the Output tab shows a yellow Output requires a license and a Manage License… button, and greys the rest.
| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth Mode | Full Resolution, Proxy Mode | Full Resolution | How much of an NDI® stream is received |
| Latency Mode | Normal (safe), Low, Lowest (unbuffered) | Normal (safe) | How much latency Vector may trade for responsiveness |
| Transport Preference | Auto, Prefer High Bandwidth, Prefer NDI®|HX | Auto | Which NDI® transport is preferred when a source offers several |
| Decode Color Format (full-res) | RGBX/RGBA (default), BGRX/BGRA | RGBX/RGBA (default) | The byte order a frame is decoded into |
| Texture Upload Throttling | 5 to 60, suffixed fps | 60 | The upload rate limit |
Bandwidth Mode has the help Select bandwidth quality for NDI® streams.
Change it, or either row under it, and Vector warns that sources reconnect when the window closes.
NDI® has no color space, so the decode format is a receive format.
Output
Section titled “Output”| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Output | checkbox | off | Master switch for the multiview output. A forward follows the NDI box instead |
| Solo Affects NDI/DeckLink | checkbox | off | Whether soloing a tile narrows the output |
| NDI FPS: | 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 50 fps, 60 fps | 30 fps | The frame rate the output declares |
| Output name: | a text field | Fetch Media Tools | Vector Multiviewer | The prefix outputs are published under, as {prefix} - {name} |
Under Output Targets — help Enable one or more output destinations — the only box is the NDI® output, on at stock.
Under Output Overlays — help Burn overlays into the output stream — four boxes are off at stock: Burn captions into output, Show source names, Show tally indicators and Show audio meters. The Display tab’s row of that name colors the tiles instead.
Source Forwarding republishes input sources over NDI®, each as its own output.
One row per source, with Remove and a → {output name} readout.
An Add: picker offers what discovery can see.
One of three states:
- Nothing is forwarded. Add a source below, or forward one from a slot in the Sources palette.
- Output is off, so nothing is published until Enable Output is on.
- Output requires a license, so nothing is published.
DeckLink
Section titled “DeckLink”| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeckLink | checkbox, in DeckLink Output | off | Sends the multiview composite out of a card |
| Device: | one row per card | the first | Which card the output goes to |
| Mode: | Auto (1080p), then the device’s modes | Auto (1080p) | The output signal’s format |
| Levels: | Full (0-255), Legal (16-235), Extended | Full (0-255) | How pixel values map to the SDI range |
| Mode: | Auto (detect signal), then the device’s modes | Auto (detect signal) | How a capture source locks to the signal |
| Pixel format: | Follow signal, then each format the card supports | Follow signal | The depth and chroma a capture source opens at |
| Zero-copy capture | checkbox | off | Asks the macOS capture path for the card’s own surface |
The only DeckLink switch is on this tab, so a card’s output rows and capture rows share one tab.
With no card found, that section turns yellow.
Display
Section titled “Display”| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer Layout | Overlay, Framed | Overlay | Whether overlays are on the video or beside it |
| Show viewer info bar | checkbox | on | Shows the header bar on every tile |
| the info mode | Full Details, Scope & Source, Name Only, Off | Scope & Source | What that bar shows |
| Show tally indicators | checkbox | on | Colors the tile’s bar from NDI® tally metadata |
| Start in fullscreen mode | checkbox | off | Whether Vector opens fullscreen |
| Open Vector on Last Opened Viewer | checkbox | off | Whether it reopens on the last tile |
| Show Audio Meters | checkbox | on | Whether the meters show at all |
| Enable 16-channel audio (8 channels by default) | checkbox | off | Doubles the meter count. Condition: Show Audio Meters on |
| Meter Thresholds (dB): Green/Orange: | -40.0 to -3.0, suffixed dB | -18.0 | Where the meters turn orange. The same condition |
| Orange/Red: | -20.0 to 0.0, suffixed dB | -6.0 | Where they turn red. The same condition |
| Source Offline Slate | a path, or Default (built-in) | the built-in slate | The image shown when a source goes offline |
Choose… picks a png, jpg, jpeg or bmp slate. Reset to Default appears once one is chosen.
Scope & Source is Vector’s own mode: the scope’s name, then the source’s palette number.
A picture tile shows the source’s name.
| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Output Device | System Default, then the output devices | System Default | Where NDI® audio monitoring goes. A ↺ button refreshes the list |
| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Web API | checkbox | off | Serves the web control API |
| Port: | a non-zero port number | 1893 | The port it binds |
| Answer on: | All network interfaces, This machine only | All network interfaces | Which addresses the API answers on |
The window’s only restart note: **REST API for remote control.
Requires restart to apply changes.** Web Control API has the routes.
All network interfaces answers every connection the machine has.
This machine only answers on the loopback address, reachable only from this machine.
Timecode
Section titled “Timecode”| Row | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device: | None, then {name} ({n} ch) per input device | None | Which input supplies LTC, for the LTC Timecode scope. A ↺ button refreshes the list |
| Channel: | Channel 1 upwards | Channel 1 | Which channel supplies it. Only once a device is chosen |
LTC Timecode is a scope, added from the Designer’s own button.
While LTC is locked the scope shows it, tagged LTC. Otherwise it shows system time, tagged SYS.
Screenshots
Section titled “Screenshots”Vector’s own tab, headed Where screenshots are saved. Its help is Save scope screenshot, in the View menu, writes its PNGs into this directory. It shows the resolved directory in monospace, or No directory to save into could be found. in the attention color, then one of two lines:
- A directory you chose. Reset returns to the default.
- The default — your Pictures folder — until another directory is chosen.
Choose… and Reset set it. Vector saves a still picture into the same directory.
Where the Values Live
Section titled “Where the Values Live”These tabs save their settings in the database fetch-vector.db. The Screenshots tab saves its setting in Vector’s own document, sources.json, instead. See Working with Sources.
Both files are in Vector’s configuration directory, whose paths Installation & First Run gives.
NDI® is a trademark of the Vizrt Group.
DeckLink and UltraStudio are products by Blackmagic Design Pty.
Ltd.