Preview Server is a Windows service that manages a pool of Viz Engine processes. Client software, such as Viz Multichannel, Viz Pilot, Viz Pilot Edge, Viz Multiplay and Viz Trio, send requests to Preview Server for snapshots of Viz Engine graphics. The content and animation in and out points of the graphics can be specified in the request.

Preview Server provides snapshots of scenes during the creative preview process. The preview snapshots provide an indication of the look of the graphics that are played out in high resolution on a Viz Engine. It also provides load balancing and can be used to create a redundant renderer pool.

Upon installation, the service is started and the startup type is set to Automatic by default. The service then starts every time the operating system is started, and continues to run in the background as long as Windows is running. For more details, see See the Status of the Preview Server Service.

Basic Workflow

A typical use case is as follows: A Viz Trio user wants to add graphics to a video in Viz Trio’s Timeline editor, a video clip and one or more data elements (graphics) are dragged to the timeline. In the Timeline editor, the graphics elements are added as placeholders on the video timeline. Since the user wants to display snapshots of the graphics on these placeholders, a Preview Server connection is set up (for details, see Configuring Preview Server Settings in Viz Trio). Viz Trio sends a request to Preview Server for an available Viz Engine to generate the necessary preview snapshots, and Preview Server passes the task to a suitable Viz Engine using Media Sequencer to which this Viz Engine has been attached. This Viz Engine in turn generates the snapshots that were requested by Viz Trio.

When used together with Vizrt control applications like Viz Multichannel, Viz Pilot, and Viz Trio, Preview Server is installed from a standalone installer.

Alternatively, when used in a workflow together with the Graphics Plugin for NLE products, Preview Server is installed from a joint installer package, containing both Preview Server and Connection Broker.

For more details on this joint Preview Server and Connection Broker setup, see the Graphics Plugin Administrator Guide.