The Drastic LOG format uses the same basic layout as a LOG/~ALG/~ALE. The main differences are the 'Type:' header and the file name in the comment. The comment is broken up into two sections: The initial comment after the ';' and a file name after a second ';'. This page describes the exact file format used for the Drastic log format.

Net-X-Copy is part of the Net-X-Code server and Net-X-Convert/Proxy workstation software. It is designed to convert audio/video/media files to proxy or broadcast/post files, mix audio, extract metadata, and create one or more jpeg preview images.  It can also embed captions into output files like MXF and MOV, and replace the audio or video tracks of a source file during conversion. This article contains the Linux/macOS/Windows command line API for this tool.

The Drastic EDL format uses the same basic layout as a CMX, GVG or Sony 91xx series EDL. The main differences are the 'Type:' header and the file name in the comment. The comment is broken up into two sections: The initial comment after the ';' and a file name after a second ';'. This page describes the exact format used.

ccExtract is part of ccConvert and included in Net-X-Code Server software. ccExtract is designed to extract caption tracks from MXF, MOV, h.264, MPEG-2, TS, etc. to SCC/MCC, and to convert between standard caption formats like VTT, XML, EBU, SMPTE DCP, YouTube, Apple, Avid, and others. This article contains the Linux/macOS/Windows command line API for this tool. A RESTful API is also available.

In QuickClip, QuickClipXO, MediaNXS, DTouch, VVW Series DDRs and Titan Series DDRs, VTRs appear as EXT (external) channels. External channels can be set up in either LocalConfig, DDRConfig or the Drastic Setup Wizard utilities.  This page describes the settings in detail to allow customization or advanced setup.

Most operating systems are not set up out of the box to handle heavy multicast loads. With some, multicast reception is actually disabled.  This article contains setup notes for the OS when using Net-X-Code, videoQC or 2110Scope/HDRScope/4KScope with network video sources.

The QuickClipXO interface is written in the Java programming language. It supports custom message strings which can be used to display alternate text for most of its controls and displays.

Apple's High Sierra operating system has changed the validation system, especially for applications downloaded from the internet. This has caused some systems to go into a 'validation loop' that stops our videoQC and 4KScope software from running, as the Apple validation never completes.  We are working on fixing this, but in the meantime, there is a way to stop the validation so our software can run.

Note: This area describes legacy products. Drastic VVW and Titan Series DDRs, QuickClip, MediaNXS and DrasticDDR software can be used to capture single or multiple frames into a sequence of still images which can be played back in real time immediately after recording. These still image files can be stored into individual, time based directories, or into a single directory.

ccEmbed is part of ccConvert and Net-X-Code Server software. It is designed to take MCC or SCC closed caption files and embed them into output MXF, MOV, etc.  It supports re-wrapping the source audio/video, as well as converting while embedding.  This article contains the Linux/macOS/Windows command line API for this tool.  A RESTful API is also available.

On supported hardware, Drastic software provides control of any up or down video conversion.  This can be set up in real time from the QuickClipXO, MediaNXS, VTRIF, DTReplay or dTouch interfaces.  The parameters and advanced settings in the configurations are provided below.

Drastic software supports a number of IP video standards in videoQC, Net-X-Code Server, FlowCaster and other products.  To access these streams, a URL style string is used to describe them.  For some sources, like RTSP, this string is fairly standard.  For others, like NDI, a URL style has been developed to allow those streams to be specified.  Currently, udp://, rtp://, srt://, rist://, rtsp://, rtmp://, webrtc://, whip://, bls://, ndi://, cdi://, s2022:// and s2110:// are supported.  This document describes the URLs' format in more detail.  We have also added some application specific notes for connecting our software to other applications.

Drastic software can support up to 16 channels of audio.  These can be 16 mono channels,  8 stereo pairs or all channels in one, depending on the setup and file type. This article covers the kinds of audio that the software can produce, and the audio setups it is able to read automatically to combine multiple channels of audio with video. 

4KScope (and HDRScope/2110Scope) can be set up to share an AJA board with products like Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Assimilate SCRATCH, Autodesk Flame, Digital Vision Nucoda, Grass Valley Edius, and others.  This mode is available on Windows, macOS and Linux. This article explains how it works and how it can be set up.

Drastic server software supports different front panel options:  The original 422 Jog/shuttle, the 4 line LCD with command keys and the newest touch screen VGAs.  This page describes the configuration for these front panels.

Drastic software supports the OpenMXF specification extension to the SMPTE MXF specification (SMPTE 377M). The advantage of OpenMXF is that while the file is still recording (open) you can read it in many popular servers and editing applications.

All Drastic software uses a similar keyboard layout for control.  There are some variations for program-specific functions, but the general transport control is shared.  Currently supported software includes:

Net-X-Code Server, videoQC, sdiScope, 4KScope, HDRScope, 2110Scope

videoQC can be called by external applications with command line parameters, keyboard/mouse, cut/paste and via a full REST/HTML command set. If there is already an instance of the application running, the parameters will be transferred to the running instance, and the called one will exit.  This is especially useful where the workflow requires the system to display particular aspects of a clip in an automated fashion.

Deprecated:  The Drastic Technologies YCbCr codec for QuickTime, Video For Windows (VFW/ICM) and DirectShow allows third party applications to use files (AVI and MOV primarily) generated by VVW, Titan Series, QuickClip and MediaReactor.  Please note, this codec has been deprecated.  The new codecs are available as part of the MediaReactor Workstation.  The original codec with updated installers is still available here.

All of Drastic's version 6 or greater software supports authenticating directly with Amazon via AWSAccessKeyId/SecretKey through an https transport. This is most useful for Net-X-Code's partial file restore system, but can also be used from videoQC and MediaReactor.  Accessing these resources requires a second level of setup, beyond the basic software setup, and this article provides an overview on that process.

Normally, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Media Encoder, etc. require a physical file to be located on a standard file system, shared or local.  MediaReactor Lite (and MediaReactor Workstation) allow all these software products to edit files directly from S3/HTTP/HTTPS file stores.  The magic is performed by tiny local text files with the extension .stream.  These are encrypted or unencrypted descriptions of the file's actual location, saved on a local or accessible network storage for Adobe to use.

Drastic server software includes an HTTP server for local or remote control/access from a standard web browser. One of the files, FileBrowse.html, allows for file selection from selected drives using the web browser. Depending on the command line, FileBrowse can be used to save, load, add, or open files without direct access to the file system.

All of Drastic's version 6 or greater software supports authenticating via OAuth 2.0 across an https transport. This is most useful for Net-X-Code's partial file restore system, but can also be used from videoQC or MediaReactor.  Accessing these resources requires a second level of setup beyond the basic software setup, and this article provides an overview on that process.

(Legacy Java on Dual Monitors - NVIDIA vs. Java.  There are setups required on some systems to allow QuickClipXO and VTRIF to display full screen on the second DVI or VGA monitor.

4KScope, videoQC, DrasticPreview, DrasticPreview Pro, and other OpenGL based apps can have trouble displaying the video in an OpenGL plane when connected via Remote Desktop Protocol or other remote control protocols.  To fix this problem, we supply special start files to be used remotely.

There are some flags that can be used to modify QuickClipXO.