Operation Manual
Niagara SCX User Guide
ViewCast 3
Chapter 1: Welcome to Niagara SCX
The exclusive ViewCast Niagara SCX streaming media management software provides an
optimal method for managing live video broadcasting over the Internet and to mobile devices. It
allows you to set up, monitor, and control multiple, remote, or distributed Niagara SCX
streaming encoder systems positioned throughout your enterprise or anywhere in the world –
all from your desktop. Niagara SCX is included on all ViewCast encoding appliances.
This manual focuses on the Niagara SCX client interface. For information on the Web interface,
see the specific product manual or the product quick start guide.
System Features
Software version 6 is pre-installed and available only on ViewCast encoding appliances
Full control of encoding parameters
— Video and audio input selection
— Encoder profile/target audience
— Video resolution and format
— Stream destination and port
— Video and audio attributes
Input/output preview
Vectorscope/waveform display for end-to-end color accuracy
Encoder statistics monitoring:
— Frame rate, bit rate
— CPU load
— Audio level
Application integration via XML
Real-time capture and compression from a live video source
Support for NTSC, PAL, wide screen, CIF, QCIF, SECAM, and all popular resolutions in
addition to custom user-defined picture dimensions
Support for all widely used bit rates, from 16 kb/s to 4 Mb/s +…
You can instantly view the status of all of your networked encoders and active encoder sessions,
as well as control and monitor each individual stream. ViewCast delivers two versions of Niagara
SCX – Niagara SCX Standard and Niagara SCX Pro.
The major difference between the two versions is that Niagara SCX Pro contains MPEG-4
encoding technology and Niagara SCX Standard does not. Some encoding appliances also
provide the ability to stream Flash. Its basis remains anchored on an international standard that
is a popular format for streaming Internet video. Chapter 10 of this publication more fully