What is a Sony XVS production switcher?

Sony XVS is a range of professional production switchers designed for broadcast studios and live production environments. They are used for vision mixing, source switching, and transition control in complex multi-camera productions. More information on their website.

Note: The Cuez Automator connects to Sony XVS and MLS switchers via Sony's SSTP (Sony Serial Tally Protocol) over IP. This covers the XVS range, including the XVS-G1, where IP control is standard. Older Sony switcher ranges (MVS, HVS, DVS) use serial control only and are not supported by this integration.

⚠️ Licensing: the basic SSTP control that comes with the switcher covers source selection on M/Es, keyers, and aux buses. These functions require Sony's optional XZS-G1770 automation license: Cut, Auto Transition, Set Transition Type, Recall Snapshot, and Run Macro. Take includes a cut, so its source selection works without the license but the cut does not. Check with your Sony supplier that the license is installed before using these functions.

Adding a Sony XVS 'device' to the Automator

In the top right corner of the Automator, we see 'Devices' - this can be either in red or green depending on the status of the configured devices. Click it and select 'Add device'.

Next, select 'Sony XVS' from the 'Device type' dropdown list, then give it a name.

Once the Sony XVS device is selected and given a name, we will see all fields needed to configure it so it can be used with the Automator.

Basic device configuration

You can enter the following settings to configure your Sony XVS:

'Host name' - the IP address or hostname of the Sony XVS switcher on your network.
'Port' - the TCP port for the SSTP protocol. The default is 5000.
'M/E Count' - the number of Mix/Effect (M/E) units on your switcher, not counting the P/P bus. The default is 1. Use 0 if your switcher only has the P/P bus. Depending on the model, up to 5 M/Es are available.
'AUX Bus Count' - the number of AUX buses available on your switcher. The default is 8.
'Source Count' - the total number of sources to make available in the Automator. The default is 64. The XVS supports up to 310 sources.

Once these settings have been entered, the device should show as 'online' (green) in the top right corner. The Automator reads the real source names from the switcher once connected.

Note: The M/E Count, AUX Bus Count, and Source Count values should match the actual configuration of your Sony XVS switcher. Check your switcher's documentation or system settings to confirm the correct values for your setup.

Media handling configuration

Under the 'Downloader' section, check the box to indicate that this Sony XVS will be handling media. More settings will appear, allowing you to configure where media needs to be downloaded and which media we want our Sony XVS to download.

Download folders

The 'Download folder' is the folder where Automator will download all media to for the Sony XVS, with its location seen as from the Automator. If the Sony XVS and the Automator are installed on the same computer, then this will be a local folder. If they are on separate devices, this will be with an IP address on the local network for example.

Keep filenames

Automator offers the option to keep the original filenames of the media that will be downloaded from the Episode into the download folder. By default, Automator saves the files with a unique ID. In case you want to manually check the files in the download folder, it can be helpful to check the box to keep the original filenames to have the files be more recognizable.

Automatically delete files

We can also set files to be automatically deleted after 24 hours or a week. This way you don't keep all downloaded media in case it is not needed anymore.

Define Blocks with media

Finally we can configure which Blocks will need their media downloaded for our Sony XVS. For this, click 'Add media field' at the bottom, select your Block configuration (for example 'Clip') and then the field name of the media (usually 'Media'). Repeat this step for all Block configurations that need their media downloaded for the Sony XVS you are configuring.

As soon as these final settings have been configured, the media from the Episode will start downloading to the folders that were defined. A green checkmark next to a thumbnail (in the Script) indicates the media was successfully downloaded.

Configuring actions

The next step is then to configure each Item and Block configuration with the (set of) functions you want to perform on the Sony XVS when triggering the Item or Block - more general information on that in this article.

Available functions

In the functions below, Mix Effect is either the P/P bus or one of ME 1 to ME N (as many as set in 'M/E Count'). Bus is PGM (A bus) or PVW (B bus). Each M/E has four keyers (Key 1 to Key 4).

Set Source

The 'Set Source' function sets a specific source on a bus of a Mix/Effect. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E to apply the source to.
Source - the source to set.
Bus - the bus to apply the source to (PGM or PVW).

Cut

The 'Cut' function performs an immediate cut on a specified M/E. Requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following argument:

Mix Effect - the M/E to perform the cut on.

Auto Transition

The 'Auto Transition' function performs an automatic transition on a specified M/E using the preset transition rate and type. Requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following argument:

Mix Effect - the M/E to perform the transition on.

Set Transition Type

The 'Set Transition Type' function sets the transition type for a specified M/E. Requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E to apply the transition type to.
Transition Type - the type of transition to use: Mix, Wipe, NAM, Super Mix, or DME Wipe.

Take

The 'Take' function selects a source on a bus and then immediately cuts it live. The cut requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E to apply the take to.
Source - the source to take.
Bus - the bus to take the source to.

Set Keyer Fill Source

The 'Set Keyer Fill Source' function sets the fill source for a specified keyer on an M/E. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E the keyer belongs to.
Keyer - the keyer to configure.
Fill Source - the source to use as the keyer fill.

Set Keyer Cut Source

The 'Set Keyer Cut Source' function sets the cut source for a specified keyer on an M/E. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E the keyer belongs to.
Keyer - the keyer to configure.
Cut Source - the source to use as the keyer cut.

Key ON

The 'Key ON' function switches a specified keyer on for an M/E. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E the keyer belongs to.
Keyer - the keyer to switch on.

Key OFF

The 'Key OFF' function switches a specified keyer off for an M/E. Configure this function with the following arguments:

Mix Effect - the M/E the keyer belongs to.
Keyer - the keyer to switch off.

Set AUX Source

The 'Set AUX Source' function routes a source to an AUX bus output. Configure this function with the following arguments:

AUX Bus - the AUX bus to route the source to (AUX 1 up to the 'AUX Bus Count').
Source - the source to route to the AUX bus.

Recall Snapshot

The 'Recall Snapshot' function recalls a saved snapshot register for all M/Es on the Sony XVS. Requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following argument:

Register - the register number to recall (1-99).

Run Macro

The 'Run Macro' function runs a saved macro on the Sony XVS. Requires the XZS-G1770 automation license. Configure this function with the following argument:

Macro - the macro to run, by number (1-999).

Troubleshooting

If the Sony XVS shows as offline in the Automator, check the following:

Host name - confirm the IP address or hostname entered in the Automator matches the switcher's control system
Port - confirm port 5000 is open and not being blocked by a firewall
Network - confirm the switcher and the Automator are on the same network, or that routing between them is in place
SSTP availability - confirm SSTP control is enabled on the switcher. The device only shows as online once the connection is open and the switcher has signalled that it is ready. If the connection drops, the Automator retries automatically every few seconds.

If the device shows as online but functions aren't being executed, or a Mix Effect, Bus, or Source value doesn't seem to match the physical switcher, confirm that the M/E Count, AUX Bus Count, and Source Count configured on the device match the actual configuration of your Sony XVS - a mismatch here can cause actions to target the wrong bus or source.

Source and bus functions work, but Cut, Auto Transition, Set Transition Type, Recall Snapshot, or Run Macro do nothing - these functions need Sony's optional XZS-G1770 automation license. Confirm with your Sony supplier that the license is installed on the switcher. When the switcher rejects a command, the Automator log shows "NAK received from switcher".