What is Avid FastServe Stream IO?
Avid FastServe Stream IO is a professional media playout server designed for broadcast and live production environments. It integrates with Avid MediaCentral, iNews, and other Avid workflows to enable reliable studio playout. The Cuez Automator connects to Stream IO via the OCIP (Open Connectivity Interoperability Platform) protocol. More information on their website.
Note: The Automator connects to Avid FastServe Stream IO via the 'Avid FastServe OCIP' device type. If you are looking to connect a standard FastServe server (without Stream IO), this is a different integration — please get in touch with us at support@cuez.app.
Adding an Avid FastServe OCIP '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 'Avid FastServe OCIP' from the 'Device type' dropdown list, then give it a name.
Once the 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 enable or disable the Avid FastServe OCIP device, and you can enter the 'Host' (the IP address of the FastServe server) as well as the 'Port'. Once these settings have been entered, the device should show as 'online' (green) in the top right corner.
The settings entered by default by the Cuez Automator represent the default settings if the Automator is installed on the same network as the FastServe server. You can change these settings as needed, depending on your exact configuration.
The defaults are 'localhost' with port '10001'.
Media handling configuration
Next, check the box to indicate that this Avid FastServe OCIP will be handling media. More settings will appear, allowing you to configure where media needs to be downloaded and which media we want our FastServe to download.
Download folders
The 'Download folder' is the folder where Automator will download all media to for the Avid FastServe OCIP, with its location seen as from the Automator. If the FastServe server 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.
The 'Device media folder' is the folder where Automator will download all media to, with its location seen as from the FastServe server itself. This is most likely just a local folder on the same computer.
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 Avid FastServe OCIP. 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 by the FastServe 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 Avid FastServe OCIP when triggering the Item or Block - more general information on that in this article.
Available functions
Load clip
Loads a specific clip into a channel on the Avid FastServe OCIP. Configure the function using your Block's media field (often 'Clip.Media'). The clip name or path is passed to Stream IO to identify which clip to load.
Play channel
Starts playback of the loaded clip on the specified channel of the Avid FastServe OCIP.
Pause channel
Pauses playback on the specified channel of the Avid FastServe OCIP.
Eject channel
Ejects the currently loaded clip from the specified channel on the Avid FastServe OCIP, making the channel available for a new clip to be loaded.
Troubleshooting
Device showing offline
If the Avid FastServe OCIP device shows as offline (red) in the Automator 'Devices' panel, check the following:
Verify the 'Host' IP address matches the FastServe server's actual network address.
Confirm the 'Port' matches the OCIP port configured on the FastServe server.
Check that there are no firewall rules blocking the connection between the Automator machine and the FastServe server.
Media downloaded but clip not playing
If the Automator shows a green checkmark (indicating the media was downloaded successfully) but the clip does not play on Stream IO, check the Stream IO configuration, channel availability, or network infrastructure, as well as the configured automation actions in Automator.
In this case, check the following:
Verify that Stream IO is running and the correct channel is available.
Confirm that the clip path or name passed by the Automator matches what Stream IO expects.
If the issue persists, get in touch with us at support@cuez.app and we will help you investigate further.