The Stages Feature

The Stages tab appears in the Camera Bag and provides an efficient way to organize and monitor all of your important cameras. All you have to do is configure and save a number of custom camera layouts. (These stages will be associated with your user account.) You will then be able to view these stages manually or through an automated sequence that runs like a slideshow.

Creating Stages

1. The first step is planning your stages. Decide which cameras you want displayed together on the Stage at one time.
2. Open the Camera Bag to the Cameras tab.
3. Start adding your cameras to the Stage in desired groupings.
4. When you have filled the Stage as desired, click on the Stages tab.
5. Click the Save Stage button.
6. Enter a name for the Stage and click the Save Stage button. The new Stage is added to the list. (Stages are listed in alphabetical or numerical order by Stage name.)
7. To create another Stage, return to the Cameras tab.
8. Click the Clear Stage button to remove the previous Stage.
9. Then repeat steps 3 through 6 to create another Stage.

You can now click on any of the listed Stages and your predefined layout will appear on the Stage.

*If a Stage includes a PTZ camera (with or without presets), keep one thing in mind. When you add a camera to the Stage, you are adding the camera, not the camera’s position. So when you view a Stage, the PTZ camera may or may not be in the same position as when it was added to the Stage.

Cycling the Stages

1. If you want the software to display the Stages in sequence automatically, first select the Stages. Mark the checkbox next to each of the Stages you want to appear in the sequence.
2. Then use the Cycle drop-down list to select an interval for the sequence. This setting determines how long each Stage will appear on the screen before the next one takes its place. Selections include: Disabled and timed sequences ranging from 5 to 120 seconds.

The sequence will begin to run as soon as the Cycle is selected (as long as Stages have already been saved). As the Stages change, the software will highlight the name of the Stage currently on-screen. When the automated sequence is running, you will still be able to manipulate the timeline (like switching between live and recorded video and jumping to motion events) as permissions allow. You may want to disable the sequence if you need to focus on one specific Player or event.

Stage Options

Each of the Stages has its own menu (on the right edge of the list). Click on the icon to access the menu and do any of the following:

• If you make a change to the cameras or layout of your Stage, select Update from the menu to save it.
• To change the name of the Stage, select Rename from the menu.
• To eliminate one of the Stages, select Remove from the menu.
• If you are an Administrator, you can select Share from the menu to share the Stage with other users. The Stage will be visible to all users with access to at least one camera in the Stage. (Shared Stages do not override the Permission Groups; users will not see any cameras they wouldn’t normally see.)
  • In your Stages list, a world icon indicates that a Stage is shared. (The users with which the Stage is shared will see a lock icon that indicates the Stage has been shared by an administrator.)
  • Select Un-share to reclaim the Stage for your use only.

Editing a Stage

You can change the Stages that are associated with your user account anytime.

• Select the Stage on the Stages tab.
• To remove a Player, click the X in the top-right corner of the Player.
• To rearrange the Players, drag them around the Stage as needed.
• To add a Player, switch over to the Cameras tab to select it.
• To save your changes, switch back to the Stages tab.
• Click the menu associated with the Stage and click Update.

*If the Administrator has created and shared a Stage, it will appear in your list as locked; you cannot make changes to or remove this Stage. (These shared Stages do not override the Permission Groups; you will not see any cameras you don’t have permission to see.)