Glossary
Key terms used in VidRedi.
A
Audio Channels — The individual audio tracks within a video signal. VidRedi supports up to 16 audio channels for both input and output.
B
Baseband — Uncompressed or minimally compressed video, typically from professional equipment. In VidRedi, baseband sources usually come from Blackmagic DeckLink capture cards.
Blackmagic DeckLink — Professional video capture and playback cards manufactured by Blackmagic Design. VidRedi uses a DeckLink card (Duo or Quad recommended) for baseband capture and SDI playback.
C
Capture Card — Hardware that captures video and audio from external sources. See Blackmagic DeckLink.
Channel — A configured video path in VidRedi. A channel can capture (DeckLink, SRT, or RIST), download HLS, play a file to DeckLink, or stream out (SRT, RIST, or RTMP).
Cue — A named (optional) mark at a time in a package. Cues can have tags. A package can hold up to 200 cues.
D
Debian Trixie — Debian 13, the Linux distribution VidRedi is designed and tested on.
DeckLink — See Blackmagic DeckLink.
Download Channel — A channel configured to download video from a network source (typically HLS) rather than capturing live video.
E
Editor (role) — Built-in role with operator access plus permission to create and change channel configuration.
F
Frame Rate — The number of video frames displayed per second (fps). Common rates include 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, and 60 fps.
G
GStreamer — The multimedia framework VidRedi uses for video processing. VidRedi installs a custom GStreamer package.
H
Helper — A channel plugin that is not part of the video path. The included helper is runaway recording protection.
HEVC — High Efficiency Video Coding (H.265). Used by several DeckLink capture and stream templates.
HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) — A streaming protocol that delivers video over HTTP in small chunks. VidRedi can download and archive HLS content through download channels.
L
Library — The collection of recorded and uploaded media in VidRedi. The library organizes content into packages and folders.
M
Matroska (MKV) — A flexible, open-standard container format for video. VidRedi typically transmuxes MPEG-TS recordings to Matroska for playback compatibility and time-slip.
MPEG-TS (MPEG Transport Stream) — A container format for video, audio, and data, commonly used in broadcast and streaming.
P
Package — The unit of media storage in VidRedi. A package contains everything related to a recording: the video file, metadata, sidecar files, thumbnails, and recording information.
Package Naming Template — A pattern that names a recording when it starts. It can include date, time, and channel tokens, and / to create folders.
Pipeline — The video processing chain that handles capture, encoding, decoding, and playback. A pipeline failure means this chain could not be created or has stopped.
R
Recording Channel — Any channel configured to capture or download video to a package. This includes DeckLink inputs, SRT/RIST receive, and HLS download.
RIST (Reliable Internet Stream Transport) — A protocol for sending or receiving video over a network with error recovery. VidRedi can receive RIST or send DeckLink video as RIST.
Role — A named set of permissions. Built-in roles are viewer, operator, editor, and admin. Custom roles are allowed.
RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) — A protocol for sending live video to a server. In VidRedi this is an outgoing destination, not a capture source.
Runaway Recording — A recording that continues indefinitely without a stop condition, potentially filling the disk. The runaway helper stops a recording after a set number of minutes.
S
Sidecar Files — Additional files stored with a video that contain related information such as subtitles, closed captions, timecode data, or custom metadata. In VidRedi, sidecar files are part of the package.
SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) — A protocol for sending or receiving video over a network. VidRedi can receive SRT or send DeckLink video as SRT.
Stream — Video and audio data transmitted over a network.
T
Tag — A named color label applied to cues and folders.
Time-Slip — The ability to rewind and play back live video while recording continues.
Time-Slip Buffer — Seconds that must be captured before time-slip playback can start. Set on Configuration → System (0–60 seconds).
Transcoding — Converting video from one format or codec to another.
Transmuxing — Changing the container format of a video file without re-encoding the video or audio. VidRedi transmuxes MPEG-TS to Matroska for playback. This is much faster than transcoding.
Transport Controls — The playback controls (play, pause, stop, seek) used to navigate through video.
Transport Stream — See MPEG-TS.
U
Unlisted — A hidden library location for packages that should not appear in normal folders, such as stream-only sessions or empty packages.
Update Channel — Which release stream in-app updates follow: stable, rc, beta, or alpha.
Common Abbreviations
- DVR: Digital Video Recorder
- fps: Frames Per Second
- HLS: HTTP Live Streaming
- MKV: Matroska Video
- MPEG: Moving Picture Experts Group
- PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (expansion slot type)
- RBAC: Role-Based Access Control
- RTMP: Real-Time Messaging Protocol
- TS: Transport Stream
- VOD: Video On Demand
Technical Terms
Bitrate — The amount of data used to represent one second of video or audio, typically measured in kilobits or megabits per second. Encoder templates expose this as Bitrate (Kbps). Higher bitrates generally mean better quality but larger files and more CPU.
Buffer — Temporary storage used to smooth out variations in data flow. Buffers help prevent gaps or interruptions during recording or playback.
Codec — A program that encodes or decodes digital video or audio. Common video codecs include H.264 and H.265 (HEVC).
Container Format — The file format that holds encoded video and audio streams along with metadata. Common containers include MKV, MP4, and TS.
Resolution — The dimensions of a video image, typically given as width × height in pixels (for example 1920×1080 for Full HD).