A Surface in PV4 defines the resolution where PLAY places objects via templates. Surfaces typically correspond to physical, real-world screens, but can also be used for larger composites or visualizations.
Surfaces can be:
-
Simple: Designed for 1:1 display on a single screen.
-
Complex: Configured for cutting, compositing, striping, or replication across multiple screens.
Templates and Cues are tied to default surfaces:
-
Templates are optimized for specific screen dimensions.
-
Cues default to a surface but can be overridden by operators in the Controller (not recommended without advanced testing due to cropping/scaling risks).
Surfaces
Surfaces exist at a global level and are then referenced within Shows to define playback outputs for events.
This structure ensures:
-
Consistency across events.
-
Reusability of surfaces for multiple shows.
-
Simplified management of physical and virtual outputs.
Navigation
Access Surfaces via the Surfaces tab in the left-hand navigation panel, and browse or search by Name.
Surface slide-out
Clicking a surface opens a detailed panel with:
-
Surface Name: Editable for identification.
-
Surface Width & Height: Resolution in pixels. A swap control between the two fields exchanges the Width and Height values.
As Width and Height are entered, the panel displays two read-only badges: the aspect ratio (e.g. 16:9) and the resolution in megapixels (e.g. 2.1). The same badges appear on each surface's row in the list.
The ••• menu in the top-right of the slide-out provides Save, Undo Changes, and Close/Cancel; for an existing surface it also offers Delete.
Surface settings
Surface settings are organized into two levels:
-
Global Surfaces: List of all surfaces in your PV4 Portal instance.
-
Show-Specific Surfaces: Aliases or imported versions of global surfaces for individual shows.
Global settings
|
Name |
A descriptive, unique identifier for a particular surface. |
|
Width |
The width in pixels of the surface. |
|
Height |
The height in pixels of the surface. |
A global surface's Width and Height can't be changed once created — create a new surface instead. A single global surface is often shared across many unrelated shows at once, so resizing it could affect other live shows using it. Changing it is locked behind Super Admin for this reason.
Show-specific settings
|
Surface |
The Global Surface referenced. |
|
Name |
The Show-Specific name for this surface. |
|
Active / Inactive |
Whether the surface is currently processed for this show (this function may also appear labeled Enabled/Disabled). |
Setting a surface to Inactive keeps it programmable in the Portal, but the Orchestrator won't download or process anything for it when it loads the show — useful for retiring a screen at a venue without rebuilding the show. Avoid including cues that target an inactive surface within a Multi-cue.