Video Calls
A Video Call input puts a person on camera in your Studio. They join from your room on a phone, tablet or computer, their camera and microphone become an input, and you switch them like any camera. Each person gets a return feed you choose and hears the show without their own voice.
What you need
- Studio open, signed in.
- A plan that includes Callers, NDI source mixer: Studio HD and up, and the Free trial. See Plans and limits.
- A guest with a camera and microphone. See Calling in for what they see.
Invite someone
- Open Add Input and choose Video Call.
- Under Invite a Presenter, pick a person in your room. A presenter without a name shows as Presenter. With nobody in the room the list reads "No presenters in the room".
- For someone not in the room yet, choose Copy Room Link and send them the link. On macOS a note confirms "Room link copied: callers join from it". On macOS the item is also in the Dock menu.
- The guest accepts and a new input appears.
If a call cannot be set up, Studio shows Caller Not Connected.
When a presenter asks to join
A presenter can ask to join from their own device. Answer in any of these places:
- The status bar reads "
asks to join the call" with Decline and Accept. With more asks waiting it adds a count such as "+2". On macOS in Basic mode the line floats at the bottom of the Studio window. - The Callers button. On macOS the toolbar button reads, for example, "Callers 1, 1 asking". On Windows the top bar's Callers flyout lists the ask.
- The presenter's row shows a bell: "Asks to join the call. Open Callers to answer."
- A notification, Asks to Join the Call. On macOS it shows while the Studio window is not in front. On Windows the taskbar button shows how many are asking, and the notification goes away once you answer.
On Stage and Talkback
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| On Stage (Windows: On stage) | On: the caller is in the show. Off: in the green room. |
| Talkback | Your microphone to this caller only, never to Program. |
| Talkback All (Windows: Talkback all) | Your microphone to every caller, never to Program. |
| Name callers automatically | Every caller who joins gets a name lower third. On Windows pick its look in Name title style. |
On macOS Talkback All and the Callers button sit in the Studio toolbar; Callers opens the callers and chat window. On Windows the top bar's Callers flyout lists each caller with the link state and switches for NDI, On stage and Talkback, plus Message. With nobody on a call it reads "No callers connected. Callers join from the room link."
What the guest sees and hears
On macOS select the caller's input and open the Caller section of the inspector. On Windows use the input's menu, Caller return.
| Setting | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Link | Read only | Connected, connecting, disconnected, failed or closed. |
| Return video | None, Program, Preview or another input | What the guest sees. |
| Quality (Windows: Return quality) | Low, Medium, High, Full | The return's bitrate ceiling: 500 kbit/s, 1.2 Mbit/s, 2.5 Mbit/s, 4 Mbit/s. Medium is the default. |
| Return audio | Your buses | The mix the guest hears. |
| Return limiter | Button | Opens the limiter of the bus the return carries. |
| Own NDI output | On or off | Sends this person on their own NDI source. |
| Message... | Button | Opens the chat with this person. |
| Hang Up (Windows: Hang up) | Button | Ends the call. |
Return audio is mix-minus. The guest hears the mix without their own microphone, so there is no echo, for every guest at once.
When a caller leaves
The input stays when a caller hangs up or drops, and shows "Waiting for caller" until someone fills it. Change Source in the input's menu puts another caller from the room into it.
Each person on NDI
Turn on Own NDI output (macOS) or the caller's NDI switch (Windows). The source is named Cliqer Caller - <name> <last 4 characters of their id>, so another switcher can take each person alone with their own audio. See Outputs.
Limits
Each video call counts against your plan's callers and Studio sources. When one is reached the invite is refused with a plan notice. See Plans and limits.
Quitting with a guest connected asks first: "Quitting ends your share and disconnects every caller."