StageDirector
& StagePlayer

StageDirector is the command center of the system. It gives you full control over every playback client on your network — from a single Apple TV to dozens of screens across a film set, exhibition, or multi-room installation. Built with Apple's Network framework, it uses Bonjour (mDNS) for automatic device discovery and the OSC (Open Sound Control) protocol for reliable, low-latency communication.

Bonjour Device Discovery

• Automatic device discovery via NWBrowser with Bonjour descriptors
• Presence tracking with fresh, stale, and offline states (10s auto-rescan)
• IPv4-preferred transport with hostname resolution variants
• Organize devices by name, location, or function
• Real-time status monitoring for every connected client

Precision Control & Routing

• Route commands to single devices, specific displays, or multiple outputs simultaneously
• OSC message dispatcher with single, multiple, and group targeting modes
• Smart progress coalescing (120ms interval) to reduce network load
• Connection pooling: up to 192 active connections, 24 per host
• Transport controls, layer configuration, and transform parameters from one interface

Media Transfer & Fleet Management

• Built-in LocalHTTPMediaServer for exposing media files to clients (port 8090)
• Per-client media preparation with progress callbacks
• Fleet overview with tab-based UI, timeline editor, and logging console
• Persistent state storage and client group management

Built for Production

• Designed for on-set reliability — no unnecessary complexity or feature bloat
• Fast, responsive SwiftUI interface built for time-critical environments
• 8-second idle timeout with automatic stale connection cleanup
• Lightweight enough to run on an iPhone or iPad on set

StagePlayer is the rendering side of the system. It runs on iOS, tvOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS, delivering smooth, efficient playback of video, images, overlays, and layered media. Built with a dual AVPlayer architecture (Player A + Player B) for seamless, frame-accurate media switching with standby preloading — the next media is prepared while the current one plays.

Dual Media Layer Architecture

• Two independent media/video layers (Main + Overlay) with separate engines
• Independent media libraries for each layer (Media + Overlay subdirectories)
• Per-layer playback state, transforms, loop settings, and opacity control
• Overlay logos, lower-thirds, subtitles, transparent PNGs, or branding elements
• Both layers handled natively with minimal performance overhead

50+ Remote OSC Commands

• Playback: play, pause, stop, next, previous, mute
• Looping: loop on/off, set loop range, play from frame/seconds, frame-accurate ranges
• Transforms: position X/Y, scale uniform/XY, rotation, opacity, reset
• Loading: load, loadAndPlay, loadImage, loadVideo, mediaLoad
• Display: fullscreen on/off, display list request
• System: ping, restart, settings open, library management
• Remote: virtual remote control (up, down, left, right, select, menu, home)

Ultra-Efficient Playback

• Approximately 3% CPU usage during optimized playback on Apple TV 4K (1st gen)
• Designed for low thermals and extended battery life on mobile devices
• Stable over long sessions — suitable for always-on installations
• Runs efficiently even on older Apple hardware

Supported Media Formats

Video

Audio

Image

Deployment Flexibility

• Works standalone or as a fully managed node inside the StageDirector ecosystem
• Deploy across multiple Apple devices in the same system
• macOS multi-display support with per-display sessions and F1–F6 keyboard switching
• Persistent display configuration by signature/ID
• HTTP metadata server for real-time status (playback state, progress, library, displays)