A plain-language reference for the terms you meet around RePro Pulsar. Most show up as small coloured pills, badges, and tooltips rather than full words, so use this page to decode what you're looking at.
The terms appear throughout the main window: the INPUT pill at the left of each row names the source type; the two OUTPUT pills on the right name each output; and clicking a pill opens its config window. Orbit terms live in Orbit Device Control (opened from the footer), and the benchmark opens from Tools → Pipeline Benchmark… in the menu bar.
A few terms below only show once you switch the feature on. Where that's the case it's noted in one line — see Settings and configuration.
Quick how-tos
Decode the coloured pill at the left of a row
Look at the small coloured pill at the row's left edge.
Read the colour:
Blue = NDI
Green = GUI (screen/camera)
Amber = FILE
Cyan = SRT-in
Purple = EXT (capture card)
Orange = UE (Unreal Engine)
Dark gold = GEN (test generator)
Click the pill to change the source type — only while the row is stopped.
See Introduction & core concepts.
Tell whether an output goes out as SRT, NDI, or SDI
Look at the Stream 1 / Stream 2 output pills on the right of the row.
The pill text reads SRT, NDI, or SDI:
SRT sends the stream over the internet or LAN.
NDI puts it on the local network for other NDI apps.
SDI plays it out of a DeckLink card.
See Outputs: SRT and NDI.
Understand Caller vs Listener for SRT
Open the SRT config (click the SRT output pill, or the SRT-in source pill).
Choose Caller if Pulsar should dial out to a remote listener — you supply their
srt://URL.Choose Listener if Pulsar should wait for someone to connect — you supply a free port and share your IP:port.
Raise Latency on lossy networks (default 400 ms), and optionally generate a Passphrase to encrypt the link.
See SRT input source and Outputs: SRT and NDI.
Make a row viewable on phones and tablets via Orbit
Turn on Orbit in Settings → Orbit Streaming.
Open Orbit Device Control from the footer and enable the per-row Orbit button on each row you want to share.
Generate an Access Code and tick the rows it can view.
Hand the code to the viewer; they open the Orbit viewer or a browser and enter it.
Leave the mode as Default (ORB2) for low CPU, or pick RKT for a dedicated encoder per row.
See Orbit streaming.
Generate a genuine HDR test pattern
Add or switch a row to GEN and click the GEN pill.
Turn on HDR (BT.2020, 10-bit) — this forces 10-bit and HEVC.
Pick PQ (HDR10) or HLG as the transfer, and 4:2:0 (delivery) or 4:2:2 (contribution/SDI).
Save; the change applies on the next stream start.
See Encoding, bitrate and colour.
Lock the rig for a non-technical operator during a show
Click the padlock icon in the top header.
If no PIN is set, enter a 6-digit PIN twice and press Save & lock.
The app freezes — only START/STOP and the read-only Pipeline Flow stay usable.
To unlock, click the red pulsing padlock and enter the PIN.
See Security and PIN lock.
Term reference
Rows, sources and outputs
Term | What it means |
Row | One source-to-output pipeline, labelled A, B, C… down the left. Each row carries one source and up to two outputs (Stream 1 / Stream 2). |
Source / Input type | What feeds a row, chosen from the coloured INPUT pill: NDI, GUI, FILE, SRT, EXT, UE, or GEN. Changeable only while the row is stopped. |
NDI | Receives a video/audio feed from another app or device on the local network. Blue pill. See NDI source. |
NDI HX | NewTek's compressed NDI from cameras/encoders. In the NDI config, tick "Force audio decode (NDI HX compatible audio)" if you get no audio from Premiere Pro or HX sources. |
GUI | Captures a screen (plus an optional webcam overlay) from this computer; shows a test card when screen-share is off. Green pill; needs macOS Screen Recording permission. SCREEN and CAMERA quick-toggles sit on the row. See Screen, camera and test card. |
Test Card | The placeholder a GUI row shows when screen-share is off, so the output is never black. Different from the GEN test-pattern generator. |
FILE (BETA) | Plays a local video or image file, with loop, auto-play, low-latency, and image (fps, crop) options. Amber pill. Turn on FILE sources in Settings → Beta Features. See File source. |
SRT (SRT-in) | Receives an incoming SRT stream as the row's source. Cyan pill; new rows default to Caller. See SRT input source. |
EXT | External hardware capture from a DeckLink SDI/HDMI capture card. Purple pill. See Hardware capture. |
UE / Pixel Streaming (BETA) | An Unreal Engine source via Pixel Streaming. Orange pill; only one UE row at a time. Turn on UE sources in Settings → Beta Features. See Unreal Engine source. |
Wilbur | The signalling server Pulsar runs for UE rows. Its status shows as the Pixel Streaming dot on the row: grey = stopped, amber = waiting, green = connected. |
RC (Remote Control) | The RC button on a UE row pings Unreal to confirm it's running and its camera-manager path is valid. Re-checks every 10 seconds. |
GEN (Generator) | A built-in test-card / signal generator (moving ball, SMPTE bars, etc.) with tone, burnt-in timecode, and a genuine-HDR option — for line-up and testing. Dark-gold pill. |
Pattern (GEN) | The test pattern the generator draws: Moving ball, SMPTE bars, SMPTE 100% bars, Pinwheel, or Snow. (HDR uses its own wide-gamut pattern.) |
Stream 1 / Stream 2 | The two outputs each row can send, toggled and configured separately. Each can be SRT, NDI, or SDI. Stream 1 is on and Stream 2 off to start with. |
Output | A destination for a row's video. Its kind (SRT/NDI/SDI) is set by the output pill. SDI output needs a DeckLink card. |
SRT and network health
Term | What it means |
SRT | Secure Reliable Transport — the low-latency internet streaming protocol Pulsar uses for inbound sources and outbound streams. |
Caller | SRT mode where Pulsar dials out to a remote listener at a given address. Default for outputs and new SRT-in rows. |
Listener | SRT mode where Pulsar waits on a port for a remote caller to connect. Needs a free, unique port (the config flags ports already in use). |
Passphrase | Optional AES key shared between the two SRT ends; can be auto-generated. Not saved to |
Latency | The SRT receive buffer in milliseconds — higher absorbs more jitter and loss at the cost of delay. Default 400 ms. |
RTT | Round-trip time to the SRT peer, in ms. Shown in the SRT health-dot tooltip and in Pipeline Flow. |
Packet loss | Percentage of packets lost on the link — the main fault indicator, shown in health tooltips and Orbit per-row stats. |
Encoding and colour
Term | What it means |
Bitrate (Auto / Manual) | How much data the stream uses. Auto calculates from resolution and codec; Manual sets a fixed value with a slider. Opened via the "x Mbps" pill. NDI outputs don't use bitrate. |
Codec | The compression format for an SRT output: H.264 (default for most rows) or H.265 (HEVC). |
Encoder | A dropdown to pick Auto or a specific detected video encoder. The available list depends on your machine and platform. |
Bit depth | Colour precision for the GEN output: 8-bit (standard) or 10-bit (HDR / high quality). HDR forces 10-bit. |
Chroma | Chroma subsampling for the GEN output: 4:2:0 (delivery/HDR10) or 4:2:2 (contribution, SDI). |
HDR | High Dynamic Range. The GEN "HDR (BT.2020, 10-bit)" option emits a genuine 10-bit wide-gamut pattern and forces 10-bit + HEVC. Choose PQ or HLG transfer. |
PQ | Perceptual Quantizer (ST 2084) — the HDR transfer curve used by HDR10. One of the two GEN HDR transfer options. |
HLG | Hybrid Log-Gamma — the broadcast HDR transfer curve. The other GEN HDR transfer option. |
BT.2020 | The wide colour gamut used for HDR/UHD; GEN HDR tags output as BT.2020 + 10-bit. |
Colorimetry (BETA) | Controls how the output's colour is tagged or converted (passthrough, metadata override, OCIO, or LUT). Turn it on in Settings → Beta Features. Orbit always sends BT.709 SDR. |
See Encoding, bitrate and colour.
Orbit (local-network viewing)
Term | What it means |
Orbit | Pulsar's local-network layer that lets phones, tablets, and monitors on the LAN view selected rows via a browser or the iOS/tvOS viewer. Turn it on in Settings → Orbit Streaming. |
ORB2 | The default Orbit mode — shared encoding, low CPU (~120 ms latency). |
RKT | A per-row Orbit mode that spins up a dedicated encoder for that row (~90 ms latency, more CPU). Enable it in Settings → Orbit Streaming. |
Access Code | A code generated in Orbit Device Control that grants a viewer access to a chosen set of rows (in an order you set by dragging the row chips). Revocable and expiring; not saved to |
See Orbit streaming.
Operator tools
Term | What it means |
Pulse Messenger | Orbit's built-in chat between you and connected Orbit viewers. The header button appears when Orbit is active. See Pulse Messenger. |
Pipeline Flow | A read-only window (footer icon) that shows each row's live pipeline: stages, RTT, and whether frames are flowing. Always available, even when the rig is locked; the icon tints green when frames are moving. See Monitoring and preview. |
Pipeline Benchmark | A verification harness that tests source/encoder/output combinations and gives pass/fail/unverified verdicts. Opens from Tools → Pipeline Benchmark…. Each run sets your rows aside and restores them when it finishes, and locks the main window while running — so run it before, not during, a show. See Benchmark. |
Operator PIN lock | A 6-digit PIN that freezes settings during a live event — only Start/Stop stay active. Padlock icon in the top header. See Security and PIN lock. |
Timecode (TC) | The HH:MM:SS:FF clock burnt into or carried by streams. The header TC widget and GEN both pick a source: machine clock, NTP, free-run, or Tentacle Sync (Bluetooth). The header reads "BLE" when a Bluetooth source is active, otherwise "INT GEN". |
.plsr | Pulsar's saved-configuration file. Export / Import Config in Settings stores rows and layout but not SRT passphrases, API keys, or Orbit access codes. See Settings and configuration. |
Notifications | The header bell with an unread count; opens a log of app alerts. The count clears when you open it. |
START/STOP ALL / SELECTED | Footer bulk actions to start or stop every output, or just the checkbox-selected ones, at once. Each row also has its own START button. |
Tips and gotchas
Each output can independently be SRT, NDI, or SDI — Stream 1 and Stream 2 are not both SRT.
"Test Card" has two meanings: the placeholder a GUI row shows when screen-share is off, and the separate GEN test-pattern generator — they're different things.
GEN HDR forces 10-bit + HEVC and uses a fixed wide-gamut pattern.
NDI outputs ignore bitrate and encoder settings — only the output resolution can be overridden.
Orbit doesn't carry HDR — it always sends BT.709 SDR, so HDR does not reach Orbit viewers as HDR.
Only one UE (Pixel Streaming) row at a time.
You can't change a row's source type while it's streaming.
The PIN lock is a mis-click guard, not a security boundary — it stops accidental changes during a show.
Sensitive items are left out of
.plsrexports: SRT passphrases, API keys, and Orbit access codes.
Platform notes
Source/output types, SRT/NDI/Orbit, GEN, bitrate/codec, the PIN lock, Pipeline Flow, and timecode all work the same on macOS and Windows. A few differences:
GUI (screen) rows need macOS Screen Recording permission.
EXT/SDI needs a DeckLink card and its driver on either platform.
The list of available encoders depends on your machine and platform.
Windows also shows firewall-rule checks for NDI/SRT — open About → System Dependencies & Firewall to review them.
See Troubleshooting if a feature isn't behaving as described.