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Last updated 7 August 2026

Getting media into the project. Files, live sources, capture cards, streams — anything that can become an asset.

This stage stops there. Arranging assets in time, on a timeline, is Playback.

Do this in order

Check the format is one Backstage plays well. It accepts a wide range, but a format that decodes cheaply is what holds a frame rate on show night.

Supported Media Types
Convert it if it needs converting. Drop files into the watched folder and they are converted to a playback format automatically — the normal route for delivered media.

Convert Media with the Drop Converter
Import it. Drag files into the Assets window, or import a whole batch at once.

Import Video & Audio Assets

Import Multiple Media Files at Once

Done when: the asset appears in the Assets window without an error state, and previews. From here it can be dropped onto a surface or placed in a sequence.

Live sources

Not everything arrives as a file. These become assets the same way, and are used identically once they exist:

Source	What it is
Receive an NDI Stream	Video over the network from another NDI device or server
Set Up DeckLink (Blackmagic Design) Capture and Output	SDI or HDMI capture from a Blackmagic DeckLink card
Capture a Virtual Monitor	Another application's window, captured from a virtual monitor
Render from Unity into Backstage	A real-time render from Unity

A live source arrives on its own clock. Sources that cannot stay in sync with each other belong in separate sequences — one sequence holds everything inside it in lockstep, which only works for media that can be.

Reference

Supported Third Party Hardware — which capture hardware is supported

Color Spaces, Color Primaries, and Transfer Functions — colour spaces, primaries and transfer functions

Maintaining an installation

Replace an Asset in an existing Installation — swapping an asset in a project that is already running

More options

Content: More Options