Sync Playback Between 2 Video Servers

Last updated 5 May 2026

Backstage's sequence advertising system lets one server broadcast its playback state over the network so a second server can follow it in real time. The primary server advertises a sequence; the secondary server observes it and uses the position, transport state, and fade value to drive its own playback.

Before you start

  • Both servers are on the same network and can communicate with each other
  • Both servers are running Backstage with the Node Editor available

Steps

Setup on the Primary Server (Server A)

1. Configure the Sync NIC

Go to Settings → Network and set the Node Sync NIC to the network interface that connects to Server B. Both servers must use NICs on the same subnet.

2. Mark the sequence for advertising

Enable the Advertise to Network checkbox for the Sequence either in the Inspector or in the Sequence:Sequence node.

Setup on the Secondary Server (Server B)

3. Configure the Sync NIC

Go to Settings → Network → Node Sync NIC and set it to the NIC on the show network.

4. Add an Observer node

Right-click → Sequence → Observer. The Sequence dropdown lists discovered sequences as IP_address/SequenceName. Select Server A's sequence.

5. Use the Observer outputs

Output

Type

What it carries

Timestamp

Timestamp

Current playback position of Server A's sequence (microseconds)

Transport

String

Playback state: Play, Pause, or Stop

Fade

Float

Sequence fade/opacity value (0.0-1.0)

Connect these to a local Sequence node to make Server B follow Server A. Server B responds within approximately one update cycle (10 ms).

Common Mistakes

  • Observer dropdown shows no remote sequences — the Advertise checkbox is not checked on Server A's sequence, the wrong Sync NIC is selected, or network settings have changed.

  • Sync latency is unacceptably high — the servers are on a shared network with other traffic. Use a dedicated direct connection or isolated VLAN.

Tips

  • The Observer node turns red if it has not received an update within the timeout — this typically indicates a network issue.

  • Local sequences also appear as Local/SequenceName — useful for distributing state within the same machine's graphs.

  • You can observe the same sequence on multiple secondary servers simultaneously.

Your First Graph — basic graph setup for beginners

Sync to Timecode (LTC) — chase incoming LTC timecode

Installation Scenarios — all installation scenarios