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Live show

A Live show is a list of boards that you control by hand. You use your phone, tablet or laptop. For example, use it for a talk, an event or a training session.

Each Live show has its own Channel. All Players on that Channel show the same board at the same time. Live show is on the Professional and Enterprise plans.

Make a Live show

  1. Open Control → Live show.
  2. Click New.
  3. Type a name for the show.
  4. Click Create. NowBoard makes the show and a Channel with the same name.
  5. Select the Players for the show.
  6. Click Assign.

A Player can show one Channel only. When you add a Player to a Live show, the Player leaves its current Channel.

Make the run list

  1. Open the show.
  2. On the Run list tab, click Add boards.
  3. Click + on each board that you want. You can add a board more than one time.
  4. Click Done.
  5. Drag the boards into the correct order.
  6. For each board, type the number of seconds on screen. Or select Wait for me.
  7. Click Save.

A board with Wait for me stays on screen until you go to the next board. A run list can have a maximum of 50 boards.

Live Video boards

You can put a Live Video board in the run list. It starts with Wait for me.

Only a NowBoard Player Pro can show an NDI video. If the run list has an NDI board, the page shows each Player that cannot show it.

Players

On the Players tab, click Add players to add a Player. Click Remove to take a Player off the show.

Settings

  • Name: the name of the show and of its Channel.
  • Before the show starts: the screens show the first board.
  • After the show ends: the screens show the last board.
  • The controller can run this show: turn this off to stop all changes from the controller.

Run the show

  1. Open the NowBoard app on your phone.
  2. Tap the three dots at the top.
  3. Tap Live shows.
  4. Tap the show.

You can also scan the QR code on the show page. Or click Open controller.

On a tablet, turn the tablet on its side to see the run list next to the controls. While a show is live, the screen of your phone or tablet stays on.

Manual mode

  1. Tap Manual.
  2. Tap Start. The screens show the first board.
  3. Tap a board in the run list. The screens show it at once.
  4. Tap Show next to show the next board.

Play mode

  1. Tap Play run list.
  2. Tap Play. Each board stays for its time. Then the next board shows.
  3. Tap Pause to stop the timer. Tap Play to continue.

A Wait for me board stays until you tap Next.

End the show

  1. Tap End show.
  2. Tap End.

Only a manager, admin or owner can run a show. Other users can see it. When another person changes the show, your phone shows "Someone else changed the show."

Run the show from a computer

  1. Open the show.
  2. Click Open controller. The controller opens in a new tab.

The controller has two halves. The left half has the run list. The right half shows the board on the screens now. Under it are the buttons, and the next board is to the right of the buttons. Click a button or a board, as on a phone.

You can also use these keys. A presenter remote sends the same keys. To see the keys in the controller, click Keys.

  • Right arrow, Page Down or Space: show the next board.
  • Left arrow or Page Up: go back one board.
  • P: play or pause.
  • 1 to 9: show that board in the run list. 0 shows board 10.

The keys do not work while you type in a field.

To use a second monitor, move the tab to that monitor. Then click Full window. Press Esc to close the full window.

Live preview

The On screen now box can show the board as it plays. Slides change and videos play as on the screens.

  • Live: the box shows the board as it plays.
  • Still: the box shows a picture of the board.

Click Live or Still at the top of the box. NowBoard keeps your choice on this device. On a computer or a tablet, the box starts on Live. On a phone, it starts on Still. This uses less data and battery.

The live preview is in step with the screens to within about 1 second. It has no sound. A browser cannot play NDI, so an NDI board shows its picture and the words "NDI plays on the screens only".

Grid mode

  1. Above the run list, click Grid. Each board of the show shows as a tile with its picture, number and name.
  2. Click a tile. The screens show that board at once.

The tile of the board on the screens has the label ON SCREEN. The next board has the label NEXT. Click List to see the run list again. On a computer, use the arrow keys to move between the tiles. Press Enter to show a board.

Delete a Live show

  1. On the Players tab, remove all Players.
  2. On the Settings tab, click Delete Live show.

NowBoard deletes the show and its Channel. You cannot delete a show that has Players.

On the Channels page

A Live show Channel has a Live show label. Its Channel page does not show a playlist. Use the link on that page to open the show.