Q-SYS 8.4.0

This topic covers release information for Q-SYS 8.4 and any maintenance releases.

For a list of known issues affecting this release, see the Known Issues page. (Online only)

Version 8.4.0 includes these new features, updates, and resolved issues.

CAUTION: When upgrading to version 8.4.0, Q-SYS Camera and Network Video Endpoint streams are assigned new multicast IP addresses if the Q-SYS Core processor is configured for 'Auto' Multicast Mode (the default mode). Before upgrading, read the New Multicast Addressing Scheme section to understand the details of this change, including how to preserve existing addresses (if needed) and the requirements for updating Q-SYS NS Series network switches.

Q-SYS Core Manager, Reflect Enterprise Manager, Peripheral Manager (New!)

View Q-SYS peripheral device status, configure 802.1X port-based authentication, install CA-signed device certificates, and set device passwords using the new Q-SYS Peripheral Manager.

Peripheral Manager is accessible from Q-SYS Configurator by clicking the Device Security button for a selected device.

Note: In Q-SYS 8.4.0, configuration of peripheral LAN interfaces, such as setting an interface's IP address, is still performed directly within Q-SYS Configurator.

Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals now support 802.1X port-based authentication. You can enable 802.1X for each Core or peripheral's LAN interface connected to the network. Enabling 802.1X for network clients may be a security requirement of the site network to allow authenticated devices to connect.

  • For Q-SYS Cores, enable 802.1X from the Q-SYS Core Manager > Network > 802.1X page. You can also enable 802.1X remotely from Enterprise Manager > Systems.
  • For Q-SYS peripherals, enable 802.1X from the new Q-SYS Peripheral Manager, which is accessible from the Q-SYS Configurator > Device Security button for each listed peripheral.

To learn more, see the 802.1X topic in Core Manager Help.

Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals now support the installation of signed certificates. If your browser trusts the signing certificate authority (CA), it will allow trusted HTTPS connections to the device.

To learn more, see the Certificates topic in Core Manager Help.

Use the new Roles page in Core Manager (and remotely from Enterprise Manager) to view role permissions and create new roles with customized Full Access, View, or Hidden permission assignment for each Core configuration page. Custom roles add to the built-in Administrator, Technician, and Viewer roles. After creating a custom role, you can then assign it to one or more users.

To learn more, see the Roles topic in Core Manager Help.

The Core Manager and Enterprise Manager > System navigation menu now features more intuitive organization:

  • The new Monitoring category includes the Status and Event Log pages.
  • The Core Management category now includes groupings for Network (which includes pages for configuring basic network settings, date and time, network services, and a new dedicated page for SNMP), as well as a new Access Management grouping for configuring users and user roles.
  • The System Management category includes new groupings for Telephony (for configuring Softphone and contacts) and Video (for configuring Q-SYS PTZ cameras and video endpoints).

Tip: To see a complete list of pages available in Core Manager, refer to the Q-SYS Core Manager topic.

Using Enterprise Manager, you can now remotely upload audio files to the Core and play them back, which parities functionality in Core Manager.

Core Manager now supports viewing User Control Interfaces (UCIs) directly within the Core Manager > User Control Interfaces page.

To learn more, see the User Control Interfaces topic in Core Manager Help.

Audio

Use the Bin Loop component to seamlessly loop one or more audio files for playback to one or more synchronized outputs. To accommodate a need to play a file for an indeterminate amount of time, such as during a show intermission or similar, you can loop a file indefinitely until manually "breaking" to the next file.

To learn more, see the Bin Loop topic.

The DCIO-H Digital In component includes a new Upmix control that allows for upmixing of HDMI stereo audio content to synthesize a center channel, as well as side and rear surround channels.

To learn more, see the Digital In – DCIO/DCIO-H topic.

The Software Dante RX component includes a new Rx Flows control that displays the number of flows currently being used out of the maximum. (The maximum is determined by the Channel Count property.)

To learn more, see the Software Dante RX topic.

Video

Note: When upgrading from version 8.3.3, you might have to reselect the desired output on each NV-32-H Decoder in your design after the upgrade to version 8.4.0 is complete. Alternatively, before upgrading: 1) Open the version 8.3.3 design, 2) Save and run to the Core or emulate the design, 3) Select the desired output in each Decoder, 4) Save the design.

Use the System Link Transmitter and System Link Receiver components to move AV streams and multicast audio from one Q-SYS System to another. For example, you could transmit audio and video from a primary location (such as a main auditorium) simultaneously to a secondary location (such as an overflow room).

The new System Link components are available from the new System I/O category within the Inventory menu. To learn more, see the System Link topic.

The NV-32-H Status component now includes a Network Test button within the Network AV Sources tab. Use this function to test the network's ability to losslessly carry video data from an NV-32-H Encoder to an NV-32-H Decoder (or, in the case of a multicast configuration, multiple Decoders).

To learn more, see the Network AV Sources section within the Status (NV-32-H) topic.

The Generic HDMI Display component includes a new Aspect Ratio control for selecting how source content is shown on the HDMI display if the source and display's aspect ratio differ:

  • Maintain Aspect Ratio: This is the default mode. The source content is scaled up or down to exactly match one dimension of the output resolution without cropping the other dimension.
  • Stretch to Fit: The source content is stretched or compressed to fit the aspect ratio of the display. (This was the only supported mode in previous Q-SYS versions.)
  • 1:1 Pixel Mapping: The image is centered on the output display with black bars (if smaller in any dimension) or cropped to fit (if larger).

To learn more, see the HDMI AV Input section within the Generic HDMI Display topic.

The Generic HDMI Source component includes a new Enable Output control that allows you to toggle off HDMI signals from the source. Toggling this control off is the same as physically disconnecting the source's HDMI cable, which is useful in cases where you want the source (such as a PC with multiple HDMI outputs) to change display modes depending on how many outputs are enabled.

To learn more, see the 'Enable Output' description within the Generic HDMI Source topic.

Control

In addition to routing audio and video signals in Q-SYS, you can now route USB HID signals to and from a Q-SYS Core 110f, Cinema Core 110c, or NV-32-H Network Video Endpoint. A common application is extending a keyboard & mouse or smart display touch screen to networked devices.

This feature includes two new Inventory components (available with the Core 110f/110c and NV-32-H) and one new Control component:

  • USB Input – Provides a visual representation of what is connected to the USB-A ports on the Q-SYS device.
  • USB Output – Provides a visual representation of the USB-B connector on a given device, and indicates any issues or missing connections between the Q-SYS device and the connected host.
  • USB Router – Routes input signals from one or more peripherals to one or more destination peripherals.

To learn more about USB routing in Q-SYS and to see some schematic examples and use cases, click one of the above Q-SYS Help links.

The HID Conferencing component is now officially supported and no longer uses the [BETA] flag. HID Conferencing is available on the Q-SYS Core 110f processor and NV-32-H Network Video Endpoint.

To learn more, see the HID Conferencing topic.

28 Attero Tech by QSC device extensions have been added to the Inventory > Peripherals category, allowing you to integrate control of these devices into your Q-SYS design. No scripting license is required!

Note: For current product information and documentation, see the Attero Tech by QSC product page on the QSC website. For information and documentation for discontinued products, see the Discontinued Attero Tech Products page.

Attero Tech Axiom BT1 Attero Tech Axon DBU Attero Tech unA6IO Attero Tech unD6IO
Attero Tech Axiom USB1 Attero Tech unBT2A Attero Tech unA6IO-BT Attero Tech unD6IO-BT
Attero Tech Axon A4FLEX Attero Tech Synapse D16Mio Attero Tech unAIO2x2+ Attero Tech unDIO2x2+
Attero Tech Axon A4Mio Attero Tech Synapse D32i Attero Tech unAX2IO+ Attero Tech unDX2IO+
Attero Tech Axon A8Mio Attero Tech Synapse D32Mi Attero Tech unAX4I Attero Tech unDX4I
Attero Tech Axon C1 Attero Tech Synapse D32o Attero Tech unD3IO Attero Tech unHX2D
Attero Tech Axon D2i Attero Tech DTH1620 Attero Tech unD4I-L Attero Tech Zip4

Use the UCI Style Controller to dynamically change the style of a selected User Control Interface (UCI) while a design is running on the Q-SYS Core processor. This makes it easy for a user to change the style on-the-fly – for example, to suit a room's lighting condition.

To learn more, see the See UCI Style Controller topic.

  • Polygons, Meters, Comboboxes, and Listboxes now support background images (background-image, background-position, and background-size properties).
  • Meters also now support the color property.

Refer to the UCI Styles topic for a complete list of supported CSS properties in UCI styles.

You can now reference custom fonts using the @font-face rule in your CSS file.

To learn more, see the UCI Styles topic.

UCI Viewer includes a new button for toggling Multitouch support. In previous releases, multitouch was enabled by default. For better compatibility with touchscreen PCs such as Microsoft Surface, you can now disable it.

A new Crypto.Digest function has been added to the list of supported Crypto functions. Use it to compute a message digest of specified data with a hashing algorithm.

To learn more, see the Crypto topic.

Other Updates

To reduce the chance of multicast address overlap, Q-SYS 8.4 uses a new scheme for 'Auto' mode assignment of multicast addresses for Q-SYS Camera streams, Network Video Endpoint streams, and AES67 Transmitter streams. Addresses are seeded in the following ranges using a combination of the device type and MAC address of the Core's primary LAN interface:

  • Video Endpoints: 233.252.0.0 - 233.252.255.255
  • Cameras: 233.253.0.0 - 233.253.255.255
  • AES67: 233.254.0.0 - 233.254.255.255

Preserving Multicast Addresses

When upgrading to v8.4, Camera and Video Endpoint devices configured for 'Auto' mode will automatically use new addresses in these ranges. If you prefer to continue using existing addresses (such as in cases where network switches are already configured for the pre-8.4 ranges), set the Multicast Mode to 'Manual' before upgrading. This preserves the addresses for those devices. Refer to the Cameras and See Video Endpoints topics in Core Manager Help for more information.

Note: AES67 stream multicast addresses are preserved when upgrading. However, you can force an AES67 Transmitter to take on an address from the new range by clearing the Multicast Address control. For more information, see the AES67 Transmitter topic.

To learn more about multicast addressing in Q-SYS, see Multicast Traffic.

Updating NS Series Switches

Concurrent with the Q-SYS 8.4.0 release is a new NS Series switch configuration file that correctly prioritizes the new AES67 multicast changes. Use these guidelines to determine whether your NS switch requires an update:

  • If you upgrade to 8.4.0 and either add a new AES67 Transmitter component or modify an existing one set to 'Auto' mode, you must update the NS switch configuration file.
  • If you install 8.4.0 as a new deployment that contains AES67 Transmitter components, you must update the NS switch configuration file.
  • If you upgrade to 8.4.0 and won't be modifying existing AES67 Transmitter components, adding new ones, or using AES67 at all, then updating the NS switch configuration file is recommended but not required.

Download the NS Series update package from the NS Series product page > Resources section. The package contains the required firmware update, new switch configurations, and complete upgrade instructions.

Note: The updated NS configuration file is compatible with Q-SYS deployments prior to version 8.4.0.

The Q-SYS Designer > File > Load from Core & Connect function now opens in a separate window and allows you to filter by System (locally discovered, hard linked, or both) and search by Core Name or Design Name. Each system shows its associated Core, running design name, and IP address.

The legacy TSC-3 touch screen is no longer available from the Inventory menu and is no longer supported in Q-SYS v8.4.0 and later. Note that:

  • If you attempt to open a design containing a TSC-3 component, you are now prompted to either continue opening the design (but without the ability to save it to the Core and run it) or closing the design.
  • The Q-SYS TSC-3 network service previously configurable in Core Manager and Enterprise Manager > Network Services is no longer applicable and has been removed.
  • The last Q-SYS version to support the TSC-3 is v8.3.3.

Access to media files and designs stored on the Core through the unsupported (but widely known) HTTP API is now deprecated and will be removed in the next Q-SYS release.

Resolved Known Issues

  • Audio: The LTC Reader component now calculates the correct frame rate and derived time.
  • Audio: POTS Controller > Hook Flash no longer uses a multi-second delay when enabled.
  • Audio: Some archived paging messages no longer contain digital noise.
  • Audio: CX-Q and DPA-Q amplifiers no longer indicate false low impedance warnings.
  • Cameras: A manual multicast address range specified on the Core Manager or Enterprise Manager > Cameras page is now retained when upgrading to v8.4.0.
  • Control: The E-mailer component now limits messages to 16 KB, which prevents larger messages from causing the Core to become unresponsive. Note that this fix does not affect the Email.Send Lua library. In scripts, you must still limit messages to 16 KB in size or less.
  • Core: Setting a time zone and enabling NTP at the same time no longer causes a Core 110f to stop responding.
  • Core: The SNMP service no longer stops responding under certain conditions.
  • Core: Core Status > Backup and Primary control pins (Active, Go Active, Standby) now output the proper values depending on what Core is active.
  • Core Manager: Status page no longer shows "Unavailable" after undoing and redoing a plugin's 'Is Managed' property in Designer.
  • Designer: Deploying a design containing a PA Router with unterminated signal pins no longer causes a "timed out" error.
  • I/O-USB Bridge: Streaming H.264 video from a PTZ camera when the USB Transfer Mode property is set to 'Isochronous' no longer produces distorted audio.
  • NV-32-H: HDMI output no longer hangs when switching AV inputs if a Decoder uses both HDMI outputs and HDMI 2 is set to 'Follow H1'.
  • NV-32-H: Disabling HDMI in the Generic HDMI Display component no longer disables audio from the Decoder's audio output pins.
  • NV-32-H: Dynamic Idle Screen logos are now limited to 300 x 300 pixels, preventing distortion.
  • NV-32-H: With USB Video Bridging enabled on an NV-32-H, bridged video quality (such as in video conferencing software) is no longer impacted when simultaneously streaming AV.
  • Softphone: The Core Manager or Enterprise Manager > Softphones page now shows the softphone status without a page refresh.

Q-SYS 8.x releases include the new Q-SYS Core Manager, which replaces many Q-SYS Administrator functions and all Q-SYS Configurator functions for Q-SYS Core processors.

Read the following sections carefully before upgrading to or downgrading from Q-SYS 8.x. See the Upgrade Path Requirements section for special requirements when upgrading from specific versions.

Design File Compatibility

CAUTION: Before upgrading, save a backup copy of system designs.

Design files saved in version 8.x cannot be opened in Q-SYS version 7.2 or lower.

About Q-SYS Core Manager

Q-SYS Core Manager replaces most Q-SYS Administrator functions and all Q-SYS Configurator functions for Q-SYS Core processors.

  • UCI user PINs, event log management, audio file management, SNMP configuration, and camera management have all moved from Q-SYS Administrator to Q-SYS Core Manager.
  • Configuration of LAN adapters, changing the Q-SYS Core's time and date, rebooting the Core, downloading logs, installing Q-SYS Feature Licenses, and configuring Network Services are all now handled within Core Manager.

To learn how to access Q-SYS Core Manager after upgrading, and to see a list of all its management functions, see Q-SYS Core Manager.

Core Device Passwords

CAUTION: After upgrading, the Q-SYS Core is unprotected. To restrict access to the Q-SYS Core, you must create users and assign permissions in Q-SYS Core Manager.

The Core Device Password is not used in Q-SYS 8.x, and has been replaced with individual users and passwords configured in Q-SYS Core Manager. The Core Device Password is not automatically converted to a user in Q-SYS Core Manager.

  • Before upgrading, use Q-SYS Configurator to clear the Core Device Password to avoid being prompted for user credentials. If you are prompted for user credentials when upgrading, use "admin" for User Name, followed by the Core Device Password.
  • The ability to 'Save to Core & Run' (including firmware updates), and 'Load from Core & Connect' are restricted by Q-SYS Core Manager Access Control. Only users with 'Administrator' and 'Technician' roles can perform these actions.
  • Peripheral Device Passwords are unchanged in Q-SYS 8.x.

To learn how to enable Access Control and create users in Q-SYS Core Manager, see the Users topic in the Q-SYS Core Manager help.

User Control Interface PIN Protection

CAUTION: To restrict UCI access after upgrading, you must create new PINs and assign them to UCIs in Q-SYS Core Manager.

User Control Interface (UCI) access control via Q-SYS Administrator users is removed when upgrading to Q-SYS 8.x. To learn how to create PINs and assign them to UCIs in Q-SYS Core Manager, see the User Control Interfaces topic in the Q-SYS Core Manager help.

Redundant Core Configuration

Core Users

In Q-SYS 8.x, Core users (created in Q-SYS Core Manager) are not synchronized between redundant Q-SYS Cores. In a redundant Core setup, you must enable Access Control and create users on both the primary and secondary Core. (User names do not have to be the same).

Event Logging

In previous Q-SYS versions, Q-SYS Administrator merged the Eventlog for each active/standby pair in a redundant Core configuration, which made it difficult to diagnose complex issues across a pair of Cores. In Q-SYS 8.x, the Eventlogs are no longer merged, so you can now view each Core's Eventlog separately to see what events occurred while Active. (No events are recorded on the Core when in Standby state.)

Q-SYS Administrator Changes

Access Control

Access to Q-SYS Administrator is now governed by Q-SYS Core Manager users and user roles:

  • If Access Control is enabled, only users with 'Administrator' or 'Technician' roles can use Q-SYS Administrator and its functions.
  • If Access Control is disabled, anyone can access Q-SYS Administrator and all of its functions.
  • Page-by-page access control is no longer supported in Q-SYS Administrator.

To learn how to control access in Q-SYS Core Manager, see the Users topic in the Q-SYS Core Manager help.

Function Migration to Q-SYS Core Manager

UCI user PINs, event log management, audio file management, SNMP configuration, and camera management have moved to Q-SYS Core Manager.

The following functions remain in Q-SYS Administrator in version 8.x:

  • PA administrative functions, including PA Global Settings, Page Stations, PA Zones, Commands, and Command Scheduling.
  • PIN users for Page Stations, External Control Protocol, and File Management Protocol.

Audio File Management

In Q-SYS 8.x, audio file management is available in the new Q-SYS Core Manager > Audio Files page.

Note: The ability to manage audio files is determined by Q-SYS Core Manager permissions. If Access Control is enabled, any user with the Administrator or Technician role can manage audio files. If Access Control is disabled, anyone can manage audio files.

To learn how to manage audio files in Q-SYS Core Manager, see the Audio Files topic in the Q-SYS Core Manager help.

Emulation Mode Changes

Q-SYS Core Manager is not accessible from Q-SYS Designer when running a design in Emulation mode. Core Manager can always be accessed via network connection and web browser.

Design-specific parameters that remain in Q-SYS Administrator (PA Global Settings, Page Stations, PA Zones, Commands, and Command Scheduling) are still accessible in Emulation mode.

Downgrade Requirements and Considerations

If you choose to downgrade from Q-SYS 8.x to an earlier version, note the following:

  • Before downgrading, disable Access Control in Q-SYS Core Manager, or create an Administrator user called "admin". Earlier Q-SYS versions will prompt for the "admin" password (but not the username) when saving and running the design.

    Note: Disabling Access Control removes all Q-SYS 8.x users from the Q-SYS Core. If you do not disable Access Control, these users are retained (but are not used) on the Q-SYS Core after downgrading. If you later decide to upgrade again, you will need to remember these credentials.

  • In the earlier Q-SYS version and design file, open Administrator and temporarily set the Guest account Administrator parameter to 'Yes' and the Load from Core & Connect parameter to 'Yes'. After downgrading, you can set these parameters back to 'No', if desired.
  • Downgrading the Q-SYS Core to previous firmware does not automatically restore legacy UCI PIN protection for UCIs. You must load a backed up design file, saved with a previous Q-SYS version, that has UCI protection enabled in Q-SYS Administrator.

Note the following requirements when upgrading to release 8.x. In all cases, Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals must be at version 7.2.1 before upgrading to 8.x.

CAUTION: Designs you create or update with a newer Q-SYS Designer version and then open in an older version are likely to be incompatible and unusable with the older version of software. Before upgrading, create backup copies of your Q-SYS design files for both the current version and older versions, and back up all media on your Q-SYS Core processor. To avoid overwriting design file backups, do not open backup files with newer versions of Q-SYS Designer.

If you are upgrading from versions 7.2.0, 7.1.x, 7.0.x, 6.2.x, or 6.1.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  2. Upgrade to version 8.x.

If you are upgrading from version 5.4.x, 5.3.x, 5.2.x, 5.1.x, or 5.0.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 6.0.0. See the version 6.0.0 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version.
  2. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  3. Upgrade to version 8.x.

Note: There is no need to update peripherals to version 6.0.0 in advance of updating to 7.2.1. Once the Q-SYS Core is running 7.2.1, it will update connected peripherals running version 5.x to version 7.2.1.

If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 4.2:

  1. Upgrade to version 4.2. See the version 4.2 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version.
  2. Upgrade to version 6.0.0. See the version 6.0.0 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version.
  3. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  4. Upgrade to version 8.x.

For software and firmware updates, see the QSC Software and Firmware page.

Operating System

  • Windows 7 PRO x64
  • Windows 8.1 PRO x64
  • Windows 10 PRO x64

Installation Dependencies

The Q-SYS Designer and Q-SYS Administrator installation programs automatically install the following components if not currently installed on the Windows PC. Internet access is required to download these dependencies.

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (includes 2.0 SP2, 3.0, and 3.0 SP2)
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 SP2
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
  • Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 14.16 (2017)
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1
  • Microsoft XML Parser 6.0

Q-LAN relies on the performance of modern network switches to ensure real-time delivery and synchronicity of media streams across all connected Q-SYS devices. See Network Switches & Infrastructure to understand your options in choosing a network switch, as well as the requirements for compatibility with Q-LAN.

Q-SYS Designer release numbering convention is a three-level system – major release.minor release.build number (2.2.100). Larger numbers indicate a newer release. If the "major.minor" release number of a design file and Q-SYS Designer software are the same, the "build" number doesn't matter. You will have to upgrade/downgrade your hardware to the same "build" number as the Q-SYS Designer software to Run the design on the Core processor.

You cannot open a design file with a newer "major.minor" release number than the Q-SYS Designer software. For example, you cannot open a 4.2.nnn design file with 3.3.nnn Q-SYS Designer software.

You can open a design file with an older "major.minor" release number than the Q-SYS Designer software. For example, you can open a 3.3.nnn design file with Release 4.2.nnn Q-SYS Designer software. If you save the file with the newer software, you cannot save it back to an older release.

Note: Make sure your design files are backed up using your current release before starting the upgrade to a newer release.