Q-SYS 9.5.0

Q-SYS 9.5.0 introduces support for another NL Series network PoE loudspeaker model. The NL-SB42 is a network PoE soundbar that delivers clear speech and music reproduction natively to Q-SYS. The NL-SB42, along with the NL-C4 ceiling and NL-P4 pendant PoE loudspeaker models, are available from the Inventory > Loudspeakers - High-Z and PoE category.

To learn more, see the NL-SB42 topic.

NL Series > Loudspeaker Output components now include a Clip Hold control and control pin, which allows you to hold the Clip indication until manually cleared.

Refer to the Loudspeaker Output (NL Series) topic for a complete list of control definitions.

The Core 110f Software Dante 32 channel license now supports 16 Dante flows (formerly 8) and lower Network Stream usage. For more information, see the Software Dante RX or Software Dante TX topic > Channel and Stream Usage section.

• A new Power Meters control can be used to toggle visibility of the Voltage, Current, and Power meters.

• PowerSave monitoring now occurs at the input of the amplifier block.

• A new Output (dBFS) meter measures the digital output to the amplifier output channel, from -120 to 20dB.

To learn about the Amp Output component, see the Amp Output (Network Amplifiers) topic.

Updated Acoustic Echo Cancelation (AEC) application content is now available directly in the Q-SYS Help > Apply and Integrate section. This updated content replaces the old PDF version.

Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) Application

NV-32-H (Core Capable) devices in Core Mode, as well as NV-32-H devices configured as Encoders or Decoders, now support the ability to receive Mediacast streams from Q-SYS cameras (NC Series and PTZ Series) for output to a connected HDMI display.

For support details, schematic examples, property and control definitions, as well as troubleshooting tips, see the HDMI I/O (NV-32-H) topic.

In the camera Status/Control component and USB Video Bridge component, the Mediacast > Max Bitrate range is now 1.00 to 25.0 (formerly 30.0) to allow for increased performance for NC Camera Mediacast streams to I/O-USB devices.

Use the new Max ePTZ Zoom property of the NC-110 camera's Status/Control component to limit the digital zoom of a connected NC-110 Conference Camera. This prevents noisy images (due to cropping and scaling) that naturally occur with extreme digital zoom levels.

Note: The NC-110 supports a maximum digital zoom of 8x. The Max ePTZ Zoom property ranges from 3 to 8 with a default of 4. For existing designs, you can either update any snapshots with the new Max ePTZ Zoom setting or set the property to 8 to retain the saved functionality.

To learn more about this and other camera properties and controls, see the Status/Control (Cameras) topic.

Focus controls for the NC-12x80 and NC-20x60 PTZ cameras now include an AF Zone control. Use this new control set what portion of the image is prioritized for auto-focusing – Center (default), Top, or Bottom.

To learn more about this and other camera controls, see the Status/Control (Cameras) or USB Video Bridge topic.

The QIO-S4 expands your Q-SYS system with four ports of Serial connectivity. The new device is available from the Inventory menu within the Control > Other category.

See the QIO-S4 topic to learn more.

The QIO-IR1x4 expands your Q-SYS system with one IR input and four IR output ports. The new device is available from the Inventory menu within the Control > Other category.

See the QIO-IR1x4 topic to learn more.

Use the new IR Driver and IR Receiver components in conjunction with the QIO-IR1x4's IR inputs and outputs.

• IR Driver sends commands to the IR Output (QIO-IR1x4) component (to transmit those commands to an IR receiving device, such as a television, media manager, DVD player, etc.) or an IR Receiver component in your design (to save and label commands). You can select IR commands from an extensive database of IR device brands, types, and models.

• IR Receiver learns commands sent from the IR Input (QIO-IR1x4) component. Received commands can be saved, labeled, and optionally sent to the IR Output (QIO-IR1x4) component. Commands are saved locally within the IR Receiver component within the design.

To learn more, see IR Driver and IR Receiver.

Use the Call Sync component to simplify the integration of Q-SYS collaboration devices and calling systems. It synchronizes mute state, call controls, and LED light behavior across multiple calling systems, including USB HID Conferencing and Softphone.

To learn more, see the Call Sync [BETA] topic.

Note: This is a BETA feature. Though it is functional, it is not feature complete. Q-SYS cannot provide support for this feature at this time, but is interested in your feedback. To provide feedback, send an email to Qsyscontrolfeedback@qsc.com.

This function replaces Named Components, allowing selectable access via external control or script to specified components. For more information, see Code Name / Script Access.

Script Programmer Mode is used in conjunction with the Code Name / Script Access properties. It allows you to quickly view the Script Access setting directly on the component in the design schematic without the need to disconnect from the Core. For more information, see Script Programmer Mode.

Manage UCI Styles is now Design Resources with the ability to manage UCI Styles and import External Lua Modules.

You can now dynamically add CSS Class Names to a UCI via Lua script. See Dynamic CSS Class Names.

Additional functions were added to the Crypto commands list:

• Crypto.Cypher – Table with values for supported ciphers.

• Crypto.Decrypt – Block-based decryption.

• Crypto.Encrypt – Block-based encryption.

• Crypto.GetRandomBytes – Create a series of random bytes.

• Crypto.Hash – Table with values for supported hash functions.

• Crypto.PBKDF2 – Implementation of Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2.

To learn more, see the Crypto topic.

Use the Presets feature to assign settings to multiple Systems (Q-SYS Core processors) at the same time. This is useful in cases where many Systems require the same configuration – for example, network settings for Q-SYS Core processors residing on the same network. Applying settings simultaneously to multiple Systems saves time and reduces the chance of configuration errors.

To learn more, see the Presets (Beta) topic in Enterprise Manager Help.

Note: This is a BETA feature. Though it is functional, it is not feature complete.

Performance across the entire Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager platform has been improved.

For listed Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals, you can now optionally click to launch Core Manager or Peripheral Manager in your PC's default browser. In addition, spacing between listed devices has been increased to allow for easier viewing.

• A new in-line Install button allows you to install a plugin directly from the plugin list.

• New header fields at the top of a selected plugin indicate Product Type, Company, Support information, the Uploaded date, More Information links, as well as any applicable Licensing information.

• Starting with Q-SYS 9.5.0, only one version of a package can be installed at a time.

It is no longer possible to browse the /media file directory in a web browser. Use the Files page in Q-SYS Core Manager, where you can easily browse, upload, and download media files.

To increase the security of data transfers to and from the Core, the HTTP protocol is no longer supported unless the "Q-SYS Designer Communications - Legacy" service is enabled in Core Manager > Network > Services. Transition all custom applications to secure HTTPS.

Note: By default, the Q-SYS Core processor and Q-SYS peripherals use self-signed certificates for HTTPS communication. This can cause some browsers, such as Chrome, to prompt you to accept the connection. To avoid this, you can install a CA-signed certificate, depending on your organization's security requirements. To learn how, see the Network > Certificates topic in the Core Manager section.

The Q-SYS Control for Microsoft Teams Room (MTR) application installer is now a .exe file (formerly .msi).

The Q-SYS Control for Microsoft Teams Room (MTR) application now supports up to two simultaneous camera preview video streams within a UCI, which parities the UCI Viewer app capabilities. Displaying Q-SYS camera live preview video is as easy as dragging and dropping the Preview control from the camera's Status/Control component (or downstream USB Video Bridge) into your UCI.

To learn more, see the Media Display topic.

The MTR component (available from the Inventory > Control > Other) now includes a Hide control that allows you to hide a UCI on the Microsoft Teams Room console. Combined with the existing Show control and UCI Visible LED indicator, it's easy to toggle and obtain status of UCI visibility on an MTR console.

To learn more about MTR, including its properties and controls, see the Microsoft Teams Room (MTR) topic.

Planned Deprecation: Q-SYS 9.6

Support for some legacy Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals, including the Core 500i, Core 250i, and I/O Frame 8S, is being discontinued. Once deprecated, these devices will no longer be available from the Inventory menu or supported within existing designs.

• If you are upgrading from version 9.1.x or later, no additional steps are necessary.

• If you are upgrading from version 9.0.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  2. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

If you are upgrading from any Version 8 release:

1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
2. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

• If you are upgrading from version 7.2.1:

  1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  2. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

• If you are upgrading from version 7.2.0, 7.1.x, or 7.0.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  2. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  3. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

If you are upgrading from version 6.2.x or 6.1.x:

1. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
2. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
3. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
4. Upgrade to version 9.5.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. (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.)
2. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
3. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
4. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
5. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

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. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
5. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
6. Upgrade to version 9.5.x.

• Windows 8.1 PRO x64
• Windows 10 PRO x64

If you are using a high DPI monitor resolution, such as 4K60, you might need to adjust the Windows Compatibility settings so that Q-SYS Designer Software displays properly:

1. Right-click the Designer shortcut on the desktop and select Properties.
2. In the Compatibility tab, click the "Change high DPI settings" button.
3. In the DPI settings window, select the following:
   • Select "Use this setting to fix scaling problems...".
   • In the "Use the DPI..." drop-down menu, select "I open this program".
   • Select "Override high DPI scaling behavior".
   • In the "Scaling performed by" drop-down menu, select "Application".

Q-SYS Designer Software has been tested to work when running in a virtual Windows 10 environment via Parallels Desktop for Mac. Use the following test environment and settings as a guideline for your setup.

Mac Hardware

• Mac Mini
• 3.2 GHz 6 Core Intel I7 processor
• 16 GB RAM

MacOS

• Version: Catalina 10.15.7
• To preserve RDP access, disable Energy Saver.

Parallels

• Version: Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac
• To preserve RDP access, deselect Pause Windows.
• Make sure that Devices > Network > Bridged Network (Ethernet) > Ethernet is selected.
• Reserved RAM space for Windows 10: 8 GB

Windows 10 Virtual Environment

• Version: Windows 10 Enterprise
• To preserve RDP access, disable sleep settings.

Other Notes

• If you have no intent of using Remote Desktop (RDP), you can leave the sleep / Energy Saver settings for all three layers at their defaults.
• If you change any network settings (for example, switching network NICs), you must restart Parallels.
• Hard Links have not yet been tested in a virtual Windows installation.
• Big Sur (MacOS 11.1) has not yet been tested by QSC as a host MacOS version for a virtual Windows installation.

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

These web browsers are tested to work with Q-SYS Core Manager and Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager on Windows, MacOS, and Linux:

• Microsoft Edge

• Mozilla Firefox

• Google Chrome

• Apple Safari

Note: Internet Explorer is not supported.