Q-SYS UCI Editor enables drag-and-drop design for Q-SYS controllers. QSC is expanding the control capabilities of its Q-SYS Platform. Designed for the IT and AV professional, the Q-SYS integrated audio, video, and control platform offers a reimagined software-focused control paradigm including contemporary programming tools, native touchscreen controllers, drag-and-drop visual programming capabilities, as well as a flexible and scalable management and monitoring capabilities for today’s enterprise.
At the heart of the update is Q-SYS Reflect, a monitoring and management platform built using web technologies for local and remote management of Q-SYS systems. Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager aims to simplify the management of multiple Q-SYS systems and is architected to evolve with the changing needs of the IT/AV integrator, programmer, administrator, and end user.
Rather than requiring dedicated control hardware programmed with partial, proprietary, or outdated methodologies, Q-SYS delivers modern control capabilities with optional software licensing that is easier to deploy and manage. The new TSC-G2 Series touchscreen controllers offer native integration with the Q-SYS Platform without requiring a dedicated control processor to operate.
“The Q-SYS Control expansion is a testament to development principles of the Q-SYS Platform, which is keeping a firm technology alignment with the IT industry and focus on software-based functionality advances,” said Markus Winkler, senior vice president, QSC Systems. “We have used software within Q-SYS to introduce AEC processing, conference room video camera switching, and the industry’s first real-time AV&C software deployment on commercial off-the-shelf IT hardware. Software-based control is the ideal next step in offering the most flexible and scalable IT/AV platform on the market.”
Addressing the fundamental need for IT/AV system administrators to easily monitor and manage their AV systems, Q-SYS Reflect is a new management platform for the Q-SYS ecosystem, which will launch with two different versions. Q-SYS Reflect Core Manager runs natively on the Q-SYS Core processor and provides a more modern and secure interface for common, IT-related tasks on the Q-SYS hardware. Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager extends that web platform to the cloud and provides a hosted solution to monitor and manage multiple Q-SYS systems including Core processors and peripherals. Regardless of whether AV assets are distributed within a single building or across an entire global enterprise, Q-SYS Reflect delivers real-time data and insights for monitoring, diagnostics, and troubleshooting.
“We recognize that our customers want to avoid bloated management systems that require extraneous setup and deployment complexities, and will not settle for rough, bolt-on AV modifications to existing building asset managers,” said Martin Barbour, product manager for Installed Systems, QSC. “Q-SYS Reflect will address those needs by providing streamlined setup and configuration with security and manageability at the forefront of the user experience.”
QSC will initially offer Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager as a hosted cloud-based solution. In future product details and feature updates, QSC will include an on-premise version as well as a robust API, which will allow users to connect and integrate Q-SYS Reflect with other enterprise management applications and dashboards as desired.
“When this technology reaches its fullest stage of maturity, it will be the first platform of its kind to deliver a holistic, global view of Q-SYS systems in a format that IT professionals have come to expect from their IT infrastructure,” Barbour said.
UCI and Custom Scripting Deployment with Flexible Software Feature Licensing
The Q-SYS UCI Editor is a drag-and-drop design tool that allows users to create custom, robust UCIs for native Q-SYS touchscreen controllers, all without the need for any previous programming experience. This design tool is designed to improve efficiency in the traditional AV control design and commissioning workflow.
For installations that require more complex control integration, the Q-SYS Scripting Engine allows control plug-ins and scripts to integrate third-party devices with the Q-SYS Platform. It also provides the backbone for new Controller components that allow users to create custom scripts using scripting languages including Lua, an open-source, IT friendly programming language.
During AV system design development and testing, the full functionality of the Q-SYS Designer Software, including the Q-SYS UCI Editor and the Q-SYS Scripting Engine, are included at no cost while running in “emulation mode.” When it comes time to deploy a system design to the Q-SYS Core processor, users can selectively and securely enable control-related features as needed on their Q-SYS Core processors using new node-locked, perpetual software licenses.
Drag-and-Drop Visual Code Editor
For the novice programmer or IT professional just getting started with AV programming, or the seasoned AV professional doing rapid prototyping, the new Q-SYS Block Controller component leverages the power of the Q-SYS Scripting Engine and includes a visual programming tool that brings modern software design paradigms to the AV programming industry.
Based on technology initially developed by Google and MIT and currently deployed commercially in dozens of products and platforms, this open-source visual programming tool uses interlocking, graphical blocks to represent common code programming concepts including logical expressions, loops, and more. This approach to rapid code creation and editing allows for the composition of simple or sophisticated AV scripts while ensuring that the generated code is always syntactically correct.
New TSC-G2 Series Touch Screen Controllers
These capacitive PoE LCD touchscreens are native to the Q-SYS Platform, equipped with IPS technology for off-axis viewing, and require no dedicated control hardware to operate. TSC-G2 Series is available in four new sizes—4.7, 5.5, 8.0, and 11.6 inches—and offers wall-mount options and table-top stand accessories.
