*Set camera OSD using macros

Owned by Tom Polman
Last updated: May 24, 2023 by Martijn Friggen
3 min read

Configuration Article | CA-20201130-TP-09

VDG Sense | Setup | Server Macros

On certain devices, it’s possible to change the Camera On-screen display (OSD) text and color using the VDG Sense macro engine. This can be useful to draw attention to a certain device in case of an event or give an operator additional information about the state of the device.

Note: At the moment, this feature is only supported on the following drivers:

  • Siqura Megapixel

  • TKH Security Solutions

  • Hikvision

Setting OSD color and border color

In the above example, we have a device named Camera 01. The default OSD is enabled and has a white text color and a black border color. To change the OSD colors, a macro needs to be created. Open either the Server Macro or Viewer Macro tab, and create a new macro. You can use any macro signal available in the macro engine. To view a list of available signals, click here.

Set the following macro action:

Device →  <Camera location> → <Camera Name> → Set OSD Color → <Color>
Device →  <Camera location> → <Camera Name> → Set OSD border Color → <Color>

When the macro is executed, the camera OSD will change.

Setting OSD text

Some devices allow the use of custom OSD texts. These can be configured in the camera interface. This can differ per device. In the image below, we use a Siqura BC1103 device. These custom text needs to be enabled before they can be changed.

With the macro engine in VDG Sense, we are able to change these texts using macro signals. We can also place event values in these texts. To change the OSD text, a macro needs to be created. Open either the Server Macro or Viewer Macro tab, and create a new macro. You can use any macro signal available in the macro engine. To view a list of available signals, click here.

Set the following macro action:

Device →  <Camera location> → <Camera Name> → Set OSD Text 1→ <String>
Device →  <Camera location> → <Camera Name> → Set OSD Text 2 → %eventvalue%

Using %eventvalue%, we can display the string of the event that triggers the macro.

When the macro is executed, the camera OSD will change.

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