Input failover¶

It is common practice to configure more than one source for a TV channel in case the primary source fails.

Catena SE allows you to specify multiple sources. If frames stop arriving from the first source for the specified time (source_timeout seconds), the system switches to the second and so on.

1. Create a channel¶

Go to the Channels section, enter the channel name (e.g. failover-demo) and create the channel. Open the Inputs tab.

2. Add sources¶

Click Add source and enter the first (primary) source — e.g. multicast udp://239.10.10.10:1234. Click Add source again and enter the second (backup) — e.g. fake:// for testing.

The order of sources defines priority: if the first fails, the system switches to the second.

Set source timeout (seconds) — how long to wait for frames before switching. For a quick test you can use 1–2 seconds. Save the settings (Save).

3. Verify playback¶

Go to the Basic tab. The built-in player should show the stream. If the first source is unavailable (e.g. multicast is not streaming), after a few seconds the system will switch to the second and the stream will play from it.

4. Source status after failover¶

Return to the Inputs tab. You can see which source is currently active: the system marks the active source and shows the status of the others.

You will get a list of last connection retries and reasons of their failure.