Score2Stream is a freeware to read and capture scoreboards of sports events and show its content as tv graphics in video live streams. The idea was inspired by Scoreboard-webcam-OCR by Xiaoyang Kao.
Scoreboard view:
Clips view:
Samples view:
Graphics output:
Some sample data for testing can be found in the additionals.
The configuration of Score2Stream consists of the following steps:
- Selecting webcam as the input source (this can be a video file for testing purposes too).
- Defining the clips which contain the digits of the scoreboard.
- Selecting one or multiple clips as a sample template for values.
- Identifying samples with values to be used.
- Setting all scoreboard values.
- Using the graphic as output for the stream.
The input can be selected by clicking Video -> Source. If a new webcam is added to the computer, the system must be started again to identify the new source.
It is also possible to add a video file to test the application's handling. The file can be added by clicking Video -> Source -> Select file....
All inputs can be stopped by clicking Video -> Stop sources
If the source is visible on the video view (left part of the application), a clip can be selected by clicking Video -> Add new clip.
A new clip definition is shown on the editing view (right part of the application). You can define the clip region by selecting the area with the mouse in the video view. You can always change the clip's location by reselecting it with the mouse.
When the clip is selected, you can immediately see the resulting monochrome (black/white) outlook in the editing view. If the image is hard to identify, then you should adjust the contrast of the clip by changing the value of Contrast.
Furthermore, you should define its purpose by changing the value of Type. You can select one of the following types:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Period | Digit of the current period |
| Clock min X_ | Left digit of the game clock minutes shown in the graphic |
| Clock min _X | Right digit of the game clock minutes shown in the graphic |
| Clock sec X_ | Left digit of the game clock seconds shown in the graphic |
| Clock sec _X | Right digit of the game clock seconds shown in the graphic |
| Clock splitter | Splitter character between minutes and seconds (it is : by default) |
| Shot X_ | Left digit of the shot clock seconds shown in the graphic |
| Shot _X | Left digit of the shot clock seconds shown in the graphic |
| Score home X__ | First digit of the home team score shown in the graphic |
| Score home _X_ | Second digit of the home team score shown in the graphic |
| Score home __X | Third digit of the home team score shown in the graphic |
| Score guest X__ | First digit of the guest team score shown in the graphic |
| Score guest _X_ | Second digit of the guest team score shown in the graphic |
| Score guest __X | Third digit of the guest team score shown in the graphic |
| Fouls home | Single digit of the home team fouls shown in the graphic |
| Fouls guest | Single digit of the home team fouls shown in the graphic |
Please note that you must NOT select all values. E.g., it is possible to use the game clock digits only but not use the other content.
If a clip is selected, it can be used as a sample template by clicking Video -> Use as template.
Please note that you don't need to define a template for each clip. You can reuse an existing template for another clip by changing the value of Template.
When a clip is used as a template, the template tab is opened, and the clip content is shown on the editing view (the right part of the application). Now the sample values can be defined by either:
- Adding each new sample step-by-step when it it appears on the clip by clicking Templates -> Add as sample, or
- Using the detection functionality by clicking Templates -> Detect samples.
The latter function automatically adds new samples when all existing samples' similarity value is below the detection threshold (see Samples -> Detection threshold). If the part is activated, the sample view on the right side has a yellow background. Don't forget to deactivate the detection if you have once collected enough values ;-)
You can immediately define a new sample's value by putting it into the text box. You can easily switch between the values by using the TAB button. Unnecessary samples can be deleted by clicking Samples -> Remove selected or using the keyboard combination CTRL + DEL.
Now you are ready to use the scoreboard. Therefore, open the Board tab. All previously defined clips should now be visible in the respective boxes (e.g., the game clock, if you set this). Directly you can input all missing values (e.g., the home team and guest team names, number of periods, etc.).
Please note that when you change a value, it is not shown immediately on the graphic. The adjusted values are marked with an orange background. To set the changed values in the graphic, you must click Board -> Update board..
The text boxes at the bottom are ticker entries in the graphic. The changing period of the ticker (in seconds) can be set above the boxes.
The resulting graphic can be started. To open the output, click Board -> Open server. It opens a website containing the graphic, which can be integrated into a web stream. With version 1.3 you must not be connected to the internet anymore to receive the website.
The website address and the used ports are currently hard-coded and cannot be changed.
The following optional settings can be set:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Video -> Processing delay | The delay between capturing two images in milliseconds. By adjusting this value, you can minimize the computational load of the app. |
| Video -> Image queue size | The number of the last X images merged into the resulting output image. Sometimes the input is flickering. By merging the images, the resulting output minimizes the impact of this effect. |
| Video -> Deactivate cropping | If this value is activated, then the clips are used as defined by the selection. By default the content of the clips is centered and only main objects are detected. |
| Samples -> Detection threshold | The value of similarity under which a new sample is created in the detection mode (see above). |
| Samples -> Matching threshold | The similarity value must be reached that a sample is considered as value. Otherwise, the value is used, which is defined in Empty value |
| Samples -> Wait for update | The number of milliseconds waited until a changed value is considered. Sometimes the input is flickering. Using this value, you can ensure that changes must exist for a minimum time until they are considered. |