ShowSlate v0.12.0-beta.2 - Mac-first public beta

ShowSlate Live Compositor 0.12.0 Beta 2

This beta adds clean local Program recording and completes a substantial operator-workflow update. ShowSlate can now build and run layered scenes, switch Preview to Program, route independent display canvases, operate a compact Live Mode deck and record the resulting Program with enabled Program audio.

Mac-first work in progress: this is an evaluation build for off-air testing. The packaged Apple Silicon Mac app has completed the operator and recording checks described below. Windows packages build in native CI but have not yet been manually validated on physical Windows hardware. ShowSlate is not production-certified: rehearse the exact computer, displays, storage, media, capture devices, audio route and fallback before a live event.

ShowSlate may be used as one component in a staffed production, but this beta does not replace specialist crew roles, redundant signal paths or independent backup hardware.

Download

Status	Platform	Package
Primary tested beta	Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer)	ShowSlate-0.12.0-beta.2-arm64.dmg
Experimental, physical validation needed	Windows 10/11 x64	ShowSlate-Setup-0.12.0-beta.2.exe

The portable Windows EXE is an advanced no-install option with the same experimental status. SHA256SUMS.txt is included with the release. The previous 0.11.0-beta.1 packages remain available for comparison and rollback.

GitHub's automatic Source code ZIP and TAR.GZ files are developer archives and will not install ShowSlate. Download one of the named packages above.

Record Program

• Start and stop a clean Program recording from the visible Record Program control in the main header.
• Capture the Program canvas without Preview, the controller interface or operator overlays.
• Choose the save folder, filename prefix, Program/1080p/1440p/4K/custom resolution, 24/25/30/50/60 fps, quality and bitrate under Settings > Recording.
• Use Automatic format selection, explicit MP4/H.264 or WebM. Automatic prefers MP4 when the current encoder supports it and otherwise falls back to WebM.
• Include the enabled Program audio mix at a selectable audio bitrate.
• See elapsed time while recording, last-file status after stopping and free disk space before starting.
• Stream recording chunks directly to disk instead of retaining the complete recording in memory.

Live operation and media

• A compact Live Mode performance deck exposes the same compositions, scenes and source layers without creating a separate project state.
• Scene and source visibility, drag ordering, Preview, TAKE, GO NEXT and Program-layer actions follow the operator's visible state.
• Video transport supports Preview, Program or Both targeting, play/pause/restart/stop, IN and OUT points, loop/hold behavior, speed and restart-on-TAKE.
• Program and Preview playback stay synchronized while audio routing remains explicit and off by default.
• Audio mixer faders and mute controls now update the live media graph.
• Large media is linked and byte-range streamed from disk; ShowSlate does not impose the previous 200 MB playback limit or silently recompress originals.
• UHD source profiles and 4K60 validation are available where the source device, codec, computer and outputs can sustain them.
• Show files can be saved and loaded while preserving compositions, scenes and operator state.

Composition and outputs

• Advanced projector mapping separates Input Selection from Output Mapping.
• A destination can show the normal Program without mapping, or use one or more named mapping surfaces.
• Surfaces support four-corner perspective, bounded linear mesh, polygon masks, calibration patterns and manual edge-blend controls.
• Multiple surfaces can target one output, and several independently configured destinations can receive the same Program.
• Compact and resized layouts keep Preview, Program, scenes, layers, inspector, mixer and primary commands reachable.

Verification completed for this beta

• Source display smoke completed with SMOKE_OK.
• The packaged Apple Silicon application completed the full display smoke with SMOKE_OK.
• Recording model tests completed 5/5; Composer renderer tests completed 68/68; all eight renderer suites passed.
• A real packaged-app operator run recorded the exact Program test pattern as a 1920x1080 MP4/H.264 file with AAC stereo audio at 48 kHz. The 37.9-second file was decoded and inspected independently with FFmpeg.
• The installed Desktop application reports 0.12.0-beta.2 and passes strict local code-signature verification.

Important limits

• The Mac package is ad-hoc signed and not notarized. The Windows packages are unsigned. Operating systems can show an unknown-developer warning.
• Windows packages are produced and checked in native CI, but this release has not been manually validated on a physical Windows computer. Treat Windows as experimental and use it off-air until that changes.
• Recording codecs depend on the encoders available through Electron and the operating system. Test the exact requested format before relying on it.
• Record Program creates one composited Program file. It is not multitrack recording, replay, streaming or redundant broadcast capture.
• 4K, 50/60 fps, several simultaneous videos and multiple outputs can exceed the practical limits of a given computer or drive.
• Window/display and camera/UVC streams remain local to the desktop app and its Electron output windows. Browser/OBS URL outputs do not receive those local streams.
• Physical projector alignment, every UVC capture card, every codec and external OBS/vMix alpha behavior are not universally certified.
• ShowSlate is not an NDI router, multibus audio mixer, PTZ/DMX controller or multi-room synchronization platform.

Download only from this repository, verify SHA256SUMS.txt when needed and keep an independent fallback for show-critical use.