Webdiffusion Studio is made of three parts. Knowing which one does what makes everything else easier.
The manager: prepare and administer
The manager is the web application where account admins and directors prepare their work:
- Studios: each studio is a production space with its own people, devices and settings.
- Users & Devices: who has access to the studio, and which devices are connected to it.
- Sessions: scheduled windows where invited guests join the studio (see Invite guests to a session).
- Content and archives: Recordings, Video library, Prompter, Slides and more.
- Admin: your studios, users, devices and account (plan, storage, AI credits).
From Home, Open studio app ↗ takes you into the studio itself.
The studio app: where the production happens
Everyone taking part opens the studio app: in a web browser, or with the Webdiffusion Studio client desktop app available in Admin › Downloads. Each device joins as a Console (your main screen) or as a Companion (camera, intercom or display only). See Join a studio from a device: Console and Companion.
At the venue, devices connect to the PCR app over the local network; remote participants go through the cloud. In Backstage mode, everything goes through the cloud.
What you see in the studio depends on your role: Attendee, Operator or Director (plus Admin, who also manages the studio).
The PCR app: live mixing (optional)
A studio can run in two ways:
- With the PCR app (Production Control Room): a dedicated PC or Mac on the studio’s local network runs the Webdiffusion PCR application. It mixes the program, adds graphics, handles HD video, PTZ cameras and encoders, and feeds broadcasts to streaming platforms.
- In Backstage mode: the studio runs without a control room, entirely through the cloud. You keep preparation, recording, instant replay, prompter, intercom, guest sessions and team chat, but there is no program mixing and no HD publishing.
The Backstage plan always runs in Backstage mode. On the Live, Live Pro and Enterprise plans, an admin can switch a studio between the two modes from Home in the manager (Switch to Backstage mode / Leave Backstage mode). The switch is refused while the studio is on air, recording or broadcasting, and connected devices reconnect automatically.