Version 2025.3 of our Lite playout solutions supports macOS Tahoe (26.x) on Apple silicon-based Mac minis, Mac Studios and Mac Pros.
We recommend a basic installation of the operating system. Once the macOS installation has completed, install all updates that are available through Apple's Software Update. Then configure the macOS as described below.
Do not install any additional applications on the Playout machine(s). Those could be: MenuMeters, Growl, Dropbox, Adobe CC, Notification Center widgets, Dashboard widgets, Google (the GoogleSoftwareUpdateDaemon causes issues) or any other background daemons.
Use an admin user account for installation and the same account while using our applications.
Once the playout application has been started, never change one of the settings described in this chapter. Changing any OS related setting during playout can harm the final output.
Configuring the macOS System Preferences/Settings
The System Preferences/Settings may look different on your system and may offer more/fewer functions, depending on the macOS version and the hardware you are using.
General
Accent/Highlight color: The colors of the Just Live Lite NDI user interface are partially defined by the accent and highlight color set in the General/Appearance System Preference pane.
Show scroll bars: Allows to define how the scroll bars are shown in the user interface. This can be especially important in case your input device does not support scrolling.
General/Date and Time Format
Please verify that your macOS Date & Time settings are compatible with the Gregorian Calendar format (Gregorian date formats include the following: “ddmonyy”, “ddmonyyyy”, “mm/dd/yy”, or “mm/dd/yyyy”). Using the Gregorian calendar ensures consistency and accuracy in the Date header, avoiding misinterpretation, synchronization, and activation errors. This is crucial for our Playout solutions to fetch and process the correct Start/Stop Date and Time information.
Battery / Battery Options
In the Battery panel, set “Low Power Mode” to “Never” and then click on the “Options…” button to open the Battery options panel. In this panel, set all options to either “Off” (sliders) or “Never”.
Wallpaper / Screen Saver / Lock Screen Settings
Select the Wallpaper panel and click the “Screen Saver” button to adjust the required settings.
Screen Saver panel and click on the “Lock Screen Settings…” button to adjust the required settings.
Set the “Start Screen Saver…” option to “Never” and click the “Done” button.
Next, select the “Lock Screen” panel and set the “Turn display off on battery when inactive”, “Turn display off on power adapter when active” settings to “Never”.
Privacy & Security
Full Disk Access: Make sure to activate “Full Disk Access” for the Just Live Lite NDI application. Otherwise, setting changes will not be saved, causing all kinds of unexpected behavior while using the applications.
Sound
Sound Effects: Make sure to select the speaker of your Mac (“Mac mini Speakers” in the example below), to play sound effects using this device. The same output is used by the Just Live Lite NDI application when playing videos in the preview windows.
Network
Remove all unnecessary network connections.
If you have multiple network interfaces: change the order of the connections so that the network interface you are going to use for ToolsOnAir internal communication is the topmost item in the interfaces list.
General→Startup Disk
Make sure that the disk or partition used for the ToolsOnAir applications is selected as the startup disk.
Software Update (macOS Tahoe)
Always update the macOS operating system to the latest available version and disable the “Automatic Updates” function afterward.
In the macOS System Settings application, select “General → Software Update → Automatic Updates”
Then click on the “i” symbol, and move all sliders to the left side (“Disabled”)
If you are instructed by your security administrator to perform security updates, then ensure that you pick a service window where your Macs can be updated with the latest Apple security patches. Never apply any updates while the playout is running, as this may interrupt your playout services, especially when security updates imply a restart of the machine.
General → AirDrop & Handoff
We recommend that you refrain from using any sharing service unless required.
When using Screen Sharing, make sure that the screen resolution does not change whenever connecting from another machine.
We recommend disabling Remote Login, Remote Management, and Remote Apple Events/Remote Application Scripting because they may cause some unwanted issues.
We recommend using TeamViewer HOST for remote management and file copying.
On qualified Macs, please also ensure that the “AirPlay Receiver” option is turned OFF.
Spotlight Settings
We recommend disabling Spotlight on the machine(s) running the Just Live Lite NDI application.
Add all volumes used to store media files under the “Privacy” tab or “Spotlight Privacy…” window.
