1. Introduction

What Is Remoto Capture Agent?

Remoto Capture Agent (RCA) is a lightweight companion application that runs on a dedicated source machine and enables Remoto Playback to access and stream audio and video sources from that system. It abstracts capture and publishing away from the Organizer's desktop, so the Organizer can join the conference from one computer while another machine performs the actual capture, encoding, and publishing into the session.

Remoto Capture Agent is available only for Team Account users.

Starting with Remoto Capture Agent v1.1, the agent is available on macOS and Windows, with feature parity for registering an agent, exposing local devices, and restreaming into Remoto Playback.

This setup allows a Remoto session Organizer to use two separate computers during a session:

• One computer to capture and prepare audio and video sources using the Capture Agent
• A second computer to host the Remoto Playback session and manage the conference call

This separation is especially useful when working with professional audio or video hardware, when you want to keep capture and session control on different machines, or when you need to offload heavy encoding from the conferencing machine to improve performance.

Agents can be installed on studio workstations or capture nodes and bound to a company. The Organizer selects which Agent to use during session setup in Remoto Playback.

The Capture Agent detects local and network-connected devices such as:

• Microphones
• Cameras
• Audio interfaces
• Screen capture sources
• Other supported video and audio inputs

When instructed by Remoto Playback, the Capture Agent securely captures and re-streams these sources for use in a Remoto Playback session.

How Remoto Capture Agent Works with Remoto Playback

Remoto Capture Agent does not create or manage sessions on its own.

Instead:

• Remoto Playback manages authentication, sessions, and participants.
• Remoto Capture Agent runs on the source machine.
• Remoto Playback connects to the Capture Agent and instructs it when to prepare streaming settings, start streaming, and stop streaming.

This separation allows high-performance capture on dedicated machines while keeping session control centralized in Remoto Playback. The Capture Agent appears as a selectable publishing endpoint in Remoto Playback's Stream Settings.

When an Organizer streams via Capture Agent, Playback Studio may show a clear on-screen status so participants can tell that capture is coming from a remote agent rather than a blank or ambiguous preview.

2. System Requirements

Use a dedicated capture machine that meets Remoto Playback Organizer/streaming guidance for your platform. See System Requirements and Compatibility for full Playback Desktop requirements.

Supported Operating Systems

• macOS — Supported versions as defined for Remoto Playback Desktop (Organizer/streaming), including macOS Tahoe / macOS 26
• Windows — Windows 10 64-bit (21H2) or later (Windows 11 64-bit recommended)

Suggested Capture Machine

Follow the suggested Playback Desktop: Organizer/Streaming requirements for your OS (processor, RAM, GPU, and wired network). Capture Agent workloads are similar to hosting a stream: prefer a hardwired Ethernet connection and adequate upload bandwidth.

Required Permissions (macOS)

To stream successfully on macOS, permissions must be granted for:

• Microphone
• Camera
• Screen Recording

(System audio / video capture may also be required depending on your selected sources.)

These permissions are not part of the installation process. They are requested after installation during the authentication and first-use flow, using a guided permission checklist.

Windows Notes

On Windows, install with a standard Windows installer from remotopro.io/download. Use a DirectX 11–compatible GPU with hardware H.264 encode when available (same baseline as Playback Desktop on Windows). Grant any OS prompts for camera, microphone, or screen capture when Windows requests them for the Capture Agent.

3. Downloading and Installing Remoto Capture Agent

Download the Installer

• Visit remotopro.io/download.
• Scroll to Companion App (for Team Account hosts and admins).
• Choose your platform: macOS — Download Remoto Capture Agent, or Windows (x64) — Download Remoto Capture Agent.
• The installer downloads to your computer (macOS: .dmg; Windows: Windows installer).

Note: Remoto Capture Agent is available only for Team Account users. You must have an active Team Account to use this application.

Install on macOS

• Open the downloaded .dmg (or installer package).
• macOS verifies the installer through Gatekeeper and opens the installation wizard.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.

After installation:

• Remoto Capture Agent is added to your Applications folder.
• The Capture Agent menu bar icon is registered with macOS.

Note: macOS permission prompts are not part of installation. Permission checks happen after installation, during the authentication and first-use flow.

Install on Windows

• Open the downloaded Windows installer.
• If Windows SmartScreen appears on first install, choose More info, then Run anyway (same pattern as Playback Desktop on Windows when a new certificate is building reputation).
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.

After installation:

• Remoto Capture Agent is available from the Start Menu (and Desktop shortcut, if offered by the installer).
• The Capture Agent system tray icon is available when the app is running.

4. Launching the Capture Agent

Launch vs Open

There are two ways you can interact with the Capture Agent:

Launch

• Opening the app from Applications / Dock / Spotlight (macOS), or Start Menu / Desktop shortcut (Windows).
• Runs startup checks such as updates and permissions.

Open

• Clicking the Capture Agent icon in the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray.
• Brings the existing window to the front without restarting the app.

First Launch vs Subsequent Launches

First launch on a machine always requires a Team Account Admin to sign in and register the agent before it can be configured or used in a session. See Section 5 for the full flow.

Subsequent launches — if the Capture Agent is already authenticated and registered on this machine, you are taken directly to the main interface.

5. Signing In and Registration (First Launch)

The first time Remoto Capture Agent is launched on a machine, a Team Account Admin must sign in and register the agent. This is not optional: the agent cannot be configured or used in a session until registration completes. Internet connectivity is required throughout; there is no offline authentication mode.

Only a user with Admin permissions for the target Team Account can register an agent. If you are not an Admin, sign-in may succeed but registration will not be available.

Sign In and Register

When you launch Remoto Capture Agent for the first time on a machine:

• The tray icon appears in the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray.
• The app automatically checks for updates.
• After the update check, required permissions are verified (on macOS, via the guided permission flow).
• You are prompted to Sign In. Enter your Remoto email and password, then click Sign In.
• If your account has Personal MFA enabled, complete the MFA challenge (authenticator app, email code, or backup code) before continuing. MFA enrollment/setup is done in Remoto Playback or your profile — Capture Agent supports verifying MFA for already-enrolled accounts.
• The Capture Agent connects to your company workspace.
• The Agent Setup Modal appears. Complete registration:
  • Select the Company to register the agent to (if your account belongs to multiple Team Accounts).
  • Enter an Agent Name (a unique friendly name for this agent within your company, max 255 characters).
  • Click Register.

On successful registration:

• The Agent Setup Modal closes.
• The Capture Agent navigates to the Stream Settings screen.
• The Settings panel displays: Agent Name, Device ID (masked), Company name, and Status: "Registered".

Behind the scenes, the Capture Agent automatically generates a cryptographic identity (RSA key pair) and collects system metadata (hostname, OS version, RCA version). No manual key entry or codes are required.

Guided Permissions During Sign-In (macOS)

If required macOS permissions are missing:

• A guided permission checklist walks you through each required permission (for example, Microphone, Camera, and Screen Recording).
• Follow the prompts to grant access in System Settings when asked.
• Permission state refreshes when you return to the Capture Agent.
• You may continue signing in and registering the agent.
• Streaming cannot start until required permissions are enabled.

On Windows, respond to any OS prompts for camera, microphone, or screen capture when they appear.

6. Capture Agent Interface Overview

After signing in, the main Capture Agent interface appears.

Main Sections

• Video Input
• Audio Input
• Timecode
• Streaming
• Streaming Type (read-only, synced from Remoto Playback)
• Watermark Options
• Preview (when the stream is stopped) and Local Monitoring (while streaming)
• Summary Panel
• Apply Settings
• Start Stream / Stop Stream

Note: Talkback and Presets are not available in the current Capture Agent UI and remain reserved for a future release.

Preview and Local Monitoring

• Preview is available when the stream is stopped. Use it to confirm video/audio sources and local monitoring output before you go live.
• Local Monitoring is available while the stream is active. Use it to monitor the live capture locally.

Preview and Local Monitoring share a consistent layout and audio monitoring controls (output device, Stereo/Passthrough mode, and channel routing). Selections you make in one view persist into the other and are restored after an app restart. These controls affect local monitoring only — they do not change the outgoing stream to session guests.

While Stream Settings is open, Capture Agent also monitors source availability in near real time (for example, displays, application windows, audio devices, and NDI sources). If a configured source becomes unavailable, the UI shows a warning state until the source returns.

7. Preparing a Capture Agent for a Session

Configure Required Settings

Before the Capture Agent can be used in a session, you must configure all required settings:

• Video Input
• Audio Input
• Timecode
• Streaming (encoding and transport)

Use Preview to validate sources and local monitoring before the session starts streaming.

Apply Settings

Once all required settings are complete:

• Click Apply Settings.
• Settings are saved locally.
• Settings are synced to the backend for confirmation.
• If this Agent is selected in Remoto Playback, the session transitions from Draft to Ready.

8. Connecting the Capture Agent to Remoto Playback

Select the Capture Agent in Remoto Playback

In Remoto Playback (desktop application on macOS or Windows):

• Open Stream Settings.
• Choose Capture Agent as the input source.
• Select an available Capture Agent from the list.
• Save the session.

The session remains in Draft until the Capture Agent applies its settings.

Session State Flow

• Draft - Capture Agent selected, settings not yet applied.
• Ready - Capture Agent settings applied and synced with backend.
• Started - Organizer starts the session in Remoto Playback.
• Streaming - Capture Agent is actively transmitting.
• Finished - Session has ended.

Only after the session is started does the Capture Agent allow streaming to begin.

9. Starting and Stopping a Stream

Start Streaming

When:

• The Capture Agent is selected in Remoto Playback
• Settings are applied
• The session is started

The Start Stream button becomes enabled.

• Click Start Stream.
• The Capture Agent begins transmitting audio, video, and timecode.
• Configuration becomes read-only during streaming.
• Use Local Monitoring to monitor the live capture on the agent machine.

Stop Streaming

• Click Stop Stream.
• Streaming ends.
• Configuration becomes editable again.
• The Capture Agent returns to a stopped state (Preview available again).

10. Menu Bar / System Tray Controls

The Capture Agent tray icon (macOS menu bar or Windows system tray) opens a short menu with:

• Hide Window — Hide the Capture Agent main window (the agent keeps running in the background)
• Review App Permissions — Open the guided permissions checklist (macOS)
• Check for Updates… — Check for and install new versions
• Exit — Quit the Capture Agent

11. Common Tips and Notes

• The Capture Agent can be fully configured even if no session exists yet.
• Streaming cannot start until Remoto Playback starts the session.
• On macOS, missing permissions are a common reason streaming cannot begin — use the guided permission checklist and Review App Permissions.
• On Windows, confirm camera, microphone, and screen-capture access when prompted by the OS.
• Multiple Capture Agents can be registered per company, providing hot-spare, backup, and multi-source options.
• There is no limit to how many agents a Team Account can register.
• Capture Agent is supported in Remoto Playback Desktop only (not the web-based thin client).
• Current builds: v1.1.0.2 (macOS) and v1.1.0.4 (Windows).

12. Getting Help

If you experience issues:

• Verify permissions (macOS guided flow / Review App Permissions; Windows OS prompts).
• Confirm the session state in Remoto Playback (Draft → Ready → Started → Streaming).
• Confirm the Capture Agent build is current (Check for Updates), or reinstall from remotopro.io/download.
• Restart the Capture Agent if needed.
• Contact your company administrator or Remoto support.