LTCast as Viewer
A second LTCast installation can act as a read-only viewer of a primary LTCast machine. When you switch it on, the secondary machine's whole window is replaced by a full-screen display of the primary's timecode, song and next cues — useful for a monitor station or a remote operator position without a long cable run. It connects to the primary's LAN Viewer Mirror, so the primary must be hosting one (a Pro feature on the primary). Viewing needs no Pro on the secondary.
Connecting as a viewer
On the secondary machine, go to Settings → Network Viewer → Connect (Viewer). Fill in the connection fields first:
- Host — the IP address of the primary LTCast machine, for example
192.168.1.42. - Port — the mirror port on the primary (default
7777). - PIN — the 4-digit PIN shown on the primary. Leave it blank only if the primary has Require PIN turned off.
The tick box Act as a read-only viewer of another LTCast stays greyed out until the Host field has something in it. Tick it and the window switches to viewer mode and connects. The Status line in the tab shows Connecting, then Connected, or Wrong PIN / Disconnected. Only the LAN address of the host works here; a Cloud Share link cannot be used in this tab (open that link in a browser instead).
What the secondary shows
The viewer screen is deliberately simple:
- A header with the VIEWING · READ-ONLY badge, the connection status and an EXIT (Esc) button.
- The timecode, the song number and name, and the time REMAINING.
- A PLAYING, PAUSED or STOPPED pill, plus a CHASE, FREEWHEEL or LOST pill when the primary is following an external clock.
- An UPCOMING list with the next five cues and their countdowns.
There is no setlist, transport, cue editor or lyrics on this screen, and no name or role is sent, so the secondary does not appear in the primary's Stage Monitor. For lyrics, department filtering and reporting, open the primary's viewer URL in a browser instead (see What crew members see).
Read-only behavior
- Keyboard shortcuts are switched off while the viewer is up, except
Esc, which exits. - The secondary does not send MTC, Art-Net or OSC timecode while it is in viewer mode.
- Switch the secondary to viewer mode while it is not playing; stop playback first if it was.
Exiting viewer mode
Click EXIT (Esc) in the header, or press Esc, to disconnect and return to the normal window. The setlist and all settings are exactly as you left them, and the Host, Port and PIN fields stay filled in. Viewer mode itself is remembered: if you quit LTCast while it is on, the app opens in viewer mode next time — press Esc to leave it.
Use cases
- A monitor station at stage left or in a sound booth where the operator needs the timecode but cannot run a cable from the main operator position
- A backstage confidence monitor showing the current song and upcoming cues
- A second screen at front-of-house during multi-operator shows