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Getting Started with Exaplay 3
Welcome! This tutorial section takes you from a fresh install to a running show. Whether you are setting up Exaplay 3 for the first time or exploring what it can do, follow the path below at your own pace.
What is Exaplay 3?
Exaplay 3 is a professional media playback and composition system designed for stage, events, and projection-mapping environments. It lets you:
- Play video, images, and live inputs across multiple screens simultaneously
- Build timed timelines and operator-driven Playlists for live shows
- Apply real-time GPU effects, projection warping, and edge blending
- Control everything from a web-based interface — on the same machine or from a tablet across the network
Your Learning Path
Work through these pages in order for the best experience:
| Step | Page | What you'll learn | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Installation | Download, install, and activate Exaplay 3 on Windows | 10 min |
| 2 | Key Concepts | Understand screens, compositions, layers, timelines, and Playlists | 5 min |
| 3 | Quick Start Tutorial | Open the app, load a video, and play it back | 10 min |
| 4 | Your First Project | Build a multi-screen show with background loops, title graphics, cues, and operator control | 20 min |
Start here if you already have Exaplay 3 installed
Jump straight to Key Concepts to learn the vocabulary, then follow the Quick Start Tutorial.
System Requirements
Before installing, make sure your hardware meets these specifications:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 (8th gen) or equivalent | Intel Core i9 / AMD Ryzen 9 |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 32 GB or more |
| Graphics Card | NVIDIA GTX 1060 with 4 GB VRAM | NVIDIA RTX 3080 with 10 GB VRAM or higher |
| Storage | SSD with ≥ 200 MB/s sequential read | NVMe SSD with ≥ 3 GB/s sequential read |
| Network | 1 Gbps Ethernet (for NDI / remote control) | 10 Gbps Ethernet |
| Display Outputs | 1 | 4 or more |
Why does storage speed matter?
Video playback reads large files continuously from disk. As a guideline, a single 4K HAP Q clip at 60 fps needs around 500 MB/s of sustained read throughput (4K HAP around 250 MB/s). When playing multiple clips simultaneously, an NVMe SSD ensures smooth playback without dropped frames.
HAP codec performance
HAP and HAP Q are decoded on the GPU: the CPU only unpacks each frame (in parallel, per chunk) and the graphics card draws the compressed texture directly — the lightest playback, paid for with much bigger files and the storage speed to read them. Ordinary H.264 and H.265 are decoded by the GPU's built-in video decoder, shared by all layers; ProRes is decoded mostly on the CPU. See Video Decoding.
Need Help?
If you run into problems during setup, check Troubleshooting or contact support.