Practical guides on multi-screen video playback, live show control and digital signage on Windows. Written for the people who actually run the screens.
QLab for Windows? The closest alternatives (2026)
QLab only runs on macOS. What actually replaces it on Windows for live video playback, what each option costs, and when QLab is still worth a Mac.
Read the guide → Comparison · 15 July 2026PlaybackPro alternative for Windows (2026 options)
PlaybackPro runs on macOS only. The real Windows alternatives for live video playback, with prices, features and the honest trade-offs.
Read the guide → Transitions · 23 March 2026Fade to black: clean live video transitions
Fade to black on cue during a live show: per-clip fade in and fade out, timed fade markers, and audio that ramps without clicks or pops.
Read the guide → Multi-screen · 9 March 2026Play video fullscreen on a second monitor
A video fullscreen on a second monitor or TV, with no taskbar, cursor or notifications on the audience screen, looping all day if needed.
Read the guide → Show control · 3 March 2026Autoplay the next video: chain clips automatically
Link cues so clips chain automatically, fades included, and trigger only the first one by hand.
Read the guide → Show control · 1 March 2026Save a show cue list and reopen it exactly
Cue order, trims, fades, markers, notes: save an entire show cue list to a single .stage3 file and reopen it exactly as you left it.
Read the guide → Digital signage · 27 February 2026Loop a video 24/7 on Windows: no cuts, no babysitting
Clean restarts with no black flash, no PC falling asleep, no internet needed, on a modest machine.
Read the guide → Multi-screen · 24 February 2026Play a video on multiple screens at once, in sync
Why multi-screen playback drifts out of sync on Windows, and how to get a fullscreen, frame-locked picture on every display.
Read the guide → Preparation · 18 February 2026Trim video without re-encoding: set in and out points
Frame-accurate in and out points, instant, no export, and the original file is never modified.
Read the guide → Formats · 12 February 2026Video won't play? Convert the file to a working format
Why a file refuses to play (container vs codec), and how to convert it in one click before a show, with no codec pack and no extra tool.
Read the guide → Show control · 30 January 2026Build a video playlist for a live show (cue list)
Cue order, notes, frame-accurate trims and fades set in advance, all saved in one project file.
Read the guide → Show control · 27 January 2026Keyboard controlled video player for live shows
The full Stage3 key map for running a live show from the keyboard: instant CUT, play, pause, stop, one key per cue action.
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