ProdCom lets you share live transcription channels from one machine (the host) to one or more other machines (the remotes) over your local network. You can share individual channels or entire channel groups. This is ideal for production environments where multiple team members need to follow the same transcript from different stations.

Prerequisites

• All machines must be on the same local network.
• The network must support mDNS/Bonjour for automatic discovery. Most standard networks do — but some corporate or VLAN-segmented networks may not.
• ProdCom must be installed and licensed on each machine.

Part 1 — Set Up the Host Machine

1. Enable Network Sharing
   Open Settings → Network and turn on Enable Network Sharing. This makes the machine visible to other ProdCom instances on the network.
2. Configure broadcast settings
   Set a Broadcast Name for this machine (defaults to the hostname). Other machines will see this name when browsing network sources. The default port is 25000 and generally does not need to change.
3. Set a machine password (optional)
   Enter a Machine Password to require authentication before any remote machine can connect. Leave blank for open access on trusted networks.
4. Share a channel
   Open the configuration for the channel you want to share. Under the Network Sharing section, enable Share on Network. You can optionally set a Channel Password for per-channel access control on top of the machine password.

Repeat step 4 for each channel you want to share. The host continues to transcribe locally as normal — sharing adds no extra load.

Sharing a Channel Group

Instead of sharing channels one at a time, you can share an entire group:

1. Open the group's configuration and enable Share on Network.
2. Optionally set a Group Password. When set, it covers every channel in the group — individual channel passwords are not needed.
3. Remote machines will see the group in their source picker and can subscribe to the full set of member channels at once.

Channels can still be shared individually alongside groups. A channel that belongs to a shared group and is shared on its own will appear as two separate entries for remote machines.

Part 2 — Connect from a Remote Machine

1. Enable Network
   On the remote machine, open Settings → Network and turn on Enable Network Sharing. This enables the remote to discover hosts on the network.
2. Add a new channel
   Create a new channel. In the channel's Source picker, discovered host machines appear alongside local audio devices. Select the host machine by name.
3. Enter passwords if required
   If the host set a machine password, you'll be prompted to enter it. A green checkmark confirms authentication. If the chosen channel also has a channel password, enter that as well.
4. Select the shared channel
   After connecting, pick the specific channel from the Channel dropdown. The channel's language is displayed for reference.
5. Click Done
   The remote channel is now live. Transcripts stream in real time from the host.

Manual Connection

If the host doesn't appear automatically — for example, on a network that blocks mDNS — choose Manual Connection from the source picker and enter the host's IP address and port (shown in the host's Settings → Network → Network Information section).

Status Indicators

Where	What you'll see
Host — channel sidebar	A broadcast icon with a consumer count (e.g. 3) appears next to shared channels when one or more remotes are connected.
Remote — channel sidebar	A network icon shows the connection state: green = connected, yellow = connecting, orange = reconnecting, red = error or disconnected.

Troubleshooting

• Host not appearing in source list: Verify both machines are on the same local network and that the network supports mDNS/Bonjour. Some enterprise networks, VLANs, or VPNs block mDNS traffic. Use Manual Connection as a fallback.
• Authentication failed: Double-check the machine password and/or channel password. Passwords are case-sensitive.
• Channel shows "Unavailable": The host may have stopped sharing that channel or gone offline. The remote will automatically reconnect when the host becomes available again.
• Connection drops or reconnects frequently: Check network stability. ProdCom reconnects automatically, and the attempt count is shown in the sidebar.

Tips

• A single shared channel can support multiple remote consumers simultaneously.
• The machine password protects all channels on a host. Channel passwords add an extra layer of per-channel access control.
• When sharing a group, set the password at the group level for simpler access management.
• You can select a specific network interface in Settings → Network to target isolated show networks or dual-NIC rigs.
• The host's local IP address and Machine ID are shown in Settings → Network for reference when configuring manual connections or verifying identity.

Need help? Contact support@prodcom.io.