VIBRESIA

Media servers compared

WATCHOUT vs disguise: which media server for a venue?

By Syd Lawrence, a visual artist and developer who makes Vibresia. Facts last checked 2 November 2026; updated 3 November 2026.

Pick WATCHOUT if you are specifying a show for a venue and want to buy the machine once, because a WATCHOUT 7 licence is €3,200 and covers one media server. Pick disguise if you want to preview the show in 3D before it is built and you can live with a yearly subscription, because Designer Pro is US$159 a month and the X Series licences that add physical outputs run from US$6,000 to US$15,000 a year. Both are media servers for driving many synchronised displays from a set of timelines, and both run on Windows and only Windows, so the choice comes down to how you buy the room and what you want the software to do before the show is built.

WATCHOUTdisguise
What it isWindows multi-display production and playback software for building shows and playing them in sync across multiple displays.Designer is the software to design, visualise, sequence and run visual experiences for live, location based experiences and virtual production.
PriceFree version; paid from €3,200Free version; paid from US$159
Runs onWindowsWindows
RequirementsWindows 10 or later, 64-bit, with a Vulkan 1.3 GPU for the Producer and OpenGL 4.4 or DirectX 11 on a media serverWindows 10 or 11 64-bit with a DX11 compatible discrete GPU of at least 16GB of video memory and 16GB of memory
Free versionNo time-limited trial; the free Producer cannot drive an output deviceA free Designer Starter tier, watermarked and capped at 2K UHD
Known forComposes and plays back video, still images, animations, graphics, live streams and sound across many displays from one set of timelinesDesigner builds a real-time 3D replica of the production environment so a show can be previewed and tested before it is built.
Best forShow producers, projection mappers and AV integrators who need one set of timelines driving many synchronised projectors, LED walls and screens from a network of Windows machines, with live control from lighting desks, show controllers and MIDI gear.Programming and delivering live shows, virtual production, broadcast, xR and immersive installations where one showfile carries a production from preview to playback.

Control and connections

WATCHOUTdisguise
MIDIYes: WATCHOUT ships a standalone MIDI Bridge service that forwards Control Change, Note and Pitch Wheel messages from a MIDI device or virtual port to the Director as variable updates, and it also handles MIDI Show Control.Yes: Designer uses standard MIDI messages for triggering, automation and control, and can send MIDI to and from a control surface.
OSCYes: WATCHOUT 7 receives OSC natively over UDP port 8000 and TCP port 8001, mapping incoming messages to show variables and controlling timeline playback.Yes: Designer sends and receives OSC messages for network based control of shows, layers and parameters.
SyphonNo: WATCHOUT is Windows-only software and offers no Syphon support, since Syphon is a macOS technology.Not that we could find
SpoutYes: WATCHOUT can act as a Spout receiver, taking a Spout texture published by an application on the same node and the same GPU as a live capture source.Yes: Spout is supported through a third-party RenderStream integration rather than a native Spout device.
NDIYes: WATCHOUT supports NDI in both directions, publishing rendered display output as an NDI stream and receiving NDI streams as capture sources.Yes: Designer can capture NDI streams as video inputs, and its documentation lists NDI under video input only.
DMXYes: WATCHOUT maps incoming Art-Net DMX values to show variables and sends DMX over Art-Net from timeline fixture cues, but it does not accept physical DMX input directly.Yes: Designer sends and receives DMX over Art-Net, sACN, Enttec, ezDMX, KiNET and SoundLight for lighting, automation and external control.
Video in and outYes: WATCHOUT plays video, stills and live sources on multiple displays, with output routings for GPU, SDI, ST 2110, NDI and virtual displays.Yes: Designer plays back NotchLC, ProRes, HAP and uncompressed codecs to projectors, LED and broadcast destinations through DisplayPort, DVI, SDI, HDMI and ST 2110.

Every row comes from the app's own documentation, on the date shown in the sources below. "Not that we could find" means we could not find it documented, not that the app cannot do it.

Pick WATCHOUT if

you are specifying a show for a room with many displays, the content is prepared in advance, and you want the playback to run from licensed media servers that a lighting desk or a show controller can drive. A WATCHOUT 7 licence is €3,200 and covers one media server, and each licensed node drives up to 8x DCI 4K of output.

Pick disguise if

you want to see the show in 3D before you build it, you are running virtual production or an immersive installation, or you want a showfile that carries the production from preview through to playback. Designer Pro is US$159 a month or US$1,500 a year, and the X Series licences are what add physical video outputs.

Why people compare them

They come up in the same conversation when a show is being specified for a venue, because both are media servers: software that takes prepared media and puts it on many screens and projectors at once, in sync, from a set of timelines. Neither one is a VJ application you play, and neither one makes a picture out of the music it is playing. Both run on Windows and only Windows.

WATCHOUT is Windows multi-display production and playback software for building shows and playing them in sync across multiple displays. It composes and plays back video, still images, animations, graphics, live streams and sound across many displays from one set of timelines.

disguise's Designer is the software to design, visualise, sequence and run visual experiences for live, location based experiences and virtual production. It is written for programming and delivering live shows, virtual production, broadcast, xR and immersive installations where one showfile carries a production from preview to playback.

The two are bought in different shapes, and that shapes the rest of the comparison. WATCHOUT is licensed per media server, one licence for one machine, and a room with several machines needs several licences. disguise is sold per user as a subscription, and the licences that let a laptop or PC drive physical video outputs are bought separately from the software. The show is put together in different places too: a WATCHOUT show is composed on a production computer and played from media servers in the room, while a disguise project is designed and previewed in the same application that runs it.

Where WATCHOUT wins

You buy it once. A WATCHOUT 7 licence is €3,200, one licence per media server, and additional media servers are not included. It scales to any number of display devices, with each licensed media server covering up to 8x DCI 4K of output and further servers added for larger pixel counts.

The output is broadcast grade. It plays uncompressed 4K video and images at up to 120Hz with up to 16-bit colour, REC.2020 and HDR across GPU, SDI, ST 2110 and NDI outputs. NDI output is fixed at 8 bits per component and carries no HDR colour space, so HDR delivery has to use a GPU, SDI or ST 2110 output.

It takes control from the room. It accepts live control from Art-Net and DMX, OSC, MIDI, MIDI Show Control, LTC, PosiStageNet and an HTTP REST API. WATCHOUT ships a standalone MIDI Bridge service that forwards Control Change, Note and Pitch Wheel messages from a MIDI device or virtual port to the Director as variable updates, and it also handles MIDI Show Control. WATCHOUT 7 receives OSC natively over UDP port 8000 and TCP port 8001, mapping incoming messages to show variables and controlling timeline playback.

Lighting is standard rather than an upgrade. WATCHOUT maps incoming Art-Net DMX values to show variables and sends DMX over Art-Net from timeline fixture cues, but it does not accept physical DMX input directly.

It takes a signal in as well as sending one out. It takes live capture from capture cards, USB capture, network streams, VNC and NDI, and from local Spout textures published by other applications. WATCHOUT can act as a Spout receiver, taking a Spout texture published by an application on the same node and the same GPU as a live capture source. WATCHOUT supports NDI in both directions, publishing rendered display output as an NDI stream and receiving NDI streams as capture sources.

The size of the room is a number you can check before you order. Each licensed media server drives up to 70,778,880 pixels across its physical outputs, equal to 8x DCI 4K, and a display that would push a node over that budget is rejected.

Where disguise wins

You can see the show before you build it. Designer builds a real-time 3D replica of the production environment so a show can be previewed and tested before it is built.

The mapping is measured rather than guessed. Spatial content mapping covers projectors and LED, with camera-based OmniCal calibration to sub-pixel accuracy.

It reaches more kinds of device. Device support covers DMX, Art-Net, sACN, OSC, MIDI, CITP, tracking systems and matrix switchers, alongside over 300 integrations and REST APIs. Designer sends and receives DMX over Art-Net, sACN, Enttec, ezDMX, KiNET and SoundLight for lighting, automation and external control.

It drives the content engines people already build in. RenderStream is an open protocol for driving Unreal Engine, Unity, Notch, TouchDesigner and Spout content engines from the timeline. Spout is supported through a third-party RenderStream integration rather than a native Spout device.

It can take an NDI feed in. Designer can capture NDI streams as video inputs, and its documentation lists NDI under video input only.

You can learn it on the free tier. The free Designer Starter tier gives the full core software for learning, evaluating and pre-visualising. disguise no longer runs a time-limited trial, because the free Designer Starter tier replaced the former free trial plan. Starter needs a MyDisguise account and an internet connection for authentication, and it cannot join a session with a Disguise server or a Designer Pro instance.

You can start on the software alone. The Designer Pro subscription is US$159 a month, and the X Series licences that add physical video outputs are a separate purchase on top of it.

Where both fall short

Both want the show made before the night. Each one takes media you prepared and cues you built, and neither generates visuals from the music it is playing. Both are general tools for video, and both expect you to bring the content and decide how it reacts.

Both are Windows only. WATCHOUT is Windows-only software and offers no Syphon support, since Syphon is a macOS technology. Designer runs on Windows only, because it needs DirectX11, and its documentation says virtual machines cannot run it. For disguise, the disguise Devices Index and product pages list no Syphon device or driver, and disguise documents no Syphon output.

Both take something away in the free version. The free Producer cannot drive output devices: showing a show on projectors or other displays needs licence keys, and connecting a media server needs a licence for both the production computer and the server. In disguise, Designer Starter watermarks its feed and stage movies and caps them at 2K UHD.

The free disguise tier has a sharp edge in it. A project saved in Designer Starter cannot then be opened with a Designer Pro licence. Designer Pro feed outputs still carry an intermittent blue flash watermark.

Both have a ceiling on one machine. Each licensed media server drives up to 70,778,880 pixels across its physical outputs, equal to 8x DCI 4K, and a display that would push a node over that budget is rejected. On disguise, physical video outputs come from X Series licences, and the media server hardware itself is sold by enquiry rather than from a published price list.

What it costs

The WATCHOUT Producer is free to download and install without a licence key, and a WATCHOUT 7 licence is €3,200, one-time, one licence per media server, with additional media servers not included and import taxes, local VAT and freight not covered. Dataton publishes a single recommended retail price rather than a tier list: 3200 euros per WATCHOUT 7 licence, bought through a local Dataton partner or a price request form. The same FAQ lists 1950 euros per licence for an electronic upgrade from version 6, and educational licences are discounted, restricted to teaching institutions and require annual renewal.

disguise's Designer Starter is free, and Designer Pro is US$159 a month or US$1,500 a year. The X Series licences are US$6,000 a year, US$10,000 a year and US$15,000 a year, for one, two and three 4K DCI outputs. A Disguise media server is not included in those figures, and the same X Series licences can be billed monthly from $600 per user on the X1. disguise publishes per-user software prices for Designer and for the X Series, and the X Series page prints X1, X2 and X3 at $6,000, $10,000 and $15,000 per user per year. It publishes no price for its EX, VX, GX and RX media server hardware, where the product pages route buyers to an enquiry form, so hardware and project pricing is quoted. The software product is named Designer on the site today rather than disguise::one.

So the two bills are shaped differently. WATCHOUT asks for a payment once per media server, and the licence keeps working. disguise asks for a payment every year per user, and the licences that let a machine drive physical video outputs are bought on top of that. WATCHOUT publishes its figure in euros and disguise publishes its own in dollars, so neither number is converted here and the rate on the day you buy is yours to check.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, WATCHOUT or disguise?

The two bills are shaped differently, so the answer depends on the room rather than on a single figure. WATCHOUT charges once per media server: a WATCHOUT 7 licence is €3,200, and a show that needs a second node needs a second licence. disguise charges every year per user: Designer Pro is US$159 a month or US$1,500 a year, and physical video outputs need an X Series licence on top, from US$6,000 to US$15,000 a year. The WATCHOUT price is in euros and the disguise price is in dollars.

Do either of them run on a Mac?

No, neither of them. WATCHOUT is Windows-only software and offers no Syphon support, since Syphon is a macOS technology. Designer runs on Windows only, because it needs DirectX11, and its documentation says virtual machines cannot run it. WATCHOUT needs Windows 10 or later, 64-bit, with a Vulkan 1.3 GPU for the Producer and OpenGL 4.4 or DirectX 11 on a media server. disguise needs Windows 10 or 11 64-bit with a DX11 compatible discrete GPU of at least 16GB of video memory and 16GB of memory.

Which one can I try for free?

Both, and each of them takes something away. There is no time-limited trial: WATCHOUT downloads and runs without a licence key so you can get a feel for the software, but producing a show with output devices such as projectors needs licence keys, and connecting a media server and starting one or more displays needs a licence as well. disguise no longer runs a time-limited trial, because the free Designer Starter tier replaced the former free trial plan. Starter needs a MyDisguise account and an internet connection for authentication, and it cannot join a session with a Disguise server or a Designer Pro instance. Designer Starter watermarks its feed and stage movies and caps them at 2K UHD.

Which one handles DMX and lighting control better?

disguise documents the wider set of connections. Designer sends and receives DMX over Art-Net, sACN, Enttec, ezDMX, KiNET and SoundLight for lighting, automation and external control. Device support covers DMX, Art-Net, sACN, OSC, MIDI, CITP, tracking systems and matrix switchers, alongside over 300 integrations and REST APIs. WATCHOUT is narrower: WATCHOUT maps incoming Art-Net DMX values to show variables and sends DMX over Art-Net from timeline fixture cues, but it does not accept physical DMX input directly.

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Sources

Every fact about another app on this page comes from the source listed for it, on the date shown. We make Vibresia, so we've tried to say where each of the others is the better choice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.