Key Concepts

Before diving into setup, it helps to understand the core concepts that Birch is built around.

Sources and Destinations

In broadcast routing, signals flow from sources to destinations.

• Source — An input signal. A camera feed, a graphics generator, a satellite receiver, a replay server. In Birch, sources are displayed in green.
• Destination — An output that receives a signal. A monitor, a recorder, a transmitter, a production switcher input. In Birch, destinations are displayed in orange.

A route is the connection between a source and a destination. When you “take a route,” you’re telling the router to connect a specific source to a specific destination.

Routers

A router (also called a matrix or crosspoint switcher) is the physical hardware that switches signals. Birch connects to routers using standard control protocols. A single protocol may be supported by equipment from many different manufacturers.

See Supported Protocols for the full list.

Virtual Sources and Destinations

While physical sources and destinations come directly from your routers, virtual objects let you create a logical layer on top of them.

• Virtual Sources — Map to a physical source port but with a custom name. For example, renaming “Input 5” to “Studio Camera 1.”
• Virtual Destinations — Can map to one or multiple physical destination ports. For example, creating a “Control Room” destination that routes to Outputs 1, 2, and 3 simultaneously.
• Routable Virtual Sources — Virtual sources that can also act as destinations, enabling source-to-source routing for signal processing workflows.

Virtual objects appear in the routing panel alongside physical ports and support features like protection modes and multiple name sets.

See Virtual Objects for details on creating and managing them.

Appliance

The appliance is the Birch device deployed at your facility. It runs on the local network alongside your routers and handles:

• Direct communication with router hardware
• Real-time route execution
• Video preview
• Local data storage

Organization

An organization is the top-level grouping in Birch. It represents a company. An organization can contain:

• Multiple appliances at different locations
• Multiple routers connected to those appliances
• Multiple users with varying permission levels

Users sign in with their account and select which organization to work in.

Tip

Think of it this way: an organization contains appliances, and each appliance contains routers. Each router has sources and destinations.

Routes and Route Status

When you create a route, it goes through a lifecycle:

Status	Meaning
Pending	Route command sent, waiting for confirmation from the router
Complete	Router confirmed the crosspoint change was executed
Failed	Router reported an error or the command timed out