Thank you for your interest in presenting your tournament as a live vugraph broadcast on BBO. This document describes all you need to know to produce a successful vugraph broadcast. If you have any technical questions regarding BBO, please e-mail us at support@bridgebase.com. We are happy to help answer all questions.

Submit your request
Tournament organizers are encouraged to produce vugraph broadcasts of their events on BBO. There is no charge for our assistance. Here’s how to get started:

1. Please use our Vugraph request page to schedule a new broadcast. Please allow a day or two for approval.
2. When the request is approved you’ll be notified by email to the address mentioned in the request form. 
3. Next, go to our Vugraph schedule page and log in with your BBO username and password to view operator login information, and update your event. 

Preparing for your broadcast
These are the essential bits of a great vugraph. Please make sure you have:

1. Computer(s) with stable internet connection(s) at the playing site.
2. Required number of operators for each session.
3. Allowed the operators to practice for a couple hours minimum.
4. Lined up some experts as commentators – this is not 100% necessary but will make your vugraph more interesting.

Important information for Vugraph operators
– Vugraph operators must log in using the Windows (old) version of the BBO software (no web client for VG operators yet). Click here to download the software.
– Make sure you are logged on with a Windows user with Administrator permissions.
– When your event starts, the BBO profiles of your vugraph IDs must reflect the operators’ real names and countries.

The most critical factor in determining the success of these broadcasts is the quality of the operators. It is vital that these people become familiar with the software before the actual broadcast takes place. The software is easy to learn and it is subsequently easy to use, but operators should spend at least a couple of hours practising before the actual event. It is important that operators are invisible while practising. However, they must be visible when the actual broadcast begins.

You may also need the Vugraph Operator Manual. Click here for the manual in MS Word or PDF format
You will need these sample files (right-click a link to save to your PC)

• Sample.dup
• Anonymous.txt
• vugraph.lin

Uploading deals into the software
Another important issue is making sure that the BBO software can read the files of whatever software you use for board duplication. If you have a choice of formats, we suggest you use .dup. A quick and easy way to confirm that your hand data file will work OK is to try to open the file from the BBO login screen, click through all the defaults, and then when the summary of the boards comes up scroll through each board and make sure it agrees to your hand record. We recommend that this be done at least 24 hours before the presentation.

We also strongly recommend that the hand data files be split into separate files for each segment of a multi-segment match or session. On a number of occasions operators have accidentally redealt to a board from the next session with consequential security implications. Hand data files, particularly .dup files, can be easily split with a text editor such as Notepad.

Setting up the vugraph transmission
For each table from which you broadcast live you will need one operator and one computer with an internet connection. Broadband is best, of course, but a dialup connection is also OK, as long as it is stable. Vugraph of team matches is so much better if both tables are being broadcast simultaneously. I strongly suggest that you try to arrange this if at all possible.

Make sure that the banners are marked properly, e.g. which segment/session you are about to broadcast. Then it will make it easy for our viewers and other members to identify the sessions in our vugraph archives. If you are broadcasting from more than one team match at a time (or from more than one table in a pairs game), please make sure that each team match has a unique segment name. For example, do not name both segments of both matches ‘Round Robin 4’. Instead use ‘Round Robin 4A’ and ‘Round Robin 4B’ (or similar). This will ensure that our facility for creating log files will create a separate log file for each match.

For team matches with eight boards or more per segment we recommend that you let the open room start with the last two or three boards, the closed room with board 1. This way the open room audience will get comparisons when the operator circles back to board 1. Traditionally, mainly because it is opened first, we always have many more spectators in the open room, and they will appreciate as many comparisons as possible.

Finding commentators
Commentary enhances your vugraph broadcast. Please try to contact your local experts to ask if they would be willing to provide online commentary for your vugraph event.

1. Add your local experts to the event as commentators. Once your vugraph is created and approved, log in here and add the BBO usernames of your commentators next to the Rounds they are available for. Their real names will be listed on the schedule, so advise them to fill in their real name in profile.
2. Invite commentators from our list of suggested experts. Log on the Vugraph schedule page and click the name of your event. Choose Commentators in Country from the drop down menu. A list of suggested usernames from your area will appear. Contact them and ask if they would agree to sign up and comment for your event.

Anyone registered as a commentator for your event will be automatically allowed to commentate when your vugraph event begins.

If you need help with finding commentators for your event, we will do our best to assist you but please be aware that quite frequently several tournaments are broadcast on the same day. In this event, it may be difficult for us to provide you with commentators. We strongly suggest you prepare your transmission in advance and find local experts willing to commentate.

We recommend that new commentators read our Vugraph Commentator Guidelines before they start commenting. Here’s a help file for video chat commentators. Please note that video chat commentary is available only on the web version of our software (including on mobile devices, with BBO accessed in your mobile browser).

We are delighted to host your vugraph broadcast.