Fix invisible/flashing clock, map Protect's 8-camera preset, warn on gaps

Three separate faults made cameras "not load" and the clock misbehave.

Clock rendered as nothing, or flashed ~200ms/second. The time was drawn as
an ASS osd-overlay pushed over mpv IPC, but on mpv 0.35 + Mesa/V3D + sway an
OSD overlay is rendered only on the frame where its content *changes*. Every
layer reports success while this happens (mpv returns error:success,
vo-configured is true, and sway reports the window visible at the right
rect), so it looks like a stacking or font bug and is neither. Ruled out:
pushing at 20Hz (identical content is ignored, so it still only redrew when
the second flipped), osd-msg1, show-text, and --pause (mpv stops redrawing
entirely). Fonts were never the issue.

The time is now baked into every frame by a drawtext filter re-reading a
small file the ticker rewrites once a second, with two constraints that cost
real time to find and are pinned by tests:

- The canvas alpha must be > 0. A fully transparent canvas (black@0.0 with
  --alpha=yes) makes the glyphs inherit alpha 0 and the compositor draws
  nothing -- this was the original invisible clock. New clock
  background_opacity (default 0.45) is clamped in config *and* in args() so
  no code path can produce an invisible clock.
- Readahead must be off. drawtext stamps the time when a frame is
  *generated*, so buffering ahead makes the visible clock lag by the
  readahead and swallows text-file updates entirely.

Since the text now arrives through a file, the clock needs no IPC socket:
dropped --input-ipc-server, the ipcPath field, and the stale-socket removal.
assEscape goes with the ASS path.

`views import` produced layouts with holes. viewmap derived the grid from
the slot count alone and ignored Protect's `layout` field, so Protect's
asymmetric 8-camera preset (four 2x2 tiles plus a right column of four 1x1)
landed as 8 tiles in a 3x3 grid -- the bottom-right cell was simply empty
and rendered as a blank rectangle. That preset is now mapped exactly; other
counts keep the uniform GridForSlots fallback rather than guessing at
presets I have not observed. Import also warns when a mapping would leave
empty cells or references a camera missing from the config, so a silent hole
cannot reach the screen again.

Also:

- clock.corner gains bottom-center and top-center (centered horizontally,
  Margin still applies vertically).
- placeClock no longer re-issues `resize set` every tick. Re-asserting
  geometry on a correctly-sized window makes sway send a configure event,
  which makes mpv reallocate buffers and blank for a frame. New
  compositor.Raise re-asserts z-order only, which is all the 2s tick needs;
  geometry is re-placed only when it has actually drifted.
- README documents why the clock is drawn this way, the preset table and how
  to add another from `views dump`, and three troubleshooting entries for
  failure modes that all look like bugs: a blank tile whose mpv is running
  (a stale camera entry -- re-adopting a camera in Protect assigns a new id
  and often a slightly different name, and `discover` never prunes), cameras
  in `cameras:` not being on screen (only the active layout's tiles stream),
  and black bars inside tiles (non-16:9 grid cells; --panscan=1.0 crops to
  fill instead).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01LYhTnkp7VzJ67THeicgfAQ

README.md

@@ -157,24 +157,53 @@ saving an unrelated edit never blanks the screen.
 
 ## Clock overlay
 
-An optional always-on-top clock can be rendered in a screen corner:
+An optional always-on-top clock can be rendered at a screen edge:
 
 ```yaml
 clock:
   enabled: true
   timezone: America/Denver     # IANA name; "Local" uses the system zone. DST auto.
   format: "15:04:05"           # Go time layout (24-hour w/ seconds)
-  corner: bottom-right         # bottom-right | bottom-left | top-right | top-left
+  corner: bottom-center        # bottom-right | bottom-left | top-right | top-left
+                               #   | bottom-center | top-center
+  background_opacity: 0.45     # alpha of the backing box; must be > 0 (see below)
 ```
 
-It's a tiny transparent mpv window (no extra dependencies) drawing the time as
-**white text with a black outline**, so it stays readable over both bright (day)
-and dark (night) camera scenes without measuring the picture. The time is
-formatted in the configured timezone via Go's zone database, so it's correct
-regardless of the host clock's zone and handles DST on its own. The daemon keeps
-it positioned and on top across layout switches. Size (`width`/`height`),
-`font_size`, and edge `margin` are configurable; enable/disable or retune it
-live with an edit plus `rtsp-streamer reload`.
+It's a tiny mpv window (no extra dependencies) drawing the time as **white text
+with a black outline** over a dimmed backing box, so it stays readable over both
+bright (day) and dark (night) camera scenes without measuring the picture. The
+time is formatted in the configured timezone via Go's zone database, so it's
+correct regardless of the host clock's zone and handles DST on its own. The
+daemon keeps it positioned and on top across layout switches. Size
+(`width`/`height`), `font_size`, and edge `margin` are configurable;
+enable/disable or retune it live with an edit plus `rtsp-streamer reload`.
+
+The `*-center` positions center the window horizontally and ignore `margin` on
+that axis; `margin` still applies vertically.
+
+### Why the clock is drawn the way it is
+
+The time is baked into every video frame by an ffmpeg `drawtext` filter that
+re-reads a small text file (`$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/rtsp-streamer/clock-text.txt`),
+which the daemon rewrites once a second. That looks roundabout — pushing an ASS
+`osd-overlay` over mpv's IPC would be the obvious approach — but on mpv 0.35 +
+Mesa/V3D + sway an OSD overlay is rendered **only on the frame where its content
+changes**, so an IPC-driven clock is visible for roughly 200ms per second and
+reads as a flashing clock. Every layer reports success while this happens
+(`error: success` from mpv, `vo-configured: true`, sway reporting the window
+visible at the right rect), so it looks like a stacking or font bug and is
+neither. Two constraints follow, and both are covered by tests:
+
+- **`background_opacity` must be greater than zero.** A fully transparent canvas
+  (`color=c=black@0.0` with `--alpha=yes`) makes the drawn glyphs inherit alpha
+  0, and the compositor shows nothing at all. Values of `0` or below — including
+  the field being absent — are clamped to the default.
+- **The canvas must not be buffered ahead** (`--cache=no`,
+  `--demuxer-readahead-secs=0`). `drawtext` stamps the time when a frame is
+  *generated*, so reading ahead makes the displayed clock lag by the readahead
+  and swallows text-file updates entirely.
+
+Because the text arrives through a file, the clock window needs no IPC socket.
 
 ## UniFi Protect live views
 
@@ -187,10 +216,29 @@ rtsp-streamer views import --all     # import every view
 rtsp-streamer views dump             # raw view JSON (for tuning odd layouts)
 ```
 
-Cameras are matched by Protect id, so run `discover` first. Grid size is
-inferred from the slot count (asymmetric "1 big + N" presets land as an even
-grid for now — send me `views dump` output to map exact sizing). An imported
-layout is **linked** to its view (`protect_view:` in the config).
+Cameras are matched by Protect id, so run `discover` first. An imported layout is
+**linked** to its view (`protect_view:` in the config).
+
+Protect's arrangement for a view is not always an even grid. Known asymmetric
+presets are mapped exactly; any other slot count falls back to a near-square grid
+of equal tiles:
+
+| Slots | Result |
+| --- | --- |
+| 8 | `5x4` — four 2x2 tiles plus a right-hand column of four 1x1 tiles |
+| anything else | near-square uniform grid (`GridForSlots`) |
+
+To add another preset, run `views dump`, note the view's `layout` value and slot
+order, and add an entry to `presets` in `internal/viewmap/viewmap.go`. Slot order
+in the dump is the order tiles are filled.
+
+Import **warns** whenever a mapping would leave grid cells empty (they show as
+blank rectangles on the wall) or references a camera that isn't in the config:
+
+```
+  ! Office View: 1 of 9 cells in the 3x3 grid are empty and will show as blank areas
+  ! Office View: slot 4 camera 6a65…c6d not in config (run `discover`)
+```
 
 ### Auto-resync
 
@@ -321,6 +369,26 @@ pegged, work through:
 - **Blank/black tile** — verify the stream directly:
   `mpv --rtsp-transport=tcp 'rtsps://HOST:7441/ALIAS?enableSrtp'`. If it fails,
   RTSP isn't enabled for that camera (`discover --enable-rtsp=high,low`).
+- **A tile stays blank but its mpv process is running** — the camera entry is
+  stale. Re-adopting a camera in Protect gives it a **new id and often a slightly
+  different name** (`Livingroom` → `Living Room`), and `discover` only adds and
+  updates, it never prunes — so the old entry lingers with an alias the controller
+  no longer serves. Process counts look healthy because mpv is up and retrying.
+  Diff your config's aliases against the controller:
+  `curl -sk -b cookies.txt https://HOST/proxy/protect/api/bootstrap` and compare
+  each camera's `channels[].rtspAlias`. Delete the dead entries, then fix every
+  layout that referenced them (watch for a camera ending up twice after a rename).
+- **Cameras in `cameras:` aren't on screen** — only cameras placed as tiles in the
+  **active layout** are streamed, one mpv per tile. The `cameras:` list is just an
+  inventory. Check with `rtsp-streamer layout ls` (it prints each layout's tile
+  count).
+- **Black bars inside every tile** — the base grid's cells aren't 16:9, so mpv
+  letterboxes each feed to fit. On a 16:9 output only a *square* grid (`NxN`)
+  yields 16:9 cells; e.g. a `5x4` grid on 3840x2160 gives 768x540 (1.42:1) cells.
+  Some arrangements can't avoid this at all — two 16:9 tiles 1080px tall need the
+  full 3840px width, leaving no room for a side column. To fill instead of pad,
+  crop with `player.extra_args: ["--panscan=1.0"]`, at the cost of roughly the top
+  and bottom 20% of each camera's field of view.
 - **A tile's video is cut off / overflows** — should not happen (mpv is told
   `--keepaspect-window=no` and the daemon re-squares tiles every second); if it
   does, confirm `rtsp-streamer version` is a recent build.

config.example.yaml

@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ player:
                                # interval (staggered) so latency can't slowly
                                # drift; 0 = off. 600 keeps drift to a few sec.
   restart_backoff_seconds: 3
-  extra_args: []
+  extra_args: []               # appended verbatim to every stream's mpv.
+                               # ["--panscan=1.0"] crops each feed to fill its
+                               # tile instead of letterboxing it — useful when
+                               # the grid's cells aren't 16:9, at the cost of the
+                               # top/bottom of the field of view.
 
 # Camera catalog. Normally populated by `rtsp-streamer discover`; shown here
 # by hand for illustration. Each camera can carry multiple stream qualities
@@ -94,10 +98,17 @@ clock:
   format: "15:04:05"           # Go time layout (24-hour w/ seconds). Others:
                                #   "3:04:05 PM"  ·  "Mon Jan 2  15:04"
   corner: bottom-right         # bottom-right | bottom-left | top-right | top-left
+                               #   | bottom-center | top-center
+                               # the *-center positions center horizontally and
+                               # ignore margin on that axis
   font_size: 44                # glyph height in px
   width: 300                   # overlay window size in px
   height: 72
   margin: 24                   # gap from the screen edges in px
+  background_opacity: 0.45     # alpha of the backing box behind the text.
+                               # MUST be > 0: on a fully transparent canvas the
+                               # glyphs inherit alpha 0 and nothing is drawn at
+                               # all. 0/absent is clamped to this default.
 
 # Re-sync the active layout from its linked UniFi Protect live view every N
 # seconds (0 = off). Layouts created by `views import` carry a `protect_view:`

internal/compositor/compositor.go

@@ -192,6 +192,15 @@ func (c *Client) PlaceAndRaise(ctx context.Context, pid int, r Rect) error {
 	return c.run(ctx, cmd)
 }
 
+// Raise brings pid's window above the other floating windows without touching
+// its geometry. Re-issuing `resize set` on a correctly-sized window makes sway
+// send a configure event, which makes mpv reallocate its buffers and blank for
+// a frame — visible as a periodic flash on a small overlay like the clock. So
+// callers that only need z-order must use this, not PlaceAndRaise.
+func (c *Client) Raise(ctx context.Context, pid int) error {
+	return c.run(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("[pid=%d] focus", pid))
+}
+
 // PrepareForMPV installs a global rule so every mpv window maps floating,
 // ready for the daemon to position. Borders are already off via the kiosk
 // config's `default_border none`, so this rule is a single command: sway's

internal/config/config.go

@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ type Clock struct {
 	// Examples: "3:04:05 PM", "Mon Jan 2  15:04".
 	Format string `yaml:"format,omitempty"`
 	// Corner places the overlay: bottom-right (default), bottom-left,
-	// top-right, top-left.
+	// top-right, top-left, bottom-center, top-center. The *-center positions
+	// center the overlay horizontally and ignore Margin on that axis.
 	Corner string `yaml:"corner,omitempty"`
 	// FontSize is the glyph height in pixels (default 44).
 	FontSize int `yaml:"font_size,omitempty"`
@@ -68,6 +69,15 @@ type Clock struct {
 	Height int `yaml:"height,omitempty"`
 	// Margin is the gap from the screen edges in pixels (default 24).
 	Margin int `yaml:"margin,omitempty"`
+	// BackgroundOpacity is the alpha of the overlay's backing box, 0.0
+	// (invisible) to 1.0 (solid black). Default 0.45.
+	//
+	// It must not be 0: the time is drawn into the canvas by a drawtext filter,
+	// and on a fully transparent canvas the glyphs inherit the canvas's zero
+	// alpha, so the compositor draws nothing and the clock silently disappears.
+	// A small non-zero value gives the text a dark backing that also keeps it
+	// legible over bright daytime scenes.
+	BackgroundOpacity float64 `yaml:"background_opacity,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Controller holds UniFi Protect connection details.
@@ -355,6 +365,14 @@ func (c *Config) Defaults() {
 		if c.Clock.Margin == 0 {
 			c.Clock.Margin = 24
 		}
+		if c.Clock.BackgroundOpacity <= 0 {
+			// 0 renders an invisible clock (see BackgroundOpacity), so treat
+			// unset — and any nonsense value — as the default.
+			c.Clock.BackgroundOpacity = 0.45
+		}
+		if c.Clock.BackgroundOpacity > 1 {
+			c.Clock.BackgroundOpacity = 1
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -407,9 +425,10 @@ func (c *Config) Validate() error {
 
 	if c.Clock.Enabled && c.Clock.Corner != "" {
 		switch c.Clock.Corner {
-		case "bottom-right", "bottom-left", "top-right", "top-left":
+		case "bottom-right", "bottom-left", "top-right", "top-left",
+			"bottom-center", "top-center":
 		default:
-			return fmt.Errorf("clock.corner %q must be one of bottom-right, bottom-left, top-right, top-left", c.Clock.Corner)
+			return fmt.Errorf("clock.corner %q must be one of bottom-right, bottom-left, top-right, top-left, bottom-center, top-center", c.Clock.Corner)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil

internal/daemon/clock_test.go

@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ func TestClockRectCorners(t *testing.T) {
 		"top-right":    {1920 - 300 - 24, 24},
 		"top-left":     {24, 24},
 		"":             {1920 - 300 - 24, 1080 - 72 - 24}, // default = bottom-right
+		// Centered positions ignore the horizontal margin and center on the
+		// output; the margin still applies vertically.
+		"bottom-center": {(1920 - 300) / 2, 1080 - 72 - 24},
+		"top-center":    {(1920 - 300) / 2, 24},
 	}
 	for corner, want := range cases {
 		cl.Corner = corner

internal/daemon/daemon.go

@@ -170,13 +170,29 @@ func (d *Daemon) placeClock(ctx context.Context, clock *player.Clock, rect compo
 		if pid == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
+		// Only re-assert geometry when it has actually drifted. Sending
+		// `resize set` every tick makes sway reconfigure the surface, which
+		// blanks mpv for a frame and reads as a flashing clock. Z-order still
+		// needs re-asserting every tick, because a restarted camera maps
+		// focused and lands above the overlay — but a bare focus does not
+		// touch the surface.
+		if rects, err := d.comp.WindowRects(ctx); err == nil {
+			if actual, ok := rects[pid]; ok && actual == rect {
+				if err := d.comp.Raise(ctx, pid); err != nil {
+					d.log.Debug("clock raise failed", "err", err)
+				}
+				continue
+			}
+		}
 		if err := d.comp.PlaceAndRaise(ctx, pid, rect); err != nil {
 			d.log.Debug("clock place failed", "err", err)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-// clockRect computes the overlay rectangle for the configured corner.
+// clockRect computes the overlay rectangle for the configured corner. The
+// *-center positions are horizontally centred on the output, which is why the
+// setting is a position rather than strictly a corner.
 func clockRect(w, h int, cl config.Clock) compositor.Rect {
 	m, cw, ch := cl.Margin, cl.Width, cl.Height
 	x, y := w-cw-m, h-ch-m // bottom-right default
@@ -187,6 +203,10 @@ func clockRect(w, h int, cl config.Clock) compositor.Rect {
 		x, y = m, m
 	case "top-right":
 		x, y = w-cw-m, m
+	case "bottom-center":
+		x, y = (w-cw)/2, h-ch-m
+	case "top-center":
+		x, y = (w-cw)/2, m
 	}
 	return compositor.Rect{X: x, Y: y, W: cw, H: ch}
 }

internal/player/clock.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
@@ -15,17 +16,26 @@ import (
 )
 
 // Clock is a small always-on-top mpv window that renders the current local
-// time. The window plays a fully transparent lavfi canvas (so the camera video
-// shows through) and the time is drawn as an ASS overlay pushed over mpv's IPC
-// once a second: white glyphs with a black outline, which stay legible over
-// both bright (day) and dark (night) scenes without sampling the picture. The
-// time is formatted in Go against a fixed timezone, so it does not depend on
-// the host clock's zone and gets DST right.
+// time: white glyphs with a black outline, which stay legible over both bright
+// (day) and dark (night) scenes without sampling the picture. The time is
+// formatted in Go against a fixed timezone, so it does not depend on the host
+// clock's zone and gets DST right.
+//
+// The text is baked into the canvas by an ffmpeg drawtext filter reading
+// textPath, which the ticker rewrites once a second (drawtext's reload=1 re-reads
+// the file every frame). It is deliberately NOT drawn as an mpv OSD overlay:
+// on mpv 0.35 + Mesa/V3D + sway, osd-overlay renders only on the single frame
+// where its content changes, so an IPC-pushed clock appears for ~200ms a second
+// and reads as a flashing clock. Baking the text into every frame is stable.
+//
+// Because the text is rendered when a frame is *generated*, the canvas must not
+// be buffered ahead of display or the visible time lags — see args() for the
+// cache flags that keep generation just-in-time.
 type Clock struct {
 	cfg      config.Clock
 	loc      *time.Location
 	runDir   string
-	ipcPath string
+	textPath string
 	log      *slog.Logger
 
 	mu  sync.Mutex
@@ -39,13 +49,35 @@ func NewClock(cfg config.Clock, runDir string, log *slog.Logger) (*Clock, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("clock timezone %q: %w", cfg.Timezone, err)
 	}
-	return &Clock{
+	textPath := filepath.Join(runDir, "clock-text.txt")
+	// A ':' or '\' in the path would be read as filtergraph syntax and break the
+	// drawtext option rather than pointing at the file.
+	if strings.ContainsAny(textPath, `:\`) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("clock text path %q contains a character that cannot be escaped in a filtergraph", textPath)
+	}
+	c := &Clock{
 		cfg:      cfg,
 		loc:      loc,
 		runDir:   runDir,
-		ipcPath: filepath.Join(runDir, "mpv-clock.sock"),
+		textPath: textPath,
 		log:      log.With("comp", "clock"),
-	}, nil
+	}
+	// drawtext fails to initialise if the file is missing, which would take the
+	// whole window down, so seed it before mpv ever starts.
+	if err := c.writeText(); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("seeding clock text: %w", err)
+	}
+	return c, nil
+}
+
+// writeText renders the current time and replaces textPath atomically, so
+// drawtext never reads a half-written file.
+func (c *Clock) writeText() error {
+	tmp := c.textPath + ".tmp"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(tmp, []byte(time.Now().In(c.loc).Format(c.cfg.Format)), 0o644); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return os.Rename(tmp, c.textPath)
 }
 
 // Title is the window title, so the compositor can match the clock by title.
@@ -62,12 +94,31 @@ func (c *Clock) PID() int {
 }
 
 func (c *Clock) args() []string {
-	// A transparent RGBA canvas at a few fps; the text is drawn via osd-overlay,
-	// so nothing needs to be escaped into the filtergraph. --alpha=yes lets the
-	// transparent areas composite over the camera windows behind it (if the
-	// compositor can't do alpha, the canvas is black and the outlined white
-	// text is still perfectly readable — it just gains a dark backing).
-	src := fmt.Sprintf("av://lavfi:color=c=black@0.0:s=%dx%d:r=4,format=rgba", c.cfg.Width, c.cfg.Height)
+	// A mostly-transparent RGBA canvas at a few fps; the text is drawn via
+	// osd-overlay, so nothing needs to be escaped into the filtergraph.
+	// --alpha=yes lets the canvas composite over the camera windows behind it.
+	//
+	// The canvas alpha must stay > 0. mpv blends the OSD into the canvas, and
+	// on a fully transparent one the text inherits alpha 0, so the compositor
+	// draws nothing at all and the clock silently vanishes (observed on
+	// Mesa/V3D + sway). BackgroundOpacity is clamped to a non-zero default in
+	// config; the dark backing it produces also keeps the white text legible
+	// against bright daytime scenes.
+	// Clamped here too, not just in config, so a Clock built by any other path
+	// still cannot render itself invisible.
+	opacity := c.cfg.BackgroundOpacity
+	if opacity <= 0 {
+		opacity = 0.45
+	} else if opacity > 1 {
+		opacity = 1
+	}
+	// borderw draws the black outline that keeps white glyphs readable against a
+	// bright scene; the text is centred on the canvas.
+	src := fmt.Sprintf(
+		"av://lavfi:color=c=black@%.3f:s=%dx%d:r=4,format=rgba,"+
+			"drawtext=textfile=%s:reload=1:fontsize=%d:fontcolor=white:"+
+			"borderw=3:bordercolor=black:x=(w-text_w)/2:y=(h-text_h)/2",
+		opacity, c.cfg.Width, c.cfg.Height, c.textPath, c.cfg.FontSize)
 	return []string{
 		"--no-config",
 		"--force-window=yes",
@@ -83,15 +134,23 @@ func (c *Clock) args() []string {
 		"--no-audio",
 		"--keepaspect=no",
 		"--alpha=yes",
+		// drawtext stamps the time when a frame is GENERATED, so any readahead
+		// shows a stale clock (buffering a few seconds ahead made the displayed
+		// time lag by that much and swallowed text updates entirely). Keep
+		// generation just-in-time.
+		"--cache=no",
+		"--demuxer-readahead-secs=0",
+		"--demuxer-max-bytes=64KiB",
+		"--profile=low-latency",
 		"--title=" + c.Title(),
-		"--input-ipc-server=" + c.ipcPath,
 		fmt.Sprintf("--geometry=%dx%d", c.cfg.Width, c.cfg.Height),
 		src,
 	}
 }
 
+// start launches the clock mpv. It needs no IPC socket: the time reaches the
+// window through textPath, which drawtext re-reads every frame.
 func (c *Clock) start(ctx context.Context) error {
-	_ = os.Remove(c.ipcPath)
 	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "mpv", c.args()...)
 	cmd.Cancel = func() error { return cmd.Process.Signal(syscall.SIGTERM) }
 	cmd.WaitDelay = 2 * time.Second
@@ -162,30 +221,11 @@ func (c *Clock) tick(ctx context.Context, done <-chan struct{}) {
 	}
 }
 
-// push renders the current time as ASS and sends it as an OSD overlay. an5
-// centers it in the window; \bord gives the black outline, \1c/\3c set the
-// white fill and black outline colors (ASS is &HBBGGRR&).
+// push publishes the current time for the drawtext filter to pick up on its
+// next frame. Failures are logged at warn, not debug: a clock that stops
+// updating is silently wrong, which is worse than one that is visibly absent.
 func (c *Clock) push() {
-	text := assEscape(time.Now().In(c.loc).Format(c.cfg.Format))
-	data := fmt.Sprintf(
-		`{\an5\fs%d\bord3\shad1\1c&HFFFFFF&\3c&H000000&\4c&H000000&\b1}%s`,
-		c.cfg.FontSize, text,
-	)
-	if _, err := ipcCommand(c.ipcPath, "osd-overlay", 1, "ass-events", data, 0, c.cfg.Height, 0, false, false); err != nil {
-		c.log.Debug("clock overlay update failed", "err", err)
+	if err := c.writeText(); err != nil {
+		c.log.Warn("clock text update failed", "path", c.textPath, "err", err)
 	}
 }
-
-// assEscape drops the few characters that are special in ASS override text, so
-// an unusual time format string can't break rendering. These never appear in a
-// rendered time, so dropping them is harmless.
-func assEscape(s string) string {
-	r := make([]rune, 0, len(s))
-	for _, ch := range s {
-		if ch == '{' || ch == '}' || ch == '\\' {
-			continue
-		}
-		r = append(r, ch)
-	}
-	return string(r)
-}

internal/player/player_test.go

@@ -2,8 +2,13 @@ package player
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
+	"github.com/lwoodard/rtsp-streamer/internal/config"
 	"github.com/lwoodard/rtsp-streamer/internal/logbuf"
 )
 
@@ -29,3 +34,90 @@ func TestLastLineNil(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("lastLine(nil) = %q, want empty", got)
 	}
 }
+
+func testClock(cfg config.Clock) *Clock {
+	return &Clock{cfg: cfg, textPath: "/run/user/1000/rtsp-streamer/clock-text.txt"}
+}
+
+// A zero-alpha canvas makes the drawn text inherit alpha 0, so the clock
+// renders as nothing at all. Config clamps the opacity, and args() must clamp
+// too rather than emitting a fully transparent canvas.
+func TestClockCanvasIsNeverFullyTransparent(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, opacity := range []float64{0, -1, 0.45, 1} {
+		c := testClock(config.Clock{Width: 300, Height: 72, BackgroundOpacity: opacity})
+		src := c.args()[len(c.args())-1]
+		if strings.Contains(src, "black@0.000") {
+			t.Errorf("opacity %v produced a fully transparent canvas: %s", opacity, src)
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(src, "s=300x72") {
+			t.Errorf("opacity %v: size missing from %s", opacity, src)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The configured opacity must reach the filtergraph verbatim.
+func TestClockCanvasUsesConfiguredOpacity(t *testing.T) {
+	src := testClock(config.Clock{Width: 300, Height: 72, BackgroundOpacity: 0.6}).args()
+	if got := src[len(src)-1]; !strings.Contains(got, "black@0.600") {
+		t.Errorf("got %s, want canvas alpha 0.600", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// The time must be baked into every frame by drawtext, reloading the text file
+// each frame. An mpv OSD overlay only renders on the frame where its content
+// changes, which showed up as a flashing clock.
+func TestClockDrawsTextIntoEveryFrame(t *testing.T) {
+	c := testClock(config.Clock{Width: 300, Height: 72, FontSize: 44})
+	src := c.args()[len(c.args())-1]
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"drawtext=textfile=" + c.textPath,
+		"reload=1",    // re-read the file per frame, else the clock freezes
+		"fontsize=44", // from config, not hardcoded
+		"borderw=3",   // outline for legibility over bright scenes
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(src, want) {
+			t.Errorf("filtergraph missing %q:\n  %s", want, src)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// drawtext stamps the time when a frame is generated, so buffering ahead makes
+// the visible clock lag. These flags keep generation just-in-time.
+func TestClockDisablesReadahead(t *testing.T) {
+	args := testClock(config.Clock{Width: 300, Height: 72, FontSize: 44}).args()
+	joined := strings.Join(args, " ")
+	for _, want := range []string{"--cache=no", "--demuxer-readahead-secs=0"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(joined, want) {
+			t.Errorf("args missing %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// writeText must replace the file atomically so drawtext cannot read a
+// half-written time, and must honour the configured layout and zone.
+func TestClockWriteTextIsAtomicAndFormatted(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	loc, err := time.LoadLocation("America/Denver")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	c := &Clock{
+		cfg:      config.Clock{Format: "15:04:05"},
+		loc:      loc,
+		textPath: filepath.Join(dir, "clock-text.txt"),
+	}
+	if err := c.writeText(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(c.textPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := string(b); len(got) != len("15:04:05") {
+		t.Errorf("wrote %q, want an HH:MM:SS-shaped time", got)
+	}
+	// The temp file used for the atomic rename must not be left behind.
+	if _, err := os.Stat(c.textPath + ".tmp"); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Errorf("temp file left behind: %v", err)
+	}
+}

internal/viewmap/viewmap.go

@@ -31,18 +31,66 @@ func GridForSlots(n int) (cols, rows int) {
 	}
 }
 
-// LayoutFromView maps a Protect live view to a layout. Cameras are placed
-// row-major, one per slot (the first camera of a cycling slot). Sizing uses a
-// slot-count grid for now; asymmetric Protect presets need the `layout` int
-// mapping. The returned layout is linked back to the view (ProtectView) so the
-// daemon can re-sync it. Returns warnings for unmappable cameras.
+// preset is a Protect arrangement: a base grid plus one cell placement per
+// slot, in slot order. Camera is filled in by LayoutFromView.
+type preset struct {
+	cols, rows int
+	cells      []config.Tile
+}
+
+// presets holds the Protect arrangements that are NOT a uniform grid, keyed by
+// slot count. Protect picks these presets by camera count, so a count that is
+// absent here is a plain row-major grid and falls through to uniformPreset.
+var presets = map[int]preset{
+	// Protect's 8-camera preset: four 2x2 tiles with a right-hand column of
+	// four 1x1 tiles. Numbers are slot order:
+	//   1 1 2 2 3
+	//   1 1 2 2 4
+	//   5 5 6 6 7
+	//   5 5 6 6 8
+	8: {cols: 5, rows: 4, cells: []config.Tile{
+		{Col: 0, Row: 0, ColSpan: 2, RowSpan: 2},
+		{Col: 2, Row: 0, ColSpan: 2, RowSpan: 2},
+		{Col: 4, Row: 0, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1},
+		{Col: 4, Row: 1, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1},
+		{Col: 0, Row: 2, ColSpan: 2, RowSpan: 2},
+		{Col: 2, Row: 2, ColSpan: 2, RowSpan: 2},
+		{Col: 4, Row: 2, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1},
+		{Col: 4, Row: 3, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1},
+	}},
+}
+
+// uniformPreset builds a plain row-major grid of 1x1 cells.
+func uniformPreset(cols, rows int) preset {
+	p := preset{cols: cols, rows: rows}
+	for i := 0; i < cols*rows; i++ {
+		p.cells = append(p.cells, config.Tile{Col: i % cols, Row: i / cols, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1})
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// presetForSlots returns the arrangement Protect uses for n slots.
+func presetForSlots(n int) preset {
+	if p, ok := presets[n]; ok {
+		return p
+	}
+	cols, rows := GridForSlots(n)
+	return uniformPreset(cols, rows)
+}
+
+// LayoutFromView maps a Protect live view to a layout. Each slot's first camera
+// (slots may cycle several) is placed into that slot's cell in the arrangement
+// Protect uses for the slot count — see presets. The returned layout is linked
+// back to the view (ProtectView) so the daemon can re-sync it. Returns warnings
+// for unmappable cameras and for any arrangement that leaves the wall with
+// empty cells, which would otherwise show as blank rectangles on screen.
 func LayoutFromView(v protect.LiveView, idToName map[string]string) (config.Layout, []string) {
-	cols, rows := GridForSlots(len(v.Slots))
+	p := presetForSlots(len(v.Slots))
 	var tiles []config.Tile
 	var warns []string
 	for i, slot := range v.Slots {
-		if i >= cols*rows {
-			warns = append(warns, fmt.Sprintf("more slots than the %dx%d grid holds; extra dropped", cols, rows))
+		if i >= len(p.cells) {
+			warns = append(warns, fmt.Sprintf("more slots than the %dx%d grid holds; extra dropped", p.cols, p.rows))
 			break
 		}
 		if len(slot.Cameras) == 0 {
@@ -50,19 +98,51 @@ func LayoutFromView(v protect.LiveView, idToName map[string]string) (config.Layo
 		}
 		name := idToName[slot.Cameras[0]]
 		if name == "" {
-			warns = append(warns, fmt.Sprintf("slot %d camera %s not in config", i, slot.Cameras[0]))
+			warns = append(warns, fmt.Sprintf("slot %d camera %s not in config (run `discover`)", i, slot.Cameras[0]))
 			continue
 		}
-		tiles = append(tiles, config.Tile{Camera: name, Col: i % cols, Row: i / cols, ColSpan: 1, RowSpan: 1})
+		t := p.cells[i]
+		t.Camera = name
+		tiles = append(tiles, t)
+	}
+	if gaps := unfilled(p, tiles); gaps > 0 {
+		warns = append(warns, fmt.Sprintf("%d of %d cells in the %dx%d grid are empty and will show as blank areas",
+			gaps, p.cols*p.rows, p.cols, p.rows))
 	}
 	return config.Layout{
 		Name:        Sanitize(v.Name),
-		Grid:        fmt.Sprintf("%dx%d", cols, rows),
+		Grid:        fmt.Sprintf("%dx%d", p.cols, p.rows),
 		Tiles:       tiles,
 		ProtectView: v.Name,
 	}, warns
 }
 
+// unfilled counts grid cells no tile covers. A non-zero result means the wall
+// has holes: either the preset does not tile its own grid or slots were skipped.
+func unfilled(p preset, tiles []config.Tile) int {
+	if p.cols <= 0 || p.rows <= 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	covered := make([]bool, p.cols*p.rows)
+	for _, t := range tiles {
+		cs, rs := t.Span()
+		for r := t.Row; r < t.Row+rs; r++ {
+			for c := t.Col; c < t.Col+cs; c++ {
+				if r >= 0 && r < p.rows && c >= 0 && c < p.cols {
+					covered[r*p.cols+c] = true
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	n := 0
+	for _, ok := range covered {
+		if !ok {
+			n++
+		}
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
 // Sanitize turns a view name into a layout name (lowercase, dashed).
 func Sanitize(s string) string {
 	s = strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(s))

internal/viewmap/viewmap_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+package viewmap
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/lwoodard/rtsp-streamer/internal/protect"
+)
+
+// view builds a live view whose slots each hold one camera id.
+func view(name string, ids ...string) protect.LiveView {
+	v := protect.LiveView{Name: name}
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		v.Slots = append(v.Slots, protect.LiveViewSlot{Cameras: []string{id}})
+	}
+	return v
+}
+
+// namesFor maps ids "c0".."cN-1" to themselves so tiles are easy to assert on.
+func namesFor(n int) map[string]string {
+	m := map[string]string{}
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		m[id(i)] = id(i)
+	}
+	return m
+}
+
+func id(i int) string { return string(rune('a' + i)) }
+
+func ids(n int) []string {
+	out := make([]string, n)
+	for i := range out {
+		out[i] = id(i)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// The 8-camera Protect preset is asymmetric: four 2x2 tiles plus a right-hand
+// column of four 1x1 tiles, tiling a 5x4 grid exactly.
+func TestLayoutFromView_EightSlotPreset(t *testing.T) {
+	got, warns := LayoutFromView(view("Office View", ids(8)...), namesFor(8))
+
+	if got.Grid != "5x4" {
+		t.Fatalf("grid = %q, want 5x4", got.Grid)
+	}
+	if len(warns) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected warnings: %v", warns)
+	}
+	if got.ProtectView != "Office View" || got.Name != "office-view" {
+		t.Errorf("name/link = %q/%q", got.Name, got.ProtectView)
+	}
+
+	want := []struct{ col, row, cs, rs int }{
+		{0, 0, 2, 2}, {2, 0, 2, 2}, {4, 0, 1, 1}, {4, 1, 1, 1},
+		{0, 2, 2, 2}, {2, 2, 2, 2}, {4, 2, 1, 1}, {4, 3, 1, 1},
+	}
+	if len(got.Tiles) != len(want) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d tiles, want %d", len(got.Tiles), len(want))
+	}
+	for i, w := range want {
+		tile := got.Tiles[i]
+		cs, rs := tile.Span()
+		if tile.Col != w.col || tile.Row != w.row || cs != w.cs || rs != w.rs {
+			t.Errorf("tile %d = (%d,%d)+%dx%d, want (%d,%d)+%dx%d",
+				i, tile.Col, tile.Row, cs, rs, w.col, w.row, w.cs, w.rs)
+		}
+		if tile.Camera != id(i) {
+			t.Errorf("tile %d camera = %q, want %q", i, tile.Camera, id(i))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The 8-slot preset must leave no holes; that was the original bug (8 tiles
+// dropped into a 3x3 grid left the bottom-right cell blank).
+func TestLayoutFromView_EightSlotsTileGridExactly(t *testing.T) {
+	got, _ := LayoutFromView(view("Office View", ids(8)...), namesFor(8))
+	if n := unfilled(presetForSlots(8), got.Tiles); n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("%d cells left empty, want 0", n)
+	}
+}
+
+// Counts without a preset keep the uniform row-major grid.
+func TestLayoutFromView_UniformFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	got, warns := LayoutFromView(view("Default", ids(9)...), namesFor(9))
+	if got.Grid != "3x3" {
+		t.Fatalf("grid = %q, want 3x3", got.Grid)
+	}
+	if len(warns) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected warnings: %v", warns)
+	}
+	for i, tile := range got.Tiles {
+		if tile.Col != i%3 || tile.Row != i/3 {
+			t.Errorf("tile %d at (%d,%d), want (%d,%d)", i, tile.Col, tile.Row, i%3, i/3)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A count whose uniform grid is larger than the slot count leaves holes, and
+// the caller must be told rather than silently shipping a wall with blanks.
+func TestLayoutFromView_WarnsOnHoles(t *testing.T) {
+	got, warns := LayoutFromView(view("Seven", ids(7)...), namesFor(7))
+	if got.Grid != "3x3" {
+		t.Fatalf("grid = %q, want 3x3", got.Grid)
+	}
+	if !hasWarn(warns, "empty") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an empty-cell warning, got %v", warns)
+	}
+}
+
+// An unknown camera id is reported and its cell left out.
+func TestLayoutFromView_WarnsOnUnknownCamera(t *testing.T) {
+	got, warns := LayoutFromView(view("Office View", ids(8)...), namesFor(7))
+	if len(got.Tiles) != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("got %d tiles, want 7", len(got.Tiles))
+	}
+	if !hasWarn(warns, "not in config") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an unknown-camera warning, got %v", warns)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUnfilledCountsUncoveredCells(t *testing.T) {
+	p := uniformPreset(3, 3)
+	if n := unfilled(p, nil); n != 9 {
+		t.Errorf("empty layout: got %d uncovered, want 9", n)
+	}
+	full, _ := LayoutFromView(view("Default", ids(9)...), namesFor(9))
+	if n := unfilled(p, full.Tiles); n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("full 3x3: got %d uncovered, want 0", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func hasWarn(warns []string, substr string) bool {
+	for _, w := range warns {
+		if strings.Contains(w, substr) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}