Convergent Design HD-Connect LE, User Manual

Page 1: ...de and User s Manual 4465 Northpark Drive Suite 201 Colorado Springs CO 80907 http www convergent design com support convergent design com Support 720 221 3861 Toll Free 866 654 0080 HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...4 1 1 Welcome 4 1 2 FCC Compliance 4 1 3 Shipping Contents 4 2 HD CONNECT LE 4 2 1 Overview 4 2 2 Features 5 2 3 Functional Block Diagram 6 3 INSTALLATION AND QUICK START 7 3 1 Connections 7 3 2 DIP Switch Settings 8 4 UPDATING HD CONNECT LE 9 4 1 Preparation 9 4 2 Using the Update Application 9 4 3 Rollbacks 16 5 CONTROLLING HD CONNECT LE 17 5 1 Preparation 17 5 2 Using the Control Application 18...

Page 3: ...DV Dub to High Definition Deck 34 8 3 HDV Playback from Computer 35 8 4 HDV Downscaled to Standard Definition 36 8 5 HDV to HD CAM Tape Transfer w Time Code 37 9 SPECIFICATIONS 37 9 1 Inputs 37 9 2 Outputs 38 9 3 Physical 39 9 4 Power 39 9 5 Temperature Ranges 40 9 6 Humidity 40 10 RMA AND WARRANTY 41 10 1 Conditions of the Warranty 41 10 2 Obtaining an RMA 42 HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual...

Page 4: ...s and is required to accept all interference received including that which may cause undesired operation 1 3 Shipping Contents Your HD Connect LE should come packaged with the following 1 HD Connect LE 2 Power Supply with Changeable Plugs 3 Quick Start Guide 2 HD Connect LE 2 1 Overview The Convergent Design HD Connect LE integrates video audio time code and deck control into a simple to use cost ...

Page 5: ...d 1080 60i support 3 50Hz PAL and 59 94Hz NTSC support 4 HDV Deck Control via RS 422 1394 and 1394 RS 422 coming soon translation 5 Component and Composite output 6 Unbalanced Audio out for local monitoring 7 All outputs simultaneously active 8 HD to SD scaling support In HD can cross convert 1080i 720p 9 1394 based Firmware Updates 10 DIP Switch Interface 11 Color Bars and Tones on HD SD SDI not ...

Page 6: ...dio D A Micro Controller Flash Up Down Cross Scaler Video HD SD Encoder D A HD SD SDI Driver Pb Pr CVBS HDV Audio Decoder HD SD Color Space Conversion A V Sync AES Driver LTC Driver RS 422 Deck Command Cntrl Time Code Data 1394 Deck Commands Time Code MPEG2 TS PS Video Audio Audio Embed Figure 1 Functional Block Diagram of HD Connect LE HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 7: ...stem for RS 422 1394 3 HDV In Connect to your HDV source You can use either the 4 pin or the 6 pin 1394 connector NOTE HD Connect LE can only use one 1394 HDV source at a time 4 Unbalanced Audio Out 3 5 mm unbalanced audio connector for monitoring HD Connect LE outputs audio simultaneously through this port the AES port and in the HD SD SDI stream 5 Analog Video Out Component HD and Composite SD o...

Page 8: ...cts SD Standard Definition or HD High Definition video output for both HD SD SDI and analog 2 Enables 720p or 1080i in HD Switch 1 On 3 Selects NTSC 29 97 59 94 or PAL 25 50 video standard This must correspond to the HDV input format 4 Selects deck control direction Switch 4 On enables 1394 to RS 422 control upcoming feature and Switch 4 Off enables RS 422 to 1394 control Currently Switch 4 On is ...

Page 9: ...sign com LEdownloads htm Here you may download the latest code updates for either PC or Mac The page has links to exe files to install the control application for either PC or Mac 2 In order to run the control application you will need the Java Runtime Environment 1 4 1 or better If you need this to be installed on your machine follow the instructions on the product downloads page where the exe fi...

Page 10: ...ill work This will take around 30 seconds In Windows XP a window similar to Figure 4 should pop up For Mac there is no indicator and it is recommended you wait for 30 seconds Figure 4 Windows XP recognizing the box 2 Install the update and control application by running the exe Figure 5 shows the installation process HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 11: ...pplication HdConnectLeController When the application first starts it will check online for available updates You will be prompted to update it upon first use click ok When the update is finished you will need to restart the application Figure 6 shows the dialog window HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 12: ...cation again With the box in update mode Switch 8 On click on the Firmware Update tab and click the Refresh button to check the current software loaded into the HD Connect LE and display the newest version to update to Figure 7 illustrates HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 13: ...n roll back to it if the new version does not work Check the Restore All Firmware Files box if your box did not complete an update or if the box is in an unstable state This process takes 3 6 minutes During that time DO NOT unplug the box A success window will appear when the update is complete See Figure 8 for a screenshot of a complete update HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 14: ... switching selector 8 to the Off position All normal operations cease while the box is in update mode so it is important not to forget this step Mac 1 For the Mac OSX the procedure for installation is identical to the PC Follow the instructions as before Figure 9 shows the Mac installer window HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 15: ...e 10 illustrates this Figure 10 Finder in OSX 3 When you open the application it should appear as in Figure 11 Use the exact same procedure for PC to update the box With the box in update mode click the Refresh button then click the Update button The update should take around three to five minutes During that time DO NOT unplug the box HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 16: ...ode version using the Control App To do this with the box in Update mode click on the Links Downloads tab Click on Refresh List Using the drop down menu select the code you wish to use This tells the Control App what code to load when it is restarted Close the Control App restart it and allow it to download the appropriate code then proceed with the normal update procedure Figure 12 below shows th...

Page 17: ...8 is still in the On position you will see a popup similar to the one below in Figure 13 Figure 13 Alert message when in update mode When selecting options in the Control App occasionally the HD Connect LE will lose track of the 1394 uplink and may give you either of the following alert messages If so we recommend unplugging and re plugging the 1394 connection or power cycling the box HD Connect L...

Page 18: ...rt You must wait for your computer to recognize the box before the control application will work This will take around 30 seconds for either Windows XP or Mac 2 Open and run the control application Click on the Open button under the Control tab The application will then display the current firmware version Figure 15 shows a screenshot of the application HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 19: ...pplication are described below Following your selection of a list item checkbox or radio button a message should appear confirming that your selection has been successfully loaded into your HD Connect LE box Figures 16 18 show the use of the control app for each operation The interface for the PC and the Mac are identical in operation HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 20: ...e to select the controller the box should use Once selected the blue text should display a confirmation message By default HD Connect LE comes pre loaded with Avid Generic selected Figure 16 illustrates Figure 16 Device Control selection confirmation 2 Timecode Offest This setting allows you to add an offset to the timecode that will be reported to an RS 422 controller HD Connect LE already impose...

Page 21: ...tions in the playback from certain HDV sources and ensure that audio start up faithfully each time a controller asks the device to play forward at normal speed On the other hand for decoding HDV material that has been processed by an editing application and recording it to tape or for playing back material so recorded this checkbox should be unchecked If it is left checked HD Connect LE will expec...

Page 22: ...ices navigation can be quite choppy compared to navigation through a tape on an RS 422 controlled deck Timecode reporting issues see Using the Control Application Control Operations make the logging of inpoints and outpoints problematic For both ease of clip logging and frame accuracy in the final captured clips it may be better to capture an entire tape at a low resolution decompose the captured ...

Page 23: ... capture application to ensure that the logged DV inpoints and outpoints correspond to the correct frames during final online capture through HD Connect LE In addition some HDV devices will not down convert to SD and provide a DV output so this scenario would not be possible with all HDV devices While the need for an SDI capture card HD or SD in the SDI scenario eliminates the possibility of captu...

Page 24: ...e set in record run mode with a desired starting timecode and the timecode not reset until the full tape has been recorded This should cause the camera to begin advancing its internal timecode only each time the record button is pushed It is also recommended that the first scene recorded on a tape have a leader of 30 seconds or more of sacrificial material in order to prevent a reverse search from...

Page 25: ...t HDV HD SD SDI converter box with component HD SD and composite SD only as well as LTC and AES audio outputs Deck control is supported via RS 422 1394 available now or 1394 RS 422 upcoming feature 2 Can you perform HD SDI HDV conversions No the box only decodes HDV HD SD SDI it does not encode HD SDI HDV video audio An economical HDV encoder is about 12 18 months away 3 Can I copy an HDV tape to ...

Page 26: ...box in the HD Connect family 11 What is the data rate of HDV 720p HDV is approximately 19Mbps 1080i is 25Mbps 12 What is the recommended workflow using HD Connect LE Use HD Connect LE to convert from HDV to HD SD SDI via firewire Connect the HD SDI output to an HD SD SDI capture card Capture the video and audio either uncompressed or using the I Frame CODEC such as DVCProHD or DNxHD You can contro...

Page 27: ...e HD Connect LE Using the selector switches set the video output to HD or SD and 1080i or 720p as appropriate Set the deck control to RS 422 You can now drive the HDV deck camcorder from your Avid NLE program 17 Which NLE software programs work with HD Connect LE For native HDV editing we have tested the following Sony Vegas and Final Cut Pro need to test Avid Premiere and Liquid Edition For HD SD...

Page 28: ...ction to the video A firewire based control application is planned for 2nd quarter 2006 release which will include the capability to adjust colors stretch the black levels and program a specific gamma curve 28 Does HD Connect LE support true SD BT 601 and HD BT 709 color spaces Yes a color space conversion is automatically performed to convert between the SD and HD color spaces as necessary 29 How...

Page 29: ... How does the HD Connect LE handle time code The time code is read from the HDV source over firewire and then transferred to SDI LTC and RS 422 simultaneously From the control application you may select from embedded or queried time code Embedded time code is extracted from the HDV stream while queried time code derives from device responses to AV C time code queries sent out over the 1394 bus Use...

Page 30: ... is very lightweight The box consumes about 5 Watts of power an external 5V power supply with universal AC 100 240V is included with each HD Connect LE box 45 I understand that the JVC camcorder has two additional channels of uncompressed PCM audio Does the HD Connect LE support this function No we are still investigating if this is possible 46 Can I capture in true 24p mode The current code versi...

Page 31: ...h the Update Minimum only box unchecked Roll back to a previous working version 4 RS 422 Deck control does not work Be sure the direction of control is set correctly Refer to the directions on the DIP switch 4 settings to choose the correct direction Select a generic play deck as the deck template in the NLE software 5 I only see color bars when I turn on the box When there is no HDV device attach...

Page 32: ...e the DIP switch and board 6 Clean only with water with a damp cloth 7 CAUTION Electrostatic Discharge ESD can damage components in this product Although HD Connect LE has countermeasures to this hazard installed inside it is always best to avoid damage by using extra caution when adjusting the DIP switch settings 8 Do not touch exposed connector pins and do not insert any metal objects in the con...

Page 33: ...amera or Deck HD Connect LE Front HD Connect LE Back Audio Monitor R HD SD SDI Video and Audio 1 HD or SD Video 2 1080i or 720p HD 3 Pal or NTSC 4 Off RS 422 Control 5 Off 6 Anamorphic or Edge Crop 7 or Letterbox 8 Off Switch Settings RS 422 1394 L Analog Monitor HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 34: ... or Deck HD Connect LE Front HD Connect LE Back HD SDI Video Audio and timecode Switch Settings 1 On HD Video 2 1080i or 720p 3 Pal or NTSC 4 Off RS 422 Control 5 Off 6 Off 7 Off 8 Off Audio Monitor R L Analog Monitor HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 35: ... LE Front HD Connect LE Back HD SD SDI Video and Audio Switch Settings RS 422 1394 1 HD or SD Video 2 1080i or 720p HD 3 Pal or NTSC 4 On 1394 Control 5 Off 6 Anamorphic or Edge Crop 7 or Letterbox 8 Off Audio Monitor R L Analog Monitor HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 36: ...mera or Deck HD Connect LE Front HD Connect LE Back SDI Video and Audio Switch Settings 1 Off SD Video 2 3 Pal or NTSC 4 Off RS 422 Control 5 Off 6 Anamorphic or Edge Crop 7 or Letterbox 8 Off Audio Monitor R L Analog Monitor HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 37: ...ct LE Back HD SDI Video Audio Time Code Switch Settings 1 On HD Video 2 1080i or 720p 3 Pal or NTSC 4 Off RS 422 Control 5 Off 6 Off 7 Off 8 Off 9 Specifications 9 1 Inputs HDV MPEG2 Formats 1440x1080i 29 97Hz 1440x1080i 25Hz 1440x1080i 23 98Hz 1280x720p 59 94Hz HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 38: ...z SMPTE 299M Formats 1920x1080i 29 97Hz 16 9 1920x1080i 25Hz 16 9 1280x720p 59 97 Hz 16 9 1280x720p 50Hz 16 9 Connectors 75 Ω BNC SD SDI Standards SMPTE Standard Def Color Bars RP 178 4 2 2 SMPTE 259M C 4 Channel Embedded Audio 20 bit 48Khz SMPTE 272M A Formats 720x480i 29 97Hz 4 3 720x576i 25Hz 4 3 Connectors 75 Ω BNC Analog Video Standards Component G Y B B Y R R Y Composite CVBS HD Connect LE G...

Page 39: ...Standards AES 3 EBU Level 1 Vp p Impedance 75 Ω Connector 75 Ω BNC Analog Unbalanced Audio Standards Level 1 Vp p Connector 3 5 mm Stereo Plug 9 3 Physical Dimensions 4 101 mm deep X 1 75 44 mm high X 6 152 mm wide Weight 1 lb 0 5 kg 9 4 Power Range 100 to 240 V AC 50 60 Hz Maximum Operating 6W HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 40: ...rature Ranges Operating 40º F to 104º F 5º C to 40º C Storage 5ºF to 140ºF 20º C to 60º C 9 6 Humidity Operating Less than 80 non condensing Storage Less than 90 non condensing HD Connect LE Guide and User s Manual ...

Page 41: ...t that is returned via U S Postal Service Returns will be accepted from Federal Express UPS DHL or other comparable freight carrier Convergent Design returns the product via a prepaid two day delivery service within the continental United States only if the product is under warranty and subsequently found to be faulty Out of warranty repaired products are shipped at customer s expense Turnaround t...

Page 42: ...rn Merchandise Authorization number has been issued for the products being returned Any unauthorized shipments will be returned un repaired at the customer s expense Damaged or defective Convergent Design products that are purchased from Convergent Design may be returned for replacement only Convergent Design will not accept returns for any other reason All eligible returns require a Return Mercha...