AJA ROVORX-SDI Operation Guide

RovoRx

UltraHD HDBaseT Receiver

Installation and Operation Guide

Version 1.1r1
Published October 12, 2018

Notices

Trademarks

AJA® and Because it matters.® are registered trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
for use with most AJA products. AJA™ is a trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for
use with recorder, router, software and camera products. Because it matters.™ is a
trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for use with camera products.

CION®, Corvid Ultra®, lo®, Ki Pro®, KONA®, KUMO®, ROI® and T-Tap® are registered
trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.

AJA Control Room™, KiStor™, Science of the Beautiful™, TruScale™, TruZoom™,
V2Analog™ and V2Digital™ are trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.

AirPort, Apple, Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, FireWire, iPod, iPod touch,
Mac, Macintosh and ProRes, are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Final Cut Pro,
QuickTime and QuickTime logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

Avid, Avid DNxHD and Media Composer are registered trademarks of Avid
Technology, Inc.

Adobe is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States
and/or other countries.

HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or
registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC.

DVI is a registered trademark of DDWG.

TASCAM is a registered trademark of TEAC Corporation.

Dolby and the double-D Dolby logo are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation.

openGear® Ross, ROSS, ROSS®, and MLE are registered trademarks of Ross Video.

DashBoard Control System™ is a trademark of Ross Video.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Copyright

Copyright © 2017 AJA Video Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All information in
this manual is subject to change without notice. No part of the document may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying or recording, without the express written permission of AJA
Video Systems, Inc.

Contacting AJA Support

When calling for support, have all information at hand prior to calling. To contact AJA
for sales or support, use any of the following methods:

Telephone [phone]

FAX [phone]

Web https://www.aja.com

Support Email [e-mail]

Sales Email [e-mail]

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Contents

Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Contacting AJA Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 1 – RovoRx Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

System Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Pairing RovoRx with HB-T Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What’s In The Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

In This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 2 – RovoRx-HDMI Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

RovoRx-HDMI Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

RovoRx-HDMI Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

RovoRx-HDMI Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

RovoRx-HDMI I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

System Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RovoRx-HDMI Installation with RovoCam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RovoRx-HDMI Rack Mounting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 3 – RovoRx-SDI and Mini-Cong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RovoRx-SDI Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RovoRx-SDI Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RovoRx-SDI Block Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

RovoRx-SDI I/O Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

System Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

RovoRx-SDI Installation with RovoCam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

RovoRx-SDI Rack Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

USB Control and Setup—Using AJA Mini-Cong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Acquiring AJA Mini-Cong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Installing AJA Mini-Cong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Running AJA Mini-Cong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Operating AJA Mini-Cong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Tabbed Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Input Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Output Tab Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Audio Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Update Tab Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Software Update Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Info Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Appendix A – Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

RovoRx-HDMI Tech Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

RovoRx-SDI Tech Specs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Appendix B – Safety and Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Limited Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

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Chapter 1 – RovoRx Introduction

System Overview

RovoCam is AJA’s first compact block camera for industrial, corporate, security,
ProAV and broadcast applications.

RovoRx-HDMI and RovoRx-SDI are companion receiver units that offer the
simplest reception option for RovoCam. They are UltraHD/HD HDBaseT Receivers
with integrated HDMI or SDI video and audio outputs specifically designed to
receive RovoCam’s output and drive displays. This allows one to receive the
RovoCam’s output up to 100m (328’) away from the camera itself and display the
output on a display wherever needed, greatly simplifying workflows and systems
integration.

A single Cat5e/6 cable carries all uncompressed video, two-channel audio, VISCA
camera control, and power for the simplest installation ever due to RovoCam’s
integrated HDBaseT interface. Delivering this much functionality and power with
single cable connectivity dramatically simplifies the installation, camera setup
and footprint requirements.

RovoRx-SDI includes a frame sync function which supports using a RovoCam
camera feed in a video production environment.

RovoRx-HDMI and RovoRx-SDI can also be used with any compatible HDBaseT
transmitter, not just RovoCam.

NOTE: The HDBaseT format uses RJ-45 connectors but does not support Ethernet.

HDBaseT is point-to-point signal transport.

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Figure 1. RovoCam System Diagram, with Audio and Computer

RovoCam

Stereo Microphone

(3V PiP)

UHD or HD

HDMI Monitor

HDBaseT

(Video, Audio, Power,

RS-232 Control)

Computer with

HDMI

VISCA Control App

RS-232

RovoRx-HDMI

RovoCam can receive power from the RovoRx over a Cat5e/6 cable (Figure 1), or
powered locally using its 12VDC connector (Figure 2).

Audio Out

(Left Right Analog)

Figure 2. RovoCam System Diagram, with Hardware Controller

RovoCam

Local

Power

UHD or HD

HDMI Monitor

HDBaseT

(Video, RS-232 Control)

HDMI

VISCA Hardware

Controller

RS-232

RovoRx-HDMI

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Figure 3. Two RovoCam System Diagram, with RovoRx-SDIs

RovoCam

RovoCam

HDBaseT

RS-232

UHD or HD

HDMI Monitor

RovoRx-SDI

HDMI

UltraHD
SDI Out

Big Screen

Stadium Display

HDBaseT

UHD or HD

HDMI Monitor

RovoRx-SDI

HDMI

UltraHD
SDI Out

RS-232

Ref In

Ref In

RS-232 Port 1

RS-232 Port 2

Pairing RovoRx with HB-T Transmitters

RovoRx-HDMI and RovoRx-SDI can also receive HDBaseT signals up to UltraHD
from other HDBaseT transmitters. Examples include AJA’s HB-T-HDMI and HB-T­SDI model Mini-Converters.

An AJA RovoRx device may work with other HDbaseT sources, although it was
primarily designed to receive signals from RovoCam. This manual focuses only on
using RovoRx with RovoCam.

Computer with

RovoControl

Video Switcher

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Features

Hardware

RovoRx-HDMI

• 1 x HDMI 1.4b output

• 2 x RCA analog audio outputs

• 1 x RS-232 for RovoCam control via SONY VISCA

• 1 x HDBaseT connector (RJ-45)

• 1 x USB HDBT (future use)

• 48VDC power supply (included)

RovoRx-SDI

• 1 x HDMI 1.4b output

• 4 x 6G/3G-SDI BNC outputs

• Loop through Reference BNC

• 2 x RCA analog audio outputs

• 1 x USB for rmware upgrades and Mini-Cong conguration

• 1 x RS-232 for RovoCam control via SONY VISCA

• 1 x HDBaseT connector (RJ45)

• 1 x USB HDBT (future use)

• 48VDC power supply (included)

Software

• AJA RovoControl software available for download from the AJA website

• RovoCam accepts VISCA camera control

• A variety of third-party software controllers are also available.

• RovoRx-SDI can use AJA’s Mini-Cong application for rmware updates and
advanced conguration.

Warranty

• Five year AJA warranty on RovoRX-HDMI and RovoRx-SDI.

What’s In The Box?

When you unpack your product you’ll find the following components:

• AJA RovoRx-HDMI or RovoRx-SDI Mini-Converter

• 48VDC power supply with AC cable

• (RovoRx-SDI only) standard USB to USB micro cable

In addition the following item is available from AJA as part of the HB-CABLE-KIT:

• 3.5mm TRS to DB9 adapter cable

NOTE: This cable is also widely available for purchase from other sources.

Please save all packaging for future shipping.

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In This Manual

Chapter 1 - Introduces the RovoCam system, briefly describing the components,
features, box contents, and system requirements.

Chapter 2 - Describes the RovoRx-HDMI hardware, connections, and system
installation.

Chapter 3 - Describes the RovoRx-SDI I hardware, connections, system installation,
and configuration using Mini-Config.

Appendix A - Provides specifications for various aspects of the system.

Appendix B - Contains important caution, warning, and compliance statements.

Warranty and Index

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Chapter 2 – RovoRx-HDMI Receiver

RovoRx-HDMI Overview

RovoRX-HDMI converts uncompressed HDMI Video/Audio signals up to UltraHD
for reception via HDBaseT over CAT type twisted pair cable. It can also send
and receive RS-232 control signals over the same cable. Video and audio can be
received by this device over distances up to 328 feet/ 100 meters on Cat 6a cable.
See "Appendix A Specifications" on page 27 for a complete list of supported
formats, frame rates, and CAT cable requirements.

The simple and economical RovoRx-HDMI is designed to pair with the AJA
RovoCam camera, to provide video, audio, control and power transmission using
a single CAT cable. RovoRx-HDMI can also be used with any compatible HDBaseT
transmitter, including AJA’s HB-T-HDMI and HB-T-SDI Mini-Converters.

RovoRx-HDMI Features

RovoRx-HDMI

• 1x HDMI (UltraHD capable) output

• Extend uncompressed UltraHD or HD HDMI signal up to 100m over CAT cable

• RS-232 control on the same RJ-45 cable

• Two channel unbalanced analog audio outputs, when used with RovoCam
and optional stereo microphone

• 48VDC power supply (included)

• Optional RS232 Cable Kit (HB-CABLE-KIT)

• 5-year warranty

RovoRx-HDMI Block Diagram

RJ-45
HDBaseT In
RS-232 Out

Power Out

+48 VDC

Power

Distribution

HDBaseT
Receiver

+10dB

RS-232

Receiver

(Future Use)

HDMI Output

Left Audio Out
Unbalanced RCA

Right Audio Out
Unbalanced RCA

RS-232 In

USB Port

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RovoRx-HDMI I/O Connections

HDBaseT

Input

Connector

LINK LED

HDMI Output

Connector

LOCK LED

3.5mm TRS

RS-232 Port

(Future Use)

DC Power

Input

Power LED

NOTE: The LINK LED, when green, indicates an active HDBaseT connection.

NOTE: The LOCK LED, when blinking green, indicates a lock to a valid video source.

System Installation

RovoRx-HDMI Installation with RovoCam

Typically, installation consists of the following steps:

1. Ensure the RovoRx-HDMI converter is disconnected from power.

2. Connect the RovoCam HDBaseT RJ-45 output to the HDBaseT RJ-45 input
connector with an approved CAT cable type and length.

3. Connect the RovoRx-HDMI output to the HDMI input of a destination device
(in this example, an HDMI monitor) with an HDMI cable.

4. Connect the 48 VDC power connector to the RovoRx-HDMI, and then
connect the provided DC power supply to an AC power source with the
supplied cable.

NOTE: The RovoCam camera ships configured for 1080p59.94.

Right Analog

Audio RCA Output

Left Analog Audio

RCA Output

5. Power up the HDMI monitor. You should see the camera image on the
monitor. This conrms the camera and links are working.

6. Connect a control source to the RS-232 input connector, using a 3.5mm TRS
cable.

7. Install and congure RovoControl (or a third-party control application) for
operation with the RovoCam system.

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Audio Level

The RovoCam microphone input is a single ended stereo audio input with a fixed
20dB of gain. The RovoRx has a fixed audio gain of 10dB, giving a system gain of
30dB which will bring a typical microphone output up to line level.

System Ground and Audio

When the RovoCam is used with RovoRx, the power provided by RovoRx
has 1500V isolation from ground, meaning that the RovoCam is electrically
isolated from ground. When RovoCam is used with an external microphone, the
microphone is also isolated from ground, and there will be no noise issues. If you
use the RovoCam microphone input from source equipment which is grounded it
can cause ground loops in the system and unintended noise will be heard on the
microphone input. To correct this, the user can ground the RovoCam camera by
connecting a ground wire to the negative input of the 12V DC power connection.
This will effectively tie the camera to earth ground and eliminate the unwanted
noise.

RovoRx-HDMI Rack Mounting

The RovoRx-HDMI can be mounted to a rack using AJA's optional RMB bracket.
The threaded holes in the case can also be used for mounting without the
bracket, using 1/4 inch 440 thread screws.

RovoRx-HDMI units can also be installed in AJA's DRM frame, but each RovoRx­HDMI will require its own external power supply (provided). If unused space is
not available in the DRM frame, the power supplies can be tie-wrapped above or
below the frame, provided air flow is not restricted.

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Chapter 3 – RovoRx-SDI and Mini-Config

RovoRx-SDI Overview

RovoRX-SDI converts uncompressed HDMI Video/Audio signals up to UltraHD
for reception via HDBaseT over CAT type twisted pair cable. It includes a frame
sync function, designed specifically to lock the RovoCam signal to a facility
reference for use in a production facility. RovoRX-SDI is designed to pair with
the AJA RovoCam camera, to provide video, audio, RS-232 control and power
transmission using a single CAT cable. Video and audio can be received by this
device over distances up to 328 feet/ 100 meters on Cat 6a cable, to drive displays
or ingest into an SDI production environment. RovoRX-SDI can also be used with
any compatible HDBaseT transmitter, including AJA’s HB-T-HDMI and HB-T-SDI
Mini-Converters. See "Appendix A Specifications" on page 27 for a complete list of
supported formats, frame rates, and CAT cable requirements.

NOTE: The RovoRx-SDI packs an unprecedented feature set into a Mini-Converter box.

As a result, the unit uses approximately 14.5 watts of power. It will be very warm
to the touch, which is normal. The unit is engineered to operate across the full
temperature range, from 0 to 40 degrees C.

RovoRx-SDI Features

• Integrated Framesync with genlock to external reference

• 4x 6G/3G-SDI BNC outputs

• 1x HDMI (UltraHD capable) output

• 6G-SDI output of UltraHD

• Loop through Reference BNCs

• DA Mode for distributing multiple SDI signals from an HDBaseT source

• UHD Downconverter

• 1080p50/59.94 to 1080p25/29.97 frame rate converter

• 1080p50/59.94 to 1080i25/29.97 interlacer

• Extend uncompressed UltraHD or HD HDMI signal up to 100m over CAT cable

• RS-232 control on the same RJ-45 cable

• Two channel unbalanced analog audio outputs, when used with RovoCam
and optional stereo microphone

• Mini-Cong support for control and status

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