AJA Xena User Guide
Xena
PCI Card Modules
User Manual
July 12, 2005 P/N 101632-00
Software Version: 5.2
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Trademarks
AJA, Xena, Io, and Kona are trademarks of AJA Video, Inc. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective holders.
Notice
Copyright © 2004 AJA Video, 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 Inc.
FCC Emission Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by AJA Video can effect emission compliance
and could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
Contacting Support
Limited Warranty
To contact AJA Video for sales or support, use any of the following methods:
443 Crown Point Circle, Grass Valley, CA. 95945 USA
Telephone: +1.800.251.4224 or +1.530.274.2048
Fax: +1.530.274.9442
Web: http://www.aja.com
Support Email: support@aja.com
Sales Email: sales@aja.com
When calling for support, have all information on the product (serial number etc.) at hand prior to
calling.
AJA Video warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three years
from the date of purchase. If a product proves to be defective during this warranty period, AJA Video, at its option, will
either repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the
defective product.
In order to obtain service under this warranty, you the Customer, must notify AJA Video of the defect before the expiration
of the warranty period and make suitable arrangements for the performance of service. The Customer shall be responsible
for packaging and shipping the defective product to a designated service center nominated by AJA Video, with shipping
charges prepaid. AJA Video shall pay for the return of the product to the Customer if the shipment is to a location within
the country in which the AJA Video service center is located. Customer shall be responsible for paying all shipping charges,
insurance, duties, taxes, and any other charges for products returned to any other locations.
This warranty shall not apply to any defect, failure or damage caused by improper use or improper or inadequate
maintenance and care. AJA Video shall not be obligated to furnish service under this warranty a) to repair damage resulting
from attempts by personnel other than AJA Video representatives to install, repair or service the product, b) to repair
damage resulting from improper use or connection to incompatible equipment, c) to repair any damage or malfunction
caused by the use of non-AJA Video parts or supplies, or d) to service a product that has been modified or integrated with
other products when the effect of such a modification or integration increases the time or difficulty of servicing the
product.
THIS WARRANTY IS GIVEN BY AJA VIDEO IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED. AJA VIDEO AND ITS VENDORS DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AJA VIDEO’S RESPONSIBILITY TO
REPAIR OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS IS THE WHOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED TO
THE CUSTOMER FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER AJA VIDEO OR THE VENDOR HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
AJA Xena User Manual — Contents
Table Of Contents
Trademarks ......................................................................................................................................... ii
Notice .................................................................................................................................................. ii
FCC Emission Information .................................................................................................................ii
Contacting Support ............................................................................................................................. ii
Limited Warranty ................................................................................................................................ ii
Table Of Contents ............................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Xena Models ................................................................................................................................ 1
Features ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Windows Media Support ............................................................................................................. 1
Microsoft applications ................................................................................................................. 2
Other Applications ....................................................................................................................... 2
Requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Software ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Application Requirements ........................................................................................................... 3
Hardware ...................................................................................................................................... 3
PCI Slot Information .................................................................................................................... 3
XenaSD ................................................................................................................................. 3
XenaHD ................................................................................................................................ 4
XenaHD2 .............................................................................................................................. 4
XenaSD2 ............................................................................................................................... 4
Disk arrays and PCI performance for XenaSD ............................................................................ 4
Disk arrays and PCI performance for XenaHD ........................................................................... 4
Block Diagram .................................................................................................................................... 5
I/O Connections .................................................................................................................................. 6
AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs (SD/HD only)—15-pin D-connector ....................... 7
Reference Input—BNC ........................................................................................................ 7
SDI Input and Output—2 BNCs (SD/HD) or 4 BNCs (HD2/SD2) ..................................... 7
Using Xena With Application Software ............................................................................................. 7
Control Panel ............................................................................................................................... 7
Video Settings—Choosing Format and Reference Source .................................................. 7
Test Patterns ......................................................................................................................... 9
Capture ............................................................................................................................... 10
Windows Media Preferences—Set Dither .......................................................................... 11
Windows Media Preferences—Set A/V Synchronization .................................................. 11
Windows Media Preferences—Windows Media Player Preferences ................................ 12
Video Processing Settings .................................................................................................. 13
Using Xena With Adobe Photoshop .......................................................................................... 15
Import Plug-in .................................................................................................................... 15
Export Plug-in .................................................................................................................... 15
Using Xena With Adobe AfterEffects ....................................................................................... 16
Using Xena With PowerCG ....................................................................................................... 16
Using Xena With ThumbsPlus .................................................................................................. 17
Working with ThumbsPlus ................................................................................................. 17
YUV Files and ThumbsPlus ............................................................................................... 17
Clipboard ‘image’ interface ................................................................................................ 17
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Clipboard ‘filename’ interface ........................................................................................... 18
Supporting YUV Files within ThumbsPlus ........................................................................ 19
Using the Photoshop Plug-in to Load YUV files ............................................................... 21
Using “copyname” as the Default Action .......................................................................... 22
Reconciling Standard File Types With The “Edit” Default Action ................................... 22
Windows Media Audio Configuration ...................................................................................... 23
Sound Playback controls .................................................................................................... 24
Sound Recording controls .................................................................................................. 25
Windows Media Applications ................................................................................................... 27
Using Xena with Windows Media Encoder 9 .................................................................... 27
Setup ................................................................................................................................... 27
For Best Encoder Performance ........................................................................................... 27
Encoder Configuration ....................................................................................................... 28
Using Xena with Windows Media Player 9 ....................................................................... 28
Using Xena with GraphEdit ............................................................................................... 29
Using Xena with WMCap .................................................................................................. 29
Using Xena with Third-Party applications ......................................................................... 30
Installation ......................................................................................................................................... 31
Video and Audio Cabling .......................................................................................................... 31
Video Specifications ...........................................................................................................32
Standard Definition converters ........................................................................................... 32
High Definition converters ................................................................................................. 32
AES Audio ................................................................................................................................. 32
Analog converters ............................................................................................................... 32
Software Installation .................................................................................................................. 32
About the Driver ................................................................................................................. 33
Windows Plug-and-Play Driver Installation Procedure ..................................................... 33
Driver Upgrade Only .......................................................................................................... 37
Xena Control Panel Installation .......................................................................................... 39
Xena Tools Installation ....................................................................................................... 42
Install Photoshop Plug-ins .................................................................................................. 42
Install AfterEffects Plug-ins ............................................................................................... 42
Install PowerCG Support .................................................................................................... 42
WM9Capture Installation ................................................................................................... 42
DirectX9 Installation ..........................................................................................................42
Downloading and Installing Software From The AJA Website ................................................ 43
Troubleshooting Installation Problems ...................................................................................... 43
Driver Has Not Loaded ...................................................................................................... 43
PCI slot Compatibility ........................................................................................................ 43
Page Table Entries .............................................................................................................. 43
Green Lines (Xena Software Used With Kona Hardware) ................................................ 44
Troubleshooting Software Operation ........................................................................................ 45
Firmware Initialization Failure............................................................................................ 45
DMA Speed ......................................................................................................................... 45
Windows Media Problems and Solutions ........................................................................... 45
When to Use the Reference Source Input ........................................................................... 45
If Your Application Drops Frames ..................................................................................... 46
Specifications .................................................................................................................................... 46
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Introduction
Xena Models
AJA Xena User Manual — Introduction
Xena provides high-speed uncompressed digital audio/video input/output in a simple
to install Windows PCI card. Ideal for character generation, video stills, disk
recording, and ultra-high quality webcasting, Xena offers Windows users a
professional-quality solution for working with Windows media applications.
The Xena driver (available from www.aja.com/xena.htm) supplies a generic Windows
Media interface for applications. Xena also supports PowerCG, ThumbsPlus, and
Adobe Photoshop and After Effects.
The Xena series of PCI card modules for the Windows OS, consists of the following
four products:
XenaSD—offers one channel of Serial Digital video input and output
XenaHD—offers one channel of High-definition Serial Digital video input
and output
XenaSD2—offers two channels of Serial Digital video input and output
XenaHD2—offers two channels of High-definition Serial Digital video input
and output
Installation and operation of all products is identical. Examples shown in this manual
apply to all product manuals, although actual screens may have slight differences.
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1
Features
Windows Media
Support
XenaHD boards support SMPTE 292M (SDI) digital video.
XenaSD supports SMPTE 259M (SDI) digital video.
XenaHD and XenaSD have one video input, one video output, and AES audio
I/O (other configurations are available to OEM partners).
XenaHD2 has two video inputs, two video outputs, and no audio capability.
Xena boards support up to 6 channels of 24 Bit/48Khz AES Audio or
Embedded Audio. The AES inputs support asynchronous audio at 32-96Khz.
Xena drivers are DirectShow-compatible WDM Kernel Streaming drivers that
work with Windows Media and most DirectShow applications.
Note:
Most Windows media applications work properly with Xena as a capture device.
However, since few applications support using Xena (or any other device) as an
output device, the Xena Control Panel allows you to reconfigure the Windows Media
Player to output video to the Xena card.
Six channels of audio are available from Xena, accessed as three stereo pairs:
Xena software also runs on AJA Kona boards.
Channels one and two are represented as “Xena Audio Device (1).
Channels three and four are represented as “Xena Audio Device (2).”
Channels five and six are represented as “Xena Audio Device (3).”
The Xena boards support DirectShow-compliant (Windows Media) applications.
Microsoft’s DirectX architecture uses DirectShow as the video component. Within
this architecture, Xena’s board driver is considered a “WDM Streaming” driver.
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Under control of Windows Media applications, a WDM Streaming driver makes
efficient use of system resources, as user-mode applications can command the driver.
Other system components can process the video and audio streams entirely in kernel
mode without the extra overhead of switching back and forth into user mode for
processing.
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Microsoft
applications
Microsoft produces several Windows Media applications that support the Xena board,
including:
Windows Media Encoder
WmCap
Sound Recorder
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Encoder is a great tool for producing streaming webcasts. When
starting with pristine uncompressed video from the Xena board, Encoder can produce
high quality images low-bandwidth networks. Encoder can also capture uncompressed
video and audio to a .wmv file (for use on a high-speed disk system).
WmCap and Sound Recorder are simple tools useful for verifying Xena system set-up.
Some of the more complex applications have many possible settings that can interfere
with proper Xena usage. WmCap and Sound Recorder can also be useful in their own
right; WmCap can save uncompressed video to an .avi file for viewing with Windows
Media Player, or save compressed video for use with an encoding application such as
Cleaner or Windows Media Encoder.
Windows Media Player can be configured to play video files through the Xena card’s
SDI output. There is a configuration setting in the Xena Control Panel for Windows
Media Player. When it’s chosen, the Windows registry is modified so that all Windows
Media Player output goes to Xena instead of to the Media Player’s own video window.
Note:
This configuration may interfere with preview capability in some video
capture programs.
Other Applications
Requirements
Software
Xena boards also work great with many applications for character generation,
producing stills, and general video work. Applications known to work, include Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, PowerCG, and ThumbsPlus.
Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or better. (Windows XP is
highly recommended for Windows Media applications.)
DirectX 9 or 8.1 minimum. (DirectX 8.1 is included with Windows XP.) The
latest DirectX Runtime is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx
The DirectX 9.0c setup program can also be installed from the Xena CD.
Note:
For Windows Media applications, the following requirements apply:
DirectX 8.1 may work for some applications. However, DirectX 9 is highly
recommended for Windows Media applications.
Administrator privileges are required for driver installation.
Windows XP
DirectX 9
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Application
Requirements
Hardware
AJA Xena User Manual — Requirements
Windows Media Player 9 is required for the Windows Media Player application
Windows Media Encoder 9 is required for Windows Media Encoder application
Photoshop 5.0 or above (for use with the supplied Photoshop plug-ins)
Windows Media applications each have their own requirements for working with Xena.
See the “Using Xena With Application Software” topic later in this manual for more
information
For detailed hardware requirements, see the Installation topic later in this manual.
Minimum 400 Mhz Processor (Pentium III or better) and 128 Mbyte RAM
1GHz or faster Processor for real-time encoding with XenaSD using the Windows
Media Encoder application.
For recording uncompressed video, a high performance disk system will be required. Use
the Xena disk system performance utility at “ Start > Programs > AJA > Benchmarks >
Test Disk Speed ” to measure your systems’s disk capabilities.
Use the Xena PCI performance utility at “ Start > Programs > AJA > Benchmarks > Test
PCI performance with XenaSD ” (or “ with XenaH D”) to measure Xena’s DMA data
transfer performance on your PCI bus. This will determine if your system’s performance
is acceptable for use with Xena. Use the utility program to test the DMA transfer speed
between the Xena card and the host PC’s memory. The benchmark utility program
comes in SD and HD versions, and can be found under the Benchmarks folder on the
Xena installation CD. PCI transfer speed is generally dependent on the speed of the
computer’s Frontside Bus. For best transfer speeds, use a PC with the fastest Frontside
Bus available.
1
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PCI Slot
Information
Note:
The following information is not generally needed for Xena Users, but is provided for
reference.
Bus Mastering must be enabled in the BIOS for the PCI slot where Xena is installed.
The PCI implementation for any particular PC determines how much memory is addressable
by the CPU for each PCI slot. Some (rare) computers may have insufficient PCI addressing
capabilities for some of the Xena boards. If the board is installed in a PCI slot with
insufficient addressing capabilities, the computer may not boot with the Xena driver installed.
You may need to contact the computer manufacturer to determine these limits. The amount
of memory space required for each card is as follows:
PCI slots that support “Zero Channel Raid” may prove problematic with a Xena
installed. These tend to be green-colored slots on SuperMicro motherboards.
XenaHD and XenaHD2: 256M + 8K
XenaSD2: 128M + 8K
XenaSD: 128M + 4K
XenaSD
On XenaSD, a 64-bit PCI slot is recommended for real-time video functions. (These
functions may work in a 32-bit slot, but there will be very little system overhead left.)
The XenaSD cards are designed for 5.0 volt signaling PCI slots, and will work in 32-bit or 64bit PCI slots. However, this is dependent on the motherboard having both 5.0 Volt and 3.3
Volt power to the slot. Even though the PCI Specification requires that both voltages are
supplied, some motherboard manufacturers may neglect to provide 3.3 volt power to a 5 volt
PCI slot. The cards will not work in these slots.
4
The XenaSD card also works in a 3.3 Volt slot. However, in practice, motherboard
manufacturers use 3.3 v signaling only for 66 MHz slots. The SD card will work in a 3.3 v,
66 MHz slot, but this reduces the speed of the entire 66 MHz bus to 33 MHz.
XenaHD
On XenaHD, a 64-bit PCI slot is required for real-time video functions.
The XenaHD cards are designed for 3.3 volt signaling PCI slots, and work in 32-bit or 64bit PCI slots. However, this is dependent on the motherboard having both 5.0 Volt and 3.3
Volt power to the slot. Even though the PCI Specification requires that both voltages are
supplied, some motherboard manufacturers may neglect to provide 5.0 v power to a 3.3 v
PCI slot. The cards will not work in these slots.
The XenaHD card also works in a 5.0 v PCI slot of a modern computer bearing both 5.0 v
and 3.3 v slots. Again, however, this is dependent on the motherboard supplying both 5.0 v
and 3.3 v power to the slot. The cards will not work in an older system bearing only 5.0volt slots. (If the motherboard has both ISA and PCI slots, it’s probably too old!)
Disk arrays and
PCI performance
for XenaSD
XenaHD2
The XenaHD2 PCI specifications and requirements are identical to those of the XenaHD.
XenaSD2
The XenaSD2 PCI specifications and requirements are identical to those of the XenaHD
(not the XenaSD). The XenaSD2 board is a 66 MHz board.
For the XenaSD, we recommend a dual-channel ultra320 SCSI controller such as the
ATTO UL4D, or the Adaptec 39320. A 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel host bus adapter also
works well. The recommended configuration is four (4) 10K disk drives, (such as the
Seagate Cheetah Ultra320 10K-6 or the Maxtor Ultra320 10K-3). The minimum
requirement is an ultra160 controller (such as the ATTO UL3D or Adaptec 39160) with
Ultra-320 10K disks.
Disk throughput requirements vary according to the video format used.
The data rate for 8-bit UYVY and YUY2 video is 21 MB/second per channel. At this rate,
the disk system must be able to sustain 21 MB/second, with at least 42 MB/second system
PCI performance (for each channel), as the data must go from the AJA Xena card to main
memory, and then from main memory to the disk.
The data rate for RGB video is 42 MB/second per channel. At this rate, the disk system
must be able to sustain 42 MB/second, with at least 84 MB/second system PCI
performance for each channel.
Disk arrays and
PCI performance
for XenaHD
For the XenaHD, we recommend a dual-channel ultra320 SCSI controller such as the
ATTO UL4D, or the Adaptec 39320. A 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel host bus adapter also
works well. The recommended configuration is eight (8) 10K disk drives, (such as the
Seagate Cheetah Ultra320 10K-6 or the Maxtor Ultra320 10K-3) with four disks
connected to each SCSI channel. The minimum requirement is an ultra160 controller
(such as the ATTO UL3D or Adaptec 39160) with Ultra-320 10K disks. Disk throughput
requirements vary according to the video format used.
The data rate for YUV video is 124 MegaBytes/second for UYVY and YUY2 1080i, 30 fps.
This rate requires a disk system that can sustain 124 MB/second, with at least 248 MB/
second system PCI performance (for each channel), as the data must go from Xena to main
memory, and then from main memory to the disk.
PCI Bus Latency
Block Diagram
AJA Xena User Manual — Block Diagram
The data rate is 100 MB/second for 8-bit 1080i at 24 Hz. At this rate, the disk system only
needs to sustain 100 MB/second, with at least 200 MB/second across the PCI bus.
For RGB, 30 fps, the data rate is 249 MB/second. This rate requires a disk system that can
sustain 249 MB/second, with at least 498 MB/second system PCI performance, per channel.
Data rates are slightly less for 720p format:
720p/60fps YUV is 111 MB/second disk transfer rate, with 222 MB/second PCI.
720p/60fps RGB is 222 MB/second disk transfer rate, with 444 MB/second PCI.
If the test PCI performance as measured with the XenaHD benchmark utility ( Start->AJA-
>Benchmarks->Test Disk Speed ) indicates inadequate speed, consider using a PC with more
efficient PCI architecture (such as PCIX) or with a faster Frontside Bus.
1
PC motherboards with Hypertransport (such as the AMD Opteron systems) may require
changing the PCI latency timer to get acceptable PCI performance. For the fastest DMA
speeds, use the maximum “PCI Latency” in your PC’s BIOS setup.
Video1 In
VIDEO PROCESSING
Vide o2 In
Key 1 In
Key2 I n
MIXER/
KEYER/
SPLIT or
PASSTHRU
Video1 Out
Video2 Out
or Ke y Out
Output 1
XenaHD2 and XenaSD2 only
Output 2
5
Constant
Input2
Format
Convert
Format
Convert
Input1
XenaHD2 and XenaSD2 only
Reference
Inp ut
Xena, Block Diagram
Genlock
Channel 1
Channel 2
Format
Convert
Channel1
Memory
Control Interface
Format
Convert
Channel 2
PCI Bus
Mix/Split
Control
NOTES:
Input 1/Inp ut 2 -ar e Serial D igital
Input 2 - Can be Video Or Key
Output 1/Outp ut 2 - are Ser ial Digita l
Reference Input - Can b e:
HD Composite Sync- Bi or Trilevel
Standard Def - Color Black or
You c an also Ge nlock to eit her
Memory - The memory can be accept
Form at C onver t - G eneral Block f or Color
Space Conversion, Key Extraction, Level
Shift ing, and A spect Ra tio C onversion (f or
XenaHD2 and XenaSD2 only)
Video Proc essing - A ll done with 10 bit
Composite Sync.
Input1 or Input 2
the f ollowing f ormats:
10 Bit YCbCr.
8BitYCbCr.
8BitRGBA.
YCbCr and 10 B it Key.
6
I/O Connections
AES Audio Input/Output
Reference Input
AES Audio Input/Output
Input
Output
XenaHD
Reference Input
Reference Input
Input 1
Input 2
Output 1
Output 2
Reference Input
Input
Output
XenaSD
XenaHD and SD Card Modules, Side View
XenaHD2
Input 1
Input 2
Output 1
Output 2
XenaSD2
XenaHD2 and SD2 Card Modules, Side View
AJA Xena User Manual — Using Xena With Application Software
A group of BNCs on the card edge plate provide I/O for the module—3 for XenaHD/SD
and 5 for XenaHD2/SD2. The illustration above shows the connectors available when the
card is installed in a PC.
AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs (SD/HD only) — 15-pin D-connector
One female 15-pin D connector is provided for six channels of AES/EBU inputs and outputs.
The connector attaches to a six-XLR breakout cable supplied with the Xena card module.
Xena AES/EBU audio is 24 Bit/48Khz. All AES inputs support asynchronous audio at 3296Khz. This connector is not present on the XenaSD2/HD2 boards.
Reference Input — BNC
This BNC connector allows you to synchronize outputs to your house reference video signal
(or black burst). If you have a sync generator or central piece of video equipment to use for
synchronizing other video equipment in your studio, then connect its composite output here.
When Xena outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to.
1
SDI Input and Output — 2 BNCs (SD/HD) or 4 BNCs (HD2/SD2)
These BNC connectors are for connecting serial digital video input and output devices
(respectively). On the XenaSD, the signals are 10-bit or 8-bit SMPTE-259. On the XenaHD,
the signals are high definition serial digital, 10-bit or 8-bit SMPTE-292. Xena SD2 and HD2
boards have two channels of I/O and thus have two sets of BNCs (4 in all).
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Using Xena With Application Software
The Xena card is configured with a supplied control panel that is installed as part of the
normal software installation. Once configured, the Xena board can be used with a variety of
Windows Media applications and 3rd-party software such as Adobe Photoshop, After Effects,
and others. In some cases supplied plug-ins provide the 3rd-party software with special
control features for using Xena capabilities.
Control Panel
The Xena Control Panel offers a way to select specific board settings, generally not selectable
from standard applications. Through the Control Panel, you can choose the Video Format,
select the Video Reference source, output test patterns, and control Dither for 8-bit inputs.
For Windows Media applications, you can alter the Audio/Video synchronization values in
the Control Panel Preferences, and modify the default behavior of the Windows Media Player.
If you have more than one Xena board installed, you can run one Control Panel for each
board installed.
Video Settings — Choosing Format and Reference Source
For video Capture applications, set the Reference Source to “Input 1.” For Playback-only
applications, instead set the Reference Source to “Free Run.”
To GenLock your system to the “Reference In” signal, set Reference Source to “External.”
For Windows Media applications, you don’t have to select “Input 1” as the reference source
for Capturing. When the board is put into Capture mode, the system automatically uses
“Input 1” as the capture source. When not in Capture mode, the system uses the Reference
selected in the Control Panel. For non-Windows Media applications, such as Photoshop, you
do have to select sources manually.
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Xena Control Panel Settings Dialog
Video Format settings you can choose, include:
HD
• 1080i 50.00 Hz.
• 1080i 59.94 Hz.
• 1080i 60.00 Hz.
• 720p 59.94 Hz.
• 720p 60.00 Hz.
• 1080p sf 23.98 Hz.
• 1080p sf 24.00 Hz.
SD
• 525 59.94 Hz.
• 625 50.00 Hz.
Reference Source settings you can choose, include:
• Reference Input: Use Reference Input for Reference Source
• Input 1: Use Input 1 for Reference Source
• Input 2: Use Input 2 for Reference Source
• Free Run: Free Run Output
The Video Settings window reports on the status of the three Xena board inputs (Reference,
Input1 and Input 2).
AJA Xena User Manual — Using Xena With Application Software
Test Patterns
This tab in the Control Panel allows you to output a known video signal from the Xena
output for testing purposes. When exporting, you can choose which components you wish to
export (Y/Cb/Cr). Checking all the boxes downloads all the components of the chosen test
pattern. Test patterns available include:
• 100% Color Bars
• 75% Color Bars
• Ramp
• Multiburst
• Linesweep
• Pathological
• Flat Field
• Multipattern
• Black
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Xena Control Panel, Test Pattern Settings
10
Capture
Xena Control Panel, Capture Window
A capture window provides you with the ability to directly grab frames or fields from a
selected video input channel (1 or 2, depending on Xena board type) and then save them
locally on the PC at a selected size (Capture Size 25, 50, 75 or 100%), file type (Capture To
BMP, JPEG, YUV, or TIFF), and location (destination folder and filename on your hard
drive or network). Alternatively, you can also save the frame/field to the Windows clipboard
for pasting into a graphics or video application. For compressed JPEG files, you can also
specify a JPEG Quality level.
If Input1+Input2 is chosen as the “Capture From”, it is assumed that Input 1 is Video and
Input 2 is Key. If you are capturing to a TIFF file, the Key Input (Input 2) is converted to
an alpha channel and included in the TIFF file. Also, if YUV file is chosen as the Capture To
choice, the Video File is then written to the Filename field and the Key is written to a
corresponding Key YUV file. Thus, if the Filename field has HDCapture.yuv, then Input1
will be captured as HDCapture.yuv and Input 2 will be captured as HDCapture.Key.yuv.
Notes:
1. While this dialog is active, Xena remains in capture mode. In capture mode, the
board routes the input to the output. The board automatically reverts to display mode
when you exit the dialog.
2. The dialog does not warn you if it is going to overwrite a file.
To perform a capture, simply make your capture size and quality settings and then click on
the Capture button.
Auto Increment: When checked, this causes Xena to append a number to the
filename you enter, and then it increments that number after each capture. In
this manner, you can keep clicking the capture button to capture a series of
separate files without having to specify a filename each time.
Convert Aspect: Aspect Convert affects only SD cards. If the button is checked
while in 525 mode, it stretches a 648x486 image to 720x486. In 625 mode it
compresses a 768x576 image to 720x486. Such conversion may be necessary
because in television pixels are rectangular rather than square, and yet computer
AJA Xena User Manual — Using Xena With Application Software
monitors only display square pixels. So to ensure that circles display as circles, for
example, you may need to convert the pixel aspect ratio by selecting this checkbox.
Windows Media Preferences—Set Dither
You can select dithering for 8-bit video inputs via a checkbox on the Windows Media
Preferences page.
64-Bit Slot
When a XenaHD, XenaHD2 or XenaSD2 is inserted into a 64-bit PCI slot, it can perform
64-bit transfers. (Xena SD is a 32-bit card.) However, some older Xena boards may not
automatically detect the 64-bit slot in some PCs. In such a case, enable the “64-bit PCI slot”
checkbox to get full 64-bit transferes.
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Note: enabling this checkbox when the board is in a 32-bit slot actually slows performance.
If you have a XenaHD, XenaHD2, or XenaSD2 installed in a 64-bit slot, you should check
this box—it will not happen automatically.
Windows Media Preferences—Set A/V Synchronization
Each Windows Media application may have differing requirements for Audio/Video
synchronization, due to inherent delays in the application or in the different codecs used for
processing media. These same delays may also vary slightly from one PC to another due to
hardware differences. Using the Xena Control Panel “Windows Media Preferences” tab, you
can change the initial delay values for the Audio and Video streams. Adjust the supplied
sliders if your Audio and Video are not sufficiently in sync.
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Video Playback Delay—Adjust this slider to change the Video Delay relative to the
Audio (during playback). A value of 0 means that neither Audio or Video are
delayed (other than inherent delay). A negative value means that Video is not
delayed, but Audio is delayed, by the number of milliseconds specified. A positive
number means that Video is delayed one frame (33.3 mS at 59.94 Hz), and Audio
is also delayed, using this algorithm:
“audio delay” = ( (integer # of frame periods + 1) x “frame period” ) - “specified video playback delay”
The default 48 milliSecond Video Playback Delay, for instance, is implemented (at
59.94 Hz) as 2 frames of Video Delay and 18 milliSeconds of Audio Delay.
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Xena Control Panel, Windows Media Preferences
Audio Record Delay—change this slider as necessary for synchronization of audio
during recording. (There is no video delay available for Record.) A factory default
value of 10 milliSeconds provides synchronized audio and video when using
Windows Media Player to playback a “.wmv” file to the computer monitor.
Strict Timing (default Off)—The Strict Timing setting enables software which
enforces strict frame output timing for Windows Media video rendering. (In
technical terms, this enforces a strict correlation between Presentation Time
Stamps and the Graph Clock.). This setting has no effect on video capture.
Under adverse conditions (slow disk, high CPU Usage, clock inaccuracies, etc.),
the computer may not be able to send video frames to Xena fast enough for
proper playback. (This is especially true when playing .AVI files.) In such a case,
setting the “Strict Timing” control to “Off” will allow rendering of the video at
low speed. (With Strict Timing set to “On” for this case, the video playback may
"freeze" after playing for a short duration.)
When playing video for long periods of time, the clock used by Windows Media
is not accurate enough to allow proper playback at true broadcast video rates,
unless software compensation is used. With Strict Timing enabled, the Xena
software corrects for clock drift and jitter caused by the inaccuracy of the
DirectShow clock and time-stamps. The drift-correction and anti-jitter
algorithms allow temporally-accurate rendering of long video streams. When
using the Strict Timing setting, make sure that your PC is powerful enough to
avoid delayed delivery of video frames due to lack of system resources. (This
could cause the playback to “freeze”, waiting endlessly for a frame with a valid
time-stamp!)
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