BirdDog FLEX IN User Guide

FLEX IN

THE SMALLEST 4K NDI ON THE PLANET.

USER GUIDE

September 2022

Table of Contents

Welcome to BirdDog! .................................................................................................3

Using This Manual ........................................................................................................ 3

First Step ......................................................................................................................... 3

Getting to Know Your Converter ..........................................................................5

Physical Connectors ..................................................................................................................5

Powering Your Converter ........................................................................................................ 5

Thermal Management ..............................................................................................................6

Operating Your Converter .......................................................................................6

Password Management ............................................................................................................ 7

Dashboard ...................................................................................................................... 7

Network ........................................................................................................................... 8

PTZ .................................................................................................................................... 9

System ............................................................................................................................. 10

System Update ........................................................................................................................... 10

Conguration Update .............................................................................................................. 11

Network Settings ....................................................................................................................... 12

AV ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Encode Settings .........................................................................................................................13

Factory Resetting Your Unit .................................................................................................. 15

Receiving NDI Streams ............................................................................................................ 15

Glossary .......................................................................................................................... 16

Copyright

Copyright 2022 BirdDog Australia all rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, translated,
or distributed in any form or by any means without prior consent in writing from our company.

Trademark Acknowledgement

and other BirdDog trademarks and logos are the property of BirdDog Australia. Other trademarks,

company names and product names contained in this manual are the property of their respective owners.

• Microsoft, Windows, ActiveX, and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S. and/or other countries.

• HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Denition Multimedia Interface are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and other countries.

• Other trademarks, company names and product names contained in this manual are the property of
their respective owners.

• NDI® is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc.

Important Information

Legal Notice

To ensure account security, please change the password after your rst log in. You are recommended to set a

strong password (no less than eight characters).

The contents of this document are subject to change without prior notice. Updates will be added to the new
version of this manual. We will readily improve or update the products or procedures described in the manual.

Best eort has been made to verify the integrity and correctness of the contents in this document, but no statement,

information, or recommendation in this manual shall constitute formal guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied.
We shall not be held responsible for any technical or typographical errors in this manual.

The product appearance shown in this manual is for reference only and may be dierent from the actual appearance

of your device.

Due to uncertainties such as physical environment, discrepancy may exist between the actual values and reference
values provided in this manual.

Use of this document and the subsequent results shall be entirely on the user’s own responsibility.

Regulatory Compliance

FCC Part 15

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for 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.

1

This product complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference.

• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.

LVD/EMC Directive

This product complies with the European Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC and EMC Directive 2004/108/EC.

2

Welcome to BirdDog!

Thank you for purchasing your 4K FLEX IN/BACKPACK Converter. If you have any questions regarding the unit,
please contact your authorized dealer.

Using This Manual

Your 4K Converter is a powerful and sophisticated device, so please read this manual before use and retain for

future reference.

Tip

When viewing the diagrams in this manual, use the zoom controls in your browser or PDF reader to reveal more
detail.

First Step

Firmware Upgrade

Before you use your new converter, it’s a good idea to upgrade to the latest rmware. We are always adding new
features and improving the performance of our products, so installing the latest rmware will provide you with the

best user experience.

To upgrade the rmware, please follow the Firmware Upgrade Instructions located in your rmware download

folder and perform upgrade process.

The latest rmware les are available for download here.

We’re Invested in Your Success

We pride ourselves on being approachable and easily contactable. We’d love to hear from you.

Dan Miall

Co-Founder and CEO

[e-mail]

Eamon Drew

Co-Founder and CMO

[e-mail]

3

Welcome to the Future

What is NDI®?

Your new camera has been designed to support the cutting edge NDI® video transmission standard.

NDI® (Network Device Interface) is a high-quality, low-latency, frame-accurate standard that enables compatible

devices to communicate, and deliver and receive high denition video over your existing Gigabit Ethernet network.

Operating bi-directionally, NDI® devices can be auto-detected, powered and controlled over the same Ethernet

cable used to send the video and audio. If you have a Gigabit network, you have the potential for a streamlined,

interconnected, video production environment.

With the introduction of NDI® 5, you can now securely share network sources between remote sites anywhere in
the world - on a single network port. Even a smartphone can be a NDI® source.

Transitioning to NDI® can also occur gradually. Existing SDI or HDMI signals can easily be converted to an NDI®
stream and piped where required on your network and converted back only at the necessary endpoints.

BirdDog has been on the NDI® journey since the very beginning, and your camera is just one of our products
designed to take advantage of the features and potential of NDI®.

For more information on NDI®, please refer to this page on our website.

4

Getting to Know Your Converter

Thanks for purchasing your BirdDog 4K Converter. Please take some time to read this document to allow you to
get the most out of your purchase and familiarize yourself with the features available in the unit.

Physical Connectors

Powering Your Converter

This converter is equipped with a sophisticated system allowing power from various sources:

PoE+ (Power over Ethernet)

PoE+ is a convenient way to power this converter as it allows both data and power to be sent through the same
standard Ethernet cable. To take advantage of PoE+, the network switch that the converter is directly plugged into
must support PoE+(802.11at).

Dierent network switches are capable of providing diering amounts of total power to all connected devices. This

FLEX 4K converter uses approximately 14 watts in PoE+ mode to operate on its own, and up to 30w when powering
additional equipment.

DC In

Located at the side of the 4K converter is a DC connection port. This power input socket is capable of accepting
12v DC power.

DC Out

Located at the side of the FLEX 4K converter is a DC Out connection port. This power outlet socket is capable of
delivering 12v DC power at up to 15w to power external equipment. Please note that if your external equipment

draws more than 15w the FLEX 4K unit will power o automatically.

NP-Style Battery Plate (4K BACKPACK Only)

The BirdDog FLEX 4K BACKPACK features a NP-style battery plate that allows you to mount the BirdDog FLEX
BACKPACK to another piece of equipment. The NP-style plate is designed to work with most equipment but may
not be possible to connect to all devices owing to physical constraints. Please note the NP-style DV output voltage
is 12v DC.

5

IMPORTANT NOTE WHEN POWERING EXTERNAL DEVICES

BirdDog FLEX 4K and FLEX 4K Backpack deliver 12v DC outputs which can be used for various purposes from
powering cameras to screens to external recorders. No warranty is given for the use of this feature with regards
to the suitability of your third-party equipment. It is advised that you should carefully check the user guide of
the equipment you wish to power to ensure it is capable of accepting 12v DC input and if there are any warranty
implications for using 3rd party power sources.

Thermal Management

This product has been engineered to be actively cooled. In order to achieve best thermal performance, the fan
assembly has been carefully designed to provide optimum cooling while remaining extremely quiet. It is normal
for warm air to pass through the vent voutlets. The main processor is capable of operating up to 100º C / 212º F.

Operating Your Converter

Boot Up

When FLEX is booted, the Halo Tally light will illuminate orange and the network activity indicator will begin to ash
indicating that the device's detection of the computer network. After approx. 20 seconds, the Halo Tally will ash
Red and then Green, indicating the unit is completely booted and ready for operation.

Web Conguration Panel

In this release, the web conguration panel (Web UI) allows you to alter key settings of your converter, specically

A/V settings, and video frame rates, restarting the video processing engine, changing networking parameters and

applying rmware updates.

Access via a Web Browser (URL)

To access the web conguration panel please point your computer web browser to: http://birddog-xxxxx.local/

“xxxxx” is the serial number of the converter, the serial number is printed on the box and on the main unit. Note the

web address is case sensitive and all lower case. Your computer will need to have ‘Bonjour’ services loaded in order

to access the unit as described above. Apple devices come pre-installed with Bonjour, while Windows devices need
a small plugin available here.

Access via IP Address

Your converter is congured to automatically receive a network IP address from the computer network via DHCP
(Dynamic Host Conguration Protocol). Most corporate, education and home networks have a DHCP server present

on the network to allow this to occur. Usually your Internet Router provides this.

If your device receives an IP address automatically from this server (DHCP) the IP address can be discovered in
several ways, including BirdDog Central Lite available from here.

6

Access Without a Network DHCP Server

Some standalone or private networks may not have a DHCP server. After 30 seconds of waiting for an automatically
assigned IP address, the device will fall back to a default address which is: 192.168.100.100.

In order to access the web conguration panel on a network which is congured to a dierent subnet, change your

computers IP address to match the BirdDog unit’s IP address range. Once you gain access to the BirdDog web

conguration panel choose your IP address to match the rest of the devices on your network.

For instructions on setting your computers IP address, please consult your computer operating system manual or
IT support resources.

Password Management

Once you direct your web browser to the web conguration panel you will need to log in to change any settings.

Default Password

The web conguration panel is secured by a user-selectable password. The default password is:

birddog (one word, lower case).

To change the password, simply log in using the default password, navigate to the network tab in the web interface,
and select change password.

It is recommended to change this password in a network environment where your device is shared with other

users (e.g. not private), since this password grants full access to the conguration settings and could interrupt a live

program.

Dashboard

The Dashboard summarizes the
important settings for the converter

in one convenient location. You can

also reboot the device or restart the
video processing engine.

Reboot Device

Click this button to reboot the unit
after changing key network settings
or the BirdDog name.

Restart Video

Click this button to restart the NDI
stream. This may be necessary after
changing key image settings e.g.,
resolution.

®

7

Network

Most computer networks
provide for both automatic

and manual conguration of

network devices and FLEX can
accommodate both.

Conguration Method

Here you can set the network

conguration to either DHCP

(default) or Static. DHCP

simplies the management of

IP addresses on networks. No
two hosts can have the same
IP address, so assigning them
manually can potentially lead
to errors. If your network is set
up for DHCP, this is generally

the best conguration to

choose.

If you do choose to go with a Static IP address, you’ll need to add the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Gateway

Address information according to the requirements of your network.

DHCP Timeout, Fallback IP address, Fallback Subnet Mask

You can set the timeout period during which FLEX will look for a DHCP IP address. After this period, the camera

will default to the designated fallback IP address.

This can be useful if you use your camera in other network environments. For example, if a DHCP server is available

in your normal oce or studio application, FLEX will use the DHCP supplied IP address. If you then use the camera

in another application without a DHCP server, your device will always default to the known fallback IP address.

NOTE: Do not set the fallback IP address the same as the device IP address. It is recommended to keep the default
fallback IP address.

IP Address Recovery

In the event that the device is not visible on the network, the network has changed, or the static IP address details
have been lost, reset the BirdDog back to its default settings by following the factory reset procedure.

BirdDog Name

You can give your device a meaningful name to make identication easier when viewing NDI® sources on a receiver

such as a TriCaster, vMix or Studio Monitor. Be sure to make the name unique, as no two devices on the network
should have the same name. The name can be any combination of a-z, 0-9, and –.

After renaming your device, navigate back to the System menu and click the REBOOT button. The camera will re­initialize and you’ll be good to go.

8

PTZ

BirdDog FLEX 4K IN and FLEX 4K BACKPACK can control external PTZ cameras from the RS-232 serial port using
the Sony VISCA protocol.

The PTZ Control tab controls allow you to save and recall 9 camera presets. Select the Settings tab to set your
cameras VISCA address and Baud Rate accordingly. By default, these settings are:

VISCA ADDRESS: 1
VISCA BAUD RATE: 9600

Once these settings are correct you can control your external PTZ camera within any PTZ-aware NDI control
application as if it was a native NDI PTZ camera.

9

System

Password Settings

The BirdUI is secured by a user-selectable password. To make changes to any settings, you'll need to log in.
The default password is birddog (one word, lower case). It is recommended that the default password be changed,

since the BirdUI grants full access to the camera conguration settings.

You can change the password in the Password Settings tab.

1. Enter the current password.

2. Enter the new password. It is recommended that you change this password to prevent unauthorized changes

in a network environment where the device is shared with other users (e.g. not private). Conrm the new
password and click the APPLY button.

System Update

We are always adding new features and improving the performance of our products, so installing the latest rmware

will provide you with the best user experience.

To upgrade the rmware, download the rmware and follow the Firmware Upgrade Instructions located in the
download folder.

10

Conguration Update

Remote IP List

By default, NDI® devices are visible to each other only when they’re on the same VLAN. If you want visibility or

control of a device on a dierent VLAN, you can add it’s address manually as a Remote IP. You can upload and

download Remote IP Lists for sharing with other cameras. To upload a list:

1. Click the CHOOSE FILE button to load your Remote IP List in UTF-8 encoded string format.

2. Click the UPDATE button. Do not upload a blank list.

NDI Group List

Set the NDI® Group list. NDI® groups allow you to restrict communication to only devices that belong to the
same NDI® Group. NDI® Groups can be very useful to control visibility and access in larger environments. You
can upload and download Group lists for sharing with other cameras. Groups also need setting up in NDI Access

Manager, available in NDI Tools.

To upload a list:

1. Click the CHOOSE FILE button to load your NDI® Group List in UTF-8 encoded string format.

2. Click the UPDATE button. Do not upload a blank list.

11

Network Settings

Preferred Transmit Method

TCP

TCP is the default method of
transmission for NDI®. It operates well
within local networks with predictable
latency and limited jitter. BirdDog
recommends that TCP be used for
typical applications, with alternative

transports used only for specic

reasons.

UDP

UDP is recommended for networks
where there is extended latency.The
nature of UDP allows dropped packets
and doesn't establish handshaking

dialogues to conrm each received

packet – which can improve
performance. Using UDP can have
some consequences if there are other
issues on the network such as jitter or
lost packets as it will not inherently re­sent a lost packet.

Multicast

Multicast is especially useful for use cases that require a single source to be received on multiple receivers

simultaneously. Utilizing Multicast ooads the distribution of the NDI® A/V packets from the BirdDog device
to the network infrastructure. You should take care to ensure your network is specically congured to support

Multicast as using it on an ill-prepared network can create unintended network problems.

MultiTCP

MultiTCP is a new NDI transport method that allows users to send NDI® video over poor network topography such
as WAN (Wide Area Networks) without experiencing packet loss and lost frames. Historically, UDP transport was
the only option to send NDI video over a WAN, allowing the NDI® video to travel without dropping frames but
resulted in dropped packets being missed which could cause unstable video. UDP also places more performance
demands on devices sending and receiving the signal.

MultiTCP employs a new method of sending TCP packets whereby it opens a mass of TCP connections over

the WAN and uses them in a ‘round robin’ manner, this allows each individual TCP connection enough time to
acknowledge the receiving packet, conrm nothing is lost and prepare for the next one before it’s sent the next

TCP packet in the round robin. This is similar to a RAID setup in traditional storage.

NDI Discovery

If you choose to use a NDI® discovery server, you can congure it in this tab. By default, NDI® utilizes mDNS
(multicast Domain Name System) to create the zero conguration environment for discovery. Unless the network
is specically congured to not allow mDNS, NDI® sources will be discovered.

The NDI® discovery service is designed to replace the automatic discovery NDI® uses with a server that operates

as an ecient centralized registry of NDI® sources that requires much less bandwidth. NDI® discovery server also
helps with location of devices that reside on dierent subnets. The NDI® Discovery Server is available in the NDI 5.5

version of the free NDI Tools (C:\Program Files\NDI\NDI 5 Tools\Discovery\ NDI Discovery Service.exe).

1. If you are using an NDI® Discovery Server, click the ON button.

2. Enter the IP address of your NDI® Discovery Server.

3. Click the APPLY button to save your changes.

12

AV

Device Settings

Audio Gain

Controls for adjusting the audio gain.

Encode Settings

Video Input Format

This converter is capable of accepting

many dierent video formats to

encode to NDI®. For the most part it is
recommended to leave the Video Input
Format set to AUTO, you can manually
override this setting and choose whatever
resolution your source device is set to.
This can be useful if there is an issue in
synchronising video input resolutions.

Colour Space

BirdDog FLEX has built in colour space
conversion - some HDMI computer

sources provide video in RGB or YUV

colour space while others provide the

source as YVU colour space, notably

Apple Mac machines. If you experience
inverted colours on your computer-based

input, swap YUV for YVU colour space.

Chroma Subsampling

This BirdDog converter is capable of operating in two Chroma Subsample modes, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0. According to the

NDI specication, when you are operating in HD video resolutions the chroma subsampling should be set to 4:2:2

and in 4K is should be set to 4:2:0.

The BirdDog 4K converter line allows you to override these recommendations depending on your own needs. This

can result in greater representation of colours in your image, or less overall video compression. Generally speaking,

for video-sourced material in 4K it is recommended to use 4:2:0, but for computer generated graphics such as
gaming and presentations your chroma subsampling should be set to 4:2:2.

13

Bitrate Management

Birddog Devices allow you to set your target NDI® output bitrate. This allows you to select a level of compression

that is more ecient on your networking infrastructure (lower bandwidth) or higher image quality for critical

footage. The scale allows you to select anywhere from 60 Mbps to 360 Mbps.

By setting Bitrate Management to NDI MANAGED, FLEX will manage the target bitrate in accordance with the

NDI® standard. By selecting MANUAL, you are able to manually select a target bitrate.

NDI Output Bandwidth

If you have selected a Manual bitrate management, you may set your target NDI® output bitrate here. This allows
you to select a higher bitrate stream for a higher quality video if your network capacity allows. Select from 60Mbps
to 360 Mbps.

NDI Audio

Select MAIN to enable NDI® audio only and ANALOG to enable audio in from the audio input. Select MUTE to
disable the NDI® audio.

Onboard Tally

On/O: When connected to a Tally capable device, the Tally LED will illuminate Green for Preview and Red for

Program.

Video: This selection uses the Tally light to indicate the presence of a HDMI signal at the input.

NDI Group Enable

This allows you to limit the visibility of the device to other devices that belong to the same NDI® group. By default
this setting is DISABLED. When enabled the receiver device needs to also be set to the same identical group
name. Commonly this is done using the NDI Access Manager application provided by NewTek free of charge. NDI®

Groups can be very useful in larger environments to control visibility and access amongst various groups.

NDI Stream Name

When your BirdDog converter generates an NDI® stream, it can be identied via it’s name on any NDI®-capable
receiver. You are able to nominate the NDI®stream name here to give you a more descriptive name of the source

you are connecting to. This can be particularly useful in multi-channel devices or on networks where there are a
large amount of NDI® streams.

Encode Screensaver

Assign a captured frame, black frame, or BirdDog logo as a screensaver.

Capture Screensaver Frame

Click the Capture button to capture the current frame for use as a screensaver.

Failover Source

If the generated NDI® stream is interrupted for any reason the receiver can automatically switch to a nominated

alternative NDI® stream. This is particularly useful for live ‘on air’ productions where there can be no risk of still

frames or black being broadcast should any source no longer be available. Select an available NDI® source for the

failover function from the Available NDI® Sources dropdown list. You can update this list by clicking the Refresh

button.

14

Factory Resetting Your Unit

If you have lost network settings or cannot nd FLEX on the network, you can perform a network factory reset.

To perform a reset, use a tool such as a SIM eject tool to press the reset button located next to the RS-232 port

for 5 seconds until the Halo Tally ashes red. The unit will be accessible, as per factory settings, approximately 10

seconds later.

Receiving NDI Streams

There are many applications that support receiving the NDI® signal that the unit produces. Each application will
vary slightly on how you choose your source.

NewTek Studio Monitor

NDI® Tools is a free suite of applications designed to introduce you to the world of IP video and is available here.

The included Studio Monitor application allows you to monitor many NDI® sources on a standard Windows computer.
Once Studio Monitor is launched, right click anywhere in the interface and select FLEX from the dropdown list.

Once connected to FLEX, a conguration gear icon is displayed on the bottom right-hand side of the video display

providing shortcut access the WebUI.

NewTek TriCaster Series

NewTek TriCaster series devices allow several NDI® sources to be received simultaneously, the number of
simultaneous connections depending on what model TriCaster you have.

To select the FLEX as a source on your TriCaster, click on the conguration gear icon below your desired source

location. From the displayed Input Setting dialog, select your camera source from the dropdown list.

Once connected to FLEX, a conguration gear icon displays next to the source dropdown window that provides

shortcut access the FLEX WebUI.

15

Glossary

Domain

A domain contains a group of computers that can be accessed and administered with a common set of rules.
Domain can also refer to the IP address of a website on the Internet.

DNS

DNS (Domain Name System) is a system used by the Internet and private networks to translate domain names into
IP addresses.

mDNS

mDNS (Multicast DNS) refers to the use of IP multicast with DNS to translate domain names into IP addresses and
provide service discovery in a network that does not have access to a DNS server.

Ethernet

Ethernet, standardized as IEEE 802.3, refers to a series of technologies used to connect computers and other
devices to a LAN (Local Area Network) or wide area network (WAN).

Firmware

Firmware is a class of software held in non-volatile memory that provides the low-level control for a device’s
hardware.

Gigabit Ethernet (GigE)

An Ethernet capable of transmitting frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. A Gigabit capable Ethernet network
is recommended for NDI production workows.

IP

IP (Internet Protocol) is the communications protocol for the Internet, many wide area networks (WANs), and

most local area networks (LANs) that denes the rules, formats, and address scheme for exchanging datagrams or

packets between a source computer or device and a destination computer or device.

LAN

LAN (Local Area Network) is a network that connects computers and devices in a room, building, or group of
buildings. A system of LANs can also be connected to form a WAN (Wide Area Network).

Mbps

Mbps (Megabits per second) is a unit of measurement for data transfer speed, with one megabit equal to one
million bits. Network transmissions are commonly measured in Mbps.

NDI

NDI (Network Device Interface) is a standard allowing for transmission of video using standard LAN networking.

NDI® comes in two avours, NDI® and NDI|HX. NDI® is a variable bit rate, I-Frame codec that reaches rates of
around 140Mbps at 1080p60 and is visually lossless. NDI|HX is a compressed, long-GOP, H.264 variant that achieves

rates around 12Mbps at 1080p60.

16

Packet (Frame)

A packet s a unit of data transmitted over a packet-switched network, such as a LAN, WAN, or the Internet.

PELCO

PELCO is a camera control protocol used with PTZ cameras. See also VISCA.

PoE

Power over Ethernet

Port

A port is a communications channel for data transmission to and from a computer on a network. Each port is

identied by a 16-bit number between 0 and 65535, with each process, application, or service using a specic port

(or multiple ports) for data transmission. Port can also refer to a hardware socket used to physically connect a
device or device cable to your computer or network.

PTZ

Pan, tilt and zoom.

RJ45

A form of standard interface commonly used to connect computers onto Ethernet-based local area networks
(LAN).

RS422, RS485, RS232

Physical layer, serial communication protocols.

Subnet

Subnet or subnetwork is a segmented piece of a larger network.

Tally

A system that indicates the on-air status of video signals usually by the use of a red illuminated lamp.

TCP

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a network communications protocol.

UDP

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is an alternative protocol to TCP that is used when reliable delivery of data packets
in not required.

VISCA

VISCA is a camera control protocol used with PTZ cameras. See also PELCO.

WAN

WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network that spans a relatively broad geographical area, such as a state, region, or
nation.

White Balance

White balance (WB) is the process of ensuring that white objects and by extension, all colour, in your video are
rendered accurately. Without correct white balance, objects in your video display unrealistic color casts.

17

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.

bird-dog.tv

hello@bi rd-dog.tv