Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

vvvv1.1

1.1

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

1.11.1

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................... 3

PACKAGE CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... 3

FEATURES ............................................................................................................................................ 4

GEMINI 4:4:4 ANATOMY ................................................................................................................. 6

MENU STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................................ 7

GEMINI ............................................................................................................................................... 8

INPUTS ............................................................................................................................................... 8

RECORD ............................................................................................................................................. 9

OUTPUT ............................................................................................................................................. 9

MODE TOGGLE & STATUS ............................................................................................................ 10

PREPARATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 11

POWER ................................................................................................................................................ 11

AC Power Supply ......................................................................................................................... 11

Camera ............................................................................................................................................. 11

REGISTRATION ................................................................................................................................. 12

SETTING DATE & TIME ................................................................................................................... 12

Formatting SSD Cards ............................................................................................................... 13

SSD Status Indicators The LED lights associated with each SSD drive will display

the following status color indicators: ................................................................................... 13

Best User Practices .............................................................................................................................. 14

RECORDING ........................................................................................................................................... 15

Recording Time / Media ................................................................................................................ 15

Recording Instructions ................................................................................................................... 15

DPX Recording .................................................................................................................................. 16

PLAYBACK ............................................................................................................................................. 17

www.Gemini444.com 1 | P a g e

vvvv1.1

1.1

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

TRANSFER .............................................................................................................................................. 18

WAITING ON ANDY’s ADDITIONS TO THIS SECTION BEFORE I MODIFY I have found that the safest way is to connect the eSATA adapter, the transfer station and the SSD

then boot the computer. .................................................................................................................... 18

APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................... 22

Firmware Updates ........................................................................................................................... 22

Specifications .................................................................................................................................... 24

Gemini Mechanical Drawings ....................................................................................................... 25

Remote Connector Pinout ............................................................................................................ 25

Know Issues – Firmware Version 0.0.251 ................................................................................ 26

Trouble Shooting & Support ........................................................................................................ 26

Limited Warranty ............................................................................................................................. 27

Obtaining an RMA ............................................................................................................................ 28

1.11.1

THANK YOU FOR CHOSING CONVERGENT DESIGN.

Our philosophy is to ensure that all features that we have enabled in the Gemini 4:4:4 have been thoroughly tested.

Our goal is to provide a very high degree of reliability in both our hardware and firmware.

www.Gemini444.com 2 | P a g e

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEWOVERVIEW

PACKAGE CONTENTS

PACKAGE CONTENTSPACKAGE CONTENTS

Make sure you have the following items, supplied with your Gemini 4:4:4 upon purchase

.

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

Hard

Hard Case

Case

HardHard

CaseCase

HDMI

HDMIHDMI

Type C to Type A

Type C to Type AType C to Type A

Gemini 4:4:4

Gemini 4:4:4Gemini 4:4:4

HD

HD----SDI (

SDI (Quantity

SDI (SDI (

Quantity

Quantity Quantity

2)

2)2)

HDHD

Transfer Station

Transfer StationTransfer Station

eSATA

eSATAeSATA

Data

Data Cable

Cable

Data Data

CableCable

Power D

Power D----Tap

Power DPower D 4444----Pin

PinPin

Universal

Universal AC Power

Universal Universal

Supply

SupplySupply

NOTE: Only Convergent Design SSD’s will work in

NOTE: Only Convergent Design SSD’s will work in the Gemini 4:4:4.

NOTE: Only Convergent Design SSD’s will work in NOTE: Only Convergent Design SSD’s will work in

These SSD’s, available in 256 GB and 512 GB must be purchased separately.

These SSD’s, available in 256 GB and 512 GB must be purchased separately.These SSD’s, available in 256 GB and 512 GB must be purchased separately.

Your Gemini 4:4:4 dealer is an ideal

Your Gemini 4:4:4 dealer is an ideal place to purchase these SSD’s.

Your Gemini 4:4:4 dealer is an idealYour Gemini 4:4:4 dealer is an ideal

www.Gemini444.com 3 | P a g e

Tap

TapTap

AC Power

AC Power AC Power

USB

USB Power Cable

Power Cable

USB USB

Power CablePower Cable

for Transfer Station

for Transfer Stationfor Transfer Station

Stylus &

Stylus & Stylus &

Microfiber Cloth

Microfiber ClothMicrofiber Cloth

place to purchase these SSD’s.

place to purchase these SSD’s.place to purchase these SSD’s.

XLR Power Cable

XLR Power CableXLR Power Cable

4444----Pin

PinPin

Hot Shoe Mount

Hot Shoe MountHot Shoe Mount

the Gemini 4:4:4.

the Gemini 4:4:4.the Gemini 4:4:4.

FEATURES

FEATURESFEATURES

The Gemini 4:4:4 is a professional, high-definition video recorder that fits in the palm of your hand and is easily mountable on your camera. It is very light weight and small in size.

Gemini 4:4:4 functions as a high-quality monitor, with a wide viewing angle, high brightness with great contrast, and no compromise video playback device.

The footage from the Gemini 4:4:4 can be easily incorporated into virtually any workflow using your favorite codec or as native uncompressed DPX sequences.

With an extra cost option, Gemini 4:4:4 is also capable of recording, combining, and playing back 3D video.

The Gemini 4:4:4 records to specially certified and tested 1.8” solid-state hard drives that can be purchased from Convergent Design through your local dealer.

UNCOMPRESSED 4:4:4 RGB QUALITY

UNCOMPRESSED 4:4:4 RGB QUALITYUNCOMPRESSED 4:4:4 RGB QUALITY

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

The Gemini 4:4:4 records in the highest quality possible; no other recorder exceeds the image quality of the Gemini 4:4:4!

The Gemini 4:4:4 records Full Uncompressed 4:4:4 RGB and also accepts 4:2:2 camera signals. This ensures that 100% of the quality of your video signal will be maintained. There are no signal losses, no artifacts, and no loss of quality whatsoever.

This is especially important when recording Log video, such as Sony S-Log or Log-C. The precise values for each bit are recorded. No bit values are changed in any way, thus preserving the full integrity of your images. Recording full 4:4:4 is the proper way to record S-Log and Log-C. Recording 4:2:2 from a 4:4:4 capable camera is a compromise.

4:2:2 to 4:4:4 UP

4:2:2 to 4:4:4 UP----CONVERSION

4:2:2 to 4:4:4 UP4:2:2 to 4:4:4 UP

The Gemini 4:4:4 records in DPX file format, an industry standard for high end post processing. To conform with widely used software that accepts the DPX file format, the Gemini 4:4:4 automatically up-converts (up-reses) to 4:4:4.

This is accomplished by using a sophisticated routine that uses the weighted average of nearby pixels to ensure that the 4:4:4 is of high quality, even when the source video is 4:2:2.

CONVERSION

CONVERSIONCONVERSION

www.Gemini444.com 4 | P a g e

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

HD TOUCH SCREEN FOR RECORD AND PLAYBACK

HD TOUCH SCREEN FOR RECORD AND PLAYBACKHD TOUCH SCREEN FOR RECORD AND PLAYBACK

The Gemini 4:4:4 is easily controlled using the touch screen. A Stylus is provded to prevent the LCD Monitor from being smudged.

NOTE: Your camera MUST be equipped to output 4:4:4 in order to use the

NOTE: Your camera MUST be equipped to output 4:4:4 in order to use the NOTE: Your camera MUST be equipped to output 4:4:4 in order to use the

uncompressed 4:4:4 functionality of the Gemini.

uncompressed 4:4:4 functionality of the Gemini. A 4:2:2 signal will be up

uncompressed 4:4:4 functionality of the Gemini.uncompressed 4:4:4 functionality of the Gemini.

4:4:4.

DUAL SSD

DUAL SSDDUAL SSD

The Gemini 4:4:4 is unique in that is supports two SSD’s for both recording and playback.

To extend recording time, a recording can automatically span from one SSD to another. This is fully automatic.

4:4:4.4:4:4.

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

A 4:2:2 signal will be up----resed to

A 4:2:2 signal will be upA 4:2:2 signal will be up

resed to

resed to resed to

SSSS----LOG and LOG

LOG and LOG----C SUPPORT

LOG and LOGLOG and LOG

Many features are built into the Gemini 4:4:4 for supporting Log footage: A menu option easily allows one to apply a built-in LUT (Lookup Table) to native S-Log footage. The LUT is applied to the LCD and HD-SDI outputs.

LOG RECORDING

LOG RECORDINGLOG RECORDING

The Gemini 4:4:4 is ideally suited for recording Sony S-Log and also supports Log-C.

DUAL LINK SDI

DUAL LINK SDIDUAL LINK SDI

The Gemini supports dual link 1.5Ghz HD-SDI Input for 4:4:4 recording.

HIGH PERFORMANCE SSD’S

HIGH PERFORMANCE SSD’SHIGH PERFORMANCE SSD’S

The Gemini 4:4:4 SSD’s are specially picked for their performance and reliability. These SSD’s are capable of reading at greater than 400Mbps, making transfer of files very quick. You’ll find these Convergent Design SSD’s available through our Resellers at affordable rates.

FAST BOOT TIME

FAST BOOT TIMEFAST BOOT TIME

C SUPPORT

C SUPPORTC SUPPORT

You can expect your Gemini 4:4:4 to power up and be reading for recording in approximately 12 seconds or less after applying power.

www.Gemini444.com 5 | P a g e

SSD Drive 2

SSD Drive 2SSD Drive 2

SSD Drive 2

GEMINI 4:4:4

GEMINI 4:4:4 ANATOMY

GEMINI 4:4:4 GEMINI 4:4:4

SSD Drive 1

SSD Drive 1SSD Drive 1

HD Touch Screen

HD Touch Screen HD Touch Screen

Monitor

MonitorMonitor

ANATOMY

ANATOMYANATOMY

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

Power

Power SDI A

PowerPower

SDI A

SDI ASDI A

IN

ININ

kfjaslkdjflk sdlkfjaslkdjf lkdjflksdjf lksdjf

www.Gemini444.com 6 | P a g e

SDI B

SDI BSDI B

IN

ININ

Audio

AudioAudio

IN

ININ

HDMI

HDMIHDMI

OUT

OUTOUT

Audio

AudioAudio

OUT

OUTOUT

SDI A

SDI ASDI A

OUT

OUTOUT

SDI B

SDI BSDI B

OUT

OUTOUT

Remote

RemoteRemote Tally

Tally

TallyTally

Available

WARNING: DO NOT ENCLOSE THE UNIT IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER Keep the area around the cooling fins (vertical lines on the back of the

Gemini) open for air flow. Gemini 4:4:4 and SSD’s will operate at full

Do not lay the unit flat, Keep the unit vertical for best cooling.

MENU STRUCTURE

MENU STRUCTUREMENU STRUCTURE

The Gemini 4:4:4 menu can be accessed through the buttons along the top of the screen. By tapping on a Main Menu heading, a Sub-Menu 1 navigation will appear. Likewise, by tapping a Sub-Menu 1 heading, a Sub-Item 2, and so on, may appear and subsequently provide you with an Option related to that.

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

potential under these conditions.

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

Main Menu

Main MenuMain Menu

Sub

Sub----Menu

Menu 1111 Sub

SubSub

MenuMenu

Sub----Menu 2

Menu 2 Sub

SubSub

Menu 2Menu 2

Sub----Menu 3

Menu 3

SubSub

Menu 3Menu 3

Sub-Menu Selection

Options

OptionsOptions

Setting Saved/On

www.Gemini444.com 7 | P a g e

→

You MUST set the camera

GEMINI

GEMINIGEMINI

Sub

Sub----Menu 1

Menu 1 Sub

SubSub

Menu 1Menu 1

SET

SETSET

Sub----Menu 2

Menu 2 Sub

SubSub

Menu 2Menu 2

LCD

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

Sub----Menu 3

Menu 3 Option

SubSub

Menu 3Menu 3

Auto-Hide

Guides

Option Description

OptionOption

On The on screen menu will

disappear after 15 seconds of idling. Touching the screen anywhere will bring the menu back.

Off The on-screen menu always be

displayed unless the hide button is touched

2.39:1

1.85:1

Description Additional Information

DescriptionDescription

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

Additional Information

Additional InformationAdditional Information

ABOUT

ABOUTABOUT

SSD's

SSD'sSSD's

Time

Date

Reset

Keys Unit

→ →

Format

SSD 1

Format

SSD 2

None Removes any current Guides

setting.

→

Set the appropriate time.

Set the appropriate date.

Restore all default settings.

Unit OK Indicates your product was

successfully registered.

→

Displays the firmware version, serial number of your Gemini unit, manufacturing date, and activation date.

Permanently erases everything on SSD 1

Permanently erases everything on SSD 2

Requires nothing further after initial registration.

WARNING:

WARNING:WARNING: DATA WILL NOT BE

DATA WILL NOT BE

DATA WILL NOT BE DATA WILL NOT BE RECOVERABLE!

RECOVERABLE!

RECOVERABLE!RECOVERABLE!

INPUTS

Sub

Sub----Menu 1

Menu 1 Sub

SubSub

Menu 1Menu 1

TIMECODE

TIMECODE Source

TIMECODETIMECODE

Sub----Menu 2

Menu 2

SubSub

Menu 2Menu 2

www.Gemini444.com 8 | P a g e

Sub

Sub----Menu 3

Menu 3

SubSub

Menu 3Menu 3

→

Option

Option Description

OptionOption

SDI

Timecode is extracted from the SDI signal coming from your camera

Description Additional Information

DescriptionDescription

Additional Information

Additional InformationAdditional Information

to output timecode via SDI OUT. Timecode must conform to SMPTE 12-2 or RP-188.

Sub

SubSub

Sub

----

Recording is started by touching the

This mode is particularly useful

In this mode, the Gemini will save

See Transfer, page xxx, for

The last three digits will auto

-

Sub

SubSub

Sub

----

When the Gemini is recording, the

This red bar is not recorded in the

Nothing will be overlaid on the SDI or

This setting only affects the output

RECORD

Dropdown

Dropdown Sub

DropdownDropdown

Sub----Item

SubSub

Item

ItemItem

Menu 3

Menu 3Menu 3

Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

Option

Option Description

OptionOption

Description Additional Information

DescriptionDescription

Additional Information

Additional InformationAdditional Information

vvvv1.1

1.1

1.11.1

Rec Button

TRIGGER

TRIGGERTRIGGER

SDI TC

TYPE

TYPE DPX

TYPETYPE

CLIP

CLIP (AAAAAAAA)(000)

CLIPCLIP

→ →

record button on the Gemini screen

Recording will start when incrementing timecode is detected from the SDI input and will stop recording when timecode is not incrementing

recorded video into a .dpx file.

Allows the user to set the name of the recorded files

when wanting to trigger a record session from your camera's record. However, your camera will most likely output incrementing timecode while it is playing back video. This will also trigger a record in the Gemini. Therefore, this setting may need to be turned off while your camera is in playback mode

more info on file types.

increment from one recording to the next. If you are using more than one Gemini unit, it is recommended that at least the first two characters of this name be set different from one Gemini unit to the next

OUTPUT

OUTPUTOUTPUT

Sub

Sub----Menu

Menu Sub

SubSub

Menu Menu

Rec Tally

Rec TallyRec Tally

Mode

ModeMode

Sub----Menu 2

Menu 2

SubSub

Menu 2Menu 2

On

Off

4:2:2

4:4:4

Menu 3

Menu 3Menu 3

→ →

Option

Option Description

OptionOption

SDI and HDMI output will display a red bar on the bottom of the screen to indicate an active record

HDMI output of the Gemini

SDI output as 4:2:2; works in both Rec and Play Mode.

Incoming video will be output as 4:4:4

Description Additional Information

DescriptionDescription

Additional Information

Additional InformationAdditional Information

Gemini. If you are using a separate recorder to record the output of the Gemini, turn this setting off

video. 4:2:2 Input will always be converted to 4:4:4 for recording.

Use this setting if you want to output 4:4:4 RGB, usually Dual Link HD-SDI. (Not valid with 4:2:2 input.

www.Gemini444.com 9 | P a g e

Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual