Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and
Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI
Reclocking DA
User Guide
Revision 2.1 SW v2.2.0
Clearly, Ensemble wants to be in the broadcast equipment business. It’s so rare anymore to nd a company of this
caliber that has not been gobbled up by a large corporation. They are privately held so they don’t have to please the
money people. They really put their eorts into building products and working with customers.
I’m really happy with the Avenue products and Ensemble’s service, and even more important my engineers are happy.
We’ve continued to upgrade the product and add more cards. We will be rebuilding our production control room and
we will use Avenue again.
~ Don McKay, Vice President Engineering, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Who is Ensemble Designs?
By Engineers, For Engineers
In 1989, a former television station engineer who loved
designing and building video equipment, decided to
start a new company. He relished the idea of taking
an existing group of equipment and adding a few
special pieces in order to create an even more elegant
Avenue frames handle 270 Mb/s,
1.5 Gb/s and 3 Gb/s signals,
audio and MPEG signals. Used
worldwide in broadcast, mobile,
production, and post.
ensemble. So, he designed and built his first product and
the company was born.
Focused On What You Need
As the company has grown, more former TV station
engineers have joined Ensemble Designs and this wealth
of practical experience fuels the company’s innovation.
Everyone at the company is focused on providing the
We’re focused on
processing gear–
3G/HD/SD/ASI video,
audio and optical modules.
very equipment you need to complete your ensemble
of video and audio gear. We offer those special pieces
that tie everything together so that when combined, the
whole ensemble is exactly what you need.
Notably Great Service for You
We listen to you – just tell us what you need and we’ll
do our best to build it. We are completely focused on
you and the equipment you need. Being privately held
means we don’t have to worry about a big board of
directors or anything else that might take attention away
from real business. And, you can be sure that when you
call a real person will answer the phone. We love this
business and we’re here to stay.
Bricks and Mortar of Your Facility
The bricks and mortar of a facility include pieces like
up/downconverters, audio embedders, video converters,
routers, protection switches and SPGs for SD, HD and
3Gb/s. That’s what we’re focused on, that’s all we do
– we make proven and reliable signal processing and
infrastructure gear for broadcasters worldwide, for you.
Come on by and visit us.
Drop in for lunch and a tour!
Shipped with care to
television broadcasters
and video facilities all
over the world.
Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Contents
Module Overview 4
Functional Block Diagrams 5
Applications 6
3G High Definition Distribution 6
Standard Definition Distribution 7
Installation 8
Cabling 8
7110 3RU Backplane 9
7110 1RU Backplane 9
9110 3RU Backplane 10
9110 1RU Backplane 10
Module Configuration and Control 11
7110 Front Panel Controls and Indicators 11
9110 Front Panel Controls and Indicators 12
Avenue PC Remote Configuration 13
7110 and 9110 Avenue PC Menu 13
Avenue Touch Screen Remote Configuration 14
7110 and 9110 Avenue Touch Screen Menu 14
Troubleshooting 15
No status lights are lit on front panel 15
Cannot control module 15
No signal out of module 15
Software Updating 15
Warranty and Factory Service 16
Warranty 16
Factory Service 16
7110 Specifications 17
9110 Specifications 17
Glossary 18
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Module Overview
The 7110 and 9110 modules are dual-rate, serial digital distribution amplifiers with automatic
cable equalization and reclocking. The 7110 automatically detects and handles 270 Mb/s Standard
Definition signals (525 or 625), 1.485 Gb/s High Definition signals, ASI data signals, and allows passing
of embedded audio. The 9110 handles the same signals as the 7110, and also handles 3G (2.97 Gb/s).
These modules provide one serial digital input to eight serial digital video outputs. The 7110 and 9110
modules can reside in the same 1RU or 3RU frame with SD and HD modules in any combination.
As shown in the block diagrams on the next page, the serial input signal passes through a serial
equalizer circuit where cable equalization and input monitoring is done. This output signal then passes
to a reclocking circuit where the serial input signal is locked to a local serial clock, removing timing
noise and improving jitter performance.
The output of the reclocker circuit feeds into output drivers which provide eight outputs to the rear
BNCs for distribution. The outputs follow the input. For example, when the input is SD, the 8 outputs
are SD. When the input is ASI, ASI outputs for the 7110 are provided at its four non-inverted BNCs (Out
2, Out 4, Out 6 and Out 8). ASI outputs for the 9110 are provided at its four non-inverted BNCs (Out 1,
Out 3, Out 5 and Out 7).
For each module, power is derived from the ± 12 volt frame power. It is regulated to the required +5
volts for the module by an on-board regulator. Each module is fused with a resettable fuse device. If
the fuse opens due to an overcurrent condition, the module will lose power. After pulling the module,
the fuse will reset automatically. No replacement fuse is required.
The on-board CPU can monitor and report module ID information (slot location, software version and
board revision), power status, and ancillary data status to the optional frame System Control module.
This information can be accessed by the user or set to register an alarm if desired using the remote
control options available.
Modules at software version 2.2.0 or later support SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
monitoring. For each applicable signal processing module, module, signal, and reference status are
reported. For complete details on using SNMP monitoring, refer to the Avenue System Overview in the
manual that accompanies each frame.
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Functional Block Diagrams
HD/SD/ASI
Input
Reclocker
Automatic
Cable
Equalization
7110 HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA Functional Block Diagram
3G/HD/SD/ASI
Input
8 HD/SD Outputs
or
4 ASI Outputs
(follows input)
Reclocker
Automatic
Cable
Equalization
9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA Functional Block Diagram
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8 3G/HD/SD Outputs
or
4 ASI Outputs
(follows input)
Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Applications
3G High Definition Distribution
You can use the 9110 module to distribute one serial 3G input to eight destinations. The block
diagram below shows a typical example, such as distribution to a 3G monitor, waveform monitoring
equipment, and switcher inputs.
In addition, the 9110 module can distribute a calibrated 3G high definition signal throughout a facility
from a 9400 3G Test Signal Generator when required.
3G Switcher
9400 3G TSG
3G
Test
Signal
3G
Signal
Reclocking
9110 Reclocking DA Application
3G Monitor
9110
DA
Waveform Monitor
Other 3G
Destinations
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Standard Definition Distribution
You can use the 7110 module to distribute one serial SD input to eight destinations. The signal is
reclocked to reduce noise and jitter and allows distribution to any SD destination. For example,
destinations may include other Avenue modules for video processing, D-to-A conversion, or
embedding or disembedding of audio and many other functions.
7110
SD
Source
Video
Distributed
SD Video
Outputs 1 - 8
7110 SD Reclocking DA Application
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Installation
Plug the 7110 or 9110 modules into any one of the slots in the 3RU or 1RU frame and install the plastic
overlay provided onto the corresponding group of rear BNC connectors associated with the module
location. Note that the plastic overlay has an optional adhesive backing for securing it to the frame.
Use of the adhesive backing is only necessary if you would like the location to be permanent and is not
recommended if you need to change module locations. These modules may be hot-swapped (inserted
or removed) without powering down or disturbing performance of the other modules in the system.
Cabling
Refer to the 3RU and 1RU backplane diagrams of the module below for cabling instructions. Note that
unless stated otherwise, the 1RU cabling explanations are identical to those given in the 3RU diagram.
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
7110 3RU Backplane
7110 DA
Out 1
Out 2
Out 3
Out 4
If the input is ASI, four
ASI signals are output
at non-inverted BNC
connectors Out 2, Out 4,
Out 6, and Out 8.
Out 5
Out 6
Outputs HD or SD
(follows input).
Connect the
distributed signal at
BNCs Out 1 - 8 to HD
or SD destinations.
Out 7
Out 8
HD/SD/ASI In
7110 1RU Backplane
Connect the HD, SD serial
digital signal or ASI signal to be
distributed to the HD/SD/ASI In
BNC.
HD/SD/ASI InOut 5Out 4Out 2 Out 7
7110 DA
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Out 6Out 3Out 1
Out 8
Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
9110 3RU Backplane
9110 DA
Out 1*
Out 2
Out 3*
If the input is ASI, four
ASI signals are output
at non-inverted BNC
connectors Out 1, Out 3,
Out 5, and Out 7.
Outputs 3G, HD
or SD (follows
input). Connect the
distributed signal at
BNCs Out 1 – 8 to 3G,
HD or SD destinations.
Out 4
Out 5*
Out 6
Out 7*
Out 8
3G/HD/SD In
*ASI
Connect the 3G, HD, SD serial
digital signal or ASI signal to be
distributed to the 3G/HD/SD/
ASI In BNC.
9110 DA
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9110 1RU Backplane
Out 6Out 3Out 1
Page 10
3G/HD/SD/ASI InOut 5Out 4Out 2 Out 7
Out 8
Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Module Configuration and Control
There are no configuration parameters that require setting on the 7110 and 9110 modules. Status of
the modules can be monitored remotely using one of the Avenue remote control options or locally
from the modules’ front panel.
If you are not using a remote control option, the module status can be monitored from the front panel
LEDs illustrated in the Front Panel Control and Indicators section below.
For monitoring the parameters remotely using the Avenue PC option, refer to the Avenue PC Remote
Configuration section of this document.
For monitoring the parameters remotely using the Avenue Touch Screen option, refer to the Avenue
Touch Screen Remote Configuration section of this data pack following following Avenue PC.
For monitoring the parameters remotely using the Avenue Express Control Panel option, refer to the
Avenue Avenue Express Panel data pack that accompanies the option.
7110 Front Panel Controls and Indicators
Each front edge indicator is shown in the diagram below:
HD In green LED
ON: HD signal is present and
equalized for all outputs.
OFF: No HD input, or the
signal may not be present or
cable equalization exceeds
maximum length allowed.
Run green LED
SLOW BLINK: System OK. (If SPI
control is active from the main frame
System Control Module, all Run
indicators will be synchronized.)
OFF: A power fault of halted CPU
ON: A halted CPU
7110
HD/SD/ASI
DA
HD In
SD In
SD In green LED
ON: SD signal is present and
equalized for all outputs.
OFF: No SD input, or the signal
may not be present or cable
equalization exceeds maximum
length allowed.
Pwr green LED
ON: Power present.
FAST BLINK: CPU Run error
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OFF: Power absent (+5V).
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
9110 Front Panel Controls and Indicators
Each front edge indicator is shown in the diagram below:
3G In green LED
9110
ON: 3G signal is present and
equalized for all outputs.
OFF: No 3G input, or the
signal may not be present or
cable equalization exceeds
maximum length allowed.
3G/HD/
SD/ASI
DA
3G In
HD In
SD In
HD In green LED
ON: HD signal is present and
equalized for all outputs.
OFF: No HD input, or the signal
may not be present or cable
equalization exceeds maximum
length allowed.
SD In green LED
ON: SD signal is present and
equalized for all outputs.
Run green LED
SLOW BLINK: System OK. (If SPI
control is active from the main frame
System Control Module, all Run
indicators will be synchronized.)
OFF: A power fault of halted CPU
ON: A halted CPU
FAST BLINK: CPU Run error
OFF: No SD input, or the signal
may not be present or cable
equalization exceeds maximum
length allowed.
Pwr green LED
ON: Power present.
OFF: Power absent (+5V).
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Avenue PC Remote Configuration
The Avenue PC remote control status menu for this module is illustrated and explained below. For
more information on using Avenue PC, refer to the Avenue PC Control Application Software manual
that comes with the option.
7110 and 9110 Avenue PC Menu
The Status menu screen shown below gives the following status information about the module:
• Input Status – Indicates the status of the module input as Locked SD, Locked HD, Locked 3G
(for the 9110), or No Input.
9110 Avenue PC Status Menu showing an Input Status of Locked 3G
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Avenue Touch Screen Remote Configuration
The Avenue Touch Screen remote control status menu for this module is illustrated and explained
below. For more information on using Avenue Touch Screen, refer to the Avenue System Overview.
7110 and 9110 Avenue Touch Screen Menu
The Status menu screen shown below gives the following status information about the module:
• Input Status – Indicates the status of the module input as Locked SD, Locked HD, Locked 3G
(for the 9110), or No Input.
9110 Avenue Touch Screen Status Menu showing an Input Status of
Locked SD
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Troubleshooting
As a troubleshooting aid, the signal presence, power and CPU status can be easily monitored from the
front panel of this module using the indicators explained in the Front Panel Switches and Indicators
section.
The following status items can be monitored using the Avenue Touch Screen Control Panel, Express
Panel, or PC Application:
• Input Status
• Slot ID, Software Version and Board Revision
Refer to the overall troubleshooting tips given below for the module:
No status lights are lit on front panel
• Check that frame power is present (green LED{s} on frame power supplies).
• Check that module is firmly seated in frame. Try removing it and plugging it in again.
Cannot control module
• Check status of CPU Run green LED. It should be blinking slowly and in unison with other
modules if System module is present. If not, try removing it and plugging it in again.
• System module may not be working properly if installed.
No signal out of module
• Check status of SD In, HD In or 3G In green LEDs. One should be lit. If not, check the input
signal for presence and quality.
• Check cabling to input of module.
You may also refer to the technical support section of the Ensemble web site for the latest information
on your equipment at the URL below:
http://www.ensembledesigns.com/support
Software Updating
Software upgrades for each module can be downloaded remotely if the optional System Control
module is installed. These can be downloaded onto your PC and then Avenue PC will distribute the
update to the individual module. (Refer to the Avenue PC documentation for more information.)
Periodically updates will be posted on our web site. If you do not have the required System Control
Module and Avenue PC, modules can be sent back to the factory for software upgrades.
To download the latest Avenue PC software, go to the following URL:
http://www.ensembledesigns.com/support/avenue-support/avenue-pc-software
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Warranty and Factory Service
Warranty
This module is covered by a five-year limited warranty. If you require service (under warranty or not),
please contact Ensemble Designs and ask for customer service before you return the unit. This will
allow the service technician an opportunity to provide any other suggestions for identifying the
problem and to recommend possible solutions.
Factory Service
If you return equipment for repair, please get a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA) from the
factory first.
tel +1 530.478.1830
fax +1 530.478.1832
service@ensembledesigns.com
www.ensembledesigns.com
Ship the product and a written description of the problem to:
Ensemble Designs, Inc.
Attention: Customer Service RMA #####
870 Gold Flat Rd.
Nevada City, CA 95959 USA
Be sure to put your RMA number on the outside of the box.
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
7110 Specifications
Serial Digital Input
Number One
Signal Type HD Serial Digital 1.485 Gb/s
SMPTE 274M, 292M or 296M
or SD Serial Digital 270 Mb/s
SMPTE 259M
or DVB-ASI 270 Mb/s
Impedance 75 Ω
Return Loss >15 dB
Max Cable Length 270 Mb/s 300 meters
1.485 Gb/s 100 meters
Automatic Cable Input Equalization
Serial Digital Output
Number Eight (SD, HD) or Four (ASI)
ASI on outputs 2, 4, 6, 8
Signal Type Follows input
Impedance 75 Ω
Return Loss >15 dB
Output DC None (AC coupled)
General Specifications
Power Consumption <7.0 watts
Temperature Range 0 to 40°C ambient (all specs
met)
Relative Humidity 0 to 95%, noncondensing
Altitude 0 to 10,000 ft
9110 Specifications
Serial Digital Input
Number One
Signal Type HD Serial Digital 1.485 Gb/s
SMPTE 274M, 292M or 296M
HD Serial Digital 2.97 Gb/s
SMPTE 424M, 425M or
SD Serial Digital 270 Mb/s
SMPTE 259M or
DVB-ASI 270 Mb/s
Impedance 75 Ω
Return Loss >15 dB to 1.485 GHz
Max Cable Length 270 Mb/s 300 meters
1.485 Gb/s 100 meters
2.97 Gb/s 70 meters
Automatic Cable Input Equalization
Serial Digital Output
Number Eight (SD, HD) or Four (ASI)
ASI on outputs 1,3,5,7
Signal Type Follows input
Impedance 75 Ω
Return Loss >15 dB to 1.485 GHz
Output DC None (AC coupled)
Standards Supported
1080i 50, 59.94 or 60 Hz, SMPTE 274M -4,5,6
720p 50, 59.94 or 60 Hz, SMPTE 296M -1,2,3
1080p 23.98, 24 or 25 Hz, SMPTE 274M -9,10,11
1080p 50, 59.94 Hz, SMPTE 424M, 425M Level A, Level B
1080sF 23.98, 24 or 25 Hz, RP211 -14,15,16
625i 50, 525i 59.94
General Specifications
Power Consumption <7.0 watts
Temperature Range 0 to 40°C ambient (all specs
met)
Relative Humidity 0 to 95%, noncondensing
Altitude 0 to 10,000 ft
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Glossary
AES/EBU
The digital audio standard defined as a joint effort of the Audio Engineering Society and the European
Broadcast Union. AES/EBU or AES3 describes a serial bitstream that carries two audio channels,
thus an AES stream is a stereo pair. The AES/EBU standard covers a wide range of sample rates and
quantizations (bit depths). In television systems, these will generally be 48 KHz and either 20 or 24 bits.
AFD
Active Format Description is a method to carry information regarding the aspect ratio of the video
content. The specification of AFD was standardized by SMPTE in 2007 and is now beginning to appear
in the marketplace. AFD can be included in both SD and HD SDI transport systems. There is no legacy
analog implementation. (See WSS).
ASI
A commonly used transport method for MPEG video streams, ASI or Asynchronous Serial Interface,
operates at the same 270 Mb/s data rate as SD SDI. This makes it easy to carry an ASI stream through
existing digital television infrastructure. Known more formally as DVB-ASI, this transport mechanism
can be used to carry multiple program channels.
Aspect Ratio
The ratio of the vertical and horizontal measurements of an image. 4:3 is the aspect ratio for standard
definition video formats and television and 16:9 for high definition. Converting formats of unequal
ratios is done by letterboxing (horizontal bars) or pillar boxing (vertical pillars) in order to keep the
original format’s aspect ratio.
Bandwidth
Strictly speaking, this refers to the range of frequencies (i.e. the width of the band of frequency) used
by a signal, or carried by a transmission channel. Generally, wider bandwidth will carry and reproduce
a signal with greater fidelity and accuracy.
Beta
Sony Beta SP video tape machines use an analog component format that is similar to SMPTE, but
differs in the amplitude of the color difference signals. It may also carry setup on the luminance
channel.
Bit
A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest amount of information that can be stored or transmitted digitally
by electrical, optical, magnetic, or other means. A single bit can take on one of two states: On/Off,
Low/High, Asserted/ Deasserted, etc. It is represented numerically by the numerals 1 (one) and 0
(zero). A byte, containing 8 bits, can represent 256 different states. The binary number 11010111, for
example, has the value of 215 in our base 10 numbering system. When a value is carried digitally, each
additional bit of resolution will double the number of different states that can be represented. Systems
that operate with a greater number of bits of resolution, or quantization, will be able to capture a
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
signal with more detail or fidelity. Thus, a video digitizer with 12 bits of resolution will capture 4 times
as much detail as one with 10 bits.
Blanking
The Horizontal and Vertical blanking intervals of a television signal refer to the time periods between
lines and between fields. No picture information is transmitted during these times, which are required
in CRT displays to allow the electron beam to be repositioned for the start of the next line or field.
They are also used to carry synchronizing pulses which are used in transmission and recovery of the
image. Although some of these needs are disappearing, the intervals themselves are retained for
compatibility purposes. They have turned out to be very useful for the transmission of additional
content, such as teletext and embedded audio.
CAV
Component Analog Video. This is a convenient shorthand form, but it is subject to confusion. It is
sometimes used to mean ONLY color difference component formats (SMPTE or Beta), and other times
to include RGB format. In any case, a CAV signal will always require 3 connectors – either Y/R-Y/B-Y,
or R/G/B.
Checkfield
A Checkfield signal is a special test signal that stresses particular aspects of serial digital transmission.
The performance of the Phase Locked-Loops (PLLs) in an SDI receiver must be able to tolerate long
runs of 0’s and 1’s. Under normal conditions, only very short runs of these are produced due to a
scrambling algorithm that is used. The Checkfield, also referred to as the Pathological test signal, will
“undo” the scrambling and cause extremely long runs to occur. This test signal is very useful for testing
transmission paths.
Chroma
The color or chroma content of a signal, consisting of the hue and saturation of the image.
See also Color Difference.
Component
In a component video system, the totality of the image is carried by three separate but related
components. This method provides the best image fidelity with the fewest artifacts, but it requires
three independent transmission paths (cables). The commonly used component formats are
Luminance and Color Difference (Y/Pr/Pb), and RGB. It was far too unwieldy in the early days of color
television to even consider component transmission.
Composite
Composite television dates back to the early days of color transmission. This scheme encodes the
color difference information onto a color subcarrier. The instantaneous phase of the subcarrier is the
color’s hue, and the amplitude is the color’s saturation or intensity. This subcarrier is then added onto
the existing luminance video signal. This trick works because the subcarrier is set at a high enough
frequency to leave spectrum for the luminance information. But it is not a seamless matter to pull
the signal apart again at the destination in order to display it or process it. The resultant artifacts of
dot crawl (also referred to as chroma crawl) are only the most obvious result. Composite television is
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
the most commonly used format throughout the world, either as PAL or NTSC. It is also referred to as
Encoded video.
Color Difference
Color Difference systems take advantage of the details of human vision. We have more acuity in our
black and white vision than we do in color. This means that we need only the luminance information to
be carried at full bandwidth, we can scrimp on the color channels. In order to do this, RGB information
is converted to carry all of the luminance (Y is the black and white of the scene) in a single channel.
The other two channels are used to carry the “color difference”. Noted as B-Y and R-Y, these two signals
describe how a particular pixel “differs” from being purely black and white. These channels typically
have only half the bandwidth of the luminance.
Decibel (dB)
The decibel is a unit of measure used to express the ratio in the amplitude or power of two signals. A
difference of 20 dB corresponds to a 10:1 ratio between two signals, 6 dB is approximately a 2:1 ration.
Decibels add while the ratios multiply, so 26 dB is a 20:1 ratio, and 14 dB is a 5:1 ratio. There are several
special cases of the dB scale, where the reference is implied. Thus, dBm refers to power relative to 1
milliwatt, and dBu refers to voltage relative to .775V RMS. The original unit of measure was the Bel
(10 times bigger), named after Alexander Graham Bell.
dBFS
In Digital Audio systems, the largest numerical value that can be represented is referred to as Full
Scale. No values or audio levels greater than FS can be reproduced because they would be clipped.
The nominal operating point (roughly corresponding to 0 VU) must be set below FS in order to have
headroom for audio peaks. This operating point is described relative to FS, so a digital reference level
of -20 dBFS has 20 dB of headroom before hitting the FS clipping point.
DVI
Digital Visual Interface. DVI-I (integrated) provides both digital and analog connectivity. The larger
group of pins on the connector are digital while the four pins on the right are analog.
EDH
Error Detection and Handling is a method to verify proper reception of an SDI or HD-SDI signal at the
destination. The originating device inserts a data packet in the vertical interval of the SDI signal and
every line of the HD signal which contains a checksum of the entire video frame. This checksum is
formed by adding up the numerical values of all of the samples in the frame, using a complex formula.
At the destination this same formula is applied to the incoming video and the resulting value is
compared to the one included in the transmission. If they match, then the content has all arrived with
no errors. If they don’t, then an error has occurred.
Embedded Audio
Digital Audio can be carried along in the same bitstream as an SDI or HD-SDI signal by taking
advantage of the gaps in the transmission which correspond to the horizontal and vertical intervals
of the television waveform. This technique can be very cost effective in transmission and routing, but
can also add complexity to signal handling issues because the audio content can no longer be treated
independently of the video.
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
Eye Pattern
To analyze a digital bitstream, the signal can be displayed visually on an oscilloscope by triggering the
horizontal timebase with a clock extracted from the stream. Since the bit positions in the stream form
a very regular cadence, the resulting display will look like an eye – an oval with slightly pointed left and
right ends. It is easy to see from this display if the eye is “open”, with a large central area that is free of
negative or positive transitions, or “closed” where those transitions are encroaching toward the center.
In the first case, the open eye indicates that recovery of data from the stream can be made reliably and
with few errors. But in the closed case data will be difficult to extract and bit errors will occur. Generally
it is jitter in the signal that is the enemy of the eye.
Frame Sync
A Frame Synchronizer is used to synchronize the timing of a video signal to coincide with a timing
reference (usually a color black signal that is distributed throughout a facility). The synchronizer
accomplishes this by writing the incoming video into a frame buffer memory under the timing
direction of the sync information contained in that video. Simultaneously the memory is being read
back by a timing system that is genlocked to a house reference. As a result, the timing or alignment of
the video frame can be adjusted so that the scan of the upper left corner of the image is happening
simultaneously on all sources. This is a requirement for both analog and digital systems in order to
perform video effects or switch glitch-free in a router. Frame synchronization can only be performed
within a single television line standard. A synchronizer will not convert an NTSC signal to a PAL signal,
it takes a standards converter to do that.
Frequency Response
A measurement of the accuracy of a system to carry or reproduce a range of signal frequencies. Similar
to Bandwidth.
H.264
The latest salvo in the compression wars is H.264 which is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10. MPEG-4
promises good results at just half the bit rate required by MPEG-2.
HD
High Definition. This two letter acronym has certainly become very popular. Here we thought it was all
about the pictures – and the radio industry stole it.
HDCP
(High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is a content encryption system for HDMI. It is meant to
prevent copyright content from being copied. Protected content, like a movie on a Blu-Ray disc is
encrypted by its creator. Devices that want to display the protected content, like a television, must
have an authorized key in order to decode the signal and display it. The entity that controls the HDCP
standard strictly limits the kinds of devices that are allowed decryption keys. Devices that decrypt the
content and provide an unencrypted copy are not allowed.
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HDMI
The High Definition Multimedia Interface comes to us from the consumer marketplace where it is
becoming the de facto standard for the digital interconnect of display devices to audio and video
sources. It is an uncompressed, all-digital interface that transmits digital video and eight channels of
digital audio. HDMI is a bit serial interface that carries the video content in digital component form
over multiple twisted-pairs. HDMI is closely related to the DVI interface for desktop computers and
their displays.
IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission provides a wide range of worldwide standards. They
have provided standardization of the AC power connection to products by means of an IEC line cord.
The connection point uses three flat contact blades in a triangular arrangement, set in a rectangular
connector. The IEC specification does not dictate line voltage or frequency. Therefore, the user must
take care to verify that a device either has a universal input (capable of 90 to 230 volts, either 50 or 60
Hz), or that a line voltage switch, if present, is set correctly.
Interlace
Human vision can be fooled to see motion by presenting a series of images, each with a small change
relative to the previous image. In order to eliminate the flicker, our eyes need to see more than 30
images per second. This is accomplished in television systems by dividing the lines that make up
each video frame (which run at 25 or 30 frames per second) into two fields. All of the odd-numbered
lines are transmitted in the first field, the even-numbered lines are in the second field. In this way, the
repetition rate is 50 or 60 Hz, without using more bandwidth. This trick has worked well for years, but
it introduces other temporal artifacts. Motion pictures use a slightly different technique to raise the
repetition rate from the original 24 frames that make up each second of film—they just project each
one twice.
IRE
Video level is measured on the IRE scale, where 0 IRE is black, and 100 IRE is full white. The actual
voltages that these levels correspond to can vary between formats.
ITU-R 601
This is the principal standard for standard definition component digital video. It defines the luminance
and color difference coding system that is also referred to as 4:2:2. The standard applies to both PAL
and NTSC derived signals. They both will result in an image that contains 720 pixels horizontally, with
486 vertical pixels in NTSC, and 576 vertically in PAL. Both systems use a sample clock rate of 27 MHz,
and are serialized at 270 Mb/s.
Jitter
Serial digital signals (either video or audio) are subject to the effects of jitter. This refers to the
instantaneous error that can occur from one bit to the next in the exact position of each digital
transition. Although the signal may be at the correct frequency on average, in the interim it varies.
Some bits come slightly early, others come slightly late. The measurement of this jitter is given
either as the amount of time uncertainty or as the fraction of a bit width. For 270 Mb/s SD video, the
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allowable jitter is 740 picoseconds, or 0.2 UI (Unit Interval – one bit width). For 1.485 Gb/s HD, the
same 0.2UI spec corresponds to just 135 pico seconds.
Luminance
The “black & white” content of the image. Human vision had more acuity in luminance, so television
systems generally devote more bandwidth to the luminance content. In component systems, the
luminance is referred to as Y.
MPEG
The Moving Picture Experts Group is an industry group that develops standards for the compression
of moving pictures for television. Their work is an on-going effort. The understanding of image
processing and information theory is constantly expanding. And the raw bandwidth of both the
hardware and software used for this work is ever increasing. Accordingly, the compression methods
available today are far superior to the algorithms that originally made the real-time compression and
decompression of television possible. Today, there are many variations of these techniques, and the
term MPEG has to some extent become a broad generic label.
Metadata
This word comes from the Greek, meta means ‘beyond’ or ‘after’. When used as a prefix to ‘data’, it can
be thought of as ‘data about the data’. In other words, the metadata in a data stream tells you about
that data – but it is not the data itself. In the television industry, this word is sometimes used correctly
when, for example, we label as metadata the timecode which accompanies a video signal. That
timecode tells you something about the video, i.e. when it was shot, but the timecode in and of itself
is of no interest. But in our industry’s usual slovenly way in matters linguistic, the term metadata has
also come to be used to describe data that is associated with the primary video in a datastream. So
embedded audio will (incorrectly) be called metadata when it tells us nothing at all about the pictures.
Oh well.
Multi-mode
Multi-mode fibers have a larger diameter core than single mode fibers (either 50 or 62.5 microns
compared to 9 microns), and a correspondingly larger aperture. It is much easier to couple light energy
into a multi-mode fiber, but internal reflections will cause multiple “modes” of the signal to propagate
down the fiber. This will degrade the ability of the fiber to be used over long distances.
See also Single Mode.
NTSC
The color television encoding system used in North America was originally defined by the National
Television Standards Committee. This American standard has also been adopted by Canada, Mexico,
Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. (This standard is referred to disparagingly as Never Twice Same Color.)
Optical
An optical interface between two devices carries data by modulating a light source. This light source
is typically a laser or laser diode (similar to an LED) which is turned on and off at the bitrate of the
datastream. The light is carried from one device to another through a glass fiber. The fiber’s core acts
as a waveguide or lightpipe to carry the light energy from one end to another. Optical transmission
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has two very significant advantages over metallic copper cables. Firstly, it does not require that the
two endpoint devices have any electrical connection to each other. This can be very advantageous
in large facilities where problems with ground loops appear. And secondly, and most importantly, an
optical interface can carry a signal for many kilometers or miles without any degradation or loss in the
recovered signal. Copper is barely useful at distances of just 1000 feet.
Oversampling
A technique to perform digital sampling at a multiple of the required sample rate. This has the
advantage of raising the Nyquist Rate (the maximum frequency which can be reproduced by a given
sample rate) much higher than the desired passband. This allows more easily realized anti-aliasing
filters.
PAL
During the early days of color television in North America, European broadcasters developed a
competing system called Phase Alternation by Line. This slightly more complex system is better able
to withstand the differential gain and phase errors that appear in amplifiers and transmission systems.
Engineers at the BBC claim that it stands for Perfection At Last.
Pathological Test Pattern – see Checkfield
Progressive
An image scanning technique which progresses through all of the lines in a frame in a single pass.
Computer monitors all use progressive displays. This contrasts to the interlace technique common to
television systems.
Return Loss
An idealized input or output circuit will exactly match its desired impedance (generally 75 ohms) as a
purely resistive element, with no reactive (capacitive or inductive) elements. In the real world, we can
only approach the ideal. So, our real inputs and outputswill have some capacitance and inductance.
This will create impedance matching errors, especially at higher frequencies. The Return Loss of
an input or output measures how much energy is returned (reflected back due to the impedance
mismatch). For digital circuits, a return loss of 15 dB is typical. This means that the energy returned is
15 dB less than the original signal. In analog circuits, a 40 dB figure is expected.
RGB
RGB systems carry the totality of the picture information as independent Red, Green, and Blue signals.
Television is an additive color system, where all three components add to produce white. Because the
luminance (or detail) information is carried partially in each of the RGB channels, all three must be
carried at full bandwidth in order to faithfully reproduce an image.
ScH Phase
Used in composite systems, ScH Phase measures the relative phase between the leading edge of sync
on line 1 of field 1 and a continuous subcarrier sinewave. Due to the arithmetic details of both PAL and
NTSC, this relationship is not the same at the beginning of each frame. In PAL, the pattern repeats ever
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4 frames (8 fields) which is also known as the Bruch Blanking sequence. In NTSC, the repeat is every 2
frames (4 fields). This creates enormous headaches in editing systems and the system timing of analog
composite facilities.
Setup
In the NTSC Analog Composite standard, the term Setup refers to the addition of an artificial offset
or pedestal to the luminance content. This places the Black Level of the analog signal 54 mV (7.5 IRE)
positive with respect to ground. The use of Setup is a legacy from the early development of television
receivers in the vacuum tube era. This positive offset helped to prevent the horizontal retrace of the
electron beam from being visible on the CRT, even if Brightness and Contrast were mis-adjusted.
While the use of Setup did help to prevent retrace artifacts, it did so at the expense of dynamic range
(contrast) in the signal because the White Level of the signal was not changed.
Setup is optional in NTSC systems, but is never used in PAL systems (see ‘Perfection’ characteristic of
PAL). This legacy of Setup continues to persist in North American NTSC systems, while it has been
abandoned in Japan.
In the digital component world (SD and HD SDI) there is obviously no need for, and certainly every
reason to avoid, Setup. In order for the interfaces between analog and digital systems to operate
as transparently as possible, Setup must be carefully accounted for in conversion products. When
performing analog to digital conversion, Setup (if present) must be removed and the signal range
gained up to account for the 7.5% reduction in dynamic range. And when a digital signal is converted
back to analog form, Setup (if desired on the output) must be created by reducing the dynamic range
by 7.5% and adding the 54 mV positive offset. Unfortunately, there is no truly foolproof algorithm to
detect the presence of Setup automatically, so it’s definitely a case of installer beware.
SDI
Serial Digital Interface. This term refers to inputs and outputs of devices that support serial digital
component video. This could refer to standard definition at 270 Mb/s, HD SDI or High Definition Serial
Digital video at 1.485 Gb/s, or to the newer 3G standard of High Definition video at 2.97 Gb/s.
SMPTE
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers is a professional organization which has done
tremendous work in setting standards for both the film and television industries. The term “SMPTE’” is
also shorthand for one particular component video format - luminance and color difference.
Single Mode
A Single mode (or mono mode) optical fiber carries an optical signal on a very small diameter (9
micron) core surrounded with cladding. The small diameter means that no internally reflected
lightwaves will be propagated. Thus only the original “mode” of the signal passes down the fiber. A
single mode fiber used in an optical SDI system can carry a signal for up to 20 kilometers. Single mode
fibers require particular care in their installation due to the extremely small optical aperture that they
present at splice and connection points. See also Multi-mode.
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Model 7110 HD/SD/ASI and Model 9110 3G/HD/SD/ASI Reclocking DA
TBC
A Time Base Corrector is a system to reduce the Time Base Error in a signal to acceptable levels. It
accomplishes this by using a FIFO (First In, First Out) memory. The incoming video is written into the
memory using its own jittery timing. This operation is closely associated with the actual digitization of
the analog signal because the varying position of the sync timing must be mimicked by the sampling
function of the analog to digital converter. A second timing system, genlocked to a stable reference,
is used to read the video back out of the memory. The memory acts as a dynamically adjusting delay
to smooth out the imperfections in the original signal’s timing. Very often a TBC will also function as a
Frame Synchronizer. See also Frame Sync.
Time Base Error
Time base error is present when there is excessive jitter or uncertainty in the line to line output
timing of a video signal. This is commonly associated with playback from video tape recorders, and
is particularly severe with consumer type heterodyne systems like VHS. Time base error will render a
signal unusable for broadcast or editing purposes.
Timecode
Timecode, a method to uniquely identify and label every frame in a video stream, has become one of
the most recognized standards ever developed by SMPTE. It uses a 24 hour clock, consisting of hours,
minutes, seconds, and television frames. Originally recorded on a spare audio track, this 2400 baud
signal was a significant contributor to the development of video tape editing. We now refer to this as
LTC or Longitudinal Time Code because it was carried along the edge of the tape. This allowed it to
be recovered in rewind and fast forward when the picture itself could not. Timecode continues to be
useful today and is carried in the vertical interval as VITC, and as a digital packet as DVITC. Timecode is
the true metadata.
Tri-Level Sync
For many, many years, television systems used composite black as a genlock reference source. This
was a natural evolution from analog systems to digital implementations. With the advent of High
Definition television, with even higher data rates and tighter jitter requirements, problems with this
legacy genlock signal surfaced. Further, a reference signal with a 50 or 60 Hz frame rate was useless
with 24 Hz HD systems running at film rates. Today we can think of composite black as a bi-level sync
signal – it has two levels, one at sync tip and one at blanking. For HD systems, Tri-Level Sync, which has
the same blanking level (at ground) of bi-level sync, but the sync pulse now has both a negative and
a positive element. This keeps the signal symmetrically balanced so that its DC content is zero. And it
also means that the timing pickoff point is now at the point where the signal crosses blanking and is
no longer subject to variation with amplitude. This makes Tri-Level Sync a much more robust signal
and one which can be delivered with less jitter.
USB
The Universal Serial Bus, developed in the computer industry to replace the previously ubiquitous
RS-232 serial interface, now appears in many different forms and with many different uses. It actually
forms a small local area network, allowing multiple devices to coexist on a single bus where they can
be individually addressed and accessed.
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VGA
Video Graphics Array. Traditional 15-pin, analog interface between a PC and monitor.
Word Clock
Use of Word Clock to genlock digital audio devices developed in the audio recording industry. Early
digital audio products were interconnected with a massive parallel connector carrying a twisted pair
for every bit in the digital audio word. A clock signal, which is a square wave at the audio sampling
frequency, is carried on a 75 ohm coaxial cable. Early systems would daisychain this 44.1 or 48 kilohertz
clock from one device to another with coax cable and Tee connectors. On the rising edge of this Work
Clock these twisted pairs would carry the left channel, while on the falling edge, they would carry the
right channel. In most television systems using digital audio, the audio sample clock frequency (and
hence the ‘genlock’ between the audio and video worlds) is derived from the video genlock signal. But
products that are purely audio, with no video reference capability, may still require Word Clock.
WSS
Wide Screen Signaling is used in the PAL/625 video standards, both in analog and digital form, to
convey information about the aspect ratio and format of the transmitted signal. Carried in the vertical
interval, much like closed captioning, it can be used to signal a television receiver to adjust its vertical
or horizontal sizing to reflect incoming material. Although an NTSC specification for WSS exists, it
never achieved any traction in the marketplace.
YUV
Strictly speaking, YUV does not apply to component video. The letters refer to the Luminance (Y), and
the U and V encoding axes using in the PAL composite system. Since the U axis is very close to the B-Y
axis, and the V axis is very close to the R-Y axis, YUV is often used as a sort of shorthand for the more
long-winded “Y/R-Y/B-Y”.
Y/Cr/Cb
In digital component video, the luminance component is Y, and the two color difference signals are Cr
(R-Y) and Cb (B-Y).
Y/Pr/Pb
In analog component video, the image is carried in three components. The luminance is Y, the R-Y
color difference signal is Pr, and the B-Y color difference signal is Pb.
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