Epiphan Networked VGA Grid User Manual

User Guide

Networked VGAGrid





Release 3.14.4

April 24, 2015

UG104-004

Terms and Conditions

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text, videos and images as well as Epiphan System Inc.’s trademarks, trade names and logos are the property of
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Epiphan, Epiphan Systems, Epiphan Systems Inc., and Epiphan logos are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Epiphan Systems Inc., in certain countries. All Epiphan product names and logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Epiphan. All other company and product names and logos may be trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners in certain countries.

Copyright © 2014 Epiphan Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN
THE INFORMATION PACKET OR PRODUCT INSTALLATION SOFTWARE PACKAGE THAT SHIPPED WITH THE
PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE
LICENSES OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR EPIPHAN REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT
TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. EPIPHAN PERIODICALLY ADDS OR UPDATES THE INFORMATION AND
DOCUMENTS ON ITS WEB SITE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL STATEMENTS, INFORMATION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE AT TIME OF WRITING BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR
APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL EPIPHAN BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL,
EXEMPLARY OR OTHER INDIRECT DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THIS
PRODUCT OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR PROVIDED ON EPIPHAN’S WEB SITE,
EVEN IF EPIPHAN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL EPIPHAN’S
TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION RESULTING FROM YOUR USE
OF THIS PRODUCT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE) OR
OTHERWISE, EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO EPIPHAN DURING THE MOST RECENT THREE-MONTH
PERIOD IN CONNECTION WITH AMOUNTS WHICH YOU PAID FOR USING THIS PRODUCT.

INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS, PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR
THE EPIPHAN WEB SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”. SPECIFICALLY, BUT NOT WITHOUT LIMITATION, EPIPHAN DOES
NOT WARRANT THAT: (i) THE INFORMATION IS CORRECT, ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR COMPLETE; (ii) THE
FUNCTIONS CONTAINED ON THE EPIPHAN WEB SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; (iii) DEFECTS
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INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT,
TITLE, SATISFACTORY QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

For additional terms and conditions, please refer to additional sections in this document.

i

Thank You forChoosingEpiphan!

At Epiphan Systems Inc. (“Epiphan”), product function and quality are our top priority. We make every effort to
make sure that our products exceed your expectations.

Product Feedback

Your feedback is important! We regularly contact our customers to ensure our products meet your
performance and reliability requirements. We strive to continually enhance our products to accommodate your
needs. Please let us know how you think we can improve our products by emailing your suggestions to

[e-mail].

Specifications

Go to the Professional Recording and StreamingSystems page of the Epiphan website to get the most recent
product specifications and additional information about Epiphan's Networked VGAGrid.

Warranty

All Epiphan Systems products are provided with a 100% return to depot warranty for one year from the date of
purchase.

Technical Support

Epiphan’s products are backed by our professional support team. If you are having issues with your product,
please gather details about your system and contact our team by:

l Emailing [e-mail]

l Live chat via the link on our support site http://www.epiphan.com/support/

l Phone toll free at 1-877-599-6581 or call [phone]

Be sure to include as much information about your problem as possible. Including:

l Problem description

l Details of the video or audio source (type, connection, resolution, refresh rate, etc.)

l Product serial number

l Product firmware version (if applicable, from web admin interface)

Copyright © 2014 Epiphan Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ii

What's New in Release 3.14.4?

Release 3.14.4 brings additional streaming functionality through Wowza Cloud to Networked VGAGrid.

New Streaming Functionality

Live Streaming via Wowza Cloud

Using a simple connection code, the power of Networked VGAGrid can easily be combined with the flexibility
and worldwide accessibility of the Wowza Streaming Cloud to universally stream from any live video source. See

Stream your video.

Resolved issues

Along with many smaller bugs fixed in release 3.14.4, the following issues have been resolved:

l A blue line appearing on the right side of the captured image when capturing from an SDI source at

720p

l Inconsistent/inaccurate status results shown when attempting to extract a subset of a large, multi-track

file

Limitations and known issues

This section includes known issues or limitations that affect functionality or usability and ways that you can
work around these limitations.

Affecting encoding

l Encoding with MPEG-4 sometimes results in poor quality.

Workaround: From the channel's stream setup, increase the video bitrate to improve picture quality.

l Video bitrate for MJPEG streams are approximately one and a half to two times the configured value.

Workaround: Verify the actual bitrate on the channel's channel status page and adjust until the correct
value is achieved.

l In multiple source channel layouts, sources cannot overrun the top or left edges of the screen.

Workaround: Avoid using negative values for x and y axis coordinates.

l Encoding is unavailable if a branding logo is placed outside the frame size. (i.e. if the frame is 1024x768

and the logo is placed with an x-axis margin of 1200.)
Workaround:Always keep the branding logo within the frame.

l For VGAsources only, some wide-mode resolutions are not correctly identified and result in a slightly

squished image (e.g. for a 1360x768 source, the detected resolution may be 1024x768).
Workaround:This issue is related to the video output hardware. Test your source to see if it exhibits the

iii

issue. If possible, avoid using wide-mode for VGAdisplays that exhibit this issue.

l When changing a channel's source from a local encoder source to an external encoder source, it's

possible to have an AAC audio encoding bitrate that is higher than the VGAGrid HD Encoder supports.
The resulting stream or recording may be unplayable and you may encounter a warning about variable
audio bitrate.
Workaround: When changing from local to external sources, delete the channel rather than changing
the source(s).Or, if re-using channels, ensure audio encoding bitrate forVGAGrid HD Encoders is set to
no more than 160 kbps.

l Recordings made with encoded streams from VGAGrid HD Encoders, using AACaudio and AVI file

format are not playable via VLC.
Workaround: Use another media player, such as Windows Media Player; choose a different audio codec;
or save recordings as .MP4 or .MOV files.

l Some cameras are sensitive to EDIDs and are not captured at optimal settings. When capturing from

these cameras, the HD signal may be down-sampled by the camera to an SD signal because the Epiphan
system doesn't share the EDID the camera expects for its HD signal.
Workaround:ContactEpiphan customer support for a custom EDID to resolve this issue.

l Limitation: When audio is enabled on an SDIsource where video is already being captured, it takes up

to 15 seconds for the system to detect the audio. Once detected, the audio is properly synchronized
with the video.
Workaround: Start the SDI signal with audio enabled, or check to ensure audio is detected before
streaming or recording.

Affecting streaming

l You may see video artifacts when creating multiple source layouts where sources are partially

overlapped.
Workaround: Avoid overlapping sources in multiple source channels or disable the Keep Aspect Ratio
parameter.

Affecting recording

l You may see video artifacts when creating multiple source layouts where sources are partially

overlapped.
Workaround: Avoid overlapping sources in multiple source channels or disable the Keep Aspect Ratio
parameter.

Affecting the web interface

l It is possible to name two or more channels with the same value. Use of automatic file transfer and UPnP

is unpredictable if this occurs.
Workaround:Ensure each channel has a unique name.

l The automatic file upload (AFU) file queue shows a maximum of 15 files, Newer 15 and Top of the list

buttons do not work. All files are transfered, even though they are not lists.
Workaround: Wait for the queue to have fewer files in the list.

iv

Affecting other areas

l Limitation:Pearl fails to restart after improper shutdown (power cable removed or rapid power cycle).

LED and touch screen blink.
Workaround: Restart Pearl by removing the power cable for 20 seconds, then reattaching the cable and
powering the system back on.

v

Table Of Contents

Thank You forChoosingEpiphan! ii

Product Feedback ii
Specifications ii
Warranty ii
Technical Support ii
Resolved issues iii
Limitations and known issues iii

Welcome 1

About this Guide 2

Networked VGAGrid Overview 3

What's in the Box? 4

Front and back panel view for the VGAGrid 4
VGAGrid HD Encoder overview 5

Quick Start 10

Step 1: Physical Setup and Power On 10
Step 2: Admin Discovery and Login 11
Step 3: Set a static IP address for the encoder 13
Step 4: Add the encoder as a channel 13
Step 5: Configure the Channel 15
Step 6: Testing the Stream 16
Step 7: Recording the Stream 17
What’s Next? 17

PART 1: Setup 18

1-1 Connect to the Admin Interface 19

Connect via DNS-based Service Discovery 19
Connect via the Epiphan Discovery Utility 20
Connect via Persistent Static IP Address 22

1-2 User Administration 23

Understanding User Privileges 23
Setting and Changing User Passwords 26
Removing User Passwords 27
Overcoming Lost Passwords 28
Configure LDAP 28
Changing the logged-in user 31

1-2 View system information 32

1-3 Configure Network Settings 33

Verify IP Address and MAC address 33

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Configure a Static IP Address 34
Configure DHCP 36
Tether to a Mobile Network 37
Perform Network Diagnostics 38

1-3 Configuration presets 40

Configuration presets overview 40
Configuration groups 43
Create a configuration preset 43
Apply a configuration preset 45
Apply theFactory default configuration preset 46
Update a configuration preset 47
Delete a configuration preset 48
Configurationpreset considerations 49

1-4 Configure Encoder Network Settings 54

Verify IP Address and MAC address 54
Set a static IP address for the encoder 55
Configure DHCP for the encoder 57

1-5 Configure Date and Time 59

Verify Date and Time Settings 59
Change the Time Zone 60
Configure Synchronized Time (NTP, PTP v1, and RDATE) 61
Configure a Local NTP Server 62
Manually Configure the Date and Time 63
Synchronize Date and Time for Encoders and Grid 63

1-6 Restrict Viewers by IPAddress 65

Examples 66

PART 2: Sources 69

2-1 Identify sources 70

Connecting sources 70
Previewing captured stream from sources 71

2-2 Configure a video source 72

Configure the video source's frame grabber parameters 72
Change a source name 75

2-3 Configure an audio source 77

Add an audio source to a channel 77
Configure audio encoding settings 77
Set audio volume 78
View audio signal strength 79

2-4 Fine-tune source configuration 81

Video is not centered on the screen (VGAsources only) 81

vii

Video is too bright, too dark or washed out (VGAsources only) 82
Video looks squished (VGA sources only) 82
Remove the combing effect on images 84
Force the capture card to use a specific EDID 84

PART 3: Channels 87

3-1 Create and configure channels 88

Add an encoder to the VGA Grid 88
Create a channel with a DVI or VGAsource 92
Create an S-Video channel 95
Configure picture in picture or picture with picture layout 97
Add an encoder as a source for a multi-source channel 99
Create a multi-source layout 101
Delete a channel 105
Rename a channel 105

3-2 Identify a channel 107

3-3 Fine-tune channel configuration 108

Choose a codec to maximize your stream quality 108
Codec and file format compatibility 111
Adjust video quality 112
Upscale or downscale your video image 113
Control the matte (black bars) in the video output 114
Unstretch the output video 117
Limit the frame rate 118
Adjust key frame interval 118

3-4 Customize your channel 120

Add company information to your channel 120
Add a time stamp or text overlay to your channel 121
Select the background color for your channel 123
Add a customized background to a multiple source channel 124

3-5 Preview a channel 128

Preview a channel from the Info page 128
Preview a channel from the Status page 129
Preview all channels at once 129

PART 4: Stream 131

4-1 Stream your video 132

View available video formats 132
Choose a streaming option 133
Disable (and enable) streams for viewers 136
Restrict access to streams for viewers 137
Stream content using HTTPor RTSP 139
Configure streaming ports 140
Stream content using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) 141

viii

Stream content using UPnP 142
Stream content using a Content Distribution Network 148
Stream content using multicast streaming 160

4-2 Samples of stream settings 165

Streaming video content 165
Streaming slide content 166

PART 5: Record 167

5-1 Recorders 168

Add a recorder 168
Rename a recorder 169
Change the channels recorded by a recorder 170
Delete a recorder 171

5-2 Create Recordings 172

Recording basics 172
Record a channel via the web interface 173
Record with a recorder via the web interface 175
Configure thetype and length of recording files 177
Close the current recording file while recording 179
Control recording with a mouse 180

5-3 File Maintenance 181

View the List of Stored Files 181
Rename Stored Files 182
Download Files Manually 183
Delete Files Manually 184
Pick Specific Tracks from a Multi-track Recorder File 185

5-4 File and recording transfer 187

Automatic file upload (AFU) overview 187
Configure the files included in AFU (part 1 of 3) 188
Enable and configure the frequency of AFU (part 2 of 3) 189
Configure AFU to an FTP server (part 2 of 3) 192
Configure AFU using RSync (part 2 of 3) 193
Configure AFU using CIFS (part 2 of 3) 194
Configure AFU to a secure FTP server (part 2 of 3) 196
Configure AFU using SCP (part 2 of 3) 198
Upload to an external USB drive 199
View the file upload log 206

5-5 Use the Local FTPServer 207

Configure the Local FTP Server 207
Downloading Files from the Local FTP Server 208

PART 6: View 211

6-1 View your video 212

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View the live broadcast and retrieve stream URLs 212
Viewing with a web browser 215
Viewing with a media player 217
Viewing with UPnP 217
Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) 219

PART 7: Maintenance 221

7-1 Mobile / Tablet Operator Interface 222

Connect to the tablet interface 222
Confidence monitoring using the tablet interface 224
Verify disk space via the tablet interface 226
Control recording via the tablet interface 226
Switch to the full admin interface 227

7-2 Power Down and System Restart 228

Restarting the Device via the Web Interface 228
Shutting down the Device via the Web Interface 229
Shutting down the Device Manually 229

7-3 Save and Restore Device Configuration 231

Save device configuration 231
Load a saved device configuration 232

7-4 Perform Factory Reset 234

Restore Factory Configuration via the Web Interface 234
Restore Factory Configuration Manually 235

7-5 Firmware Upgrade 237

Check for Firmware Updates 237
Install firmware 238

7-6 Support 241

Download logs and "allinfo" 241
Configure Remote Support 243
Disable Remote Support 244

7-7 Storage Disk Maintenance 246

Check disk storage space 246
Schedule disk check 247
Perform disk check 247
Rebuild or replace storage disks 248
Verify RAID storage 252
Read data from removed storage disks 253

7-8 Encoding Mode 256

7-9 Control with RS-232 / Serial Port 257

Connect and configure the RS-232 cable 257

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Control the Networked VGAGrid with RS-232 258
RS-232 / Serialport command examples 261

7-10 Control with HTTPCommands 263

HTTP command syntax 263
HTTP command examples 265

7-11 ConfigurationKeys forThirdParty APIs 267

System-level Settings Keys(Read-only) 268
System-level SettingsKey (Read/Write) 268
Recording Configuration Keys 269
HTTPServer Configuration Keys 269
IP-Based Access Control Configuration Keys 270
UPnP Configuration Keys 270
SAP Configuration Keys 271
Frame Grabber Configuration Keys 271
Broadcast ConfigurationKeys 272
Channel Encoder ConfigurationKeys 272
Channel Logo Configuration Keys 274
Channel Layout Configuration Keys 275
Audio Configuration Keys 276
Stream Publishing Configuration Keys 276
RTSPAnnounce Configuration Keys (Publish Type 2) 277
RTP/UDPConfiguration Keys (Publish Type 3) 278
MPEG-TSConfiguration Keys (Publish Types 4 and 5) 278
RTMPPush Configuration Keys (Publish Type 6) 278
ContentMetadata Configuration Keys 279

7-12 Troubleshooting 280

PART 8: Releases and Features 282

Release 3.14.3 Features 282
Release 3.14.1 Features 282
Release 3.12 Features 283
Release 3.11 Features 284

Software and Documentation License 288

Environmental Information 292
FCC & CE Compliance Statement 292
Other Jurisdictional Issues 293
Submissions to Epiphan and Affiliated Servers 293
Third Parties and Links to Third-Party Web Sites 293
Miscellaneous 293
Enforcement of Terms and Conditions 294

xi

Networked VGAGrid User Guide Welcome

Welcome

Welcome, and thank you for buying Epiphan’s Networked VGAGrid™. This guide will help you configure your
new system.

To get started, review the Networked VGAGrid Overview and What's in the Box? sections. Next, a Quick Start
guide walks you through the basic steps to get a single video (and optional audio) source configured as a
streamable, recordable output from the Networked VGAGrid.

Following the quick start section, a set of task-based procedures help you to tweak the system exactly how you
want it. These procedures are broken into seven categories: Setup, Sources, Channels , Stream, Record, View,
and Maintenance.

1

Networked VGAGrid User Guide Welcome

About this Guide

Warnings are depicted as follows.

This is a warning.

Tips and Notes are depicted as follows.

This is a tip.

Throughout this guide there are situations where more than one solution will complete a task. In those cases
the guide describes the simplest or most common variation first.



2

Networked VGAGrid User Guide Networked VGAGrid Overview

Networked VGAGrid Overview

Epiphan's VGAGrid allows you to capture, stream, and record audio and video from a large number of VGA,
DVI, HDMI, composite and component sources. It supports streaming to a large number of viewers using
industry-standard codecs such as H.264 and MPEG-TS. VGAGrid is suitable for a broad range of applications.

This versatile system has a variety of options enabling you to create and configure any number of streaming
channels. You can choose to stream (or record) a single channel at once or a configuration of synchronized
channels with picture-in-picture or picture-with-picture multiplexing selections.

The VGAGrid comes in two styles to meet your needs:Networked and Standalone. The Standalone VGA Grid
captures video and audio through internal cards. Depending on the model it has 4 or 6 DVI source ports, 4 or 6
SDI source ports and 4 or 6 S-Video source ports. The latest hardware models(with SDIcapture) also support
HDMI and SDIaudio catpure. Encoding and synchronization of the stream is done locally on the Standalone
VGA Grid. The Networked VGAGrid has no internal capture cards, instead it uses VGAGrid HD Encoders to
capture and encode sources, sending the already encoded stream to the VGAGrid. Using external encoders
means the VGAGrid has less stress on its CPU so it can handle a greater number of inputs. HDMIaudio capture
and SDI video capture are not supported with Networked VGAGrid systems.

3

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

What's in the Box?

The Networked VGAGrid is a 4U rackmount server with dimensions 522 mm (D) × 430 mm (W) × 176 mm(H)
(20.5” × 16.9” × 6.9”).

The following items are shipped with the system.

1. One Ethernet cable

2. Power cable

Image Name Description

RJ-45 Ethernet cable Connects the system to your network.

Front and back panel view for the VGAGrid

Table 1 Rackmount Networked VGAGrid Front and Back Panel Descriptions

Label Name Description

Power Button (behind
door)

Unlock the door to reveal the power button.
Press to turn on; press and release to turn off the system.Press and
hold for 4 seconds for a forced system shutdown.

4

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

Label Name Description

Reset (behind door)

Power LED Indicates the system is powered on.

Hard Drive LED Blinks when the system is recording or accessing the hard drive.

USB Ports (behind door)

USB Ports For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, or control interfaces.

USB Ports For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, or control interfaces.

RJ-45 Ethernet Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port.

Audio In (blue) Connect amplified line in audio sources to the system.

Audio In (pink) Connect unamplified microphone audio sources to the system.

Unlock the door to reveal the reset button.
Cycles the power off then on, like a computer reset button.

Unlock the door to reveal two USB ports.
For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, or control interfaces.

VGAGrid HD Encoder overview

VGAGrid HD Encoders are small portable units with a size of 202 mm x 105 mm x 35 mm (7.95” x 4.13” x 1.38”).
Each has one DVI (single link), one S-Video and one audio input.

The following cables come with each VGAGrid HD Encoder you purchase:

1. One VGA to DVI-I cable

2. One HDMI to DVI-I adapter

3. One DVI-I to DVI-I (single link) cable

4. One composite to S-Video cable

5. One Ethernet cable

6. One Power over Ethernet injector

5

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

Image Name Description

DVI-I Single Link cable

VGA to DVI cable

HDMI to DVI adapter

Composite to S-Video cable

RJ-45 Ethernet cable Connects the system to your network.

Connects a DVI source to the encoder’s DVI port
(s).

Connects a VGA source to the system’s DVI port
(s).

Connects an HDMI source to the system’s DVI port
(s).

Connects a composite output from an analog
sources to the system’s S-Video port(s).

Injects power over an ethernet cable. Used to

Power over Ethernet Injector

power the s when the network connection is not
powered.

Front Panel

This section describes the front panel connectors and indicators.

Note, not all connections are used.

6

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

Table 2 VGAGrid HD Encoder Front Panel Descriptions

Label Name Description

Reset button Resets the Networked VGAGrid back to its factory configuration

defaults.

To ensure the device is not accidentally reset, a special sequence is
required. See Perform Factory Reset.

Status LEDs Three LEDs on the front panel indicate the following Networked

VGAGrid status:

Solid blue LED indicates device is starting up.

Solid green LED indicates the device is ready to capture images.

Flashing blue LED indicates:

l a video signal test is in progress;

l system tuning, or

l Networked VGAGrid is recording received images.

Note: If the periodic disk check function occurs during start up, it may
take up to 20 minutes to power up the device. During this time the
blue LED is solid and the green LED flashes. See Storage Disk

Maintenance for more information.

S-video input Connect to an s-video source or a composite video source using the

adapter (included).

7

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

Label Name Description

DVI In Connect to one of the following sources:

l DVI input, use the DVI to DVI cable (included)

l VGA input, use the VGA to DVI adapter (included)

l HDMI input, ( for non-copy protected content), use the HDMI to

DVI adapter (included)

Audio In

Connect to an audio input source.

Back Panel

This section describes the back panel connectors and indicators.

Table 3 VGAGrid HD Encoder Back Panel Descriptions

Label Name Description

Audio Out Connect to audio equipment, such as headphones or speakers, to

confirm the audio stream is captured.

8

Networked VGAGrid User Guide What's in the Box?

Label Name Description

DVI Out Connect to video equipment, such as a monitor or projector to confirm

the video stream is captured.

Connect one of the following sources:

l DVI output, use the DVI to DVI cable (included)

l VGA output, use the VGA to DVI cable (included)

Note: This connection can convert a VGA input signal to DVI output
signal.

RJ-45 Attach the provided RJ-45 cable and connect to a powered Ethernet

port. The port is auto-sensing and supports negotiations at 10/100
speeds.

Power over Ethernet is used to power the VGAGrid HD Encoder. If the
network connection does not provide power, use the provided power
over Ethernet injector to power the device.

9

Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

Quick Start

This section helps you get up and running quickly with your Networked VGAGrid.

l Step 1: Physical Setup and Power On

l Step 2: Admin Discovery and Login

l Step 3: Set a static IP address for the encoder

l Step 4: Add the encoder as a channel

l Step 5: Configure the Channel

l Step 6: Testing the Stream

l Step 7: Recording the Stream

Before you get started, make sure you have:

l an HD source (i.e. a computer, a tablet, or a phone)

l the appropriate cables or adapters to convert the output to DVI (if needed)

l a VGAGrid HD Encoder and associated cables

l ideally, a network with Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

l a computer with a web browser connected to the same network (this is referred to as the “admin”

computer in the steps below)

l optionally, an audio source such as a microphone or the headphone jack from a laptop (note that the

audio signal sent over HDMI cables is not supported)

These instructions include steps for setting up and configuring audio. Skip these optional steps if
you do not want to configure an audio source at this time.

Step 1: Physical Setup and Power On

Complete the following steps to prepare and power on the system. Refer to the Front and Back Panel View
section for your system to locate the appropriate input ports.

1. Turn on your HD source and connect the output cable to the DVI-I port on the VGAGrid HD Encoder.

2. (optional) Attach a 3.5 mm audio cable from your audio source to the VGAGrid HD Encoder's audio

input port.

10

Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

3. If your network connection provides power overEthernet:

a. Connect an Ethernet cable to the VGAGrid HD Encoder. Connect the Ethernet cable to your

network.

If your network connection does not provide power over Ethernet:

a. Connect one end of the power cord into the PoE injector and the other end into a grounded AC

power source.

b. Connect an Ethernet cable from the Ethernet switch port to the RJ-45 connector (labled In) on

the PoE injector.

c. Connect an Ethernet cable from the the RJ-45 connector (labled Out) from the PoE Injector to the

RJ-45 Ethernet port on the back panel of the VGAGrid HD Encoder.

4. Wait for the VGAGrid HD Encoder to complete the power up sequence. The green power LED is

illuminated when boot up is complete.

5. Connect the Ethernet cable to the Networked VGAGrid. Connect the Ethernet cable to your network.

6. Attach the power cable to the system and plug it into a power source.

7. Unlock the front panel and press the power button to turn on the system.

8. Wait for the Networked VGAGrid to complete the power up sequence. The power LED illuminates and

the hard drive LED flashes during start up.

Step 2: Admin Discovery and Login

The Networked VGAGrid is managed from a web interface. This interface acts as a configuration utility and
system monitor. The first time you access the web interface you will not know the IP address of the system.

The steps below use DNS-based service discovery (a type of zero-configuration networking) to access the
system. Depending on the operating system on your admin computer you may need to install some software
before you can used DNS-based discovery.

This quick start is meant for systems that support DHCP and DNS, however if your system does not
support these mechanisms, refer toConnect to the Admin Interface and Connect via the Epiphan
Discovery Utility for alternative discovery mechanisms. Return to step 3 below you have
completed setting a static IP address for the Networked VGAGrid.

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

Table 4 Installing Bonjour Print Services

System Action Needed

Microsoft Windows You must install Bonjour Print Services:

1. Use the following URL - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999

2. Click Download.

3. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application.

MacOSX The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built in to the Mac OS. No special

actions needed.

Linux The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux

distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the Avahi
package installed.

You are able to access the system web interface on the local network by specifying its serial number in a web
browser on your admin computer.

1. Find the system’s serial number. It is printed on a sticker on the back of the unit.

2. Type the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer (where

<serial> is the serial number of your Networked VGAGrid):

http://<serial>.local/admin
For example: http://95dd40d5.local/admin

3. Enter the user name and password then click OK. The administrative user is ‘admin’. Initially no

password is set. To set a password follow the procedure outlined in Setting and Changing User

Passwords.

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

4. Optionally, navigate to the Network link under the Configuration heading and note the IP address of

the system.

Step 3: Set a static IP address for the encoder

It's recommended that you use static IP addresses for any VGAGrid HD Encoders on your network. Encoders
are connected to the VGAGrid by their IPaddresses. Using static IP addresses ensures that the encoders can
still be located after a system relocation, power failure or other event that may change a dynamically
allocatedIP address for the encoder.

If you have not already set a staticIPaddress for the VGAGrid HD Encoder:

1. Find the VGAGrid HD Encoder's serial number. It is printed on a sticker on the bottom of the unit.

2. Type the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer (where

<serial> is the serial number of your encoder):

http://<serial>.local/admin
For example: http://98498.local/admin

3. Enter the user name and password then click OK. The administrative user is ‘admin’. Initially no

password is set. To set a password follow the procedure outlined in Setting and Changing User

Passwords.

4. Navigate to the Network link under the Configuration heading; the network configuration page

appears.

5. Select the radio button use static address, if not already selected.

6. Enter the desired IP Address and Network Mask.

7. Enter the Default Gateway address. If you do not have a default gateway for your network, enter the IP

address of the Networked VGAGrid that is found on the Network page in its web interface.

8. Enter the DNS Server address. If you do not have a DNS server, enter the new static IP address of the

system.

9. Click Apply to save the changes; the changes are saved and a message appears asking you to reboot.

10. Select the Maintenance link under the Configuration menu; the maintenance page appears.

11. Click the Reboot Now button near the bottom of the page.

Step 4: Add the encoder as a channel

Fresh out of the box, your Networked VGAGrid isn't aware of any VGAGrid HD Encoders on your network. The
web interface is used to add each encoder as a channel to the VGAGrid.

Whether or not you chose to use a static IPaddress, the next step is to add the encoder as a channel.

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

The serial numbers and IPaddresses for your system will not be the same as the examples shown
below.

1. From the web interface, scroll to the Channels section and click Add channel; the add channel

configuration page appears.

2. Select External encoder from the Use video source drop-down; the external encoder selection page

appears. Your list should contain just the one VGAGrid HD Encoder set up in Step 1, but if it has several,
like the example below, match the serial number with the serial number printed on the bottom of your
encoder.

3. Copy theIP address for your VGAGrid HD Encoder from the list and paste it in the Device URL field.

4. Leave the admin password blank (this is the default) unless you assigned an admin password earlier.

5. Click Apply; your channel is added as a new channel named External [<ip address>].

6. Click Status to confirm the new name.

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

7. Rename the channel:

a. Click on the channel name at the top of the channel configuration window. The name text

becomes red.

b. Edit the name to reflect the VGAGrid HD Encoder serial number, or the data it is capturing. The

following characters are supported: a-z; A-Z; 0-9; + (plus); - (hyphen); _ (underscore); , (comma), .
(period); ~ (tilde); #(hash); [ ]; ( ). Although spaces are also supported, it is suggested you use
underscores to separate words.

c. Press Enter on the keyboard. The name is updated at the top of the screen and in the list of

channels at the left side.

Step 5: Configure the Channel

Now that you have confirmed the system sees your source it is time to configure the channel.

To review and configure the channel:

1. From the web interface, scroll to the Channels section

2. Click the link for your channel; the channel expands.

3. Click Encoding for your channel

4. No need to change anything right now. Review some of the default settings. The four most useful

settings to know about are codec, frame size, frame rate and bitrate.

a. The codec is set to H.264 by default.

b. The frame size should reflect the resolution provided by your source. You can set it to something

different by typing in the fields or selecting an option from the different sizes shown. Scaling the

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

image (making it larger, smaller, or different aspect ratio) takes some processing power, so it’s
always best to leave this at the value detected by the system unless you know it is wrong or know
you need to scale the size.

c. The frame rate limit is set to 5. This means the system won’t spend extra computing time to

attempt to receive more than 5 frames per second. For perspective, NTSC TV signals use 24 frames
per second and most hand-drawn animations show only 12 unique frames per second. You can
change this later and notice how it affects performance and quality.

d. The bitrate is set to automatic, and the system will determine the best value.

5. Click Status for your channel.

6. Notice the Stream Info section has an item named Video that reflects the four settings reviewed in prior

steps (the frame rate is specified as <resolution size>@5 for 5 frames per second). It also provides an
indication of the current actual frame rate.

You may now optionally add audio to your channel:

7. Click Encoding for your channel; the Encoding page is displayed.

8. Scroll to the bottom of the Encoding and click the Enable audio checkbox.

9. Leave the default AAC format and audio bitrate.

10. Click Apply.

Step 6: Testing the Stream

The Status page contains a link to the live broadcast stream for your channel.

To preview the channel in a browser:

1. From the web interface, scroll to the Channels section.

2. Click the link for your channel.

3. Click the Status link for your channel.

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Networked VGAGrid User Guide Quick Start

4. Right-click on the Live broadcast link for your channel and select Open in a new tab or Open in a new

window.

5. The new tab or window opens with the stream displayed.

a. If the signal is not detected, reseat the DVI cable connections and try again.

Your stream setup is complete. Since most of the steps are pre-configured; you are up and running with a
stream very quickly. You can share the live broadcast link with your users.

Step 7: Recording the Stream

To record the stream:

1. From the web interface, scroll to the Channels section.

2. Click Recording for your channel; the Recording page is displayed.

3. Click the red Start button; the text at the top of the screen changes to indicate the recording is starting,

then indicates the length of time since the recording started.

4. Click the black Stop button; the recorder stops.

5. Refresh the page by clicking Recording again; the page reloads and a file list appears that shows your

newly recorded stream snippet.

6. Click the file name to download and view your recording.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a source setup and ready to stream, you can fine-tune the system to your exact
requirements. You can look at topics such as:

l Add an encoder to the VGA Grid

l Add an encoder as a source for a multi-source channel

l Create a multi-source layout

l Stream your video

l File and recording transfer

l User Administration

When you have completed system tuning, make sure to back up the system configuration using the procedure
described in:

l Save and Restore Device Configuration

Refer to the table of contents for a complete list of the topics covered.

17

Networked VGAGrid User Guide PART 1: Setup

PART 1: Setup

If you followed through the quick start guide, you already have a basic configuration and possibly a recording
of an input. Before you tweak the channel or configure more, this part of the manual helps you to get your
Networked VGAGrid properly configured for your network.

Topics covered:

l Connect to the Admin Interface

l User Administration

l View system information

l Configure Network Settings

l Configure Encoder Network Settings

l Configure Date and Time

l Configuration presets

l Restrict Viewers by IPAddress

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