Extron Electronics VN-Matrix 250 User Manual [en, ru, de, es, fr]

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VN-Matrix® 250 Series

VNE 250 Encoder and VND 250 Decoder

User Guide

Streaming AV Products

68-2236-01 Rev. B

04 14

Safety Instructions

Safety Instructions • English

WARNING: This symbol,

to alert the user of the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that may present a risk of electric shock.

ATTENTION: This symbol,

intended to alert the user of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature provided with the equipment.

For information on safety guidelines, regulatory compliances, EMI/EMF compatibility, accessibility, and related topics, see the Extron Safety and Regulatory Compliance Guide, part number 68-290-01, on the Extron website, www.extron.com.

, when used on the product, is intended

, when used on the product, is

Instructions de sécurité • Français

AVERTISSEMENT: Ce pictogramme,

le produit, signale à l’utilisateur la présence à l’intérieur du boîtier du produit d’une tension électrique dangereuse susceptible de provoquer un choc électrique.

ATTENTION: Ce pictogramme,

signale à l’utilisateur des instructions d’utilisation ou de maintenance importantes qui se trouvent dans la documentation fournie avec le matériel.

Pour en savoir plus sur les règles de sécurité, la conformité à la réglementation, la compatibilité EMI/EMF, l’accessibilité, et autres sujets connexes, lisez les informations de sécurité et de conformité Extron,

réf. 68-290-01, sur le site Extron, www.extron.com.

, lorsqu’il est utilisé sur

, lorsqu’il est utilisé sur le produit,

Sicherheitsanweisungen • Deutsch

WARNUNG: Dieses Symbol

darauf aufmerksam machen, dass im Inneren des Gehäuses dieses Produktes gefährliche Spannungen herrschen, die nicht isoliert sind und die einen elektrischen Schlag verursachen können.

VORSICHT: Dieses Symbol

in der im Lieferumfang enthaltenen Dokumentation besonders wichtige Hinweise zur Bedienung und Wartung (Instandhaltung) geben.

Weitere Informationen über die Sicherheitsrichtlinien, Produkthandhabung, EMI/EMF-Kompatibilität, Zugänglichkeit und verwandte Themen finden Sie in den Extron-Richtlinien für Sicherheit und Handhabung (Artikelnummer

68-290-01) auf der Extron-Website, www.extron.com.

auf dem Produkt soll den Benutzer

auf dem Produkt soll dem Benutzer

Instrucciones de seguridad • Español

ADVERTENCIA: Este símbolo,

avisa al usuario de la presencia de voltaje peligroso sin aislar dentro del producto, lo que puede representar un riesgo de descarga eléctrica.

ATENCIÓN: Este símbolo,

avisa al usuario de la presencia de importantes instrucciones de uso y mantenimiento recogidas en la documentación proporcionada con el equipo.

Para obtener información sobre directrices de seguridad, cumplimiento de normativas, compatibilidad electromagnética, accesibilidad y temas relacionados, consulte la Guía de cumplimiento de normativas y seguridad de

Extron, referencia 68-290-01, en el sitio Web de Extron, www.extron.com.

, cuando se utiliza en el producto,

Инструкция по технике безопасности • Русский

ПРЕДУПРЕЖДЕНИЕ: Данный символ, D, если указан

на продукте, предупреждает пользователя о наличии неизолированного опасного напряжения внутри корпуса продукта, которое может привести к поражению электрическим током.

ВНИМАНИЕ: Данный символ, I, если указан на продукте,

предупреждает пользователя о наличии важных инструкций по эксплуатации и обслуживанию в руководстве, прилагаемом к данному оборудованию.

Для получения информации о правилах техники безопасности, соблюдении нормативных требований, электромагнитной совместимости (ЭМП/ЭДС), возможности доступа и других вопросах см. руководство по безопасности и соблюдению нормативных требований Extron на сайте Extron: www.extron.com, номер по каталогу - 68-290-01.

Chinese Simplified（简体中文）

警告： D产品上的这个标志意在警告用户该产品机壳内有暴露的危险电压，

有触电危险。

注意：I 产品上的这个标志意在提示用户设备随附的用户手册中有

重要的操作和维护(维修）说明。

关于我们产品的安全指南、遵循的规范、EMI/EMF 的兼容性、无障碍使用的特性等相关内容，敬请访问 Extron 网站 www.extron.com，参见 Extron 安全规范指南，产品编号 68-290-01。

Chinese Traditional（ )

警告: D 若產品上使用此符號，是為了提醒使用者，產品機殼內存在著

可能會導致觸電之風險的未絕緣危險電壓。

注意I 若產品上使用此符號，是為了提醒使用者，設備隨附的用戶手冊中有重要

的操作和維護（維修）説明。

有關安全性指導方針、法規遵守、EMI/EMF 相容性、存取範圍和相關主題的詳細資訊，請瀏覽 Extron 網站：www.extron.com，然後參閱《 Extron 安全性與法規遵守手冊》，準則編號 68-290-01。

Japanese

警告: この記号 D が製品上に表示されている場合は、筐体内に絶縁されて

いない高電圧が流れ、感電の危険があることを示しています。

注意:この記号 I が製品上に表示されている場合は、本機の取扱説明書に記載されて

いる重要な操作と保守(整備 )の指示についてユーザーの注意を喚起するものです。

安全上のご注意、法令遵守、EMI/EMF適合性、その他の関連項目については、エクストロンのウェブサイト www.extron.com より

『Extron Safety and Regulatory Compliance Guide』 (P/N 68-290-01) をご覧く

ださい。

Korean

경고: 이 기호 D, 가 제품에 사용될 경우, 제품의 인클로저 내에 있는

접지되지 않은 위험한 전류로 인해 사용자가 감전될 위험이 있음을 경고합니다.

주의: 이 기호 I, 가 제품에 사용될 경우, 장비와 함께 제공된 책자에 나와

있는 주요 운영 및 유지보수(정비) 지침을 경고합니다.

안전 가이드라인, 규제 준수, EMI/EMF 호환성, 접근성, 그리고 관련 항목에 대한 자세한 내용은 Extron 웹 사이트(www.extron.com)의 Extron 안전 및 규제 준수 안내서, 68-290-01 조항을 참조하십시오.

FCC Class A Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part15 of the FCC rules. The ClassA limits provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference. This interference must be corrected at the expense of the user.

NOTE: For more information on safety guidelines, regulatory compliances, EMI/EMF

compatibility, accessibility, and related topics, see the Extron Safety and

Regulatory Compliance Guide on the Extron website.

Speciﬁcations Availability

Product speciﬁcations are available on the Extron website, www.extron.com.

Trademarks

All trademarks mentioned in this guide are the properties of their respective owners.

The following registered trademarks(®), registered service marks( RGBSystems, Inc. or Extron Electronics:

Registered Trademarks

AVTrac, Cable Cubby, CrossPoint, eBUS, EDID Manager, EDID Minder, Extron, Flat Field, GlobalViewer, Hideaway, Inline, IP Intercom, IP Link, Key Minder, LockIt, MediaLink, PlenumVault, PoleVault, PowerCage, PURE3, Quantum, SoundField, SpeedMount, SpeedSwitch, SystemINTEGRATOR, TeamWork, TouchLink, V‑Lock, VersaTools, VN‑Matrix, VoiceLift, WallVault, WindoWall, XTP, XTP Systems

(SM)

Registered Service Mark

AAP, AFL (Accu‑Rate Frame Lock), ADSP (Advanced Digital Sync Processing), AIS (Advanced Instruction Set), Auto‑Image, CDRS (Class D Ripple Suppression), DDSP (Digital Display Sync Processing), DMI (Dynamic Motion Interpolation), Driver Configurator, DSP Configurator, DSVP (Digital Sync Validation Processing), FastBite, FOXBOX, IP Intercom HelpDesk, MAAP, MicroDigital, ProDSP, QS‑FPC (QuickSwitch Front Panel Controller), Scope‑Trigger, SIS, Simple Instruction Set, Skew‑Free, SpeedNav, Triple‑ActionSwitching, XTRA, ZipCaddy, ZipClip

: S3 Service Support Solutions

Trademarks (™

), and trademarks(TM) are the property of

(®)

)

iii

Conventions Used in this Guide

In this user guide, the following are used:

WARNING: A warning warns of things or actions that might cause injury, death, or other

severe consequences.

CAUTION: A caution warns of things or actions that might damage the equipment.

ATTENTION: Attention indicates a situation that may damage or destroy the product or

associated equipment.

NOTE: A note draws attention to important information.

TIP: A tip provides a suggestion to make setting up or working with the device easier.

Commands are written in the fonts shown here:

^AR Merge Scene,,Op1 scene 1,1 ^B 51 ^W^C

[01] R 0004 00300 00400 00800 00600 [02] 35 [17] [03]

E X!*X1&*X2)*X2#*X2! CE}

NOTE: For commands and examples of computer or device responses mentioned

in this guide, the character “0” is used for the number zero and “O” represents the capital letter “o”.

Computer responses and directory paths that do not have variables are written in the font shown here:

Reply from 208.132.180.48: bytes=32 times=2ms TTL=32

C:\Program Files\Extron

Variables are written in slanted form as shown here:

ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx —t

SOH R Data STX Command ETB ETX

Selectable items, such as menu names, menu options, buttons, tabs, and ﬁeld names are written in the font shown here:

From the File menu, select New. Click the OK button.

Introduction .................................................... 1

About this Guide .............................................. 1

About the VNM 250 ......................................... 1

VNM 250 System Controller ............................ 3

Transport Protocols Used for Streaming .......... 3

Multicast RTP — An Overview ..................... 4

Unicast RTP — An Overview ....................... 5

TCP — An Overview .................................... 5

Deﬁnitions ........................................................ 6

Features .......................................................... 6

Installation Overview ..................................... 9

Front Panels ................................................. 11

VNM 250 Front Panels................................... 11

Status Information ......................................... 12

Unit Identify Mode ......................................... 12

Rear Panel and Connections ...................... 13

VNE 250 Rear Panel ...................................... 13

VND 250 Rear Panel...................................... 13

Connections .................................................. 14

Power ........................................................ 14

Network Connections ................................ 15

USB Ports ................................................. 17

Coms ........................................................ 18

Alarms ....................................................... 19

TTL ............................................................ 19

Genlock ..................................................... 19

Video Connections .................................... 20

Audio Connections .................................... 21

Reset ......................................................... 21

System Conﬁguration with the

Enterprise Controller ................................... 22

Controlling Your System with a

VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller..................... 22

Low Level Device Conﬁguration ................ 24

Setting a VNM 250 Device as the

System Controller ......................................... 27

Conﬁguring the System Controller with a

Static IP Address ...................................... 27

Conﬁguring Other VNM 250 Devices with

a Static IP Address ................................... 27

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit

for DHCP ...................................................... 28

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 System Controller

as a DHCP Server .................................... 28

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit to

Operate with a DHCP Server .................... 29

Using a Dedicated DHCP Server ................... 30

Conﬁguring a Windows 2008 R2. .................. 31

Control Port ................................................... 32

Conﬁguring the Control port ....................... 32

VNM 250 GUI Overview ............................... 33

VNM 250 GUI Login ...................................... 33

VNM 250 GUI Tabs ........................................ 34

Tabs Shared by Both the Encoder and

Decoder ....................................................... 35

Encoder Tabs ................................................ 45

Video Stream Input Conﬁguration .............. 46

Managing Compression and

Bandwidth Settings .................................. 48

Audio Stream Conﬁguration ....................... 53

Audio Input Selection ................................. 54

Decoder Tabs ................................................ 57

Output Conﬁguration ................................. 58

Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI .........66

Conﬁguring a VNE 250 .................................. 66

Conﬁguring Encoder Video ........................ 67

Managing Compression and

Bandwidth Settings .................................. 68

Bandwidth Management

– Simple Control ....................................... 68

Bandwidth Management

– Advanced Control .................................. 69

Conﬁguring Encoder Audio ........................ 70

Conﬁguring Encoder Data .......................... 71

VNM 250 • Contents v

Conﬁguring a VND 250 .................................. 72

Conﬁguring the Decoder Display ................ 73

Monitoring the Decoder Video

Bandwidth ................................................ 74

Conﬁguring the Decoder Audio .................. 75

Conﬁguring the Decoder Data.................... 76

Custom Input and Output Modes .................. 77

Video Setup Page ...................................... 77

Custom Input Modes ................................. 79

Custom Output Modes .............................. 83

Upgrading Firmware ...................................... 87

Uploading the Firmware File to the

VNM 250 Controller .................................. 88

Installing the New Firmware ....................... 88

Conﬁguring KVM Functionality ....................... 89

RS‑232 Pass‑through Conﬁguration .............. 90

Pass‑through Coms Server

Conﬁguration ............................................ 90

Pass‑through Coms Client

Conﬁguration ............................................ 90

Alarms ........................................................111

Alarm Types ................................................. 111

Alarm Handling ............................................ 113

Troubleshooting ......................................... 114

Front Panel Status Indicators ....................... 115

Front Panel LCD Menu ................................ 115

Default Menu Screens (Encoder) .............. 116

Default Menu Screens (Decoder).............. 116

Controller Web User Interface ...................... 117

Troubleshooting Guide ................................. 117

No Web UI Pages Served ........................ 117

Device Not Listed in the

Device List Page ..................................... 118

Encoder — Input Signal (Video) Issues ..... 118

Decoder — Problems with Viewing

the Decoded Image ................................ 119

Program Audio Problems ......................... 120

Return Audio Problems ............................ 121

Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration ................ 91

Front Panel Menu Overview ........................... 91

Conﬁguring the VNE 250 Encoder ................. 91

Default Menu Screens................................ 91

Top Level Menu ......................................... 92

Encode Conﬁg Sub‑menu ......................... 93

OSD Sub‑menu ......................................... 94

Network Sub‑menu ................................... 94

Input Sub‑menu......................................... 96

EDID Sub‑menu ........................................ 97

Test Pattern Sub‑menu .............................. 98

Reset Sub‑menu ....................................... 99

Conﬁguring the VND 250 Decoder............... 100

Default Menu Screens.............................. 100

Top Level Menu ....................................... 101

Decode Conﬁg Sub‑menu ....................... 102

OSD Sub‑menu ....................................... 103

Network Sub‑menu ................................. 103

Output Sub‑menu .................................... 106

Video Wall Sub‑menu .............................. 107

Test Pattern Sub‑menu ............................ 108

Genlock Sub‑menu.................................. 109

Reset Sub‑menu ..................................... 109

Reference Material .................................... 122

Supported EDID Modes............................... 122

DVI .......................................................... 122

HDMI ....................................................... 122

VGA ......................................................... 123

VN‑Matrix System Port Usage ..................... 123

SIS Commands ..........................................125

Introduction to SIS ....................................... 125

Host‑to‑Device Communications ............. 125

Symbols Used in this Guide ......................... 125

Error Messages ........................................... 126

Command and Response Table for

SIS Commands .......................................... 127

Mounting ....................................................129

Choosing a Suitable Location for

Mounting .................................................... 129

Environmental Requirements ....................... 129

Orientation ............................................... 129

Temperature ............................................ 129

Ventilation ................................................ 129

Humidity and water .................................. 130

Mounting Procedures .................................. 130

Tabletop Use ........................................... 130

Rack‑Mounting ........................................ 130

VNM 250 • Contents vi

Introduction

This section provides an overview of the user guide and describes the Extron VN‑Matrix (VNM) 250 series. Topics that are covered include:

z About this Guide

z About the VNM 250

z VNM 250 System Controller

z Transport Protocols Used for Streaming

z Deﬁnitions

z Features

About this Guide

The VN‑Matrix 250 (VNM 250) series consists of the VNE 250 encoder and the VND 250 decoder. This guide contains installation, conﬁguration, and operating information for both the encoder and the decoder.

In this guide:

z The term "encoder" refers speciﬁcally to the VNE 250 encoder.

z The term "decoder" refers speciﬁcally to the VND 250 decoder.

z The term "stream" refers to multimedia that is constantly received by (and normally

presented to) an end‑user while being delivered by a VN‑Matrix encoding device.

About the VNM 250

The VNE 250 distributes video, audio, and data input across an IP network to one or more VND 250 decoders. Transport across the network must be coordinated by a control device. For a small system (ten devices or fewer connected to the network) the controller can be another VNM 250 (either an encoder or a decoder). For larger systems, aVNMEnterpriseController is required.

The VNE 250 encodes video, audio, and data inputs into PURE3 data streams for transport across a local area or wide area network. Elsewhere on the network one or more VND 250 units decode the stream.

VNE 250 inputs can include:

z Analog (VGA) video

z Digital (HDMI) video

z Analog audio

z Digital audio that is contained in an HDMI signal.

z Serial (RS‑232) and UDP data

z USB connections for remote mouse and keyboard

The individual video, audio, and data streams are synchronized and treated as a single logical stream.

VNM 250 • Introduction 1

The VNM 250 series also supports a reverse audio channel for collaborative applications where 2‑way communication is required.

The VND 250 video output is available only in digital format. It can be conﬁgured to display at the same resolution and refresh rate as the encoder input or it can be scaled to match the requirements of the display attached to the decoder.

The decoder supports both digital audio, analog audio, or both. The audio output is independent of the encoder audio source.

UDP network data originating from an external source is streamed along with the video and audio content to the appropriate decoder, where it is extracted for onward processing.

RS‑232 pass‑through data transport is full duplex. It can originate at either the encoder or decoder and may be sent to multiple destinations. It passes through the system unchanged and may not be recorded.

Figure 1 shows a typical application for the VNM 250.

Extron

Encoded Inputs Location 1 Decoding

Extron VNE 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Encoder

RGB

HDMI/RGB

LOOP

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

INPUT 2

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

STREAMINGCONTROL

RGB

HDMI

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

STREAMINGCONTROL

HDMI

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

STREAMINGCONTROL

HDMI

HD PTZ Camera

HDMI

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

STREAMINGCONTROL

INPUT 1

RGB

USB

HDMI

RESET

ACT/

LINK

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

LAN 2

Extron VNE 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Encoder HDMI/RGB

INPUT 2

INPUT 1

RGB

USB

HDMI

RESET

ACT/

LINK

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

LAN 2

Extron VNE 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Encoder HDMI/RGB

INPUT 2

INPUT 1

RGB

USB

HDMI

RESET

ACT/

LINK

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

LAN 2

Extron VNE 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Encoder HDMI/RGB

INPUT 2

INPUT 1

RGB

USB

HDMI

RESET

ACT/

LINK

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

LAN 2

THRU

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

I/O

COMS

PASS THRUALARM TTLCONTROL

LOOP

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

THRU

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

I/O

COMS

PASS THRUALARM TTLCONTROL

LOOP

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

THRU

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

I/O

COMS

PASS THRUALARM TTLCONTROL

LOOP

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

THRU

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

I/O

COMS

PASS THRUALARM TTLCONTROL

VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller

Ethernet

Switching

Ethernet

Network

Virtual

Ethernet

Extron IPL 250

IP Link Control Processor

COM1

COM 2 IR

RELAY

TxRx

RTS CTS

TxRx

SGSG

POWER

LAN 12V 500mA

INPUT

COM 3 IR

RELAY

MAX

TxRx

1234

SGSG

Ethernet

Extron TLP 1000TV

10" Tabletop TouchLink Touchpanel

Ethernet

Extron VND 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Decoder HDMI/RGB

RETURN AUDIO

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

ACT/

LINK

LAN 2

STREAMINGCONTROL

Extron VND 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Decoder HDMI/RGB

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

ACT/

LINK

LAN 2

STREAMINGCONTROL

AUDIO

OUTPUT

USB

OUTPUT

USB

OUTPUT

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

TxRx

RESET

I/O

COMS INPUT

PASS THRUALARMGENLOCKCONTROL

HDMI

RESET

HDMI

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

I/O

COMS INPUT

PASS THRUALARMGENLOCKCONTROL

HDMI

Location 2 Decoding

Extron TLP 1000TV

10" Tabletop TouchLink Touchpanel

Ethernet

Extron VND 250 Matrix

VN-Matrix Decoder HDMI/RGB

RETURN AUDIO

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

ACT/

LINK

LAN 2

STREAMINGCONTROL

AUDIO

OUTPUT

USB

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

RESET

I/O

COMS INPUT

PASS THRUALARMGENLOCKCONTROL

HDMI

MODEL 80

Flat Panel Display

FLAT PANEL

Flat Panel Display

FLAT PANEL

Flat Panel Display

FLAT PANEL

Extron VNR 100

VN-Matrix Recorder

Figure 1. A Typical VNM 250 Application

VNM 250 • Introduction 2

VNM 250 System Controller

All Matrix systems require one device that acts as the system controller. For small systems (ten devices or fewer), this can be either a VNE 250 or VND 250. For larger systems, a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller must be used.

Systems Controlled by

VNMEnterpriseController

The VNM Enterprise Controller is able to control all VN‑Matrix systems (large and small) but is required for large systems (more than 10 devices).

The system is controlled through a powerful web‑based user interface served from the Enterprise Controller.

Supports all VN‑Matrix devices, including recorders.

NOTES:

• A small system that includes a VNM 250 device must be controlled by either a

VNMEnterprise Controller or a VNM 250 device.

• If an incompatible VN‑Matrix device is added to a small system controlled by a

VNM250 device, the controller is unable to detect or control that device.

Transport Protocols Used for Streaming

The source data from a VN‑Matrix encoder can be distributed to multiple displays/decoders (one‑to‑many) or to a single display/decoder (point‑to‑point). A previously recorded stream can be distributed in the same way and may be thought of as an encoder in this context.

A stream may be transported from the source (encoder, recorded stream) to the display (decoder) using one of three methods:

z See Multicast Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) on page 4.

z See Unicast Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) on page 5.

z See Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) on page 5.

Systems Controlled by

VNM250Device

A VNM 250 device can control small systems (10 devices or fewer). It is less effective as the system size increases.

The system is controlled through a more limited web‑based user interface served from the VNM250 controller device.

Supports VNM 250 encoders and decoders and PCs running the VNS 104 software decoder. Does not support recorders.

VNM 250 • Introduction 3

Multicast RTP — An Overview

DISPLAYS

Encoder sends data using to a multicast gr

oup.

Multicast RTP allows a source to be displayed on multiple displays. This method uses a real‑time variation of UDP (User Datagram Protocol) called RTP (Real‑time Transport Protocol).

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

SOURCE

ADJUST

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

oup.

RTP (m)

VNE 250

Network

RTP

RTP (m)

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

RTP (m)

Multiple decoders can be part of the multicast gr

Figure 2. Multicast RTP Streaming

The source encoder uses RTP to send data to a multicast group. The source does not need to know the IP address of the decoders that are using the source.

RTP provides very low latency which is important for video streaming. Unlike other protocols, RTP packets include a time stamp. If packets are received in the wrong order, they are sorted into the correct order for display or discarded if the time stamp is out‑of‑date.

However, because RTP is a connectionless protocol, data delivery is not guaranteed. When data packets are lost (for example, due to excessive network trafﬁc), the VNM 250 devices carefully manage the data stream to minimize any image disruption.

VNM 250 • Introduction 4

Unicast RTP — An Overview

DISPLAYS

SOURCE

DISPLAY

Encode

Similar to multicast RTP, this method uses a real‑time variation of UDP protocol, called unicast RTP. This method can be used where the network infrastructure does not support multicast trafﬁc. Typically, this protocol is used for point‑to‑point conﬁguration (single source to single display), but can be conﬁgured to use up to a maximum of four displays.

NOTE: The encoder sends an individual stream to each decoder. This means that the

total bandwidth of the VN‑Matrix system increases as more decoders are added.

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

RTP (1-4)

VNE 250

Encoder sends data using RTP to up to 4 speciﬁed decoders.

SOURCE

Network

RTP 1

RTP 2

RTP 3

RTP 4

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

Figure 3. Unicast RTP Streaming

TCP — An Overview

This method transports data using standard TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and should only be used for single point‑to‑point transfer of data.

TCP is a connection‑based protocol and, therefore, data is guaranteed to be delivered. However, in the event of excessive network trafﬁc, delivery may be delayed which impacts real‑time performance. Therefore, TCP transport should be avoided for streaming applications.

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

VNE 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

TCP TCP

Figure 4. TCP Streaming

Network

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

Decoder makes a TCP connection with a speciﬁed encoder.

VND 250

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

VNM 250 • Introduction 5

Deﬁnitions

PURE3 — is speciﬁcally designed for network transmission of real time media (such as video or graphics, audio, data, and whiteboard elements). It features both spatial and temporal image compression, which allows for efﬁcient bandwidth usage.

z PURE3 streams always contain video or graphic elements.

z PURE3 streams may also contain audio and data content that is associated with the

video and graphic elements.

Media (stream) — refers to multimedia that is constantly received by (and normally presented to) an end‑user while being delivered by a streaming provider. Internet television is a commonly streamed medium. Streaming media (stream) in this guide refers to a PURE3 media stream that is produced by a VN‑Matrix encoding device.

Device license — refers to the number of licensed features that are available on a device within a VN‑Matrix system. All devices contain a license that offers a default level of functionality. Device licenses cannot be modiﬁed.

Controller license — refers to the license that is set on the device designated as the system controller. The Controller license enables the use of VN‑Matrix software decoders. Controller licenses may be modiﬁed to suit changing system requirements.

UDP data — refers to the transfer of serial data between an encoder and a decoder. Data input is created at the encoder, placed into the PURE3 stream, and sent to the decoder. The data is received in the same form that it was transmitted. This method of data transfer is unidirectional and can only be sent from an encoder to a decoder.

High-Level Interface (HLI) — is the command protocol that is used to communicate between the VNM Enterprise Controller and an external control system.

Display Monitor Timings (DMT) — a list of VESA standard pre‑deﬁned timings which are commonly used within the computer industry.

Coordinated Video Timings (CVT) — the newest VESA standard for generating display timings (released on March 2003).

Generalized Timing Formula (GTF) — a method of generating industry standard timings used by a wide variety of display products.

Features

Stream at native resolutions up to 1920x1200 and 2048x1080 — compatible with signals used in high‑resolution display applications.

Low latency streaming — 35 ms encode and 35 ms decode — Supports natural interaction, bi‑directional communication, or remote device control in real‑time operating environments.

SFP port for use with optical Ethernet transceivers — provides the option to use an optical Ethernet network interface to optically isolate a source or eliminate electro‑magnetic emissions in secure applications.

Extensive bit rate management — uses compression and bit rate management controls to tune image quality and bit rate to ﬁt a variety of application and network requirements.

High immunity to network errors — AV streaming maintains reliable, high quality imagery, concealing errors even during heavy packet loss.

Unicast or multicast streaming — supports scalability and compatibility with different network operating conditions.

PURE3 Codec — low‑latency, visually lossless compression offering efﬁcient bit rates, and high immunity to network errors for streaming very high quality video with low delay over IP networks.

VNM 250 • Introduction 6

Synchronization of multiple streams of audio, video, or both — audio and video

timing is maintained from a source across encoders preserving lip sync quality and supporting multi‑source streaming applications.

Decoder genlock connection for synchronized decoding — supports synchronized decoding of source streams across multiple VND 250 decoders.

EDID emulation — provides selectable resolutions and refresh rates, ensuring optimal resolution and format between video sources, encoders or decoders, and displays.

Auto-Image setup — when activated, the unit automatically detects the resolution of the incoming video signal and sets the total pixels, active pixels, and active lines, as well as the horizontal and vertical starting points. This can save time and effort in setting up a newly connected source, particularly in presentation environments where the input is not connected to a ﬁxed source, but instead goes to an open connection for a presenter’s laptop.

Decode at native resolution or scale to match display resolution — conﬁgure decoders to output the original source resolution or to scale incoming streams to match the display resolution and maintain clean switches when new source streams are selected.

Aspect ratio control — the aspect ratio of the decoder output can be controlled by selecting a FILL mode, which provides a full screen output, or a FOLLOW mode, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the original source signal.

HDMI compliant — both the encoder and decoder support RGB and YCrCb source formats.

HDCP compliant streaming — supports streaming of HDCP‑encrypted signals commonly used in AV environments.

Key Minder continuously verifies HDCP compliance — authenticates and maintains continuous HDCP encryption from sources to encoders and decoders to displays ensuring reliable streaming of HDCP compliant displays.

HDCP Visual Confirmation provides a green signal when encrypted content is sent to a non-compliant display — a full‑screen green signal is sent when HDCP‑encrypted

content is transmitted to a non‑HDCP compliant display, providing immediate visual conﬁrmation that protected content cannot be viewed on the display.

Audio —the VNM 250 incorporates:

z Bi‑directional audio streaming. Two‑way audio streaming supports bi‑directional audio

communication between encoders and decoders.

z HDMI embedded audio and analog stereo encoder inputs.

z HDMI audio embedding or de‑embedding by decoder. Audio signals can be embedded

onto the HDMI output signal or extracted to the analog stereo output.

z Audio breakaway streaming. Stream audio to decoders independently of associated

video sources. (This feature requires a VNM Enterprise Controller.)

Alarm relay — provides contact closure notice of warnings or alarms to control systems for proactive system monitoring and fault resolution.

Front panel LCD interface, buttons, and rotary encoders — provide access and control over device status and system data, simplifying system setup and operation.

Front panel LEDs — offers quick visual indication of device, system, or streaming status to simplify commissioning activities and troubleshooting.

VLAN Tagging — simpliﬁes management of encoders and decoders, making management and operation on multi‑purpose networks simple.

Local Ethernet control port — offers the ﬂexibility to connect a control device to the VN‑Matrix 250 unit simplifying network cabling for the streaming system.

VNM 250 • Introduction 7

USB connectors for configuration — a USB mini‑B port on the front panel can be

connected to a local PC for low level conﬁguration.

USB Keyboard and Mouse streaming — rear panel USB connections are provided to allow for KVM type collaboration between an encoder and decoder pair. The encoder USB ports allow connection to a local PC, while the decoder USB ports allow connection of a mouse and keyboard to remotely control a PC connected to the encoder.

On-screen display — aids in identifying system connections and simpliﬁes troubleshooting and programming activities.

System management with VNM Enterprise Controller — simpliﬁes management and control of systems with many VN‑Matrix devices.

Compatible and interoperable with VN-Matrix 200 and 225 models — preserves the value of prior investment in VN‑Matrix products.

Serial RS-232 data streaming — manage RS‑232 serially controlled devices across VN‑Matrix 250 connections.

Smart power management for encoder, decoder, source, and display operation — conﬁgure encoder, decoder, or display to manage operation and sleep mode for continuous operation or energy management, lowering heat, and saving energy and operating costs.

VNM 250 • Introduction 8

Installation Overview

This section provides an overview of the installation process. To set up the VNE 250 and VND 250, follow these instructions and the instructions referenced by the links provided:

1. If required, install small form‑factor pluggable (SFP) connectors in the LAN 2 ports (see

Streaming Network on page16).

2. Select a suitable location and mount the VNM 250 devices (see Mounting on

page129). Depending on your system, there may be multiple locations and multiple units at each location.

3. Power on the VNM 250 devices by connecting the provided power supplies (see

page14). Do not connect the devices to a network.

4. Decide which device will be the system controller. For large systems (more than

10devices, you must use a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller. To conﬁgure the system using the Enterprise Controller, see the VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller User Guide at

www.extron.com).

For smaller systems, you may use the Enterprise Controller or a VNM250 unit as the controller (see Low Level Device Conﬁguration on page 24).

5. Connect the Control connectors of the rear panel Coms port (three poles of the 5‑pole

captive screw connector) to a control computer. Use DataViewer to conﬁgure the IP addresses for both the control port and streaming port, the subnet mask, and gateway for each unit (see Low Level Device Conﬁguration on page 24).

ATTENTION: Prepare thoroughly before connecting or conﬁguring the VNM250

for an existing network. Contact your network administrator to ensure you have the correct network information for each device that is being added to the network. Incorrect connection or conﬁguration may disrupt the network.

NOTE: Extron recommends conﬁguring the IP addresses through the Coms port

on the rear panel. Alternatively, it is possible to use SIS commands (through the USB on the front panel) or the front panel menu.

6. Connect all the VNM 250 units to the network (see Network Connections on

page15).

NOTES:

• Ensure that the LAN 2 port is connected to the designated streaming

network.

• The control port is used with IP Link or third‑party control devices. A control

port connection is not required for normal operation of the VNM 250 unit.

7. Connect the video sources to the encoders and display equipment to the decoders (see

Video Connections on page 20).

VNM 250 • Installation Overview 9

8. Connect the audio sources to the encoders and the audio outputs to the decoders. If

required, connect the reverse audio input to the decoder and the reverse audio output to the encoder (see Audio Connections on page 21).

NOTE: The reverse audio feature allows users at the decoder site to communicate

with users at the encoder site.

9. If required, connect USB cables to allow KVM Function. This allows users at the

decoder site to take control of the keyboard and mouse of the source computer at the encoder site (see page 17).

10. If required, connect the encoder loop‑through video (see Video Connections on page

20) and audio (see Audio Connections on page 21) outputs.

11. If required, set up Genlock connections to synchronize the video streams to multiple

displays (see page 19).

12. Use a PC or laptop to access the web interface served by the controller.

For larger systems, see the VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller User Guide. For smaller systems, see VNM 250 GUI Overview on page 33.

13. Conﬁgure the video and audio input and output properties for all the devices, using the

appropriate GUI web interface.

NOTE: Extron recommends conﬁguring the audio and video connections through

the GUI web interface. Alternatively, it is possible to use the front panel menu.

VNM 250 • Installation Overview 10

Front Panels

This section describes

z VNM 250 Front Panels

z Status Information

z Unit Identify Mode

VNM 250 Front Panels

The front panels of both the VNE 250 and the VND 250 are identical apart from the product name on the silk screen. The VNE 250 is shown below:

ADJUST

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

VNE 250

CONFIG

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

ALARM

DCB

Figure 5. VNE 250 Front Panel

Conﬁg port — connect this USB mini type B port to a control PC for low level

conﬁguration using SIS commands.

Unit status LEDs — provide status information about the unit (see Status Information

on the following page).

LCD display — A 2 x 16 character LCD display provides status feedback and allows

conﬁguration through the front panel menu. For information about using the Front

Panel Menu Conﬁguration, see page 91.

Menu and Next buttons — use these buttons to move through different levels of the

front panel menu.

Rotary encoders — use these rotary encoders to select values from the front panel

menu choices.

VNM 250 • Front Panels and Menus 11

Status Information

Name Color Function

Control Orange Indicates the status of the control network port:

Stream Orange Indicates the status of the active network port (streaming):

Status Green Indicates the status of the VNE 250 or VND 250

Alarm Red Fully lit — indicates that a critical alarm has occurred.

For complete information, see Alarm Types on page 111.

Fully lit or Flashing intermittently — control data is being transmitted or received by the port.

Unlit — no data or no network connection detected.

Fully lit or Flashing intermittently — system control or source data

is being transmitted or received by the port.

Unlit — no data or no network connection detected.

Condition Encoder (source) Decoder (display)

Unlit No source input detected. No stream being received.

Flashing Source being streamed. Stream being received.

Fully Lit Source present but not

being streamed (for example, the unit is currently disabled or in standby mode).

Flashing — indicates an over‑temperature condition.

N/A

Unit Identify Mode

In addition to the standard indicator modes described above, there is a Unit Identify mode, for troubleshooting. In large systems, with multiple units in a rack and multiple rack locations, this is not always easy. The Unit Identify mode causes the front panel display back light to illuminate and ﬂash and makes it easy to match the physical unit in a rack with the virtual unit displayed in the VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller GUI.

The mode can only be triggered by a command from the Enterprise Controller. It is not available in smaller systems where a VNM250 device is used as a controller.

VNM 250 • Front Panels and Menus 12

Rear Panel and

ABCPDTSRNEMGH JK

ABCD FUSROJI

Connections

This section describes the VNE 250 and VND 250 rear panels and the connectors:

z VNE 250 Rear Panel

z VND 250 Rear Panel

z Connections

VNE 250 Rear Panel

LAN 1

POWER 12V

2.0 A MAX

STREAMINGCONTROL

LAN 2

/ACT

USB

LINK

INPUT 1

HDMI

RESET

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

RGB

INPUT 2

LOOP

THRU

AUDIO

Tx Rx

GTxRxNOC IN GOUT

COMS

PASS THRU ALARM TTLCONTROL

RETURN AUDIO

L R

OUTPUT

I/O

Figure 6. VNE 250 Rear Panel

VND 250 Rear Panel

POWER 12V

2.0 A MAX

Figure 7. VND 250 Rear Panel

Power

Control Network RJ‑45 connector

Streaming Network RJ‑45 connector

Streaming Network SFP connector (optional)

USB port, type B (VNE 250)

USB ports, type A (VND 250)

HDMI input (VNE 250)

HDMI loop‑through (VNE 250)

HDMI output (VND 250)

Reset button

Analog video input (VNE 250)

LAN 1

STREAMINGCONTROL

LAN 2

/ACT

RETURN AUDIO

OUTPUT

USB

LINK

RESET

HDMI

Analog video loop‑through (VNE 250)

Program audio loop‑through (VNE 250)

Program audio input (VNE 250)

Return audio input (VND 250)

Return audio output (VNE 250)

Program audio output (VND250)

RS‑232 coms (low level conﬁguration and pass

Tx Rx

GTxRxNOG IN GOUT

COMS INPUT

PASS THRU ALARM GENLOCKCONTROL

AUDIO

OUTPUT

I/O

through)

Alarm relay

TTL (VNE 250: not implemented)

Genlock (VND 250)

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 13

POWER

Smooth

Connections

Power

The provided 12 VDC, 3 A power supply connects to a 2‑pole, 3.5mm captive screw receptacle on the rear panel of the encoder (see ﬁgure 6, A on page 13), or

Ridges

decoder (see ﬁgure7,A on page 13).

1. Connect the captive screw connector from the

power supply to the power receptacle.

CAUTION: Electric shock hazard — The

Power Supply

Output Cord

two power cord wires must be kept separate while the power supply is plugged in. Remove power before wiring.

SECTION A–A

2. Connect the AC power cord of the power supply

unit to a 110 or 220 VAC electrical source.

If it is necessary to wire the captive screw connector, ensure the polarity of the wires is correct (see the ﬁgure to the right).

Ensure the wires are stripped correctly (see the attention and note boxes below).

ATTENTION:

• Always use a power supply provided by or speciﬁed by Extron. Use of an

unauthorized power supply voids all regulatory compliance certiﬁcation and may cause damage to the supply and the end product.

• Extron power supplies are certiﬁed to UL/CSA 60950‑1 and are classiﬁed as

LPS (Limited Power Source). Use of a non‑LPS or unlisted power supply will void all regulatory compliance certiﬁcation.

• This product is intended for use with a UL Listed power source marked

“Class2” or “LPS” and rated 12VDC, minimum 3.0 A.

• The power supply provided must only be used with a single VNM 250 device.

Never use it to power multiple devices.

• The power supply shall not be located in air handling spaces or in wall cavities.

The power supply is to be located within the same vicinity as the Extron AV processing equipment in an ordinary location, Pollution Degree 2, secured to the equipment rack within the dedicated closet, podium, or desk.

• The installation must always be in accordance with the applicable provisions of

National Electrical Code ANSI/NFPA 70, article 725 and the Canadian Electrical Code part 1, section 16.

• The power supply shall not be permanently ﬁxed to building structure or similar

structure.

• If a power strip is used, for example within rack‑mounted installations, ensure

that the current rating for the power strip and the supply is sufﬁcient for all the equipment within the rack.

• The length of the exposed wires in the stripping process is critical. The ideal

length is 3/16 inch (5 mm). If it is any longer, the exposed wires may touch, causing a short circuit between them. If it is any shorter, the wires can be easily pulled out even if tightly fastened by the captive screws.

12V

2.0 A MAX

3/16"

(5 mm) Max

NOTE: Do not tin the wires. Tinned wire does not hold its shape and can become

loose over time.

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 14

Network Connections

Contro

L (HLI

LINK

STREAMING CONTROL

The VNM 250 series units have two separate network connectors: one for the control network (LAN 1) and the other for the streaming network (LAN 2). Each port has its own IP address.

The control port (LAN 1) is not required for normal operation. When necessary, this port may be used to enable control by a third‑party control system.

The streaming port is the primary network connection. All media and device communication is delivered over this network link. To connect to the streaming network, use either the rear panel LAN 2 RJ‑45 connector or SFP (ﬁber optic) connector.

NOTE: By default, only the LAN 2 RJ‑45 connector is populated and available for use.

If an SFP connector is required, it must be purchased and installed by the user. When installed, the SFP connector becomes the active port and the RJ‑45 connection is inactive. Both of the LAN 2 ports share the same IP address.

l PC

ocal Control

or Web UI)

Extron VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller

LAN 1

LAN 2

MODEL 80

ACT/

Video Source (PC)

HDMI

LOOP

RETURN AUDIO

AUDIO

LAN 1

POWER 12V

-A MAX

LAN 2

STREAMINGCONTROL

INPUT 2

THRU

INPUT 1

RGB

USB

HDMI

GTxRxNOGIN GOUT

TxRx

RESET

ACT/

LINK

COMS

PASS THRU ALARM TTLCONTROL

LOOP THRU LOOP THRU

Streaming

Ethernet

OUTPUT

I/O

Ethernet

Extron VNE 250 Matrix

Ethernet

Switching

Network

Virtual

Ethernet

IR INPUT RELAY

COM

Tx Rx

Extron IPL 250

3142314231

Ethernet

100

LINK

ACT

Extron

FLAT PANEL

Flat Panel Display

Extron TLP 710TV

POWER 12V

-A MAX

HDMI

RETURN AUDIO

LAN 1

OUTPUT

USB

ACT/

LINK

HDMI

LAN 2

STREAMINGCONTROL

AUDIO

OUTPUT

TxRx

GTxRxNOGIN GOUT

RESET

I/O

COMS INPUT

PASS THRU ALARMGENLOCKCONTROL

Extron

IPL 250

VND 250 Matrix

Figure 8. VNM 250 Control and Streaming Network Connections

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 15

Streaming network (LAN 2)

NOTE: The RJ‑45 and SFP streaming network connectors share the same IP address.

Only one connector can be active at any time. If the SFP cage is unpopulated, the RJ‑45 connector is active. If the SFP cage is populated, it becomes active and the RJ‑45 connector is inactive.

By default, the RJ‑45 port is the active streaming network connection and the SFP cage (see ﬁgure 6, unpopulated.

To use the RJ‑45 port (see ﬁgure 6, C on page 13 for the encoder or ﬁgure7,C on page 13 for the decoder), connect this port to the network with a standard LAN cable.

If required, third‑party SFP connectors must be purchased separately. To install an SFP connector, follow these points:

1. Choose a suitable SFP connector (most models are acceptable). Either singlemode

(1310 nm) or multi‑mode (850nm) modules can be used.

2. Power down the unit. In addition to being good safety practice, the unit needs to be

rebooted for the device to correctly recognize the SFP port. When a compatible SFP module is installed, the SFP port becomes active and the RJ‑45 port is deactivated.

3. Connect a single mode or multi‑mode cable to the encoder (see ﬁgure 6, D on page

13), or decoder (see ﬁgure7,D on page 13).

on page 13 for the encoder or ﬁgure7,D on page 13 for the decoder) is

To use a VNM 250 device as a controller:

1. Conﬁgure the network settings of the device that is to be used as the system controller

(see Low Level Device Conﬁguration on page 24).

2. Connect the device to the network using the streaming LAN 2 port on the rear panel of

the encoder (see ﬁgure 6, C or D on page 13), or decoder (see ﬁgure7,C or D on page 13).

3. Open a web browser on a control PC that is connected to the same network.

4. Type in the IP address of the streaming port of the VNM 250 device that was set as

system controller in step 1, above, and use the GUI to conﬁgure the system settings (see Setting a VNM Device as the System Controller on page 27).

NOTE: To control larger systems (ten or more components), use a VN‑Matrix

EnterpriseController (see the VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller User Guide at

www.extron.com).

Control network (LAN 1)

The control port LAN 1 may be used for system control, using the HLI control protocol. A touchpanel or similar control interface may be connected and conﬁgured to communicate with the VNM Enterprise Controller to recall previously conﬁgured presets.

NOTE: This control method may only be used with a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller.

The HLI control protocol is not supported by the VNM 250 controller (see the VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller User Guide at www.extron.com).

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 16

USB Ports

USB

KVM function

KVM functionality permits remote collaboration between different endpoints on the network by allowing a mouse and keyboard connected to the decoder to control a PC connected to the encoder using the rear panel USB ports.

1. Connect a mouse and keyboard to the VND 250 rear panel USB

ports (see ﬁgure7,F on page 13).

2. Connect a PC to the VNE 250 rear panel USB port (see ﬁgure 6, E

on page 13). This connection passes the mouse and keyboard control signals to the source PC.

3. If the system is controlled by a VNM Enterprise Controller, use the Enterprise Controller

GUI for conﬁguring KVM functionality (see the VNM Enterprise Controller User Guide at

www.extron.com).

If a VNM 250 device is the system controller, use the GUI for that device to conﬁgure KVM Functionality (see VNM 250 GUI Overview on page 33).

Both the encoder and decoder must be conﬁgured to allow KVM functionality, using the Peripherals page of the web user interface of the device being used as system controller (see Conﬁguring KVM Functionality on page 89).

Once conﬁgured, the KVM mode is activated using a hot key sequence on the keyboard that is connected to the decoder (see To activate a remote control session using

hot keys on page 89).

4. Conﬁgure the system so that the decoder is viewing the source PC.

NOTE: KVM is only available when there is an active video stream between the

encoder and decoder.

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 17

Coms

COMS

RS-232 pass-through

The Coms port on the rear panel of the encoder (see ﬁgure 6, R on page 13), or decoder (see ﬁgure7,R on page 13) is used for RS‑232 pass‑through communications, allowing a control device connected to one VNM 250 unit to control a remote device connected to a second VNM250 unit.

Serial data received by one VNM 250 unit is transmitted over the network, using TCP/IP, and then converted back to serial data at the target VNM 250 unit. Data ﬂow is fully bidirectional.

Units that are conﬁgured for this type of data ﬂow are called pass-through groups:

z One device in each pass‑through group is designated as a server.

z One or more devices are connected as clients.

z There may be more than one pass‑through group in a system.

z A pass‑through group may consist of all encoders, all decoders, or a mixture of both.

z A device may be a server or client independently of whether it is an encoder or decoder

and independently of whether or not it is the system controller.

z Pass‑through data is not part of the media stream and cannot be stored by a

VN‑Matrixrecorder.

z Data passes through the system unchanged (transparently). No VNM 250 devices are

affected by the commands.

z The serial ports on different devices do not need to share a common baud rate.

However, if a large amount of data is sent from a high speed to a low speed data link, some form of handshaking or ﬂow control may be required to prevent buffer overﬂow on the output device. Standard ﬂow control methods are fully supported.

To set up the RS‑232 pass‑through group:

1. Decide which VNM 250 unit will be the server in the pass‑through group and which will

be the clients.

2. Connect your serial devices to the VNM 250 RS‑232 ports

Tx Rx

accordingly. Communication can only take place between server and client, not between clients.

Use the ﬁrst three poles of a shared captive screw connector

PASS THRU CONTROL

(Tx, Rx, and G). See the Attention and Note boxes on page 14 for information about preparing and connecting wires to a captive screw connector.

3. Log in to the web interface (see VNM 250 GUI Login on page 33).

4. Conﬁgure the server (see Pass-through Coms Server Conﬁguration on page 90).

5. Conﬁgure one or more clients (see Pass-through Coms Client Conﬁguration on

page 90).

GTxRx

CONTRO

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 18

Alarms

OUT

COMS

RS-232 Connector

Wiring

PASS

RS-232 control

RS-232 control — allows low level conﬁguration of the encoder or

decoder. Use the three poles to the right of the shared captive screw connector (see ﬁgure 6, R, or ﬁgure 7, R on page 13). See the Attention and Note boxes on page 14 for information about preparing and connecting wires to a captive screw connector. See

Low Level Device Conﬁguration on page 24.

NOTE: The RS‑232 pins are not in the standard Extron

orientation. Ensure that the connector is correctly wired (see the ﬁgure to the right).

Alarm relays — provide a normally open (NO) contact. Use the ﬁrst two poles of a shared captive screw connector (see ﬁgure 6, S or

ﬁgure7, S on page 13). See the Attention and Note boxes on

page 14 for information about preparing and connecting wires to a captive screw connector.

Tx Rx

PASS THRU CONTROL

ASS THR

GTxRx

Tx Rx

GTxRx

COMS

PASS THRUCONTROL

THR

Ground

Transmit

NO GINGOUT

ALARM GENLOCK

ENLOCK

Receive

I/O

TTL

NO GINGOUT

TTL (VNE 250) —the TTL (Transistor‑transistor logic) feature is not currently supported.

ALARM TTL

LAR

I/O

Genlock

Genlock I/O (VND 250) —is used to synchronize the video output on multiple decoders.

NOTE: The VND 250 uses TTL level signalling, which is not

compatible with normal genlock sources.

One decoder is selected as the reference (master) unit, and provides the signal that is used to synchronize all the other units (slaves).

1. Conﬁgure one decoder as the Master unit, using the web‑based GUI control program

(see Genlock on page59).

2. Conﬁgure all the other decoders as slaves by selecting the Genlock check box of the

web‑based GUI control program (see page 59).

3. Connect the Ground connector of the master unit to the ground connector of the ﬁrst

slave device.

4. Connect the Out connector of the master unit to the In connector of the ﬁrst slave

device.

NO GINGOUT

ALARM GENLOCK

LARM

I/O

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 19

5. Connect the ground connector of the ﬁrst slave device to the ground connector of the

INPUT 2

THRU

INPUT 1

second slave device.

6. Connect the genlock out from the ﬁrst slave device to the genlock in of the second

slave device.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to link as many slave devices as required.

Video Connections

HDMI input (VNE 250) — connect an HDMI digital video source to this port (see ﬁgure 6, G on page 13). For a list of supported modes, see the Speciﬁcations on the VNM 250 web page at

www.extron.com.

HDMI loop-through (VNE 250) — provides fully buffered

output of all data from the HDMI input source. Connect a local HDMI monitor to this port (see ﬁgure 6, H on page 13).

HDMI

LOOP THRU

HDMI output (VND 250) — connect an HDMI digital video display to this

OUTPUT

port (see ﬁgure7,I on page 13).

Use the provided LockIt HDMI Cable Lacing Brackets to secure the HDMI cables to the VND 250 (one screw above the port) or VNE 250 (two screws to the sides of the port). Follow the instructions on the card provided with the brackets. This card is also available at

www.extron.com.

HDMI

NOTE: A full‑screen green image is displayed when a non‑HDCP compliant display is

used in conjunction with HDCP‑encrypted content.

LOOP

Analog video input (VNE 250) — connect an analog video source to the 15‑pin HD connector labelled "RGB" (see ﬁgure 6, modes, see the Speciﬁcations on the VNM 250 web

on page 13). For a list of supported

RGB

LOOP THRU

AUDIO

AUDI

L R

page at www.extron.com.

Analog video loop-through (VNE 250) — provides

LOOP THRU

fully buffered output of all data from the analog video input source. Connect a local analog video monitor to the 15‑pin HD connector labelled "Loop Thru" (see ﬁgure6,L on page13).

A list of Supported EDID Modes can be found on page 122.

NOTE: Both loop‑through outputs will display the image from the input that has

been selected for streaming. HDCP‑encrypted content is only shown on compliant displays.

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 20

Audio Connections

INPUT 2

OUTPUT

VND 250

Audio loop-through (VNE 250) — connect a 3.5 mm TRS jack to this socket for unbalanced buffered output from the audio input source (see

ﬁgure6,M on page13).

Analog program audio input (VNE 250) — connect balanced or

unbalanced, mono or stereo audio to this 5‑pole, 3.5 mm captive screw receptacle (see ﬁgure6,N on page13).

Return audio input (VND 250) — allows bidirectional communication, using a reverse audio signal sent from a decoder to the associated encoder. Connect balanced or unbalanced, mono or stereo audio input to this 5‑pole, 3.5 mm captive screw connector (see ﬁgure7,O on page 13).

Return audio output (VNE 250) — allows bidirectional communication by sending a reverse audio signal from an associated decoder, to be played by the encoder. Connect the audio output from this 5‑pole captive screw connector to an ampliﬁer or powered speakers (see ﬁgure6,P on page13).

Analog program audio output (VND 250) — connect the audio output from this 5‑pole captive screw connector to an ampliﬁer or powered speakers (see ﬁgure7,Q on page13).

LOOP THRU

VNE 250

LOOP

THRU

AUDIO

L R

RETURN AUDIO

INPUT

RETURN AUDIO

L R

AUDIO

Reset

Reset button — is used to reboot the operating system. To activate this recessed button, insert the blade of a small screwdriver or a similar device into the hole and press the button (see ﬁgure6,J or ﬁgure7,J on page13)..

NOTE: The reset button simply reboots the system. It does not alter any settings.

To reset IP addresses, use the Reset option on the front panel menu (see encoder

Reset on page99 or decoder Reset on page 109).

VNM 250 • Rear Panel and Connections 21

System Conﬁguration with the Enterprise Controller

All Matrix systems require one device that acts as the system controller. For a small system (ten devices or fewer), this can be either a VNE 250 or VND 250. For larger systems a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller must be used.

A system controlled by the Enterprise Controller can incorporate any VN‑Matrix devices, including recorders, into the system.

Systems controlled by a VNM 250 device cannot exceed 10 devices in total. A VNM250 controller supports VNM 250 encoders and decoders and PCs running the VNS104 software. It does not support recorders. If an incompatible VN‑Matrix device is added to a system controlled by a VNM250 device, the controller cannot detect or control that device.

Controlling Your System with a VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller

1. Connect a PC and a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller to the same network as the

components of your streaming AV system.

NOTE: The PC and Enterprise Controller must be connected to the same network

as the streaming port (LAN 2) of the VNM 250 device.

2. Open an internet browser on the PC and enter the IP address of the VNM Enterprise

Controller in the address bar. The login screen opens.

Figure 9. VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller Login Page

3. Enter the Username and password.

NOTE: Check with your Network Administrator for the Username and password. If

they have not been changed from the default settings, the Username is admin (all lower case) and there is no password (leave the box empty).

VNM 250 • System Conﬁguration with VNM Enterprise Controller 2222

The Enterprise Controller GUI opens.

Figure 10. VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller Device List

4. To conﬁgure the system with the Enterprise Controller, see the VN-Matrix Enterprise

Controller User Guide, which is available at www.extron.com.

VNM 250 • System Conﬁguration with VNM Enterprise Controller 23

Low Level Device

Control Network port

Streaming Network port

10. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

Please select an option

Conﬁguration

The RS‑232 control port is used to conﬁgure the network settings for the VNE 250 and the VND 250. Follow these instructions:

1. Use an RS‑232 cable to connect a control PC to the rear panel Coms port of the

VNM 250 device (see page 19).

2. On the PC or laptop, open a terminal emulation program, such as Extron DataViewer,

with the following settings:

z Baud rate: 115200

z Data bits: 8

z Parity: None

z Stop bits: 1

z Flow control: None

NOTE: DataViewer can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Extron website

(www.extron.com).

3. Enter the

User name and Password.

NOTES:

• When DataViewer ﬁrst opens, it may be necessary to press <Enter> for the

User name prompt to appear.

• By default, the User name is config and the Password is also config.

The low level conﬁguration menu opens (ﬁgure 11 shows default values):

====================

0. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

1. IP Prov mode: static [dhcp]

2. address: 192.168.253.254

3. netmask: 255.255.255.0

6. mtu: 1500

7. VLAN ID: 0

8. controller ip: 192.168.254.254

9. Exit

======================

11. IP Prov mode: static [dhcp]

12. address: 192.168.254.254

13. netmask: 255.255.255.0

14. gateway: 192.168.254.1

16. mtu: 1500

17. VLAN ID: 0

18. Controller port: 5432

19. webserver port: 80

Figure 11. Low Level Conﬁguration Menu Page 1

NOTE: These values are held in local memory on the unit itself.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 2424

4. At the Please select an option: prompt, type the number of the parameter you wish

to change followed by <Enter>:

z 0

or 10b — these options set the network link speed. When you choose either

option, you are offered a further choice:

1. auto_10_100_1000 — conﬁgures for auto speed negotiation up to 1 Gbps.

2. auto_10_100 — conﬁgures for auto speed negotiation up to 100 Mbps.

Enter 1 or 2 followed by <Enter> at the prompt. The default setting is

1. auto_10_100_1000.

NOTE: A Gigabit network is recommended for streaming media applications.

z 1

or 11b — these options determine whether the IP address of the unit will be static or set by DHCP. When you choose either option, type static or dhcp followed by <Enter>. The default setting is static.

NOTES:

• static and dhcp are all lower case letters.

• When 1 is set to dhcp, options 2 and 3 are not available. When 11 is set

to dhcp, options 12‑14 are not available.

z 2

and 12b — these options set the local address of the network port. Standard rules for IP addresses apply. The default values are 192.168.253.254 (control network) and 192.168.254.254 (streaming network).

Do not use leading zeros. For example, 192.168.10.25 is valid; 192.168.010.025 is not valid.

NOTE: The control and streaming ports must be assigned to different subnets.

z 3

and 13b — these options set the network Subnet Mask. The default value is

255.255.255.0. Standard rules for IP Addresses apply. Do not use leading zeros.

z 14

— this option sets the IP address for the default gateway. The default value is

192.168.254.1.

This value is required for systems with multiple subnets. The Default Gateway must be on the same subnet as the streaming port.

To clear a Gateway Address, select 14 and press <Enter> with no value set.

z Options 4, 5, and 15 are not available.

z 6

and 16b — these options set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) Setting. The default value is 1500.

This value affects the system performance. Larger values may cause packets to be fragmented (split) and smaller values may not make efﬁcient use of the network capacity.

z 7

and 17b — these options set the VLAN ID. The VLAN ID may be set on each of the network ports. The default value is 0.

NOTES:

Options 0 to 6 relate to the control network LAN 1. For full information about

Conﬁguring the Control Port, see page 32.

Options 10 to 16 relate to the streaming network LAN 2 (RJ‑45 or SFP).

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 25

z 8 — this option sets the IP address of the system controller. The controller IP

6. DHCPD/SLAAC server enable: dhcp

7. DHCP IP range: 192.168.254.200 192.168.254.254

9. Exit

Please select an option

address must be set to the IP Address of the streaming port on the unit designated as controller. This is the network port over which system control data is sent. The default value is 192.168.254.254.

z 18 — this option sets the number of the port that is used for communications with

the system controller. The default value is 5432 but it may be changed, if required. All units in the system must have the same port number assigned.

z 19 — this option sets the number of the port that communicates with the web

server. The default value is 80 but it may be changed, if required. The web browser in use must use the same port number.

NOTE: Option 19 is only available when the device is conﬁgured as the system

controller.

z 9 — this option allows you to exit the network port conﬁguration page and opens

the Controller and DHCP Conﬁguration page. Any changes that have been made are activated only after exiting the Controller and DHCP Conﬁguration page and rebooting.

5. Select 9 followed by <Enter>.

The DHCP conﬁguration settings page opens:

Figure 12. Low Level Conﬁguration Menu Page

NOTE: The settings in this menu apply only when the device is conﬁgured as the

system controller.

6. At the

Please select an option: prompt, type the number of the parameter you wish

to change followed by <Enter>:

z 6 — this option enables or disables the DHCP/SLAAC server. To enable the server,

enter dhcp followed by <Enter>. To disable the server, enter none followed by <Enter>.

NOTE: dhcp and none are all lower case letters.

z 7 — this option sets the DHCP IP range and is only available when DHCP is

enabled (option 6). Enter the DHCP pool address range in the following format:

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx<space>xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

where the lower IP address value and the upper IP address value are separated by a single space.

z 9 — this option saves all changes, closes the Controller and DHCP conﬁg page,

and automatically reboots the device in the conﬁg login.

7. Select 9 followed by <Enter>.

The Controller and DHCP conﬁguration settings page closes and the device automatically reboots to the conﬁg login screen. The changes that were made in steps 4‑6 are implemented.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 26

Setting a VNM 250 Device as the System Controller

All Matrix systems require one device that acts as the system controller. For small systems (ten devices or fewer), this can be either a VNE250 or VND250. For larger systems, a VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller must be used.

The VNM250 device that is chosen as the system controller must use static IP address settings.

Extron recommends using Low Level Device Conﬁguration (see page 24) to set one device as the system controller.

Conﬁguring the System Controller with a Static IP Address

To conﬁgure the system controller with a static IP address:

1. Open the conﬁguration menu of each device (see page 24) and ensure that the

Streaming Network port IP Prov mode (option 11) is set to static.

2. Set the IP address (option 12), netmask (option 13), and gateway (option 14) for the

streaming network (LAN 2).

3. Set the Controller IP address (option 8) to the same address as the streaming port.

4. Use option 9 to exit from the conﬁguration menu.

Conﬁguring Other VNM 250 Devices with a Static IP Address

To conﬁgure the system with static IP addresses for all devices:

1. Open the conﬁguration menu (see page 24) and ensure that the Streaming Network

port IP Prov mode (option 11) is set to static.

2. Set the IP address (option 12), netmask (option 13), and gateway (option 14) for the

streaming network (LAN 2).

3. Set the Controller IP address (option 8).

NOTES:

• Every device must have a unique Streaming network port (LAN 2) IP address

4. Use option 9 to exit from the conﬁguration menu.

5. Use option 9 to exit from the Controller and DHCP menu.

6. Repeat steps 1‑5 to conﬁgure all other VNM 250 devices in the system.

(option12).

• Every device in the system must have the same Controller IP address

(option8) and this must be the same as the streaming network port (LAN 2) IP address on the device selected to be system controller.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 27

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit for DHCP

Control Network port

Streaming Network port

10. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

Please select an option:

VNM250 devices may have their streaming port network settings conﬁgured using IP addresses from a DHCP server.

For small systems, the VNM250 device that is used as the system controller may also be conﬁgured to act as a DHCP server. It is then used to set the streaming port parameters of the other VNM250 devices in the same system. For larger systems a Windows DHCP server may be used.

NOTE: The VN Matrix Enterprise Controller does not support DHCP server

functionality.

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 System Controller as a DHCP Server

The following requirements must be observed:

z The DHCP server will run only on a VNM250 device that is conﬁgured as the system

controller.

z The streaming network settings of the controller device must be statically assigned.

z The Controller IP address must be statically assigned.

To conﬁgure the VNM 250 system controller as a DHCP Server:

1. Connect a control PC to the chosen unit and log in as described in steps 1-3 on

page24.

====================

0. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

1. IP Prov mode: static

2. address: 192.168.253.254

3. netmask: 255.255.255.0

6. mtu: 1500

7. VLAN ID: 0

8. controller ip: 192.168.254.254

9. Exit

======================

11. IP Prov mode: static

12. address: 192.168.254.254

13. netmask: 255.255.255.255

14. gateway: 192.168.254.254

16. mtu: 1500

17. VLAN ID: 0

18. Controller port: 5432

19. webserver port: 80

Figure 13. Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit as a DHCP Server.

2. Set IP Prov mode (option 11) to static.

3. Ensure that option 12 has a valid IP address. This address must be in the same range

that the user wishes to allocate when DHCP is enabled.

4. Ensure that option 13 has a valid subnet mask.

5. Ensure that option 14 has a valid gateway.

NOTE: If the gateway is invalid or not present, the unit will not be able to act as a

DHCP server.

6. Ensure that option

8 (controller address) is set to the same address as set in option 12.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 28

7. Select option 9 to move to the controller section of the menu.

6. DHCPD/SLAAC server enable: none

9. Exit

Please select an option:

6. DHCPD/SLAAC server enable: dhcp

7. DHCP IP range: 192.168.254.200 192.168.254.254

9. Exit

Please select an option:

Control Network port

Streaming Network port

10. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

Please select an option:

Figure 14. Low Level Conﬁguration Menu, Page 2

8. Select option 6 and enter dhcp. This enables the DHCP server in the device.

9. Once option 6 is set to dhcp, option 7 becomes visible. Select option 7 and enter the

range of addresses that the DHCP server will use when allocating addresses. This range must include the address set for option 12 on the previous page.

Figure 15. Controller Set as a DHCP Server

10. Select option 9 to commit the settings and reboot the unit.

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit to Operate with a DHCP Server

1. Login to the chosen unit using a serial cable and enter the user name of config with

the password of config.

2. Select option 11 from the menu and enter the value dhcp.

3. Press <Enter>. Options 12, 13 and 14 disappear from the menu. These values are

assigned when the unit contacts the DHCP server and acquires a valid IP address.

4. Select option 8 (controller address). Enter either the IP address of the system controller

or set the IP address to “0.0.0.0”. Either method is acceptable.

If the address is set to “0.0.0.0” the DHCP server must either be a VNM 250 unit or a DHCP server that has the “Vendor Speciﬁc Option” correctly conﬁgured. This is explained in the next section.

====================

0. Speed/Duplex: auto_10_100_1000

1. IP Prov mode: static

2. address: 192.168.253.254

3. netmask: 255.255.255.0

6. mtu: 1500

7. VLAN ID: 0

8. controller ip: 0.0.0.0

9. Exit

Figure 16. Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit to Operate with a DHCP Server

======================

11. IP Prov mode: dhcp

16. mtu: 1500

17. VLAN ID: 0

18. Controller port: 5432

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 29

5. Select option 9 (Exit) to enter the Controller menu.

6. DHCPD/SLAAC server enable: none

9. Exit

Please select an option:

Figure 17. Low Level Conﬁguration Menu, Page 2

Ensure that options 6 is set to none.

6. Select option 9 (Exit) to reboot the device.

The streaming network settings will be conﬁgured when the VNM250 device is connected to a network with a properly conﬁgured system controller or DHCP server.

NOTE: The VN‑Matrix Enterprise Controller does not currently provide DHCP

server functionality.

Using a Dedicated DHCP Server

If required, a dedicated DHCP server may be used to provide the IP address settings for the VNM250 device in a system.

The device that is acting as the system controller must have its IP settings conﬁgured statically.

The other VNM250 devices in the system are to be conﬁgured for DHCP as described in

Conﬁguring a VNM 250 Series Unit to Operate with a DHCP Server on the previous

page.

If possible, the DHCP server should be conﬁgured to provide the Controller IP address and port number, using the Vendor Speciﬁc Option. Otherwise, the IP address of the system controller must be entered on all VNM250 devices in the system.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 30

Conﬁguring a Windows 2008 R2.

The windows DHCP server can be conﬁgured so that, when a VNM 250 device contacts the server for an IP address, the server can include the IP address of the system controller and the controller port number as part of the DHCP conﬁguration.

The ﬁgure below shows a Windows Server 2008 R2 installation. Other operating systems may vary.

Scope Options ?

General

Advanced

Available Options

043 Vendor Specic Info Embedded w

044 WINS/NBNS Servers

045 NetBIOS over TCP/IP NBDD

046 WINS/NBT Node Type

Data entry

String value:

controller-ip=192.168.254.254;controller-port=5432

OK Cancel

Description

NBNS Addre

NetBIOS ov

0x1 = B-nod

Apply

Figure 18. Scope Options Window

1. Open the Server Manager.

2. Highlight the scope options and right click. Select

Configure Options from the

pop‑up.

3. In the General tab, navigate to option 043 Vendor Specific Info and select the

check box.

4. In the Data Entry text box, enter:

controller-ip=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx;controller-port=xxxx;

where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the controller and “xxxx” is the port number used by the VNM 250 system for controller communication. By default, this value is 5432.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 31

Control Port

The control port is used to access the web UI or the HLI control interfaces on a VN‑Matrix system.

The web UI on either a VNM250 device (conﬁgured as the system controller) or a VNMEnterprise controller may be accessed from any device on the same system by connecting a PC to a properly conﬁgured control port. This may be useful when a system is undergoing commissioning, but is not required for normal operation.

If a VNMEnterprise controller is in use, then the HLI control interface may also be accessed from the control port of any VNM250 device on the same system. This facilitates the connection of an external control system, where necessary.

The web UI and HLI interface are both accessed at the control port via a connection across the streaming network. A process similar to Network Address Translation (NAT) is used to map data received on the control port so that it is transferred to the system controller using the streaming network. Replies from the system controller to the local device follow the reverse path.

z From a web browser enter http://[system controller IP address] to access the

system Controller web UI.

z To access the HLI interface on a VNM Enterprise Controller, then the IP address of the

system controller is used along with the appropriate port number. For the HLI control protocol the port number is 9996.

NOTE: The user will NOT be able to directly access devices that are connected to the

control ports of other VNM 250 devices.

Conﬁguring the Control Port

Conﬁgure the control port by using the process described in the Low level Conﬁguration section that starts on page 24.

When conﬁguring the Control port the following must be observed:

z The IP addresses assigned to the Control Port and the Streaming Port must not be on

the same subnet.

z Give the user PC a default gateway that forces IP messages to be passed to the system

controller via the control port interface. For a directly connected PC, set the default gateway of the PC (or control system) to the IP address of the VNM250 control port.

VNM 250 • Low Level Device Conﬁguration 32

VNM 250 GUI Overview

VNM 250 GUI Login

The system can be conﬁgured and controlled using a graphical user interface (GUI), which is served by the VNM 250 device that is acting as the system controller. To use this GUI, follow these instructions:

1. Use one of the following web browsers with the version shown or later:

z Windows

z Mozilla

z Google

The PC must be on the same network as the VNM 250 controller.

2. Enter the controller IP address in the search bar. Press <Enter>.

3. The VN‑Matrix Controller login page opens:

Internet Explorer® version 8

Firefox® version 20

Chrome™ version 30

Figure 19. VN-Matrix Controller Login Page

4. Enter the Username and Password. By default, these are both admin (all lower case).

5. Press Log In. The VNM 250 GUI opens at the Device List tab (see page 35).

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 3333

VNM 250 GUI Tabs

The following list shows the tabs that are available in the VNM 250 GUI control program and provides links to more detailed descriptions of each tab. They are divided into Shared tabs (encoder and decoder), Encoder tabs, and Decoder tabs.

Conﬁguration of the system, using the control program is described in Conﬁguration with

the VNM 250 GUI (see page 66).

Tabs Shared by Both the Encoder and Decoder

z Device List (see page 35)

z Accounts (see page 36)

z Alarms (see page 37)

z Alarms Logs (see page 38)

z Upgrade (see page 40)

z Peripherals (see page 41)

z License (see page 44)

Encoder tabs

z Encoder Device (see page 45)

z Conﬁgure (VideoPort0) (see page 46)

z Bandwidth (see page 48)

z Video Setup (see page 52)

z Conﬁgure (AudioPort0) (see page 53)

z Conﬁgure (data) (see page 55)

Decoder tabs

z Decoder Device (see page 57)

z Display (Display0) (see page 58)

z Bandwidth (video) (see page 61)

z Bandwidth (audio) (see page 62)

z Bandwidth (data) (see page 64)

z Format (see page 65)

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 34

Tabs Shared by Both the Encoder and Decoder

Some of the tabs listed in this section, for example the Device List (see below), Accounts (see page 36), Alarms (see page 37), and Alarm Logs tabs (see page 38), can be accessed without ﬁrst selecting a device.

Other tabs, for example the License (see page 44), Upgrade (see page 40), and

Peripherals (see page 41) tabs, can only be selected once a device has been selected.

However, the options in these tabs are identical whether you navigate to the page from an encoder or a decoder. Therefore, they have also been included in this Shared Tabs section.

Save All, Help, and Logout are available in all screens, although these function as buttons

rather than tabs.

Save All saves changes you have made:

On the Device List page, Save All saves all changes on the system.

On the Device page, Save All saves only the changes to that device.

Help provides a context‑sensitive help page that explains the features of the tab that is

currently open.

Logout, logs you out of the system.

Device list tab

The control program opens to the Device List tab.

Figure 20. VN-Matrix Device List Tab.

When the Device List tab is selected, the Accounts and Alarms tabs become available.

The Device List lists all the devices in the system, using the following icons:

Mode Icon Description Status Icon Description

Unknown device Alarm status gray — a device that has not

contacted the controller during this session.

Encoder device (source)

Decoder device (display)

Alarm status green — a device under active control with no alarms.

Alarm status yellow — a device under active control showing only Warning alarms.

Alarm status red — a device under active control showing Critical alarms.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 35

Click on any of the text or icons for a speciﬁc device to open the Device tab for that device. For information about the encoder device tab, see page 45. For information about the

decoder device tab, see page 57.

Accounts tab — controller conﬁguration

From the Device List tab, click the Accounts tab:

Figure 21. Accounts Tab

The Accounts screen is used to change the passwords of the public and admin accounts, to update the system clock time, and to enter controller license details.

Password Management

The admin account allows full access to the VNM 250 web GUI. The public account allows read‑only access.

The admin and public user names cannot be modiﬁed.

By default the password for the admin account is admin. The password for the public account is public.

The admin account password can only be modiﬁed when you are already logged in as

admin. If you are logged in as public, the admin password modiﬁcation ﬁelds are disabled.

To change the password, enter the Current Password, the New Password, repeat the new password in the Confirm box then press Update Passwords.

NOTES:

• The password should consist of letters, numbers and the underscore character.

Case is signiﬁcant.

• Some changes must be implemented by pressing the update button. Where

changes are pending both the changed item and the update button will be shown in yellow.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 36

Clock Management

NOTE: The Current Time is the date and time when the page was served.

The Current Time is used by all devices to time stamp system events and alarms. The clock setting on all VNM 250 devices is factory set to UTC time and it is not necessary to make any changes to the setting for the system to operate. The clock setting may be changed to set the controller to local time, if required.

New Time is the updated date and time. It can only be modiﬁed by the admin user

and should be input in an identical format to the Current Time: year-month-date

hours-minutes-seconds

z The year should include the century, eg: 2005.

z The month is a number from 1 to 12

z The date is a number from 1 to 31

z Hours is a 24 hours clock number from 0 to 23

z Minutes and seconds are numbers from 0 to 59

The time is updated by pressing Change Time.

Controller Licensing Management

The Controller licensing is used to enable the use of VNS 104 and VNM Software decoders on a system. The Controller license contains two elements, an option and a checksum. New licenses may be obtained from your Extron dealer when they are required. Talk to the Extron S3 Technical Support (for contact information see the last page of this user guide).

Click on the Change Licence button to open the License tab.

Alarms tab

From the Device List tab, click the Alarms tab:

Figure 22. Alarms Tab

The Alarms screen is used to monitor the active alarms on the system and to modify the severity and reporting attributes of alarms on a device by device basis.

Alarms are descriptions of problem events with the system. They are raised and cleared by hardware and typically have a 5 second hysteresis — once an alarm is raised, it stays on for 5 seconds even though the error event has cleared. This prevents noisy conditions saturating the alarm log buffer.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 37

Alarms can have three degrees of severity indicated by the alarm icons in the device list and the alarm status messages at the top of each page:

z Critical is shown in red and usually means the service has failed. If the device has a

critical alarm it illuminates the red LED on the front panel and activates the closure relay accessed by the rear panel connector.

z Warning is shown in amber and indicates a less severe error has occured. Often a

Warning is raised when there is an expectation that another Critical alarm shows the root‑cause of the problem.

z Setting the severity to None effectively ﬁlters this alarm ‑ it still appears in the alarms list

but does not affect the colored indicators.

Alarms can also be Reporting or Not-Reporting. A Reporting alarm will cause an SNMP trap to be sent to any registered SNMP client when the alarm is raised. Setting Not‑Reporting prevents these traps from being sent.

Alarms can be ﬁltered for all devices or for just a single device. This is achieved by Selecting the Alarm-Type, Alarm-Source, Alarm-Severity, Alarm-Reporting and clicking

Apply Filter Change. Note that if a global change is made this will not affect any devices

which are created after this time. All devices are always created with default severities and reporting.

Alarm logs tab

From the Alarms tab, click the Alarm Logs tab:

Figure 23. Alarms Logs Tab

An Alarm Log is a record of when an alarm condition was raised and when it was cleared. Alarm Logs are paired so an Alarm Log with both a raise time and clear time describes a historic alarm condition.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 38

The system contains space for 200 alarm logs. Once more than this number of events have been recorded the history of older events will be discarded. Alarm Logs can also be cleared by clicking the Clear Logs button.

Alarm logs can be sorted by type, raise time and severity by clicking on the column header. A small arrow shows the sort direction which is reversed when the column header is clicked a second time.

The system has the capability to report an Alarm event via SNMP traps. To receive an SNMP trap the user must add a trap destination by inserting the IP address of the trap recipient in the text box and clicking Create Trap Destination. Multiple destinations may be added in this manner. To delete a destination the user should again enter the IP address of the trap recipient and click Delete Trap Destination.

SNMP traps are only sent for Reporting alarm points as speciﬁed in the alarm reporting and ﬁlter screen.

The system supports two types of SNMP traps: version‑1 and version‑2c. The SNMP Community string is a type of weak password used by the trap recipient. This should be set appropriately by the user or the SNMP client may reject the trap. The trap version and password are globally assigned. It is not possible to set different trap levels and passwords for different destinations.

Overview — SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol used to conﬁgure and monitor a network. The VN‑Matrix 250 device has the ability to report alarm events using an SNMP trap (traps are used by network entities to signal abnormal conditions to network administrators).

When communicating using SNMP, the VN‑Matrix 250 complies with the requirements of SNMPv3. When generating SNMP traps, the VN‑Matrix 250 complies with the requirements of SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c.

Using an SNMP Password

The SNMP password is the same as the administrator password. By default this is set to

admin.

NOTE: It is necessary to enter the administrator password in the accounts page

before SNMP can be used. This process must be carried out for each of the following circumstances:

• When you are ﬁrst using the system

• After a ﬁrmware upgrade to the system

A password for SNMPv3 must be eight characters long. If the administrator password is fewer than eight characters in length, additional characters from the password are concatenated as follows:

admin becomes adminadm.

If the administrator password is longer than eight characters, the value is truncated:

administrator becomes administ.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 39

SNMP Community

The value in the SNMP Community ﬁeld acts as a password. It is used to authenticate messages between the VN‑Matrix 250 system and the network management system (NMS). By default, the SNMP Community ﬁeld is set to public. The SNMP Community string must match that in use by the NMS; if not, it may not be possible to manage the VN‑Matrix250 device.

SNMP Trap Destinations

The Filter Settings dialogue on the Alarm Logs page is used to add and remove destination IP addresses for NMS servers.

Figure 24. Filter Settings Section of the Alarm Logs Page

The IP address of the NMS should be entered in the Create Trap Destination ﬁeld. Multiple destinations may be added, one at a time.

Upgrade tab

To access the Upgrade tab, you must ﬁrst select a device from the Device List and, when the Device tab opens, click the Upgrade Tab. However, whether you navigate to the

Upgrade tab from an encoder or a decoder, the functionality is the same.

Figure 25. Upgrade Tab

The Upgrade screen supports the network based upgrade of the device ﬁrmware (see

Upgrading Firmware on page 87).

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 40

Peripherals Tab

To access the Peripherals tab, you must ﬁrst select a device from the Device List and, when the Device tab opens, click the Peripherals Tab. Whether you navigate to the

Peripherals tab from an encoder or a decoder, the functionality is the same.

Figure 26. Peripherals Tab

The Peripherals screen is used to manage the Coms pass‑through serial port and the mouse+keyboard forwarding operation.

RS-232 pass-through serial port

The RS‑232 pass‑through serial port supports two modes of operation:

z Serial RS‑232 pass‑through mode

z Serial RS‑232 data channel mode

In either mode, the serial ports on each VNM 250 do not need to share a common baud rate. However, where large amounts of data are sent from a high‑speed to a low‑speed data link, some form of handshaking or ﬂow control may be required to prevent buffer overﬂow on the output device. Standard ﬂow control methods are fully supported.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 41

Pass-through mode

VN-Matrix (Clients)

In this mode, data received by a device (input) is transmitted over the network using TCP/IP and then converted back to serial data by a second device (output). Data ﬂow is fully bidirectional and is independent of whether the VN‑Matrix device is an encoder or decoder. Pass‑through data cannot be recorded.

One device in the pass‑through group is designated the server. One or more devices are connected as clients (in pass‑through mode).

ADJUST

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

VNE 250

VN-Matrix (Server)

RS-232 serial data input to the server is sent to all clients simultaneously.

Data input to each client is sent to the server output. Simultaneous data input is processed on a "rst in, rst out" basis.

TCPRS-232 TCP

Network

TCP

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

CONTROL

STREAM

STATUS

CONFIG

ALARM

ADJUST

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

ADJUST

VN-MATRIX RGB / HDMI OVER IP

RS-232

VND 250

RS-232

VND 250

RS-232

VND 250

Figure 27. Example of Pass-through Mode

Any number of serial pass‑through groups can exist on the same network.

Serial Port Control

Select a serial port mode:

z none ‑ the serial port is not used

z server ‑ the serial port is used to send serial RS‑232 data to clients

z client ‑ the serial port can connect to the server serial ports on other devices

A pass‑through link can be established by setting the serial port of one device in server mode and the serial port of a second device in client mode. The destination of the second (client) device is set to the pass‑through port on the ﬁrst (server) device.

NOTE: The destination can only be modiﬁed when the serial port is operating in

client mode. The pulldown list allows a pass‑through connection to be requested to each VN‑Matrix device in the network, regardless of whether the device is currently conﬁgured as a server.

A server can accept multiple client connections. Under these conditions the data input by the server serial port is duplicated to all connected clients. The data received from the clients is multiplexed (in order of arrival) and output through the server serial port.

The basic operation parameters of the serial port can be controlled on a device by device basis. There is no requirement for a server and connected client to share a common baud rate. However if serial data is continuously input at a high rate, some handshaking will be required otherwise data will be discarded when the internal buffer overﬂows.

Serial RS-232 Data Channel

In this mode, serial RS‑232 data received on the pass‑through port is transported over the network alongside the video stream. Data ﬂow is unidirectional from the encoder to the decoder and may be recorded synchronously with the other streams that are conﬁgured on the encoder.

NOTE: Serial mode for both the encoder and decoder must be set to server.

It is recommended that all serial port settings are the same for both the encoder and decoder. Mismatches result in data being discarded if it arrives at a decoder faster than it can be transmitted.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 42

Mouse+Keyboard Control

VNM 250 products have the capability to forward Mouse and Keyboard information from a Display device to a Source device. This allows a Source (PC) to be controlled remotely from the Display location.

The forwarding operation is conﬁgured automatically and the Display is connected to the Source from which video is currently being streamed. The user enables and disables M+K Forwarding by entering a hotkey sequence on the keyboard that is connected to the decoder.

On a VNE 250 device, the mode can take two values, Enable and Disable. When enabled, the Source permits M+K Forwarding. When disabled, all forwarding requests are denied.

On a VND 250 device, the mode can take on one of four values:

z Disable ‑ the Display will not forward mouse and keyboard information.

z Keyboard ‑ the decoder forwards mouse and keyboard information.

z Keyboard+Keepalive ‑ this is the same as Keyboard except the link is automatically

re‑established if broken until explicitly killed by a Display hotkey input.

z Force ‑ mouse and keyboard forwarding and keepalive is permanently enabled without

the need for a hot key sequence.

The destination IP address is automatically conﬁgured and the MK IP ﬁeld can be left blank for normal operation.

This screen also shows two items of status. The ﬁrst Status is the current status of the Link. On the VNE 250 it will show as Disabled, Local, or Remote M+K. On the Display it will show as Disabled, Local, or Forwarding. In case of a connection error, a reason is shown in brackets after Local.

The second item of status is the Inactivity timer. This only operates on the VND 250 and counts the number of seconds since the Mouse or Keyboard last reported a change. The system controller may chose to drop a "Force" connection after a period of inactivity.

The page does not auto‑update so fresh status values are present only after the page is loaded. Click on the Peripherals tab (see page 41) to reload or press "F5."

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 43

License Tab

Figure 28. License Tab

Device License — for a VNM 250 device, the license features are ﬁxed and cannot be

modiﬁed.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 44

Encoder Tabs

Device Tab

Figure 29. VN-Matrix Encoder Device Tab

The Accounts and Alarms tabs disappear but Device, Upgrade, and Peripherals tabs appear, with the Device tab highlighted. In addition, there are three links (videoPort0,

audioPort0, and data) in the Conﬁguration panel. The encoder Device tab is split into four

panels:

Device Summary — provides information about the device:

z The device can be named by editing the Name text box and clicking Update. Use any

combination of letters, numbers, and the underscore character. Do not use spaces. By default, the device name is the word device followed by the device ID.

z The device status ﬁeld is read only. The status can be Active (a device that is online

and under control) or No Device (a device that cannot be contacted by the controller).

z The IP address, port, and cport are the current IP address of the streaming port

network (LAN 2), the UDP port the device is using to contact the controller, and the UDP port on the controller that is being contacted. This ﬁeld is read only.

z The link status can be Good (indicates little or no management packet loss), Fair

(indicates a small amount of packet loss), or Poor (indicates a bad link). If the link is poor, determine whether the link has sufﬁcient bandwidth for the trafﬁc.

Device Setup — controls some of the global actions for the device.

z The device type is a read‑only ﬁeld and shows Source for an encoder.

z The Mode can be enable (normal operation), disable (streaming is disabled but pass‑

through is enabled), or test (suspends normal streaming and displays a splash screen with the words Test Mode).

z The Identity/Source/No Source check boxes allow the device name and source

type to be overlaid on the local display. This helps to identify a speciﬁc encoder in a large or complex system.

z Identity displays the device name or device ID

z Source displays the currently detected source format

z No Source enables the Identity text when no valid source is detected.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 45

z Data interface is a read‑only ﬁeld that reports which of the CAT 5 (by default) or SFP

connectors is currently active on LAN 2.

z Multicast TTL (Time to Live) deﬁnes the number of hops multicast trafﬁc makes between

routed domains when it exits a Source.

Conﬁguration — allows you to conﬁgure the video attributes of the source (VideoPort

link), the audio attributes of the source (AudioPort link), the data attributes (Data link),

or the display attributes and source selection.

Video Stream Input Conﬁguration

Click on the videoPort0 link to conﬁgure the video input. The Configure tab for videoPort0 opens:

Conﬁgure (VideoPort0) Tab

Figure 30. VideoPort0 Tab

The Upgrade and Peripherals tabs disappear and Bandwidth and Video Setup tabs appear, with the Configure tab highlighted.

By default the video port is named videoPort0. If required, change the name by editing the

Name ﬁeld and clicking update.

The top panel provides information about:

z Input Mode — shows the operating mode of the input. Normally this should show

auto. It is controlled in the Video Setup tab (see page 52).

z Current Mode — shows the currently detected source type.

z Source Status — describes the video input connection. Active means the video

source has been recognized at the input. Unplugged means either no source is connected or there is no active video signal from the connected source.

Video input — EDID settings

Set the EDID (D) for the digital video input and the EDID (A) for the analog input. In most cases, transparent is the correct option. This allows the EDID data of the loop‑through display to pass through the VNE 250 to the source PC.

The Monitor EDID shows the name of the display currently connected to the loop‑through video connector.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 46

The reported EDID drop down allows selection of the EDID that the encoder will report

chan-2

to the source device. Selecting Transparent mode reports the EDID from the currently connected monitor. If no monitor is connected, the EDID from the last connected monitor is used.

EDID from previously connected displays is stored and may be selected.

Alternatively, you may select one of the ﬁxed EDIDs listed in the drop‑down list. Available EDID ﬁles are shown in the Supported EDID Modes tables (see page 122).

Video input — channel selection

Use the drop‑down list to set the Input Channel mode to auto,

chan-1 (digital), or chan-2 (analog).

auto causes the HDMI input to be selected whenever a digital

source is detected.

chan-1 selects the HDMI input.

chan-2 selects the RGB input.

NOTE: Both the analog and digital inputs support full auto‑detect of the input signal

resolution and frame rate. No user conﬁguration is necessary.

Input Channel

auto

chan-1

Video input — HDCP authorization

Select or deselect the Enable HDCP check box.

This allows HDCP negotiation to be turned on or off. If the source requires HDCP and this setting is disabled, no image is displayed on the pass‑through monitor and no video signal is streamed.

Streams — multicast enable

Select the Multicast Enable check box if RTP multicast source streaming is required. Otherwise, ensure the box is deselected, to enable RTP unicast.

If Multicast Enable is selected, a dialogue is displayed asking for a multicast address (see ﬁgure to the right). This must be obtained from your network administrator.

Streams — New Export Stream

The New Export Stream button can be used to conﬁgure streaming between devices that are controlled by different system controllers. The VNM Enterprise Controller fully supports this feature and Extron recommends that it be used as the system controller if this function is required.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 47

Managing Compression and Bandwidth Settings

From the Configure tab, click on the Bandwidth tab:

Bandwidth Tab

Figure 31. Video Bandwidth Tab

The VNE 250 can apply various types of compression to an input source in order to reduce the volume of source data streamed across the network. In addition, various parameters are provided to manage and, if necessary, limit the amount of data ﬂow to ensure that the available network bandwidth is not exceeded.

The default compression settings applied by the VNE 250 offer a balance between the quality of the displayed material and network bandwidth. Where network bandwidth is restricted, extra compression can be applied. Depending on the source type and content, signiﬁcant reduction in streamed data can be achieved with little or no perceptible effect on image quality.

Alternatively, where network bandwidth is not an issue, compression can be reduced to provide improved image quality. In most cases, this is not required as the VNE 250 uses highly efﬁcient compression algorithms.

From the Video Configuration tab, click on the Bandwidth tab. The Video Setup tab disappears and the Bandwidth tab is highlighted. The Bandwidth tab can be set to show two levels of detail, by selecting the Less Detail button (see ﬁgure 31) or More Detail button (which replaces the Less Detail button when the GUI window contracts).

Bandwidth Management panel — simple control

Figure 32. Video Bandwidth Tab (Less Detail)

The Bandwidth Management panel provides a basic level of control over the encoder compression settings.

The maximum bit rate of the streamed image is set with the Bandwidth slider. The slider may be adjusted from 1 Mbps to unlimited. The selected maximum bit rate is displayed on the right hand side of the slider bar.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 48

When the slider is set to unlimited, the bit rate depends on the complexity (detail and

motion) of the source image. As the slider is adjusted to reduce the maximum bit rate, the encoder progressively drops frames in order to limit the instantaneous bit rate. The number of frames dropped depends on the source image complexity.

NOTE: Extron advises against using more than 300 Mbps for most applications. Check

with your network administrator to determine the available bandwidth.

The Video Quality slider adjusts the amount of spatial compression that is applied to the source image. Video Quality is set in steps ranging from low to high quality.

The low setting (one star) provides the lowest image quality (with the highest compression).

The high setting (four stars) provides the highest image quality (with the lowest compression).

Video Quality low high

Either of two transform types can be selected using the transform drop‑down list:

z Graphics is optimized for text and sharp lines, as is present on most computer

screens.

z Video is optimized for smooth tone changes such as is present in movies and other

video content.

Monitoring the bit rate

The bit rate of the streamed image is monitored in the Streams information area of the Bandwidth tab.

Streams

# Destination TransBW(Mbps) Drop%RTT(us)

1 VND200_PDTEST.videowindo

rtp(m)0.000

0.0

Figure 33. Bandwidth Streams

The Streams list shows network statistics for current RTP streams. For each RTP stream, three values are presented: the transmit bandwidth (Trans) (in megabits per second), the packet drop percentage (Drop %) and the round trip delay time (RTT, in microseconds). The transmit bandwidth is the true bandwidth of the source measured over the last second.

All of this data may not have arrived at the destination if the link shows packets are being dropped. Most networks show a small amount of dropped trafﬁc, but when this loss rate rises above 5%, it indicates that the capacity of the link has probably been exceeded. A lightly loaded network shows a fairly constant RTT. When this value starts to rise or ﬂuctuates excessively it indicates the network is congested. Usually when network capacity has just been exceeded, the RTT rises to a large value just before packets start being dropped. The link latency rises as RTT increases.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 49

Video quality and Bandwidth panel — advanced control

Figure 34. Bandwidth Tab: Video Quality and Bandwidth Panel

The Video Quality and Bandwidth panel (click More Detail, if necessary) provides a greater degree of control over the encoder compression settings.

These controls are divided into two main categories:

z Video Quality

z Bandwidth

They provide access to the complete set of image quality and bit rate tools for the VNE250. When controls in this section duplicate controls found in the Bandwidth Management panel, the settings in both panels coincide.

Video Quality Panel

Spatial Compression — this level is set using the Luminance and Chrominance

drop‑down lists.

A luminance value of 0 provides the minimum spatial compression; a luminance value of 10 provides the maximum spatial compression.

These controls are normally locked (using the Lock check box), with an optimal offset of 2units between them. If required, the chrominance compression may be set independently by clearing the Lock check box.

NOTES:

• By default, the luma and chroma offset is set to 2 whenever the simple (standard)

management scheme is selected.

• A spatial compression setting of 4/6 (luma 4; chroma 6) provides visually lossless

compression.

Temporal Compression — is applied by selecting the Temporal check box (this option is selected by default). Temporal compression causes data to be transferred only when a change occurs between frames.

Threshold Setting — modiﬁes the detection point of the temporal compression algorithm. A value of

0 results in all changes between frames being sent. As the threshold value is

increased, only changes above a certain level are sent, thus reducing the bit rate.

This control compensates for image sources that have a level of noise in them. In general, there is always some noise in any source produced by an analog method. By applying a threshold, this noise can effectively be ignored by the PURE3 compression engine, resulting in a lower transmitted bit rate.

A setting of 0 is suitable for DVI computer‑generated sources. Sources with more noise or video‑type motion should use a setting between 1 and 4. Camera sources should always use a value greater than 1.

Chroma Setting — controls whether the temporal algorithm should consider changes in the color or chrominance of the image. Enabling chroma gives better results on digital simulation source types. However, chroma thresholds can increase the transmission bandwidth by up to 20%; therefore, it should be disabled on bandwidth sensitive systems. It is usually not required on video or camera source types.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 50

Bandwidth Panel

Figure 35. Bandwidth Tab: Video Quality and Bandwidth Panel

The VNE 250 can apply various control modes to manage the bit rate. These control modes are selected in the Mode drop‑down list.

None — no bandwidth management policy is followed apart from the underlying

compression settings.

Manual Frame Drop — allows the user to specify the precise fraction of frames to drop.

This doesn't manage the average bandwidth at a ﬁxed level, but does result in a smoother update during rapidly changing video content types. Enter the percentage of frames to discard in the Frame Drop Percentage ﬁeld. For example, a value of 95 (95%) discards 19 out of every 20 frames, reducing a 60 frames per second (fps) video signal to 3 fps.

NOTE: Slowing the frame rate to 1 fps may cause the decoder to behave as if the

source stream has been interrupted and it may ﬂash up the "No Source" splash screen.

Shared Flow rate — limits the total network video trafﬁc for all streams from this source

to the ﬂow rate (in Mbps) speciﬁed in the Target Bandwidth ﬁeld. Frames are dropped if the instantaneous data rate is higher than the ﬂow rate.

Peak Flow rate — limits the network video‑trafﬁc for a single stream from this source

to the ﬂow rate speciﬁed in the Target Bandwidth ﬁeld. Frames are dropped if the instantaneous data rate is higher than the ﬂow rate.

PBR-F — Dynamically modiﬁes the compression settings to limit the transmit bandwidth

to the speciﬁed rate or below. The speciﬁed compression setting is used as the minimum compression value. The ﬁlter averages the bit rate over a period of 1 second.

PBR-F (FD) ‑ Same as PBR-F except frames are dropped when a larger reduction than can

be achieved with just compression settings is required.

Flow rate control modes (shared ﬂow rate and peak ﬂow rate modes) limit the instantaneous trafﬁc on the network and are useful where the network pipe between source and display has limited bandwidth and drops trafﬁc when this rate is exceeded. Non‑ﬂow rate control modes (none, manual frame drop, PBR‑F, and PBR‑F (FD) limit the average bandwidth, but the instantaneous bandwidth can be high. Non‑ﬂowrate control modes are best used on a LAN where the user does not wish the VNE 250 to consume excess bandwidth.

NOTE: The actual bandwidth usage for unicast transports is multiplied by the number

of data stream destinations. For example, if the encoder has two unicast RTP connections plus a TCP connection, it sends three data streams across the network and requires bandwidth for each stream.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 51

Video setup tab

To access the Video Setup tab from the Bandwidth tab, click on the Configure tab and, when that opens, click on the Video Setup tab. The Bandwidth tab disappears and the

Video Setup tab is highlighted.

Figure 36. Video Setup Tab

This tab provides access to advanced functions that will not be needed in a typical setup. It reports detailed measurements made of the current source video waveform, allows user source formats to be deﬁned (see Constructing a Custom User Source Format on page80) and manual setup of phase and blanking for analog sources.

Click Resync to restart the autodetection process.

phase should normally be set to auto. However, if a waveform suitable for autodetection

is not available, a manual phase adjustment can be imposed. Automatic phase adjustment maximizes the contrast between pixels so good automatic waveforms tend to have adjacent black and white pixels. Phase adjustment is only required on analog sources.

Macrovision defeat is used when the source is a dvd player and the output has been

content protected with the macrovision system. This adds additional sync level pulses to the waveform. These pulses need to be ignored for proper auto‑detection. The pass‑through output from matrix and the decoded output from the display do not preserve the macrovision content protection.

Colour space is used to select between RGB and YPbPr source types. Auto‑detection

will usually succeed even with the wrong transform selected, however the coloring will be incorrect. Currently the YPbPr mode expects the data to be as deﬁned by CCIR.601. This is the normal standard for all standard deﬁnition TV signals. If ITU‑R BT.709 HDTV signals are used a red/green hue should be expected.

Blanking should normally be set to auto. However, if it is important that pixels on the very

edge of the display are visible, then a manual overide is required. Once in manual mode the user should enter small positive or negative integers in the pixels and lines boxes and click update. The offsets are made relative to the current User Source Format firstpixel and firstline values. Blanking adjustment is only required on analog sources.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 52

Audio Stream Conﬁguration

Conﬁgure (AudioPort0) tab

To access the Configure (AudioPort0) tab, click on the Device tab and, when that opens, click on the AudioPort0 link in the Conﬁguration panel.

Figure 37. Conﬁgure (AudioPort0) Tab

The VNM 250 product range supports both program and return audio.

Program audio inputs may be analog or digital. The HDMI input supports 24 bit stereo PCM audio and AC‑3 (Dolby 5.1) digital data at 44.1 kHz and 48.0 kHz sampling rates. The Analog input accepts balanced or unbalanced stereo audio and converts to 16 bit stereo PCM at a 48.0 kHz sampling rate.

Return audio is analog only and, when conﬁgured, is always returned from the decoder that is associated with the program audio stream.

The Configure (Audioport0) tab provides status information for the active audio input port. In addition, the analog program audio input level and the return audio output level may be adjusted.

Name — Optionally, an audioport can be named by editing the Name ﬁeld and clicking

update. It is not necessary to name this ﬁeld for normal operation.

Audio status — When a valid digital audio signal is present, the type of the signal appears in the Audio Status ﬁeld.

Compression — Limited compression of audio sources is controlled by the Compression setting:

If the source is HDMI AC‑3, a run length encoding will be used resulting in an output bandwidth of about 430 kbps.

If the source is HDMI PCM, the full set of compression values can be used.

If the source is Analog, only compression options "pack 16 bits", "decimate 2" and "decimate 4" should be used. All other options are functional but increase the data stream bandwidth for no gain.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 53

The following compression values are supported:

Compression Stereo Audio AC-3 Audio

no compression 24 bit native data (2975 kbps) 24 bit native data (2975 kbps)

pack 24 bits 24 bit data, full sample rate

(2250kbps)

pack 20 bits 20 bit data, full sample rate

(1880kbps)

pack 20 bits 20 bit data, full sample rate

(1880kbps)

pack 16 bits 16 bit data, full sample rate

(1517kbps)

decimate 2 16 bit data, 1/2 sample rate

(784kbps)

decimate 4 16 bit data, 1/4 sample rate

(418kbps)

16 bit data, zeros run length encoded (430 kbps)

The native uncompressed setting passes a full 24 bit payload plus 4 s/pdif control bits updating on a continuous frame basis. Other modes only transmit the speciﬁed number of bits and reduce the s/pdif control bits update rate to once per second.

Figure 38. Audio Adjustment Panel

Audio Input Selection

Audio input selection — only one audio source can be enabled at a time. Select either the

HDMI or Analog check box.

Analog input level (program audio) — the Analog input level is manually conﬁgured to achieve an undistorted signal with the optimum signal to noise ratio.

Set the Analog Input Level setting to a value just larger than the maximum value (peak) that will be input. The analog input measurement shows the current measured input level and may be used as a reference to help determine the peak input level.

NOTE: This is a peak level adjustment that should be carried out when the input signal

is at a maximum level. The program audio stream should be connected to a suitable decoder. If the audio is not being streamed, then the analog input measurement will show disabled.

If the analog input measurement shows over‑range, the analog input level setting must be increased until the over‑range condition clears. If the measurement is more than 2 dB below the set input value, the input value should be reduced to be 1 dB greater.

NOTE: There is no input level control for digital audio. The output level may be adjusted

on the decoder.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 54

Analog output level (return audio) — a return audio source may be enabled using the

Return Audio Source drop‑down list. When enabled, return audio originates from a decoder that is receiving the program audio from this encoder.

NOTE: The decoder return audio setting must also be enabled. This drop‑down list is

populated only when a program audio connection has been made to the decoder.

The return audio can be muted and the output level adjusted using the Analog Output level control.

Streams — multicast enable

NOTES:

• It is recommended that all streams (video, audio, and data) use the same

transport.

• The same multicast group address may be used for all streams on an encoder.

• The multicast addresses used on each individual encoder must be unique.

Select the ensure the box is deselected, to enable RTP unicast.

If Multicast Enable is selected, a dialog opens asking for a multicast address (see the ﬁgure to the right). This must be obtained from your network administrator.

Multicast Enable check box if RTP multicast streaming is required. Otherwise,

Streams — New Export Stream

The New Export Stream button is used to conﬁgure streaming between devices that are controlled by different system controllers. The VNM Enterprise Controller fully supports this feature and Extron recommends that it be used as the system controller if this function is required.

Conﬁgure (Data0) tab

To access the Configure (Data0) tab, click on the Device tab and, when that opens, click on the Data0 link in the Conﬁguration panel.

Figure 39. Conﬁgure (Data0) Tab

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 55

In this mode, data received by an encoder is transported to the decoder, along with video and audio, as part of the source stream. Data transport in this mode is unidirectional and is capable of being recorded and played back by the VNM Recorder and VNR 100 devices.

Two types of data are supported:

z Serial RS‑232 data

z Serial UDP data

Serial data transports are connected from encoder to decoder devices and are unidirectional. As with the video and audio streams, serial data streams may use either unicast or multicast transports. It is recommended that all stream types use the same transport.

NOTE: Serial RS‑232 data transport also requires conﬁguration of the corresponding

VND 250 device (see Display tab on page 58).

Serial RS-232 data transport

Serial RS‑232 data that originates from an external source is transported alongside the video stream. The external RS‑232 device is connected to the RS‑232 pass‑through connector on the VNE 250.

NOTE: The transport of serial RS‑232 data also requires the correct conﬁguration of

the VNM 250 serial port and the serial RS‑232 port parameters (see Peripherals on page 41).

To enable transport of serial RS‑232 data, select the

Serial Enable option.

Serial UDP data transport

UDP data that originates from an external source is transported alongside the video stream. The external data source must set the destination IP address of the data packets to be the same as the IP address of the encoder that is used for transport.

To enable UDP data transport, on the VNE 250 encoder, select the UDP Enable option and conﬁgure the UDP port number to match the destination port number that has been set by the external data source.

Streams — multicast enable

Select the Multicast Enable check box if RTP multicast source streaming is required. Otherwise, ensure the box is deselected, to enable RTP unicast.

If Multicast Enable is selected, a dialog opens asking for a multicast address (see the ﬁgure to the right). This should be obtained from your network administrator.

Streams — New Export Stream

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 56

Decoder Tabs

Device tab

Select a decoder in the Device List tab and click to open the decoder device page.

Figure 40. Decoder Device Tab

The Accounts and Alarms tabs disappear but Device, Upgrade, and Peripherals tabs appear, with the Device tab highlighted. The decoder Device tab is split into four panels:

Device Summary — provides information about the device (see ﬁgure 40 1):

z If required, the device is named by editing the Name text box and clicking Update. Use

any combination of letters, numbers, and the underscore character. Do not use spaces. By default, the device name is the word device followed by the device ID.

z The device status is a read only ﬁeld. It can be Active (a device that is online and under

control) or No Device (a device that cannot be contacted by the controller).

z The IP address, port, and cport are the current IP address of the streaming port

network (LAN 2), the UDP port the device is using to contact the controller, and the UDP port on the controller that is being contacted. This ﬁeld is read only.

z The link status can be Good (indicates little or no management packet loss), Fair

(indicates a small amount of packet loss), or Poor (indicates a bad link). If the link is poor, determine whether the link has sufﬁcient bandwidth for the trafﬁc.

Device Setup — controls some of the global actions for the device (see ﬁgure 40

z The device type is a read‑only ﬁeld and shows Display for a decoder.

z The Mode can be set to enable (normal operation), disable (for a decoder, the video

stream is replaced by a splash screen), standby (for a decoder, disables all output), or

test (suspends normal streaming and displays a splash screen with the words Test Mode

z The Identity/Source/No Source check boxes allow the device name and source

type to be shown on the local display. This helps to identify a speciﬁc encoder in a large or complex system.

z Identity displays the device name or device ID.

z Source displays the name of the encoder that is currently connected.

z No Source enables the Identity text when no valid source is detected.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 57

z Data interface is a read‑only ﬁeld that reports which of the CAT 5 (by default) or SFP

connectors is currently active on LAN 2.

z Multicast TTL (Time to Live) deﬁnes the number of hops multicast trafﬁc makes between

routed domains when it exits a Source. If the TTL is not properly conﬁgured, information that is to be sent back to a corresponding encoder may fail to function correctly.

Output Conﬁguration

Display tab

Select a decoder in the Device List tab and, in the Conﬁguration panel of the Device tab that opens, click the Display0 link:

Figure 41. Display Tab

The Output Format drop‑down list has three scaling modes (see ﬁgure 41 1):

z Auto — sets the display to the same resolution and frame rate as the source stream.

z Monitor — sets the decoder output mode to the preferred resolution and frame rate

of the output monitor. To operate correctly, this feature requires the monitor to support EDID properly.

z Fixed — sets the decoder output mode to the chosen resolution and frame rate as

selected from the Output Format drop‑down list.

NOTE: The scale option must be enabled whenever Monitor or Fixed output

formats are selected.

Enable or disable the

mode

check boxes (see ﬁgure 41 2).

z Selecting Nodata Splash enables the display of a splash screen when the display

detects a break in the input data stream. When disabled the last decoded frame is displayed. After startup, when no last decoded frame exists a black screen is displayed.

z The SoG mode is not supported by the VND 250. Selecting this option has no effect.

z Selecting Scale enables scaling of the source image to the required resolution and

frame rate as deﬁned by Monitor or the Fixed output format that is selected.

NOTE: Scaling is disabled when the output format is set to Auto.

Nodata Splash, SoG, Scale, Genlock, Clean Switch and HDCP

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 58

z The Genlock control allows the display output of multiple decoders to be coordinated

and creates a genlock group. One VND 250 device is selected as the timing reference for the output of all the other VND 250 devices in the same decoder genlock group. The genlock output from the chosen reference device is connected to the other decoders in a daisy chain architecture.

A network‑based protocol enables the chosen VND 250 to coordinate the frame timing so that all decoders display the same frame simultaneously.

z One decoder is selected as the reference (master) unit, and provides the genlock

signal that is used to synchronize all the other units (slaves).

z The Genlock setting on the master device must be disabled.

z The Genlock setting on the slave devices must be enabled.

z The name of the master device must be selected from the Framelock Ref

drop‑down list on all devices in the genlock group (see Framelock ref below).

Framelock Ref (see ﬁgure 41

) controls membership of the decoder genlock group.

Each member of the group is selected to have the same genlock master, including the master itself. When such a group is formed, a network‑based protocol is used to permit the master to coordinate frame timing so that all decoders are showing frames captured at exactly the same times. This requires the separate enabling of the genlock feature, as described above.

z The Clean Switch feature allows glitch free transitions when switching between

decoded streams that may have different resolutions and frame rates. Select the check box to activate this option.

NOTE: When using Clean Switch mode, the scale option must be checked and

the required output mode must be selected in the Output Format drop‑down list. Clean Switch is not supported when switching to an image from a recorded stream.

z The VND 250 fully supports HDCP. Source images that are HDCP encrypted can only

be displayed on an HDCP compliant display. Selecting the HDCP Mode option forces HDCP encryption for all stream types. An HDCP compliant display must be used when this option is enabled. If not, a full green screen is displayed for all video streams.

NOTE: Setting this mode will improve the Clean Switch performance in systems

where it is necessary to switch between encrypted and non‑encrypted stream types.

Active Format reports the current output mode being used on the display.

The

z When the Output Format is set to auto, this ﬁeld reports the source format for the

current stream.

z When the Output Format is set to monitor, this ﬁeld reports the source format that

has been selected from the EDID of the currently connected display.

z When the Output Format is set to fixed, this ﬁeld will report the same mode.

Assigning a video source stream

In a system with multiple encoders, each decoder in that system potentially has access to multiple video streams. To assign a speciﬁc source stream to a decoder select one of the available source streams from the video source drop‑down list (see the ﬁgure to the right).

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 59

Each source is listed by the device name and videoPort name, and has a sufﬁx that

3344

describes the connection type:

z _rtp — is an RTP unicast connection

z _rtp(m) — is an RTP multicast connection, if conﬁgured

z _tcp — is a TCP unicast connection

Selecting a source with an _rtp sufﬁx causes the decoder to connect to an RTP stream output by the selected source. The controller automatically connects the data stream to that decoder. If the source IP address is currently set as a multicast group, a multicast RTP stream is used, otherwise an additional unicast RTP stream is created. Each encoder can support up to four unicast RTP output streams. Attempts to connect more than four displays to a unicast source will fail. Multiple unicast RTP connections from a single encoder may cause data errors if the total bandwidth becomes too high.

Selecting a source with a _tcp sufﬁx causes the decoder to independently make a TCP stream connection to the selected encoder. This does not require the encoder to have been conﬁgured to transmit in multicast or unicast modes.

NOTE: Use either _rtp unicast or multicast connections for streaming. TCP transport is

not recommended for streaming applications as it is a "guaranteed delivery" protocol, which causes a build up in latency.

Complete the source selection by clicking Update.

Clicking the video, audio, or data bandwidth links displays a screen that provides access to conﬁguration settings and bandwidth data for the associated stream.

Assigning an audio source stream

To enable a program audio stream, check the Audio check box (1 in the ﬁgure to the right) and click Update (see ﬁgure 41). The program audio stream is assigned from the same encoder selected for the video stream.

Once enabled, the read only audio source ﬁeld populates with the name of the program audio stream (2 in the ﬁgure above right). If no name is displayed, either no audio source is available or the check box selection was not implemented by clicking Update. The transport for the program audio follows that selected for the video stream. For RTP streams, the multicast option must be conﬁgured on the audio port. For further information, see Decoder

audio bandwidth tab on page 62.

1122

Assigning data source stream

To enable a data stream, check the Data check box (3 in the ﬁgure to the right) and click Update (see

ﬁgure41). The data stream is assigned from the same

encoder selected for the video stream.

Once enabled, the read only data source ﬁeld populates with the name of the data stream (4 in the ﬁgure above right). If no name is displayed, either no data source is available or the check box selection was not implemented by clicking Update. The transport for the data will follow that selected for the video stream. For RTP streams, the multicast option must be conﬁgured on the data port. For further information, see Decoder data bandwidth tab on page 64.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 60

Decoder video bandwidth tab

To access the video Bandwidth tab from the Device tab, click the Display0 link and, in the

Display tab, click the video link.

Figure 42. Video Bandwidth Tab

This page provides statistics on the video stream and allows the decoder video buffer to be monitored and conﬁgured, if necessary.

If required, modify the Window Name by editing the current value and clicking Update. It is not necessary to name this ﬁeld for normal operation.

Decoder video buffer

The delay time between the data being input to the encoder and output on the decoder is controlled by setting the Channel Delay and the Frame Delay. The channel delay is unique to each channel of video, audio, or data and is set in seconds. The frame delay can only be modiﬁed on the video channel and is converted from frames to seconds depending on the video frame rate that the decoder is currently receiving. The delay time is the sum of these two values and is shown in the Total Delay ﬁeld.

In normal operation on a LAN, Channel Delay should be set to 0.0 and Frame Delay should be set to 6 frames. This will give an end to end delay of 100ms on a 60 fps signal.

On a WAN the Channel Delay parameter should be used to add an amount corresponding to the one‑way network delay.

Under normal operational circumstances, there is no requirement to adjust the Frame Delay setting and the buffer is managed automatically.

The hardware has a minimum delay requirement of 2.5 frames in progressive mode and

3.5 ﬁelds in interlace mode. Setting a Total Delay less than these values results in uneven

playback and pipeline underﬂow alarms.

NOTE: There is one exception to this rule — setting the Total Delay to 0.0 (zero)

places the system in a special minimum‑latency mode. When operating with minimum latency, the display attempts to decode data as soon as it arrives. This reduces the elastic feel when using a remote cursor but can cause the display to be more jumpy and the lip sync to an audio stream to be lost.

Excessively long delays cause data to build up in a software buffer within the decoder. When the build up exceeds 10 video frames, frames of data are discarded, which may cause on‑screen artefacts.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 61

To synchronize channels, either between video and audio on one device or between video channels on multiple devices, the frame delay should be set to 6 and the channel delay to 0.

Valid Delay settings can be determined by setting values then checking the Pipeline Status Meter.

Setting is valid and should give a stable image.

NORM

Playback delay is too small: the playback image jumps as network loading changes.

LOW

Playback delay is too large: the image latency increases and may result in internal buffer overﬂow on high bandwidth data streams. This causes a jumpy and ﬂashing

HIGH

screen.

Decoder video connection ﬁelds

The Source ﬁeld shows the encoder name and the transport type for the current video stream, as selected in the source drop down box (see Assigning a video source stream on page59).

Rtp destination reports the network address and port number that the current video

stream is connected to. For multicast transports, this ﬁeld reports the multicast group address.

Rtp source reports the network address and port number that return statistics are sent to.

For multicast transports, this ﬁeld reports the multicast group address.

Decoder video stream statistics

Statistics about the current stream are reported in a table.

z The total column contains counts for the history of the current stream. These statistics

are reset each time a new connection is made.

z The window1 and window2 columns contain stream statistics over user programmable

intervals.

z The ﬁrst row is a count of the number of Megabits per second received from the current

stream.

z The second row is a count of the number of data packets per second received from the

stream.

z The third row is a count of the number of data packets dropped during the associated

interval time. This will always be 0 for TCP streams. Dropped packets are counted when using RTP streams on busy networks. However some errors will occur when using gigabit networks.

z The fourth row is the interval time over which the previous counts are averaged. The

total interval time reports the duration of the current connection session. The remaining two times are user programmable in seconds.

Decoder audio bandwidth tab

To access the audio Bandwidth tab from the Device tab, click the Display0 link and, in the Display tab, click the audio link.

This page provides access to the audio channel conﬁguration settings. Similar to the Decoder video bandwidth page, it also provides statistics on the audio stream and allows the decoder audio buffer to be monitored and conﬁgured, if necessary.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 62

Figure 43. Audio Bandwidth Tab

Audio output selection (Audio Control panel)

Select the appropriate check boxes to output the received audio stream to the HDMI port, the Analog output port, or both. The HDMI output level cannot be controlled and is equal to the level seen on the encoder device.

The analog audio output level is controlled using Analog Output Level. The output level will be correct if the input level on the encoder has been correctly conﬁgured for optimum signal level.

Return audio conﬁguration (Audio Control panel)

The return audio input must be separately enabled and the level must be manually conﬁgured to achieve an undistorted signal with the optimum signal to noise ratio. The input level is selected using the Analog Input Level setting and is set to a value just larger than the maximum input value. If this level is unknown, the Analog Input Measurement continuously shows the current input level. If the input measurement shows over‑range the input level should be increased until the over‑range condition clears. If the measurement is more than 2 dB below the set input value, the input value should be reduced to be 1dB greater. These measurements must be carried out when the content of input signal is at a maximum volume and the stream must be connected to a suitable encoder. If the audio is not being streamed, the measurement shows disabled.

Reverse audio data is always sampled using 16 bits stereo at 48000 Hz. It is then compressed to the "decimate 2" level resulting in a reverse bandwidth of 784 kbps. It uses a "best effort" delivery making no effort to obscure dropped packets and not managing the delay between decoder and encoder.

Decoder audio stream statistics

The audio stream Statistics operate in the same ways as the video statistics (see Decoder

video stream statistics on page 62).

Decoder audio buffer

The decoder audio buffer operates in the same ways as the video buffer (see Decoder

video buffer on page 61).

NOTE: The frame delay setting reﬂects the value that is set in the video buffer and

cannot be adjusted.

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 63

Decoder audio connection ﬁelds

The decoder audio connection ﬁelds operate in the same ways as the video connection ﬁelds (see Decoder video connection ﬁelds on page 62).

Decoder data bandwidth tab

To access the data Bandwidth tab from the Device tab, click the Display0 link and, in the

Display tab, click the data link.

This page provides access to the data channel conﬁguration settings. As with the Decoder video bandwidth page, it also provides statistics and allows the decoder buffer to be monitored and conﬁgured, if necessary.

Figure 44. Data Bandwidth Tab

Data channel conﬁguration

RS-232 data configuration

Serial Enable — check this box to receive RS‑232 serial data.

NOTE: Serial data transport also requires conﬁguration of the corresponding

VNE250 device (see Conﬁgure Data0 tab on page 55) and the serial RS‑232 port parameters (see the Peripherals tab on page41).

UDP data configuration

Udp Enable — check this box to receive UDP data.

Udp IP — enter the IP address of the external device or system that receives UDP trafﬁc.

Unicast or multicast addresses are valid.

Udp Port — enter the port number used by the external device or system to receive UDP

data.

Decoder data stream statistics

The decoder data stream Statistics operate in the same ways as the video statistics (see

Decoder video stream statistics on page 62).

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 64

Decoder data buffer

The decoder data buffer operates in the same ways as the video buffer (see Decoder video

buffer on page 61).

NOTE: The frame delay setting reﬂects the value that is set in the video buffer and

cannot be adjusted.

Decoder data connection ﬁelds

The decoder data connection ﬁelds operate in the same ways as the video connection ﬁelds (see Decoder video connection ﬁelds on page 62).

Decoder video format tab

From the Display tab, click the Format tab:

Figure 45. Decoder Format Tab

This tab provides two methods to create new formats for displaying decoded video streams:

z Clone an existing mode and modify some parameters.

z Create a new CVT mode by entering a complete set of new values (see page83).

VNM 250 • VNM 250 GUI Overview 65

Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI

This section provides information about conﬁguring the VN Matrix system with the VNM250 GUI control program.

NOTE: The VNM 250 GUI control program should only be used with small systems (10

devices or fewer). For larger systems, the VNM Enterprise Controller must be used.

z Conﬁguring a VNE 250

z Conﬁguring a VND 250

z Custom Input and Output Modes

z Upgrading Firmware

z Conﬁguring KVM Functionality

z RS-232 Pass-through Conﬁguration

Conﬁguring a VNE 250

1. Ensure that a source device (analog or HDMI) is connected to the encoder (see Video

Connections on page 20).

If required, connect a loop‑through display.

2. If required, ensure that the analog program audio input is connected (see Audio

Connections on page 21).

3. If required, ensure that the return audio output is connected.

4. Open the VNM 250 GUI (see page 33).

5. In the Device List (see page 35), click on the VNE 250 you wish to conﬁgure. The

Device tab opens.

6. Ensure the Mode is set to enable in the Device Setup panel (see ﬁgure 46, 1):

Figure 46. Device Setup Panel

7. Conﬁgure the on‑screen text overlay, which appears on the pass‑through monitor, as

required (see ﬁgure 46, 2).

8. Click the Save All tab.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 66

Conﬁguring Encoder Video

9. In the Configuration panel, click on VideoPort0 (see ﬁgure 47, 1):

Figure 47. Device Conﬁguration Panel

The Configure tab opens with video options.

Figure 48. Conﬁgure Tab (Video Options)

10. Ensure the Input Channel is set to auto (see ﬁgure 48, 1).

11. Set the EDID (D) for the digital video input and the EDID (A) for the analog input, as

required (see ﬁgure 48, 2).

12. If a digital source with HDCP is connected, ensure that the HDCP Authorize box is

selected (see ﬁgure 48, 3).

13. Ensure the Current Mode shows the format of the connected source (see

ﬁgure48,4).

14. If RTP multicast source streaming is

required, select the Multicast Enable box (see ﬁgure48, 5). A dialog is displayed asking for a multicast address (see the ﬁgure to the right). This must be obtained from your network administrator.

If RTP unicast is required, ensure the Multicast Enable box is deselected.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 67

Managing Compression and Bandwidth Settings

1. Open the encoder Bandwidth tab.

For more information about the Bandwidth tab, see page 48.

Figure 49. Encoder Video Bandwidth Tab

Bandwidth Management – Simple Control

11 2

2 3

Figure 50. Encoder Video Bandwidth Tab Less Detail

Video quality and bandwidth

2. Adjust the maximum bit rate, using the Bandwidth slider (see ﬁgure 50, 2), which may

be adjusted from unlimited to 1 Mbps. The selected maximum bit rate is displayed on the right hand side of the slider bar.

3. Adjust the amount of spatial compression that is applied to the source image, using the

Video Quality slider (see ﬁgure 50,

4. Set the Transform type (see ﬁgure 50, 3):

z Graphics is optimized for text and sharp lines, (typically computer input).

z Video is optimized for smooth tone changes (typically video content).

5. The bit rate of the streamed image is monitored at the Streams information area of the

Bandwidth page (see ﬁgure 50,

rate on page 49.

). For more information, see Monitoring the bit

NOTE: The Streams information area is only populated once a connection is made

to a decoder.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 68

Bandwidth Management – Advanced Control

6. If necessary, click More Detail to open the Video Quality and Bandwidth panel:

4 5

Figure 51. Encoder Video Bandwidth Tab Advanced Control

Spatial compression luminance and chrominance settings

7. Set the Luminance (see ﬁgure 51, 1) and Chrominance (see ﬁgure 51, 2) values

from the appropriate drop‑down list. These controls are normally locked, using the Lock check box (see ﬁgure 51, 3), with an offset of 2 units between them.

A Luminance value of 0 provides the minimum spatial compression; a Luminance value of 10 provides the maximum spatial compression.

8. If required, the Chrominance compression can be set independently by clearing the

Lock check box. A spatial compression setting of 4/6 (luma 4; chroma 6) provides

visually lossless compression.

9. Apply temporal compression by selecting the Temporal check box (see ﬁgure 51, 4).

By default, this option is selected.

10. Adjust the Threshold (see ﬁgure 51, 5) to modify the detection point of the temporal

compression algorithm. A value of 0 results in all changes between frames being sent. As the threshold value is increased, only changes above a certain level are sent, thus reducing the bit rate.

NOTE: This control compensates for sources with high levels of noise.

11. Enable

consider changes in the color or chrominance of the image. Enabling Chroma gives better results on digital simulation type sources but will result in a higher bit rate for any given compression.

12. Adjust the Refresh Rate (see ﬁgure 51, 7) to control how frequently the non‑changing

parts of the screen are updated in temporal compression mode. A refresh rate setting of

1 is suitable for most applications.

13. If it is necessary to set a bit rate limit, select the control

mode from the Mode drop‑down box (see ﬁgure 51, 8 and see the ﬁgure at right).

See Bandwidth Management Panel on page 48 for a complete explanation of these options.

Chroma (see ﬁgure 51,

) to determine whether the temporal algorithm should

None

Manual Frame Drop Shared Flowrate (FD) Peak Flowrate (FD) PBR-F PBR-F (FD)

None

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 69

Conﬁguring Encoder Audio

1. Click on the Device tab.

2. In the Configuration panel, click on audioPort0 (see ﬁgure 52, 1):

Figure 52. Device Conﬁguration Panel

The

Configure tab opens with audio options.

Figure 53. Conﬁgure Tab (Audio Options)

3. Select the audio source by checking either the HDMI or Analog box (see ﬁgure 53, 1).

4. Ensure the Audio Status shows a valid audio source type (see ﬁgure 53, 2). If it does

not, see Audio Input Selection on page 54.

5. Ensure that Compression is set to no compression (see ﬁgure 53, 3).

6. If a reverse audio signal is required, select a source from the Reverse Audio Source

drop‑down list (see ﬁgure53,4).

NOTE: This menu is only populated when a program audio stream is enabled and

connected on the corresponding decoder, which must also have return audio enabled.

7. Set the Analog program audio input level (see ﬁgure 53,

level (see ﬁgure 53, 6) to obtain an undistorted signal with optimum signal to noise (see Analog input level — program audio on page 54 and Analog output level —

return audio on page 55).

8. If RTP multicast source streaming is required, select Multicast Enable (see

ﬁgure53,7). If RTP unicast is required, ensure the box is deselected.

ATTENTION: Use the same transport type for all streams. Check that the

Multicast Enable setting on the data tab is the same as that on the video (see

step 14 on page 67).

) and the return audio output

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 70

Conﬁguring Encoder Data

1. Click on the Device tab.

2. In the Configuration panel, click on data (see ﬁgure 54, 1):

Figure 54. Device Conﬁguration Panel

The

Configure tab opens with data options.

11 2

Figure 55. Conﬁgure Tab (Data Options)

3. If required, check the Serial Enable box (see ﬁgure 55, 1).

4. If required, check the UDP Enable box (see ﬁgure 55, 2).

5. If required, enter a value for the UDP port number (see ﬁgure 55, 3).

6. If RTP multicast source streaming is required, select the Multicast Enable box (see

ﬁgure5, 4). If RTP unicast is required, ensure the box is deselected.

ATTENTION: Use the same transport type for all streams. Check that the

Multicast Enable setting on the data tab is the same as that on the video (see

step 14 on page 67).

7. Click the Save All tab.

8. Encoder setup is now complete. Repeat this procedure for each encoder in the system.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 71

Conﬁguring a VND 250

1. Ensure that an HDMI display device is connected to the decoder (see Video

Connections on page 20).

2. If required, ensure that the analog program audio output is connected (see Audio

Connections on page 21).

3. If required, ensure that the return audio input is connected.

4. Open the VNM 250 GUI (see page 33).

5. In the Device List (see page 35), click on the VND 250 you wish to conﬁgure. The

Device tab opens. More information can be found about the Device List tab (on

page35) and the Decoder Device tab (on page 57).

6. Ensure the Mode is set to enable in the Device Setup panel (see ﬁgure 56, 1):

Figure 56. Device Setup Panel

7. Conﬁgure the on‑screen text overlay, as required (see ﬁgure 56,

Setup on page 57).

8. Click the Save All tab.

and see Device

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 72

Conﬁguring the Decoder Display

1. In the Configuration panel, click on display0 (see ﬁgure 57, 1):

Figure 57. Device Conﬁguration Panel

The Display tab opens with display options (see ﬁgure 58). More information about the

Display tab can be found on page 58.

544

Figure 58. Display Tab

2. Set the Output Format from the drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 58, 1):

z Auto — sets the display to the same resolution and refresh rate as the source

stream.

z Monitor — sets the decoder output mode to the preferred resolution and frame

rate of the output monitor. To operate correctly, this feature requires the monitor to support EDID properly.

z Fixed — sets the decoder output mode to the chosen resolution and frame rate as

selected from the drop‑down list.

NOTE: The scale option must be enabled whenever Monitor or Fixed output

formats are selected.

3. Enable or disable the

HDCP Mode check boxes (see ﬁgure 58,

check boxes, see page 58.

NOTE: The SoG mode is not supported by the VND 250. Selecting this option has

no effect.

Nodata Splash, SoG, Scale, Genlock, Clean Switch, and

). For more information about these

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 73

4. If required, use the Framelock Ref drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 58, 3) to set up

membership of a decoder genlock group (see Framelock Ref on page 59).

5. Select a video source from the Source drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 58, 4).

6. If required, select the audio and data check boxes (see ﬁgure 58, 5).

7. Click the Save All tab.

Monitoring the Decoder Video Bandwidth

Figure 59. Decoder Bandwidth (video) Link

1. In the Display tab, select a video source from the drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 59, 1).

2. Click the video link (see ﬁgure 59, 2). The Bandwidth (video) tab opens (see

ﬁgure60):

Figure 60. Bandwidth (video) Tab

3. Set the Channel Delay and Frame Delay (see ﬁgure 60, 1). For more information

about the Bandwidth (video) tab, see Decoder video bandwidth tab on page 61.

4. Save the changes by clicking Save All.

NOTE: The active status information on the video Bandwidth page only updates if

a video source is selected in step 1 above.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 74

Conﬁguring the Decoder Audio

Figure 61. Decoder Audio Bandwidth Link

1. In the Display tab, ensure that the Audio check box (see ﬁgure 61, 1) is selected.

2. Click the bandwidth audio link (see ﬁgure 61, 2). The Bandwidth (audio) tab opens.

This is the same as the Bandwidth (video) tab but has an Audio Control panel (see ﬁgure62):

2 3

Figure 62. Bandwidth (audio) Tab

3. Select the appropriate check boxes to output the received audio stream to the HDMI

port, the Analog output port or both (see ﬁgure 62, 1).

4. The analog audio output level is controlled using Analog Output Level (see

ﬁgure62,2). The output level is correct if the input level on the encoder was correctly conﬁgured for optimum signal.

5. Select the input level for the reverse audio, using Analog Input Level (see

ﬁgure62,3). Set the value just larger than the maximum value that will be input. (For more information about the Bandwidth (audio) tab, see Decoder audio bandwidth

tab on page 62.)

6. Save the changes by clicking Save All.

NOTE:

• The active status information on this page updates only if the audio check

box is selected in step 1, above.

• If the check box was not selected, no audio signal is carried by the selected

stream and there will be no audio output by the VND 250, even if the HDMI or

Analog Audio boxes are selected.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 75

Conﬁguring the Decoder Data

Figure 63. Decoder Data Bandwidth Link

1. In the Display tab, ensure that the Data check box (see ﬁgure 63, 1) is selected.

2. Click the bandwidth data link (see ﬁgure 63, 2). The Bandwidth (data) tab opens.

This is the same as the Bandwidth (audio) tab but has an Data Control panel (see ﬁgure64):

23344

Figure 64. Bandwidth (data) Tab

3. If required, check the Serial Enable (see ﬁgure 64, 1) and UDP Enable (see

ﬁgure64, 2) check boxes, and enter the UDPIPaddress (see ﬁgure 64, 3) and

UDP Port number (see ﬁgure 64,

Decoder data bandwidth tab on page 64.)

4. Save the changes by clicking Save All.

). (For more information about these choices, see

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 76

Custom Input and Output Modes

For most applications, the source input of the VNE 250 is set to auto mode. This enables the encoder to detect the electrical and timing characteristics of the input signal and determine the exact source type. It then invokes the appropriate input parameters for optimum processing of that source signal.

This also has the advantage of changing the input setup automatically, without any user intervention, if the input source changes to another source type (for example, if the input is derived from a source switcher).

While the auto mode works with most standard video and graphics standards, there are circumstances (particularly with analog sources) in which additional ﬁne‑tuning may be required. For example, when the source:

z Is an RGsB (sync on green) or YPrPb source type.

z Has Macrovision copy protection.

z Does not have a completely standard signal format.

In extreme circumstances, it may even be necessary to create a custom user source

format (see page 80). For example, when a source:

z is completely non‑standard.

z has a poor quality signal.

NOTE: The advanced source setup procedures described here are only required for

analog sources. For digital sources, the input mode should always be set to auto.

Video Setup Page

All advanced source setup is performed with the Video Setup tab (see page 52). To access the Video Setup tab, select an encoder from the Device List tab. When the Device tab opens, click on the videoPort0 link. When the Configure tab opens, click the Video

Setup

tab:

Figure 65. Video Setup Page

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 77

233

644

Figure 66. Advanced Video Setup

For most source types select auto from the mode drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 66, 1), allowing full auto‑detection of the source. To apply a ﬁxed input mode, select the required mode from the mode drop‑down list and click Update or the Save All tab.

NOTE: Selecting a ﬁxed input mode disables the auto‑detect function.

Fine-tuning a source (manual overrides)

The following adjustments are manual overrides of the selected source format. The adjustments are not saved as part of the current source mode and after they are applied, remain active until they are changed.

Manual overrides

z Phase (pixel clock) (see ﬁgure 66,

it is essential that each pixel be sampled as close to its center as possible in order to obtain a stable value. Sampling too close to a pixel boundary causes unreliable data capture and results in noise or artifacts, especially between pixels of signiﬁcantly different hue or intensity.

Normally phase is set to auto, allowing the VNE 250 to determine the optimum pixel clock phase. If the auto setting is unsatisfactory for any reason, try adjusting the phase manually. The phase is determined by selecting a value between 0 and 31. Positive numbers advance the clock phase relative to the start of the active line; it is not possible to select negative numbers.

) — When an analog graphics signal is digitized,

TIP: Optimum phase adjustment is easier to establish when a suitable test pattern

is displayed. Typically, this contains a series of alternating black and white vertical lines at one pixel intervals.

z Macrovision defeat (see ﬁgure 66,

applied to commercially produced videos and DVDs. This adds additional sync‑level pulses to the video waveform that need to be ignored for proper auto‑detection.

If you know (or suspect) that your source material has Macrovision encoding, select the Macrovision defeat option. Leave this parameter unchecked for all other sources. Checking this parameter for non‑Macrovision sources may result in tearing at the top of the image.

z Blanking (image positioning) (see ﬁgure 66,

sources, active video occupies an area in the middle of the video frame. Around this is an area used for horizontal and vertical blanking signals.

The VNE 250 ignores the blanking area and digitizes only the active video area. To do this, it needs to know the position of the ﬁrst active line of video and the ﬁrst active pixel on that line. This is controlled by the blanking parameter (normally set to auto), that allows the encoder to calculate the values automatically.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 78

) — Macrovision copy protection is often

) — In analog video and graphics

If required, the calculated values for the ﬁrst line and ﬁrst pixel can be adjusted by applying a manual offset. To do this, set the blanking parameter to manual and type a positive or negative integer value into the pixels or lines ﬁelds as required, then click

Update.

NOTE: The offsets are made relative to the current source format

“digFirstPixel” and “digFirstLine” values (see ﬁgure 65).

z Color space (RGB/YPrPb) (see ﬁgure 66,

) — Because of the similarity between

analog RGsB (sync on green) and component YPrPb signals, sources using these formats may not auto‑detect correctly. RGsB and YPrPb sources have different color spaces and if the wrong setup is applied the resulting image, although stable, has a red or green color cast. Set the color space parameter to either RGB or YPrPb as required.

z Resync (see ﬁgure 66,

) — Click Resync to force an auto‑detection of the source

signal.

Custom Input Modes

There might be instances in which a VNE 250 cannot detect an input source. For example:

z An unrecognized input source that is not deﬁned in the User Source Format of the

encoder.

z The timing of the input source deviates from the standard timings for that signal.

In these situations, you need to create a custom input mode for the new source.

NOTE: Custom input modes are necessary only for analog sources. A VN‑Matrix

automatically creates custom input modes for HDMI sources based on their EDID.

Setting the EDID mode

It is easier to conﬁgure the custom input mode if the EDID mode on the VNE 250 is set correctly. To set the EDID mode, perform the following steps:

1. From the Device List, select the required encoder.

2. When the Device tab opens, click on the videoPort0 link (see ﬁgure 30).

3. In the Reported EDID drop‑down list, select the appropriate EDID mode. In most

cases, this will be transparent, which allows the EDID data of the display to pass through the matrix to the source PC.

4. Reboot the source PC to ensure it reads the correct EDID selection.

TIP: The EDID of your monitor has a signiﬁcant effect on the mode that your

graphics card displays. Also, the mode selected on the source PC may not produce the expected output resolution. For example, if the EDID of a monitor does not report any wide screen modes, your graphics card may still allow resolutions such as 1280x960, 1280x768, or 1280x720.

In this instance, the PC may output 1280x1024, and letterbox the wide screen image so it is vertically centered on the monitor. Therefore, although you have selected a mode such as 1280x960 on the computer, the VN‑Matrix and your monitor detect this as 1280x1024. In this situation, creating a custom input mode is unnecessary, because the VN‑Matrix has detected a valid 1280x1024 input mode. The VN‑Matrix may ignore the mode because it has already found an internal mode that correctly captured the source.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 79

Constructing a custom user source format overview

There are four basic steps to create a custom user source format:

1. Conﬁgure a source to display the unrecognized source format and connect it to the

VN‑Matrix encoder.

2. Create a custom input mode to match the resolution and timing of the source.

3. Verify that the encoder can automatically detect (auto‑detect) the source format created

in step 2.

4. Fine‑tune the custom input mode.

NOTE: After the custom input mode is created for the VNE 250, you may need to

create a custom output mode to match.

TIPS: It is recommended that:

• When creating a custom input mode, monitors are connected to both the

video loop‑out of the VNE 250 and the video output of the VND 250.

• The same monitors be used in the ﬁnal system conﬁguration.

Constructing a custom user source format

1. From the Device List, select the required encoder.

2. When the Device tab opens, click on the videoPort0 link.

3. When the Configure tab opens, click the Video Setup tab.

112233

Figure 67. Constructing a Custom User Source Format

4. Set the phase (see ﬁgure 67, 1), macrovision defeat (see ﬁgure 67, 2), and color

space (see ﬁgure 67,

NOTE: The above values are not saved as part of the source format; they are

global settings saved for the mode selected in the mode drop‑down list. If auto is selected from the mode drop‑down list, the settings apply to any detected mode.

5. Set

blanking (see ﬁgure 67,

) settings as desired (see Manual Overrides on page 78).

) to auto.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 80

6. Select a source type similar to the desired source type in the Name ﬁeld of the User

Source Format panel (see ﬁgure 68,

and displayed in the currentMode ﬁeld of the Device Status panel, select that mode from the drop‑down list. This acts as a baseline for the custom source format.

). If an existing (incorrect) mode was detected

6 8

3 4

Figure 68. User Source Format Panel

7. Click New Source (see ﬁgure 68, 2). Enter

a name for the new source in the popup box that opens and click OK (see the ﬁgure to the right). Suggested naming scheme is HresxVres_Frequency_Timing; for example,

1360x768_60Hz_CVT.

8. Select Interlace mode or leave the box blank for progressive (see ﬁgure 68, 3).

9. Some source types do not show content over their full active areas or have content

which shows poorly deﬁned edges and contrast. These types of sources should have

Fixed Geometry (see ﬁgure 68,

on sync timings not on active video timings. The Fixed Geometry option cannot be edited by the user at this time.

10. If conﬁguring a HD video mode that uses TriSync, set the Trisync Ignore ﬁeld (see

ﬁgure68, 5) to 100. Otherwise, leave it at 0.

HDTV sources with embedded synchronization data use a modiﬁed synchronization system called trisync. The synchronization pulse makes excursions into the active video area, causing the active area measurements to fail unless the pulses are ignored. Setting Trisync Ignore to 100 causes the active video detection logic to ignore any data until 2*100 pixels after the start of the hsync pulse. 100 is a suitable setting for 1080i. This should always be set to zero unless it is known trisync is being used.

11. Copy the monLineCount value from the Device Status panel to the User Source

Format LineCount ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 68,

12. Copy monLinePeriod from the Device Status panel to the User Source Format

LinePeriod ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 68,

13. Enter the pixels per line in the Pixels Per Line ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 68, 8). If this is

unknown, consult a VESA timing chart, or calculate the value by using the following formula:

(Horizontal location of ﬁrst pixel ‑1 + pixels per line of detected source) * (1+[desired mode hsize ‑ digHSize]/digHSize).

For example, if the new mode you are creating has a resolution of 1360x768, but 1280x768 is the detected mode and digFirstPixel is 401, the formula would be:

(401-1+1280) * (1+[1360-1280]/1280) =

1680 * (1 + 0.0625) =

1680 * (1.0625) = 1785

) checked. These source types are matched solely

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 81

14. Enter the active horizontal resolution in the HSize ﬁeld and the active vertical resolution

in the VSize ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 68, 9).

15. Copy the values in the digFirstPixel and digFirstLine ﬁelds of the Device Status

panel to the FirstPixel and FirstLine ﬁelds (see ﬁgure 68, ¢).

16. Click the Update button (see ﬁgure 67, 1 on the page 80). The User Source Format

settings are copied into the User.Source.Conﬁg ﬁle of the VN‑Matrix device designated as the controller.

17. Press Save Source (see ﬁgure 68, £) to save the User.Source.Config ﬁle of the

VN‑Matrix device designated as the controller.

With the mode drop‑down list still set to auto, the VN‑Matrix device should now select the new user mode in the currentMode ﬁeld.

18. Display a moiré pattern and check for clocking errors in the same user format area.

Clocking errors appear as vertical banding on the displayed image. If clocking errors exist, select the User mode from the Name drop‑down list and adjust the value in the

PixelsPerLine ﬁeld. Each time you enter a new value in the ﬁeld, you must click Update, click the Save Source button, and reboot the VN‑Matrix controller and

encoder. Repeat this process until the clocking error is gone.

After you create a custom input mode, if the decoder does not ﬁnd a suitable output mode, you need to create a custom output mode (see Custom Output Modes, on page83).

NOTE: A stable video signal on the loop output of the encoder does not necessarily

indicate that the signal is being properly recognized. An encoder generates the loop output signal by passing sync directly from the input connector to the output connectors (a pass‑through), so it is not dependent on any previously stored modes to create a loop output.

TIP: Before creating the custom mode, be aware that the encoder may report

inaccurate values for active horizontal pixels (digHSize) and active vertical lines (digVSize).

The encoder analyzes the content displayed by the source PC to determine these values. As a result, if your source is displaying a 100 pixel by 100 pixel white box against a black background, the encoder may report a digHSize value of 100, and a digVSize value of 100 as well.

Given this fact, it is a good practice to ensure that your PC is displaying a full image, preferably full white or a moiré pattern, before creating a custom input mode.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 82

Custom Output Modes

The decoder Format tab allows you to create custom video output formats for displaying decoded video data streams.

One of the issues encountered when some graphics sources are used in conjunction with VN‑Matrix encoder and decoder systems is that the encoder often produces a loop‑through image and states that it has detected a valid input mode. However, the decoder outputs a display splash screen that states “No Matching Output Mode.”

The following section describes how to create a custom output mode that will be automatically selected by the decoder when it “sees” the corresponding input mode from the encoder.

Creating a CVT output mode

This procedure requires you to access the VN‑Matrix decoder unit over a Telnet connection and access the VN‑Matrix web GUI using a browser.

To create a coordinated video timing (CVT) mode:

1. Ensure that the graphics source causing the issues is connected to the VN‑Matrix

encoder and that the encoder has detected the correct mode for that source.

NOTE: Make sure that the source is displaying an image that occupies the entire

desktop, such as a window that has been maximized.

2. Verify that an image is present on the loop‑through output of the encoder.

3. Connect a PC to the VN‑Matrix network and start the VN‑Matrix web GUI (see

VNM250 GUI Login on page 33).

4. From the

Configuration panel and then select the Video Setup tab.

5. When the Video Setup page opens, make a note of the horizontal resolution (digHSize)

and vertical resolution (digVSize) that are displayed in the Device Status panel. These will be used as the basis for the new output mode.

6. Return to the device list and select the decoder that is displaying the “No Matching

Output Mode” screen.

7. Click display0 in the Configuration panel.

8. Click the Format tab.

9. When the Format page opens, click the New

Format

the ﬁgure to the right).

10. In the New Output Format Name ﬁeld in the prompt window, enter a name for the

mode you are building. It is a good idea to use the resolution, refresh rate, and PC type (such as Mac or Linux) in the title. The name “1280x960_60Hz_Dell” is used in the following example. Click OK.

11. From the Name drop‑down list, select the mode (1280x960_60Hz_Dell).

12. In the Active Pixels ﬁeld, enter the horizontal resolution that was noted in step 5.

13. In the Active Lines ﬁeld, enter the vertical resolution that was noted in step 5.

14. In the Frame Rate ﬁeld, enter the refresh rate of the source.

15. Click the CVT button. The VN‑Matrix unit now attempts to build a mode using

the standard CVT timing calculator. The remaining values on the screen update automatically.

16. Click Update and then click Save Formats.

Device List, select the encoder. Click the videoPort0 link in the

button. A pop‑up box opens (see

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 83

17. From the source device that is supplying the encoder, change the resolution and allow

the encoder to display the image on the loop‑out. This forces the VN‑Matrix to change both input and output modes.

18. Change the source back to the original resolution.

If the image appears correctly on the decoder, the new mode that you created is working correctly. The mode creation is now complete and you can stop here.

If the decoder still displays the “No Matching Output Mode” splash screen, the new mode is not a close enough match to the source to be automatically selected. To resolve this, see Creating a custom output mode, below.

Creating a custom output mode

If the CVT output mode that was created in the previous section is not automatically selected when the source was selected, create a new mode and manually enter speciﬁc timing values for it. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Select the decoder in the Device List tab of the web interface.

2. Select the Device tab.

3. Click on the display0 link in the Configuration panel.

4. Use the Output Format drop‑down list and select the CVT mode that was created in

the previous section.

5. Select Update. The source should now be displayed correctly on the decoder output.

The mode must now be modiﬁed so it can be detected automatically when the source is connected to the encoder. To do this, you will:

1. Retrieve timing information using a Telnet session (see below).

2. Enter the observed timing values in the VN-Matrix web GUI (see page 85).

Opening a Telnet session on port 4002 with a VN-Matrix decoder

To open a Telnet session with the VN‑Matrix decoder, perform the following procedure:

1. From the Windows taskbar, open a terminal window and type:

telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 4002, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx represents the IP address

of the VN‑Matrix decoder (leading zeroes are not required). Press <Enter>.

Source information is now continually streamed to the Telnet window. Although the numeric values may be different, you see a line similar to the one shown below:

resolution update message: 1280,960,60,1000,1800,fbbd,108001440,1:

The ﬁrst ﬁve numeric values are interpreted as:

Parameter Meaning

1280 Active area width of current source (in pixels)

960 Active area height of current source (in pixels)

60 Frame rate of current source, in Hz

1000 Total line count of current source

1800 Total pixels per line of current source

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 84

2. Write down the values that are reported for:

z Active area width

z Active area height

z Frame rate

z Total line count

z Total pixels per line

These values are required in the next section.

Entering the timing values in the VN-Matrix web GUI

1. Return to the VN‑Matrix GUI and open the decoder Format tab.

788

Figure 69. Decoder Format Tab

2. In the Name drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 69, 1), ensure that the mode you have just built

is selected, then click Update.

3. Calculate the correct horizontal values for the mode you are using. Assume that the

values for the Horizontal Left Border, Horizontal Right Border, Horizontal

Front Porch, and Horizontal Sync Width are already correct.

4. Enter the values for Active Pixels, Frame Rate, and Total Pixels (see ﬁgure69,2)

that were returned in the Telnet session.

Example:

The values in the table below are from the example shown under Opening a Telnet

session on port 4002 with a VN-Matrix decoder, on the previous page.

Parameter Meaning

1280 Active area width of current source (in pixels)

960 Active area height of current source (in pixels)

60 Frame rate of current source, in Hz

1000 Total line count of current source

1800 Total pixels per line of current source

5 6

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 85

5. Calculate the horizontal back porch value. This value is calculated with the formula:

total pixels per line – (active pixels in width + horizontal left border + horizontal right border + horizontal front porch + horizontal sync width)

Using the values from the example in step 4, above, this equates to:

1800 – (1280 + 0 + 0 + 80 + 128) = 312

6. Enter this value into the Horizontal Back Porch ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 69, 3).

7. Calculate the correct vertical values for the mode. Assume that the Vertical Top

Border, Vertical Bottom Border, Vertical Front Porch, and Vertical Sync Width are already correct.

8. Enter the values for Active Lines and Total Lines (see ﬁgure 69, 4) that were

returned in the Telnet session (see step 4, on the previous page).

9. Calculate the vertical back porch value. This value is calculated with the formula:

total lines – (active pixels in height + vertical top border + vertical bottom border + vertical front porch + vertical sync width)

In the step 4 example, this equates to:

1000 – (960 + 0 + 0 + 3 + 4) = 33

10. Enter this value in the Vertical Back Porch ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 69, 5).

11. Calculate the pixel clock frequency. This is calculated with the formula:

total lines x total pixels x frame rate

Using the values from step 4, this equates to:

1000 x 1800 x 60 = 108000000

12. Enter this value in the Pixel Clock Frequency ﬁeld (see ﬁgure 69, 6).

13. Click Update (see ﬁgure 69, 7), and then click Save Formats (see ﬁgure 69, 8). The

new mode should now be an exact match for the connected source.

14. To test the new mode select the Display tab for the decoder, and ensure that Auto is

selected in the Output Format selector.

15. Switch the resolution on the source to a different resolution and then switch it back

again. The mode should display. If it does not, see the Troubleshooting Guide on page117.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 86

Upgrading Firmware

Extron may issue ﬁrmware upgrades for the VNM 250 in order to make new functionality available. Details of the latest ﬁrmware release are published on the Extron website (www.extron.com).

ATTENTION: The encoder and decoder each have a different ﬁrmware ﬁle.

• Example of an encoder upgrade ﬁle name: 250_enc_ver5.3.16.tar.

• Example of a decoder upgrade ﬁle name:

Ensure you load the correct ﬁle to each unit.

The update process consists of the following stages:

Upload — the upgrade ﬁle is copied from the control PC to temporary storage on the VNM250 controller.

Prepare — The new ﬁrmware is unpacked and copied from the controller into the alternate ﬂash memory of the VNM250 device.

Activate — The VNM 250 reboots to start using the new ﬁrmware. This is a temporary mode that allows testing of the ﬁrmware. If any problems are encountered, you can back out of this mode and return to the previous ﬁrmware version.

Commit — The VNM 250 reboots to start using the new ﬁrmware permanently.

All stages of the upgrade process are carried out using the web interface.

250_dec_ver5.3.16.tar.

ATTENTION: It is essential that all the VNM 250 units in the same system are

upgraded to the same ﬁrmware version number in order to ensure full compatibility.

NOTES:

• Performing the Activate function on the VNM 250 device that is acting as the

system controller causes the device to reboot, causing a temporary loss of the web interface. Once the controller has rebooted, the VNM 250 is able to resume serving the web interface.

• After the VNM 250 device has rebooted, the upgrade ﬁle (in the temporary

storage area) is deleted.

• Several of the steps in this process (Prepare, Commit, and Backout) require

re‑writing ﬂash memory, which may take a few minutes.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 87

Uploading the Firmware File to the VNM 250 Controller

1. Log in to the web interface (see VNM 250 GUI Login on page 28). The GUI opens to

the Device List page.

2. Click on the VNM 250 unit to be upgraded. The Device page for that unit opens.

3. On the Device page, click the Upgrade tab. The Upgrade tab opens:

455

Figure 70. Upgrade Tab

4. Click Browse (see ﬁgure 70, 1) to open a ﬁle browser. Navigate to the required

upgrade ﬁle, or type the path and ﬁle name directly into the browser ﬁeld. The ﬁle extension must be .tar.

5. Click Upload (see ﬁgure 70, 2) to begin uploading the ﬁle to the VN‑Matrix controller.

This takes a few minutes.

Installing the New Firmware

1. From the Select Firmware Version drop‑down list (see ﬁgure 70, 3), select the

new ﬁrmware ﬁle that you wish to install. Usually, the ﬁle listed is the one that has just been uploaded (see the previous section).

2. Click forward (see ﬁgure 70, 4) ‑ the Device Upgrade Status initially shows

PREPARE0%. As it writes the upgrade to ﬂash, the status changes incrementally to PREPARE100%.

3. Click forward. The Device Upgrade Status changes to READYTOACTIVATE.

4. Once the device is in the READYTOACTIVATE state:

a. Click forward (see ﬁgure 70, 4) to activate the upgrade and move to the

READYTOCOMMIT state.

b. Click reverse (see ﬁgure 70, 5) to abandon the upgrade using the BACKOUT state.

5. Once the device is in the READYTOCOMMIT state:

a. click forward (see ﬁgure 70, 4) to irrevocably commit to the upgrade using the

COMMITTING state.

b. click reverse (see ﬁgure 70, 5) to return to the original ﬁrmware and the

READYTOACTIVATE state.

6. The unit reboots. Once the reboot is complete, the device upgrade process is complete

and the device enters the WAIT state.

1122

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 88

Conﬁguring KVM Functionality

Before starting, ensure that a mouse and keyboard have been connected to the VND 250 and a PC has been connected to the VNE 250 (see USB Ports on page 17).

1. From the Device List tab (see page 30), click on one of the VNM 250 units that you

wish to conﬁgure. The Device tab opens.

2. Click the Peripherals tab. The page opens with the Mouse & Keyboard Control panel

on the right hand side of the window:

Figure 71. Mouse & Keyboard Control Panel

3. Set the MK Mode

z For the VNE 250 encoder, set MK Mode to Enable (see ﬁgure 71,

z For the VND 250 decoder, set MK Mode to Keyboard (see ﬁgure 71,

4. Make sure that a video stream connection has been conﬁgured between the encoder

and decoder.

Once conﬁgured, the KVM mode is enabled using a hot key sequence on the keyboard that is connected to the decoder.

To activate a remote control session using hot keys

5. Using the keyboard attached to the VN 250 decoder, press the <Ctrl> and <Shift> keys

simultaneously, followed by the <F1> key.

The decoder monitor brieﬂy shows MK:Forward in the top left‑hand corner.

To terminate a remote control session using hot keys

6. Using the keyboard attached to the VN 250 decoder or encoder, press the <Ctrl> and

<Shift> keys simultaneously, followed by the <F2> key.

The decoder display monitor will brieﬂy show MK:Local in the top left‑hand corner.

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 89

RS-232 Pass-through Conﬁguration

The Coms port on the rear panel of the encoder (see ﬁgure 6, R on page 13), or decoder (see ﬁgure7,R on page 13) is used for RS‑232 pass‑through communications, allowing a control device connected to one VNM 250 unit (the server) to control remote devices connected to other VNM 250 units (clients).

Serial data received by one VNM 250 unit is transmitted over the network, using TCP/IP, and then converted back to serial data at the target VNM 250 unit. Data ﬂow is fully bi‑directional.

Units that are conﬁgured for this type of data ﬂow are called pass‑through groups (see

RS-232 Pass-through on page18).

Pass-through Coms Server Conﬁguration

1. On the Device List page, click on the device you want to conﬁgure as the server.

2. Click the Peripherals tab. The page opens with the Serial Port Control panel on

the left hand side of the window:

Figure 72. Serial Port Control Panel

3. From the mode drop‑down list, select server (see ﬁgure 72, 1).

4. Change other settings, as required.

5. Click update (see ﬁgure 72, 2), followed by Save All at the top of the page.

Pass-through Coms Client Conﬁguration

1. On the Device List tab, select the device you want to conﬁgure as a client.

2. Click the Peripherals tab (see ﬁgure 69).

3. From the mode drop‑down list, select client (see ﬁgure 73, 1). This reveals the

destination box (see ﬁgure 73, 3).

Figure 73. Serial Port Control Panel with Destination menu

4. From the destination drop‑down list, select

ﬁgure 73, 3).

5. Change the other settings as required, then click update (see ﬁgure 73, 2).

6. Click Save All at the top of the page.

7. Repeat steps 1‑6 for other client devices.

passthrough for the appropriate server (see

VNM 250 • Conﬁguration with the VNM 250 GUI 90

Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration

This section describes how to conﬁgure the VNM 250 units, using the front panel menu:

Front Panel Menu Overview

Conﬁguring the VNE 250 Encoder

Conﬁguring the VND 250 Decoder

Front Panel Menu Overview

The default menu screens display whenever the menu is not actively accessed. They are read‑only and provide information about the current status of the encoder (see below) or decoder.

TIPS:

• To help when reviewing this information, it is possible to pause the default cycle and

step through each screen using the rotary encoders.

• To pause the cycling of the default screens, press and hold the next button on the

front panel.

• To step through each top level screen use the left hand rotary encoder; to step

through each item in a screen, use the right hand rotary encoder.

• To cancel the pause mode, press the menu button.

Accessing the menu allows conﬁguration of the unit.

NOTE: To prevent the units being reconﬁgured by unauthorized users, the front panel

menu can be locked by simultaneously holding down the menu and next buttons.

Unlock the menu in the same way.

Conﬁguring the VNE 250 Encoder

Default Menu Screens

On powering the unit up, or if the menu is not accessed for 30 seconds, the front panel LCD shows the "Default Menu Screens." These are a series of screens that show the current status and conﬁguration of the unit. Each screen is shown for approximately two seconds before being replaced by the next. After displaying the last screen, the unit returns to the ﬁrst screen and repeats the cycle.

z The ﬁrst three screens provide information about the video input.

z The next four screens provide information about the device.

z The next three screens provide information about the connection.

z The ﬁnal two screens provide information about the controller.

VNM 250 • Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration 91

Controller

Input

[HDMI/VGA/None]

Input

Connection

Figure 74. VNE 250 Encoder Default Menu Screens

Top Level Menu

These screens provide access to conﬁgure the encoder device.

Controller

[IP Address]

Connection [Transport]

[Status]

Connection [Transport]

[Bit rate]

Controller

[Status]

Connection [n] [Transport]

[Connection count]

Device LAN2

[Subnet Mask]

Input

[Resolution]

Input

[Format]

Device [Firmware Version]

[Device Serial Number]

Device [Firmware Version]

[Name]

Device LAN2

[IP Address]

Device

NOTE: Some settings take a few seconds to action once a change is made.

To access the top level menu:

1. Press the Menu button to access Encode Config, the ﬁrst item in the top level menu

(see ﬁgure 74 on the following page).

2. Continue pressing the Menu button to scroll through all the available top level options.

3. When the desired option appears in the LCD window, press the Next button to select

the submenu options.

NOTE: If you cycle through all the top‑level options, continuing to press the Menu

button will take you back to the ﬁrst option (Encode Conﬁg).

VNM 250 • Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration 92

Encode

eens

Disable

Cong

Encode Conﬁg sub-menu on page 93.

See

OSD

Network

Input

EDID

Test

Pattern

Reset

OSD sub-menu on page 94.

See

Network sub-menu on page 94.

See

Input sub-menu on page 96.

See

EDID sub-menu on page 97.

See

Test Pattern sub-menu on page 98.

See

Reset sub-menu on page 99.

See

Exit Menu

Press Next

Exit menu and return to default scr

Figure 75. VNE 250 Encoder — Top Level LCD Menu

Encode Conﬁg Sub-menu

The Encode Conﬁg sub‑menu allows you to enable or disable streaming.

Encode

Cong

Figure 76. VNE 250 Encoder Encode Conﬁg Sub-menu

1. From the Encode Config screen, press Next to open the Stream window.

2. Use either rotary encoder to toggle between Enable and Disable.

3. Press Next to save the selected values and return to the main Encode Config screen.

4. Press Menu to open the main OSD screen.

Stream [Enable]

Enable or

VNM 250 • Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration 93

OSD Sub-menu

Both

The OSD sub‑menu allows you to determine what information is overlaid on the loop‑through display.

OSD

OSD [Disable]

Disable Device Name Input Resolution

Figure 77. VNE 250 Encoder OSD Sub-menu

1. In the main OSD screen, press Next to open the OSD sub‑menu.

2. Use either rotary encoder to select from:

z Disable the on‑screen display.

z Device name (if the device name has not been set previously by the user, the

DeviceID is displayed).

z Input resolution and frame rate of the connected source.

z Both the Device Name and the Input Resolution with the frame rate.

3. Press Next to save the selected values and return to the main OSD screen.

4. Press Menu to open the main Network screen.

Network Sub-menu

The Network sub‑menu allows you to review and conﬁgure network settings for the streaming and control ports and for the system controller. The three upper level screens, which allow you to review the LAN1-Control settings, LAN2-Stream settings, and

SysCtrl settings are read‑only screens.

1. In the main Network screen, press Next to open the LAN 1-Control screen.

2. Use the left rotary encoder to select the IP address (IP) or subnet mask (SM) for the

control network. The appropriate value is displayed on the LCD screen.

3. Press Next for less than 3 seconds to open the LAN 2‑Stream screen.

4. Use the left rotary encoder to select IP address (IP), subnet mask (SM), gateway (GW),

maximum transmission unit (MTU), or Mode (MODE) for the streaming network. The appropriate value is displayed on the LCD screen.

5. Press Next for less than 3 seconds to open the Sys Ctrl screen.

6. Use the left rotary encoder to select IP address (IP) or port number (Port) for the system

controller. The appropriate value is displayed on the LCD screen.

7. Press Next for less than 3 seconds to return to the main Network screen.

NOTE: These screens are read only. They allow you to select and view a parameter but

not to change it.

VNM 250 • Front Panel Menu Conﬁguration 94

Extron Electronics VN-Matrix 250 User Manual [en, ru, de, es, fr]

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Safety Instructions

FCC Class A Notice

Conventions Used in this Guide

Contents

Introduction

About this Guide

About the VNM 250

VNM 250 System Controller

Transport Protocols Used for Streaming

Multicast RTP — An Overview

Unicast RTP — An Overview

TCP — An Overview

Features

Installation Overview

Front Panels

VNM 250 Front Panels

Status Information

Unit Identify Mode

VNE 250 Rear Panel

VND 250 Rear Panel

POWER

Connections

Network Connections

USB Ports

Coms

Alarms

Genlock

Video Connections

Audio Connections

Reset

Controlling Your System with a VN-Matrix Enterprise Controller

Setting a VNM 250 Device as the System Controller

Using a Dedicated DHCP Server

Control Port

VNM 250 GUI Overview

VNM 250 GUI Login

VNM 250 GUI Tabs

Tabs Shared by Both the Encoder and Decoder

Encoder Tabs

Managing Compression and Bandwidth Settings

Audio Input Selection

Decoder Tabs

Managing Compression and Bandwidth Settings

Bandwidth Management – Simple Control

Bandwidth Management – Advanced Control

Monitoring the Decoder Video Bandwidth

Custom Input and Output Modes

Video Setup Page

Custom Input Modes

Custom Output Modes

Upgrading Firmware

Uploading the Firmware File to the VNM 250 Controller

Installing the New Firmware

Front Panel Menu Overview

Default Menu Screens

Top Level Menu

OSD Sub-menu

Network Sub-menu