Matrox® Maevex™ 5100 Series
Managing video input and output options
Reference document (Rev. 1.01)
September 12, 201 4
Matrox® Maevex™ 5100 Series September 12, 2014
Table of contents
1 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 More information .............................................................................................................. 4
2 Understanding your Maevex environment ......................................................................... 5
3 Matrox PowerStream ............................................................................................................ 6
3.1 Accessing PowerStream ................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Enabling features .............................................................................................................. 6
4 Determining the display mode for your source .................................................................. 7
5 Your encoder in pass through .............................................................................................. 8
5.1 Enabling pass through ...................................................................................................... 8
5.2 Using pass through ........................................................................................................... 8
6 Your encoder in confidence preview ................................................................................... 9
6.1 Enabling confidence preview ........................................................................................... 9
6.2 Using confidence preview ................................................................................................ 9
6.2.1 Using force display mode .......................................................................................... 10
6.2.2 Display modes in confidence preview: source vs. output ......................................... 11
7 The display mode of your stream or recording ................................................................ 12
8 Your decoder ....................................................................................................................... 13
8.1 Using the ‘Force display mode’ option .......................................................................... 13
9 Scaling .................................................................................................................................. 14
9.1 Scaling options ............................................................................................................... 14
10 Supported display modes .................................................................................................... 15
Appendix A: Change Log .......................................................................................................... 17
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List of Figures
Figure 1: Confidence preview with a digital monitor and ‘Force display mode’ disabled .......... 10
Figure 2: Confidence preview with no digital monitor and ‘Force display mode’ disabled ....... 10
Figure 4: Results of scaling options ............................................................................................. 14
Figure 3: Scaling options ............................................................................................................. 14
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1 Overview
Your Matrox Maevex 5100 Series hardware and software are designed to obtain the best possible
video quality for your environment. Achieving the best video quality is done by limiting the
number of transformations to the video between the source and the final output. Transformations
to the resolution and frame rate of a video are the ones most likely to affect video quality.
For video playback on monitor and other devices, the resolution and frame rate of a video are
converted to a display resolution and vertical refresh rate which is referred to as a display mode.
This document explains how to determine which display modes are used from the source device
to monitors connected to your encoder and decoder units.
Note: This document assumes you’re using version 1.03 of Matrox PowerStream software and
firmware. If you’re using a previous version of PowerStream software, certain references in this
guide may not reflect the software you have.
1.1 More information
The following provide additional documentation such as the installation, the connection setup,
and the hardware information for the Matrox products discussed in this document and on the
software to configure these products.
Matrox Maevex 5100 Series User Guide – provides information on installing and
connecting your Maevex 5100 Series products.
Matrox PowerStream help – provides information on PowerStream software
features and options.
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2 Understanding your Maevex environment
The following hardware components of a Matrox Maevex environment help determine which
display modes are used.
Source – A video source connected to an encoder. For example, a source can be a
media player, a computer system, a camera, or another Maevex encoder.
Maevex Encoder – An encoder is needed for each source in your Maevex
environment. An encoder can transmit to a single decoder or to multiple decoders. An
IP camera supporting RTSP transmissions can also be used to encode and transmit a
stream.
Maevex Decoder – A decoder is needed for each output in your environment. A
computer system using VideoLAN® VLC media player as a video player can also be
used to decode the signal from an encoder and play back video.
Matrox PowerStream software also helps determine which display modes are used.
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3 Matrox PowerStream
Matrox PowerStream software enables you to remotely control, manage, and configure your
Maevex units from a controller system in your Maevex environment.
3.1 Accessing PowerStream
To access PowerStream software:
Windows 8 – From the Start screen, click PowerStream.
Windows 7 – Click Start > All Progra ms (or Programs) > Matrox Grap h ics * >
PowerStream. (* Depending on your version and configuration of Windows, this
part of the step may not be necessary.)
For more information, see Matrox PowerStream help.
3.2 Enabling features
To access the control settings for a unit, double click the unit tile or click the Settings ( ) icon
of the tile, then click Control.
Adjust your settings, then click Apply to apply your changes.
Use the following settings to modify the display mode for your Maevex units:
Encoder
Processing > Capture > Frame rate
Processing > Encoding > Use specific video size
Output > Use pass through or Use confidence preview
Output > Size and transformations
Decoder
Decoding > Crop video
Local output > Size and transformations
For more information on Matrox PowerStream features and options, see the help file included
with your PowerStream software.
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4 Determining the display mode for your source
A source device uses the EDID information from the device connected to it (such as a monitor)
to determine which display mode to use. A display mode is the combination of display resolution
and vertical refresh rate (see Supported display modes).
Some sources (such as a computer system) can force a display mode. When forcing a display
mode, the source disregards the EDID of the device, which may result in a loss of video quality.
Most sources can determine the best display mode to use for a device connected to it. Each
device has a preferred display mode defined in its EDID. If the source supports that display
mode, both the source and the device use that mode. If the source doesn’t support that display
mode, the source selects a display mode that both devices support. For more information, see
your source device documentation or contact your source device manufacturer.
Depending on the encoder output method selected in PowerStream, your source uses the EDID
of different devices to determine which display mode to use:
Pass through – the source uses the EDID of the DVI or HDMI digital monitor
connected to your encoder.
Confidence preview – the source uses the EDID of the encoder.
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5 Your encoder in pass through
Pass through is an encoder output method enabled in PowerStream. When pass through is
enabled, the encoder transmits the signal between your source device and the monitor connected
to the encoder, as if the source was connected directly to the monitor.
You can use pass through to see how your source video looks at the preferred display mode for
your monitor and without transformations by the encoder.
5.1 Enabling pass through
To enable pass through, access your encoder control settings (see Enabling features). Select the
Output tab, then enable Use pass through.
5.2 Using pass through
When using pass through:
The source uses the EDID of the DVI or HDMI digital monitor connected to the
HDMI OUT connector of your encoder to determine which display mode to use. **If
no EDID is detected, the source may disable its video output and capture is
impossible.**
The encoder must support the display mode used by the source for capture, encoding,
streaming, or recording to work. For more information, see Supported display modes.
The output settings (such as Size and transformations and Image appearance) for
your encoder have no effect and are disabled.
If capture isn’t working on your encoder, the source video plays on your monitor.
No analog video signal is received, so there’s no video output on the VGA connector
(analog video output).
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6 Your encoder in confidence preview
Confidence preview is the default output method for an encoder. When confidence preview is
enabled, your encoder receives the video signal, just like a monitor would. Use confidence
preview if no monitor is connected to your encoder. Use confidence preview to view the effects
of transformations configured through the output settings of your encoder.
In confidence preview, your encoder shows the video received by the source, not the decoded
stream. The transformations are done directly to the display mode received from the source,
which may be different from the display mode of the encoded stream. For more information, see
The display mode of your stream or recording.
6.1 Enabling confidence pr evi ew
By default, your encoder is configured to Use confidence preview. To make sure Use
confidence preview is enabled, access your encoder Control settings (see Enabling features).
Select the Output tab, then enable Use confidence preview.
6.2 Using confidence preview
No monitor needs to be connected to your encoder. The source detects the EDID of the encoder
and uses the encoder’s preferred display mode of 1920×1080 @ 60Hz.
In confidence preview, the output settings (such as Size and transformations and Image
appearance) are used to output the video. Use these output settings to output to a DVI or HDMI
digital monitor connected to the HDMI Out connector of your encoder and to an analog monitor
connected to the VGA connector.
When using confidence preview:
The source uses the EDID of the encoder to determine which display mode to use.
The preferred display mode of the encoder is 1920×1080 @ 60Hz.
The output settings (such as Size and transformation and Image appearance) are
used to output the video to the monitors connected to your encoder.
Your encoder can output to a DVI or HDMI digital monitor connected to the HDMI
Out connector, to an analog monitor connected to the VGA connector, or to both.
Your encoder outputs the same display mode to both the HDMI Out and VGA
connector.
The encoder can force a display mode, or it can use the EDID of the monitor detected
to determine which display mode to use.
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6.2.1 Using force display mode
The Force display mode option of your encoder affects the display mode your encoder uses to
output to its monitor.
If Force display mode is enabled, your encoder uses the selected display mode to output the
video signal. For more information, see Supported display modes.
If Force display mode is disabled, your encoder uses the EDID of the monitor detected to
determine which display mode to use.
If a DVI or HDMI monitor is connected to the HDMI Out connector of your
encoder, the encoder uses the EDID of that monitor to output.
To determine the best display mode to use, each monitor has a preferred display mode
defined in its EDID. If your unit supports that display mode, both the unit and the
monitor use that mode. If the unit doesn’t support that display mode, the unit selects a
display mode that both devices support. For more information, see your monitor
documentation or contact your monitor manufacturer.
Figure 1: Confidence preview with a digital monitor and ‘Force display mode’ disabled
If no monitor is connected to the HDMI Out connector, or if Video output type is
set to VGA, the encoder uses its preferred display mode of 1920×1080 @ 60Hz.
Figure 2: Confidence preview with no digital monitor and ‘Force display mode’ disabled
If your analog monitor doesn’t support 1920×1080 @ 60Hz, we recommend you
enable Force a display mode and select a display mode your analog monitor
supports.
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6.2.2 Display modes in confidence preview: source vs. output
In confidence preview, the encoder may output a display resolution smaller than the one received
from the source. This difference requires scaling of the original source video to fit the display
mode used at output. This is the first scaling transformation that can occur to a video source. The
second involves the PowerStream Scaling option (see Scaling).
If the source display mode is smaller than or equal to the output display mode, the encoder
doesn’t scale the video, but black borders may appear around the video. PowerStream may scale
the video to fit the output display mode (see Scaling).
Note: Your monitor may scale the video regardless of the PowerStream settings selected. For
more information, see your monitor documentation.
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7 The display mode of your stream or recording
When the encoder captures the source, it uses the source display mode. You may want use a
different display mode to stream (or record) the video such as to lower bandwidth during
transmission.
The following PowerStream options can affect the display mode of your stream or recording:
Capture > Frame rate – Reduces the frame rate of the video.
Encoding > Use specific video size – Encodes the video with a different resolution.
If the video size specified is different than the source resolution, the source video is
scaled to fit the video size.
For more information, see Enabling features.
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8 Your decoder
Your decoder has a single output method. It’s equivalent to the confidence preview option for
your encoder.
Your decoder follows these guidelines:
It uses the display mode of the video stream received by an encoder.
The display resolution of the video stream can be reduced by using the Crop video
option in PowerStream. For more information, see Enabling features.
The output settings (such as Size and transformation and Image appearance) are
used to send the video signal to the monitor connected to the decoder.
It can force a display mode, or it can use the EDID of the monitor detected to
determine which display mode to use.
8.1 Using the ‘Force displ ay mode’ option
Enabling or disabling the Force display mode option affects the display mode your decoder uses
to output to the monitor.
If Force display mode is enabled, your decoder uses the selected display mode to
output the video signal. For more information, see Supported display modes.
If Force display mode is disabled, your decoder uses the EDID of the DVI or HDMI
digital monitor connected to its HDMI connector to determine which display mode to
use to output the video signal.
To determine the best display mode to use, each monitor has a preferred display mode
defined in its EDID. If your unit supports that display mode, both the unit and the
monitor use that mode. If the unit doesn’t support that display mode, the unit selects a
display mode that both devices support. For more information, see your monitor
documentation or contact your monitor manufacturer.
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9 Scaling
PowerStream enables you to select the proper Scaling option for the Local output setting of
your encoders (in confidence preview) and decoders. This option defines how your unit shows
the video when the video resolution doesn’t match the output resolution (or resolution of the
display mode).
9.1 Scaling options
The scaling options for the local output of your Maevex units are:
Center in display – If the video resolution is smaller
than the output resolution, the video is centered in the
monitor and has a black border around the video. For
example, if the video resolution is 1280×1024 and the
output resolution is 1920×1080, the video is a
1280×1024 image, centered, with a black border
around the video to fit a 1920×1080 output.
If the video resolution is larger than the output
resolution, the video is scaled to fit the output
resolution while keeping the aspect ratio of the video.
For example, if the video resolution is 1920×1080 and
the output resolution is 1600×1200, the video is scaled
to 1600×900, centered, with a black border around the
Figure 3: Scaling options
video to fit a 1600×1200 output.
Stretch to display – If your video resolution doesn’t match the output resolution, the
video is stretched or downscaled to fit the entire screen without a black border (the
aspect ratio isn’t preserved). There may be loss of image quality due to scaling.
Fit in display – If the video resolution is less than the output resolution, the video is
scaled, preserving the video aspect ratio. Black borders on the top or sides of the
video may appear if the aspect ratios of the video and monitor don’t match. For
example, if the video resolution is 1360×768 and the output resolution is 1600×1200,
the video is scaled horizontally and vertically to fit the output resolution, without
distorting the image.
Figure 4: Results of scaling options
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(HDMI IN)
On output with ‘Force display mode’
enabled
On encoder
On decoder
1920×1200@60Hz
1920×1080@60Hz
1680×1050@60Hz
1600×1200@60Hz
1600×900@60Hz
1440×900@60Hz
1400×1050@60Hz
1366×768@60Hz
Not supported
1360×768@60Hz
1280×1024@60Hz
1280×960@60Hz
1280×768@60Hz
Not supported
1280×720@60Hz
2
1280×720@50Hz
2
1024×768@60Hz
852×480@60Hz
Not supported
848×480@60Hz
Not supported
800×600@60Hz
720×576@50Hz
2
720×480@60Hz
2
640×480@60Hz
1080p50
2
1080i60
2
Not supported
Not supported
1080i50
2
Not supported
Not supported
1080p30
2
10 Supported display modes
At encoder input 1
For additional display mode support, contact Matrox Technical Support.
1
While using the PowerStream Use pass thro ugh option for your encoder, your source may use an unsupported display mode.
The encoder must support the display mode used by the source for capture, encoding, streaming, or recording to work.
2
This display mode is supported in the extension block of the EDID. For more information on the HDMI resolutions supported
by your output devices, see your output device documentation or contact your output device manufacturer.
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Disclaimer
Information in this document may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.
Information may be changed or updated without notice. Matrox reserves the right to make
improvements and/or changes in the products, programs and/or specifications described in this
information at any time without notice. All trademarks and trade names, service marks and logos
referenced herein belong to their respective owners.
HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered
trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
Copyright © 1996-2014 VideoLAN. This logo or a modified version may be used or modified by
anyone to refer to the VideoLAN project or any product developed by the VideoLAN team, but
does not indicate endorsement by the project.
Copyright © 2014 Matrox Graphics Inc. All rights reserved. Matrox and Matrox product names
are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. and/or Matrox
Graphics Inc. in Canada and other countries. All other company and product names are
registered trademarks and/or trademarks of their respective owners.
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Rev
Date
Description
1.00
August 26, 2014
Initial release.
1.01
September 12, 2014
Removal of NDA, confidential and a dd bold to 5.2, bullet one, last line.
Added revision to title page.
Appendix A: Change Log
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