Pinnacle Systems AirSpeed - 2.5 Installation Manual

Avid® AirSpeed

Installation and User’s Guide

make manage move | media

™

Avid

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.

Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following United States Patents: 4,746,994; 4,970,663; 5,045,940; 5,267,351; 5,309,528; 5,355,450; 5,396,594; 5,440,348; 5,452,378; 5,467,288; 5,513,375; 5,528,310; 5,557,423; 5,577,190; 5,584,006; 5,640,601; 5,644,364; 5,654,737; 5,715,018; 5,724,605; 5,726,717; 5,729,673; 5,745,637; 5,752,029; 5,754,851; 5,799,150; 5,812,216; 5,828,678; 5,842,014; 5,852,435; 5,987,501; 6,061,758; 6,223,211; 6,301,105; 6,532,043; 6,546,190; 6,636,869; 6,747,705, 6,763,523; 6,813,622. Other patents are pending.

This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of Avid AirSpeed may reproduce this publication for the licensee’s own use in learning how to use the software. This document may not be reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this document or providing support or educational services to others. This document is supplied as a guide for Avid AirSpeed. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the information it contains. However, this document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. Avid Technology, Inc. does not accept responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Portions of this software are based on work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source Code:

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

888 I/O, Adrenaline, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AirSpeed, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers, Avid Learning Excellerator, Avid Mojo, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, DAE, D-Fi, D-fx, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTranslator, DINR, DNxchange, D-Verb, Equinox, ExpertRender, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, FluidMotion, Frame Chase™ Editing, HIIP, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, IllusionFX, Image Independence, iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, Instinct, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, LaunchPad, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Marquee, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, Media Browse, Media Composer, MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaShare, Meridien, MetaSync, MissionControl, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview, NewsCutter, Nitris, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, ProEncode, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, Softimage, Sound Designer II, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, Symphony, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video Slave Driver, VideoSPACE, and Xdeck are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Windows is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

GOT FOOTAGE?

Editors — Filmmakers — Special Effects Artists — Game Developers — Animators — Educators — Broadcasters — Content creators of every genre — Just finished an incredible project and want to share it with the world?

Send us your reels and we may use your footage in our show reel or demo!*

For a copy of our release and Avid’s mailing address, go to www.avid.com/footage.

*Note: Avid cannot guarantee the use of materials submitted.

Avid AirSpeed Installation and User’s Guide • 0130-07824-01 Rev. A • January 2007

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Avid Educational Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Hardware and Software Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Software Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Ethernet Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Networking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

PortServer Pro Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

MediaManager Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Network Time Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Internal Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Serial Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Software Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Digital Input and Output Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Analog Output Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Supported Media Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Capture Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chunking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

RetroLoop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Media Formats and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

OMF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Media Destination Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Headframes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Playout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Studio Playout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Play While Transferring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Closed Caption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Frame Chase Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Front and Rear Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Front Panel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Panelless Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Visual Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

UI and Playback Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

On Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Networked AirSpeed OSD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Standalone AirSpeed OSD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Audio Knobs and LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Headphone Jack, Volume, and Channel Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Shuttle Ring and Jog Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Operational Control Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Rear Media Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Keyboard and Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Control Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

DNxchange HD Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

HD Video With AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Monitoring HD Video During Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Installing AirSpeed in a Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Checking the Contents of the Rack-Mount Kit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Separating the Slide Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Positioning the AirSpeed in the Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Attaching the Outer Rails to the Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Attaching Inner Rails to the AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Securing the AirSpeed in a Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

SDI and Video Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Audio Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Timecode Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

LTC Out Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Control and Communications Cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

PS/2 Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Ethernet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

SMPTE Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Remote Serial Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

GPIO Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Power Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Turning the AirSpeed On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Workgroup Requirement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Default IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Setting the Time Zone, Date, and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Accessing the AirSpeed Through Telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Setting Up for Transferring to Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

MediaManager System User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Interplay Environments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Using Interplay Transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Multiple Domain Names and DNS servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Static Mounted Workspaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Adjusting the Audio Playout Gain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Chapter 3 User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Introduction to the AirSpeed User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

AirSpeed UI Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Common UI Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Play Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Capture Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Setup Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Diagnostic Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Shutdown Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Chapter 4 Configuring the AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Accessing the Setup Subtabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Network Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

System Config Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Avid Pilot, Avid FlightPlan, and VNC Password Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Setting Passwords to Access AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Channels Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Destination Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Software Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Network Setup for the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Software-Naming Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Loading Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Send Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Maintenance and Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Power-On Self-Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Network Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Message Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Chapter 5 Configuring Standalone AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Standalone TransferManager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Configuring Standalone Transfer Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Configuring Avid Interplay Transfer Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Virtual Network Computing (VNC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Accessing the Setup Subtabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Network Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

System Config Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Avid Pilot, Avid FlightPlan, and VNC Password Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Setting Passwords to Access AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Channels Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Destination Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Software Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Upgrading Software in a Standalone Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Software-Naming Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Send Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Maintenance and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Power-On Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Network Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Message Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Chapter 6 AirSpeed Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Power-On Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

AirSpeed Startup Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Button and Wheel Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Channel Select Button 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Channel Select Button 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Operational Control Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Play Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Record Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Fast Forward Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Rewind Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Stop Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Locator Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Jog Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Shuttle Ring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Mark IN Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Mark OUT Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

RetroLoop Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Deleting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Timecode Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Clip Duration Verses Total Duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Clip Absolute Timecode Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Clip Relative Timecode Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Virtual Timecode Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Timecode Values for Network Links to Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Chapter 7 AirSpeed Studio and Playout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Studio Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Creating the Studio on the AirSpeed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Adding the Studio to Your WorkGroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Using the Studio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Connect to Playout Server or Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Send to Playout Server or Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Monitoring Studio Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Transfer Status Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Chapter 8 AirSpeed Operations with Other Avid News Applications . . . . . . . . . . 159

Transferring Sequences from an Avid NewsCutter Product. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Transfer Setup Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Transferring Sequences from a NewsCutter Product to AirSpeed . . . . . . . . . 160

Using Avid Pilot to Load Clips into a NewsCutter Product’s Capture Tool. . . . . . . 160

AirSpeed Setup Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

NewsCutter Product Setup Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Configuring AirSpeed to Work with a NewsCutter Product using Avid Pilot . . 161

Loading AirSpeed Clips into the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Using FlightPlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Transferring Clips From AirSpeed to NewsCutter Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Remote Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Virtual Network Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

General Remote Control Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Remote Control from an Automation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Remote Control from a System Using Sony Protocol (such as an Edit Controller).

166

Remote Control from Any Device Providing Contact Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Appendix A Chassis 0010-07109-xx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Control Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Audio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Video/LTC Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Appendix B Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Physical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Audio Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Video Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Control and Synchronization Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Data Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Rear Panel Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Connector Pinouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Remote 1 and Remote 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Ethernet Connector Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

GPIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Analog Audio Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

LTC Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Keyboard/Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Appendix C Regulatory and Safety Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Warnings and Cautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

FCC Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Canadian ICES-003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

European Union Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in the European Union. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Australia and New Zealand EMC Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Taiwan EMC Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of an Avid® AirSpeed® multichannel media server. You can use your AirSpeed to capture and output broadcast-quality media.

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.

Courier Bold font

Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the

A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm. Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.

order you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the File menu and then select the Import command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

mouse action. For example, Ctrl+drag.

Using This Guide

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using AirSpeed:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your workflow.

2. Check for the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published:

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as printed release notes,

they ship with your application and are also available online.

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as a ReadMe file, it is

supplied in your Avid application folder as a PDF document (ReadMe.pdf) and is also available online.

You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To view these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu. or visit

the Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/readme.

3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/onlinesupport. Online services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read or join online message-board discussions.

How to Order Documentation

To order additional copies of this documentation from within the United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you are placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local Avid representative.

Avid Educational Services

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, please visit www.avid.com/training or call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-

2843).

Chapter 1

AirSpeed Overview

This chapter provides background information about the AirSpeed media server. The following topics are discussed:

• Design

• DNxchange HD Option

• Hardware and Software Requirements

• Software Overview

• Front and Rear Panels

AirSpeed is a digital recorder or playback device designed to work seamlessly in Avid Unity environments (Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Unity MediaNetwork, and LANshare). AirSpeed allows you to capture incoming media directly into storage allocation groups (called workspaces) or play out media to air. Previously, Avid editing systems were used to capture the media, preventing the Avid editor from editing. Now media can be captured directly into Avid Unity workspaces unattended, freeing the Avid editing system for editing. Use the Avid editing system to edit the captured media into sequences and send the sequence back to the AirSpeed for playout. Up to five AirSpeeds together can be grouped to form a Studio.

Avid also supports Avid AirSpeed in a non-networked environment known as standalone mode. For further information regarding configuring a standalone AirSpeed, see

“Configuring Standalone AirSpeed” on page 103.

Design

AirSpeed is designed for ease of use. Once the AirSpeed is configured, this network media server captures one stream of video and up to eight channels of audio to a preselected Avid Unity workspace. The video format you select in the AirSpeed should be compatible with the editing systems at your site. The captured material is made available to Avid editing systems that use media files compliant with Open Media Format (OMF) Exchange Format (MXF).

or Material

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

The AirSpeed is also a two-channel playout server. Select the AirSpeed’s host name in the Send To Playback list on the Avid editing system and you can transfer a sequence to the AirSpeed server. Then use AirSpeed CountDown Avid iNEWS to five AirSpeed servers as a Studio by following an AirSpeed host naming method. Send a sequence to the Studio and all the AirSpeeds in that Studio have the capability to playout the sequence. For information on the Studio concept and configuration, see “AirSpeed Studio

and Playout” on page 151..

ControlAir™ to manage the playout of the sequence. You can group from two

™

or Avid iNEWS® Command or

When working with HD and 1:1 uncompressed media, only single channel play out is supported. You cannot select the second play out channel from the front panel or the AirSpeed Pilot application. The Channel Select button 2 on the front panel is disabled and the second play channel selection in AirSpeed Pilot is disabled

Using the User Interface (UI) displayed on the AirSpeed model with a built-in front panel monitor you can set up and configure the AirSpeed as well as remote applications, such as the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) application, Avid Pilot, and Avid FlightPlan. For more information on VNC see, “Virtual Network Computing” on page 163.

Media that you previously captured plays back in the UI monitor on the front of the AirSpeed as well as through the connections on the back of the AirSpeed. You can play back two streams of video at the same time. Use the UI playback buttons to select the video stream you want to view. For more information, see “UI and Playback Monitor” on page 28.

The Record and Stop buttons, located on the front panel of the AirSpeed, allow you to initiate and terminate the capture of material. In addition to these front panel buttons, you can control and capture material using Avid CaptureManager You can control the AirSpeed through serial or Ethernet connections.

If Avid Unity becomes unavailable, AirSpeed captures media to the internal drives until Avid Unity becomes available or the internal drives are full.

™

through a network interface.

Hardware and Software Requirements

Your AirSpeed system requires specific Avid components and software versions; see the AirSpeed ReadMe included with your release for the qualified versions. The following Avid products are required:

Avid Unity LANshare EX

Server Chassis SR2200,

• Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Unity MediaNetwork, or

• Avid Unity MediaManager

• Avid NewsCutter

• Avid PortServer Pro II or LANshare EX based on the Intel SR2400, or newer platform

, Avid NewsCutter XP, or Avid Media Composer® editing system.

Hardware and Software Requirements

The AirSpeed connects to an Avid Unity PortServer Pro through an Ethernet network switch.

• A network Domain Name System (DNS) server (recommended in the Avid Unity MediaNetwork environment, required in the Avid Unity ISIS environment)

If your Avid Unity environment does not have a network DNS server, instructions for creating one can be found on the Avid Knowledge Base. Go to www.avid.com.

Optional Avid applications and hardware include:

• Avid Unity TransferManager

• Avid Media Browse

• Avid iNEWS ControlAir

• Avid AirSpeed FlightPlan

• Avid AirSpeed Pilot

• Avid AirSpeed CountDown

• Avid DNxchange (see “DNxchange HD Option” on page 36)

• Avid iNEWS

Software Installation

The AirSpeed software resides on the system’s disk drives. The software comes preinstalled. Future releases and updates require you to load the software on your Avid Unity MediaManager server where the AirSpeed can access the new or old versions. AirSpeed software is installed using the Setup > Software tab in the AirSpeed UI. For more information, see “Software Tab” on page 96.

Command

Synchronization

When AirSpeed is capturing media, the sync is locked to the input signal. During playback, the outgoing media should be locked to the house reference signal provided on the Reference In connector on the rear of the AirSpeed. For information on video reference output and configuration, see “System Config Tab” on page 78.

Ethernet Connections

AirSpeed systems have an Ethernet connection used to control, configure, capture media to, or play out from, Avid Unity. For more information see “Control Connectors” on page 36.

Each AirSpeed needs its own IP address. The AirSpeed system operates as a PortServer Pro client to the Avid Unity storage area network (SAN).

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

AirSpeed establishes a connection with Avid Unity MediaManager, via an Ethernet connection, to check in project information and other metadata associated with the captured material. This process occurs at the start of capturing, during chunking, and when capture is terminated.

Networking

AirSpeed connects to the Avid Unity network with a unique name and IP address. Avid Unity identifies each AirSpeed using either the AirSpeed name or the IP address. AirSpeed operates as an attached Avid PortServer Pro or Avid LANshare EX Ethernet client.

PortServer Pro Connection

The AirSpeed software contains Avid Unity client code that provides the appropriate file and directory access to the storage area network. Avid has qualified AirSpeed support on the PortServer Pro based on the SR2200 and newer platforms.

MediaManager Client

Network Time Protocol

The PortServer Pro based on the Intel ISP2150 Internet Server platform is not qualified to support AirSpeed.

AirSpeed uses an Ethernet client license in the Avid Unity workgroup environment and appears in the PortServer Pro Status Viewer. You do not have to purchase an additional license for the AirSpeed seat. Contact your Avid representative about updating your Avid Unity dongle to add AirSpeed Ethernet client licenses at no charge.

AirSpeed sends metadata to the Avid Unity MediaManager server during check-ins and when capture is terminated. The Avid Unity MediaManager client generates and stores an OMF or AAF clip media file on the Avid Unity.

Captured Material Exchange Format (MXF) media is stored in the workspace as Advanced Authoring Format (AAF). For more information on MXF, see “Media Formats and Files” on

page 20.

AirSpeed supports the use of a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server. By entering the IP address of your NTP server on the network, the AirSpeed gradually synchronizes to the network time. The date and time in AirSpeed operating system is corrected to match the NTP server. For information on configuring the NTP server, see “Network Tab” on page 77.

Internal Storage

The AirSpeed is equipped with four internal SCSI drives. These drives are used as a buffer for incoming media and storing playback media. The AirSpeed is equipped with four internal drives. These internal drives are in a 4-way RAID 0 stripe.

Serial Control

Hardware and Software Requirements

For flexibility, the AirSpeed supports more than one control mechanism. The AirSpeed

supports the standard Sony

BVW slave deck control operations and Video Disk Control Protocol (VDCP). These operations include capturing, playing, pausing, shuttling, and navigating to timecode. The serial control of the AirSpeed is through two standard 9-pin RS-422 interface connectors on the rear of the AirSpeed. For information on configuring the serial remote ports, see “Channels Tab” on page 85.

The following commands are implemented in Avid products as extensions to the Sony BVW protocol. These protocol extensions provide clip name processing support not covered under the Sony BVW specification.

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

The AirSpeed responds with an ACK upon successful completion of the commands listed in the following table. In the event of a transmission error, the AirSpeed responds with a NACK followed by a status byte.

Supported BVW Extensions

Extension Description

Clip Loading Enabled Clip loading is always enabled in AirSpeed.

Disable Clip Loading The AirSpeed accepts the but does nothing in AirSpeed since clip

Clip Length Request The AirSpeed returns the current Mark In and Mark Out set for

Clip Length Response The AirSpeed returns the current Mark In and Mark Out set for

Set Clip Length The AirSpeed sets the Mark In and Mark Out timecodes for currently

Find First Clip Request The AirSpeed finds the first clip.

Find Next Clip Request The AirSpeed finds the next clip.

loading is always enabled.

currently loaded clip.

currently loaded clip as in the Clip Length Request.

active clip. It does not do any trimming or clip modification.

Find Clip Response The AirSpeed sends a response after finding the clip.

Load Clip The AirSpeed implements a load clip command. (playback function)

New Clip The AirSpeed implements a command to create a new clip. (capture

Delete Clip The AirSpeed deletes the clip. If the clip is locked, the clip is not be

User Interface

The front panel of the AirSpeed unit provides a monitor that has the option to display the AirSpeed UI. The UI provides windows for capturing media, playing media, and configuring the AirSpeed. The AirSpeed UI is explained in “User Interface” on page 63. Also included on the front are buttons for capturing and marking media, indicators and controls for the audio, and a headphone jack. See “Front Panel Layout” on page 25.

function)

deleted.

Issuing a BVW eject command causes the currently active clip

to be unloaded.

Portions of the front panel are designed to resemble a standard deck control interface with the appropriate buttons for capturing, playing, pausing, and shuttling. Additional controls are provided for nonlinear deck navigation.

The AirSpeed UI provides you with the flexibility to tailor capture and playout settings. These settings include network and workgroup settings, audio and video formats, and interface operations.

You have the ability to instantly capture (crash record) to a predetermined workspace on Avid Unity by pressing the Record button.

Software Overview

The AirSpeed system software supports all networking and operational requirements of the AirSpeed.

Digital Input and Output Selection

The AirSpeed can capture and play back video from serial digital interface (SDI) connectors on the rear of the AirSpeed. Digital audio input and output connectors are also on the rear panel. Digital audio is available through the following AES/EBU BNC connections:

Software Overview

• SDI Inputs and outputs using 525 lines (NTSC) or 625 lines (PAL) of video with

optional embedded 48 KHz 20-bit audio.

• Eight AES inputs (4 AES/EBU pairs), with 16 or 24-bit sampling at 48 KHz (Inputs 1/2,

3/4, 5/6, and 7/8)

• Eight AES outputs (4 AES/EBU pairs), with 16 or 24-bit sampling at 48 KHz (Outputs

1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8)

When no video signal is present, black is recorded.

Analog Output Selection

Analog video output is available through composite and component (Y, Pr/R, Pb/B) connectors. Eight analog audio outputs are available through an Avid supplied cable that connects to a 25-pin connector on the AirSpeed. The eight XLR connectors on the other end of the cable connect to the analog inputs of your audio device (see “Audio Cable” on

page 49).

The audio and video analog outputs are intended for monitoring. If you want to integrate the media into analog devices, use professional digital-to-analog converters.

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

Supported Media Formats

The media files created by AirSpeed and stored on Avid Unity workspaces are OMF Version 1.0 and MXF compliant. The AirSpeed supports the following Avid media formats:

Supported Avid Media Formats

Media File Type Supported Formats

Video (NTSC and PAL) DV25

NTSC supports DVCPRO (DV25 411) PAL supports DVCPRO (DV25 411 and DV25 420)

DV50

IMX 50 — MPEG 50 I-frame-only compression IMX 30 — MPEG 30 I-frame-only compression

1:1 (MXF only)

Optional Avid DNxchange (DNxHD)

Audio WAVE — 48 kHz

Capture Mode

AirSpeed captures real-time events or media. Video and audio are captured through the SDI input and stored on an Avid Unity workspace. You can start a capture using the front panel operational controls or the Avid Pilot application.

The captured media is saved in chunks so that portions are available to edit while you are still capturing it. For more information, see “Chunking” on page 18.

Chunking

When capturing, the media is sent in segments to a workspace, allowing workgroup users access to media that is currently being captured. AirSpeed refers to this capture process as chunking (also called Shared Volume Segmentation). Chunking is supported for both audio and video media.

1080 Interlaced 1080i/59.94 fields per second 1080i/50 fields per second

720 Progressive 720p/59.94 frames per second

720P/50

Software Overview

You can set the length of the chunk, so that media is available shortly after capturing has started. At each chunk interval, more media is available, adding to your previous media. The AirSpeed supports chunking by creating clips of the material at a predetermined duration times and by periodically checking in captured material through the Avid Unity MediaManager client interface.

These instructions refer only to networked environments. Chunking is not supported in standalone AirSpeed. For further information regarding standalone AirSpeed configuration, see “Configuring Standalone AirSpeed” on page 103.

AirSpeed captures short chunks of media up to a transition time, then from the transition time forward, media is captured at your selected Chunking Period. For example, if the Chunking Period is set to 3 minutes, the Transition Interval to 1 minute and the Short Chunking period to 15 seconds, media checks in at 15, 30, 45, 60, 240, 420 seconds, etc. See the following illustration.

AirSpeed Chunking Model

Transition Interval (1 minute)

Start capturing

Short chunking period (15 seconds)

Chunking period (3 minute chunks)

Time

In the AirSpeed workflow, even though MXF media is streaming to Avid Unity, metadata becomes available according to the Channel tab chunking settings. MXF media follows the same chunking model as the OMF media. To have access to the captured MXF media as soon as possible, set your Short Chunking Period to the minimum value of 15 seconds and both the Transitional Interval and Chunking Period to 3 minutes.

Chunking values are set in the Setup > Channel tab of the AirSpeed UI. For chunking time constraints, see “Channels Tab” on page 85.

RetroLoop

RetroLoop™ provides the ability to capture material for a predetermined, user-selectable amount of time before an unknown event occurs. RetroLoop captures media continuously in a loop, using a predetermined amount of storage space. Start capturing media using the RetroLoop feature; when the event happens, start a normal capture and capture as much of the event as you want. The end result is a clip that contains material before and after the event.

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

For information about entering RetroLoop mode, see “RetroLoop Mode” on page 144.

You must initiate RetroLoop using the AirSpeed front panel.

Media Formats and Files

The AirSpeed creates media and metadata files in the OMFI or MXF MediaFiles directories on the target workspaces. If the system’s unique MediaFiles directory is not present on the selected network media drive, the AirSpeed creates one. The AirSpeed also creates a subdirectory under the OMFI MediaFiles (for OMF) or Avid MediaFiles (for MXF) directory.

The AirSpeed does not perform bin management operations. Bin entries for AirSpeed media are generated by the MediaManager server as the material is checked in.

Interplay supports only the AAF data format in Avid AirSpeed environments. Please note this when configuring MediaManager and Avid AirSpeed in an Interplay environment.

The media format (OMF or MXF) that is captured depends on the workgroup environment of your MediaManager. If you want to capture MFX media, the MediaManager needs to be set to AAF in the Data Format menu in the MediaManager System Setup window. If you want to capture OMF media, select OMF in the MediaManager System Setup window. For details on configuring your MediaManager, see the Avid Unity MediaManager documentation. To change your AirSpeed between capturing OMF and MXF media, enter the name of the MediaManager that is configured for the media environment you want. Use the Send tab to change the MediaManager (see “Send Tab” on page 98).

OMF Files

When the MediaManager workgroup is set to AAF mode, all new media checked into the workgroup is in MXF format with AAF metadata. All editors and applications included in the MXF/AAF workgroup must support the ability to read and write MXF media and AAF metadata.

Workspaces must already be created in Avid Unity in order to enter the workspace name during the AirSpeed setup (see “Destination Template” on page 93). AirSpeed creates new projects, bins, and catalogs if the names in the configuration do not already exist.

Open Media Format (OMF) was developed by Avid Technology, Inc. and many industry and standards partners for the interchange of digital media data between platforms and applications.

MXF Files

Software Overview

OMF Interchange (OMFI) is a platform-independent file format that stores both the digital media (video, audio, graphics, animation) and the information describing how the media is edited together to form a final sequence. This editing information, called a composition, is the OMFI representation of the sequence created in Avid editing applications.

Any other program that supports OMFI can read OMFI files, even if the program resides on a different computer platform. As a result, with OMFI you can transfer files between different applications on different platforms without worrying about cross-platform translations.

The Material Exchange Format (MXF) is a format developed by the Professional MPEG Forum in association with organizations such as the SMPTE, The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the AAF Association.

Material Exchange Format is a wrapper or container format which encapsulates media and rich production metadata into a single file, which is useful for media storage and exchange. It is an open technology that can be implemented by any manufacturer.

MXF has been designed to be flexible enough for use in all stages of content creation, from acquisition, to authoring, to distribution.The primary benefit of MXF is that it provides greater workflow efficiency by preserving useful metadata as media files make their way through the content creation process.The MXF format is independent of the type of content that it contains, so an MXF file can contain video and/or audio at any resolution or compression. In many instances, MXF files encapsulate media that is already formatted to one of the existing industry standards.

MXF allows for easy exchange of material between file servers, tape streamers and digital archives. MXF is an ideal interchange format to enable workflow efficiencies in news broadcasting, post production, asset management, and archiving applications.

Media Destination Selection

The AirSpeed remembers the last storage destination set. Whether you initiate the capture by manually pressing the front panel Capture button or by remotely controlling the capturing, media is stored to the last selected Avid Unity network workspace. This feature allows you to crash record using the front panel Record button for quick captures.

Captured media is first stored on the internal drives of the AirSpeed and then copied to the selected Avid Unity workspace. To avoid reaching the internal drive’s maximum storage capacity, AirSpeed can be configured to automatically delete the media that has been saved to a workspace. The Auto Delete setting in the Setup > System Config tab controls when to delete the media and how much media to delete. For more information on setting the Auto

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

Delete, see “System Config Tab” on page 78. When the workspace is full, the AirSpeed continues to capture until the internal drives are filled. Once the internal drives are full, the AirSpeed stops capturing.

Headframes

This release of AirSpeed supports the display of headframes in asset management systems. Clips transferred to the asset management system now display headframes.

Headframes

Playback

You can play back media previously captured by the AirSpeed. Two video streams of media can be played back at the same time. Pressing the Channel Select buttons allows you to switch between the two play channels. Navigation and playback of specific clips is initiated by the AirSpeed UI and controlled using the Operational Control buttons. Load a clip in the Play button of the AirSpeed UI and press the Play button on the front of the AirSpeed to view the clip in the UI and playback monitor.

Playout

Software Overview

Once you have edited your media, use the AirSpeed as a playout server. The AirSpeed allows you to play out two channels at the same time. To select the dual channel control options, see “Channels Tab” on page 85. In an Avid iNEWS environment, use the Avid iNEWS ControlAir or Avid iNEWS newsroom system, use the Avid INEWS Command or Avid AirSpeed CountDown applications. For information on controlling clips on the AirSpeed, see the Avid AirSpeed

CountDown User’s Guide, Avid iNEWS ControlAir Device Manager Guide, or Avid INEWS Command User’s Guide.

Before you can send your sequence to the AirSpeed from an Avid editing system, you must add the AirSpeed to your Send To Playback list in the Avid editing application. Adding an AirSpeed to the Send to Playback list is done by adding the AirSpeed Host Name to the TMClient.ini tab of the Transfer settings.

To send a sequence from an Avid editing system to playout:

1. Add the AirSpeed Host Name to the TMClient.ini tab in the Transfer settings. This process is described in “Adding the Studio to Your WorkGroup” on page 152.

2. Connect to the AirSpeed by selecting Transfer > Reconnect to Server. This process is described in “Connect to Playout Server or Studio” on page 154.

Command application. When using a MOS-enabled

3. Send a sequence to playout by doing one of the following:

t Right-click on the selected sequence and select Send To Playback > AirSpeedname. t Highlight the sequence in your bin and select Transfer > Send To Playback >

AirSpeedname.

4. (Optional) Monitor the transfer status by selecting Transfer > Status Window (see

“Transfer Status Window” on page 156).

Do not delete the sequence or source media off of the Avid Unity workspace until you are sure the transfers to the AirSpeed or Studio are complete.

Studio Playout

An Avid AirSpeed Studio consists of two to five AirSpeeds grouped together using the network host names of the AirSpeed. When an Avid editing system sends a sequence to the Studio, any AirSpeed member of the Studio can play out the sequence. If one or more AirSpeeds in the Studio are offline, any other AirSpeed still online in the Studio can perform the playout.

Standalone AirSpeed does not support Avid AirSpeed Studio Playout.

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

For detailed information on the Studio concept, configuration, and using the Studio, see

Chapter 7.

Play While Transferring

Play while transferring (PWT) is a feature that allows you to begin playing out media from the AirSpeed as soon as 5 seconds of media has been transferred. You do not need to wait for the transfer from the Avid editing system to finish. When PWT is not used, the media is not available until the media is completely transferred. The PWT option is selected in the Avid editing application when a clip is sent to playback.

The PWT feature is designed for time-sensitive playout needs. It is recommended that you do not send all your playout media to the AirSpeed using the PWT option.

Closed Caption

Closed caption information is captured and supported on playout. This information is hidden in the video signal, invisible without a decoder. Closed captions are stored in line 21 of the vertical blanking interval (VBI) for NTSC. When the closed caption option is selected, closed caption data is preserved. If deselected, this closed caption data line is left blank and can be used for other data. To set the closed caption option, see the “System Config Tab” on

page 78.

Closed captioning is not displayed in the AirSpeed UI and playback monitor. To view closed captions, connect a television that supports closed captioning decoding to the MON connector on the back of the AirSpeed. Make sure that closed captions are enabled on the television.

Frame Chase Editing

All Avid Workgroup and MXF capable editors can now view and edit SD and HD material as it is being captured, with the current exception of Symphony Nitris.

Standalone AirSpeed does not support Frame Chase Editing.

Front and Rear Panels

AirSpeed uses industry-standard video and audio input and output connections in addition to network and control connections. The AirSpeed is designed for a 19-inch (483-mm) rack occupying three rack units (3U). For information on installing the AirSpeed into a rack, see

“Installing AirSpeed in a Rack” on page 39.

You can manually configure your AirSpeed by using the UI and playback monitor. “User

Interface” on page 63 lists the tab structure of the AirSpeed UI as seen in the UI playback

monitor.

Front and Rear Panels

Avid recommends using the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) application to configure the AirSpeed when access to the AirSpeed is not available or when a keyboard and mouse are not attached. For more information see, “Virtual Network Computing” on page 163.

The AirSpeed is available in two models; one with a front panel monitor and controls, and one with a blank front panel that can only be configured and controlled with remote network applications. The following sections describe the differences in the two front panels:

• Front Panel Controls

• Panelless Model

Front Panel Controls

The following figure shows the controls on the front of the AirSpeed.

Front Panel Layout

AirSpeed logo

UI and playback monitor

Audio indicators and gain controls (see “Audio Knobs

and LEDs” on page 31)

Built-in jog and shuttle wheel

Mark IN and OUT button

Channel Select buttons (see “UI and Playback Monitor”

on page 28)

12 34567 8

Operational controls (see “Operational Control

Buttons” on page 34)

Headphone control (see

“Headphone Jack, Volume, and Channel Select” on page 34)

Chapter 1 AirSpeed Overview

You can lock the front panel controls and buttons disabling the Front Panel Control option in the Setup > System Config tab in the AirSpeed UI; see “System Config Tab” on page 78. When you disable the front panel, capture and playback functions are done through remote applications. The following table describes the front panel controls.

Front Panel Controls

Control Description

UI and playback monitor The UI and playback monitor displays the UI or video during playback and captures.

Configure or change settings in the UI using a keyboard and mouse connected to the PS/2 port.

Channel Select buttons The channel select buttons are used to switch between the two play channels.

Channel one is the record channel as well as play channel one. Both channel one and channel two can be playing video at the same time. Switch between the two channels by pushing either Channel Select button. For more information on the buttons, see

“UI and Playback Monitor” on page 28

Manual audio gain controls

Operational controls Six buttons to the lower right of the UI and playback monitor match the buttons on a

Mark IN and OUT Mark IN and OUT are set on-the-fly by pressing the IN or OUT buttons while

Headphone jack volume control and channel select

The audio gain controls allow you to adjust the gain of the audio outputs. Audio levels are displayed on the front panel LEDs. For more information on the knobs and LEDs, see “Audio Knobs and LEDs” on page 31.

videotape recorder (VTR). For more information on the buttons, see “Operational

Control Buttons” on page 34.

capturing. When you press IN again, the first mark IN point moves. Pressing OUT again moves

the mark OUT point. You cannot mark more than one mark IN and one mark OUT point per clip.

You can have an IN point without having an OUT point.

Plug a headphone set into the headphone jack and use the knob above the jack to adjust the volume. The headphone jack is a stereo output.

You can only hear two audio channels at a time through the headphone jack.

Select the audio channels you want to hear using the audio channel select knob (see “Audio Knobs and LEDs” on page 31.

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