Qvidium QVENC HD, QVDEC, QVPRO, QVENC User Manual

QVidium® TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

QVidium H.264 HD Video Codecs™

For Broadcast and Professional Video Applications

Model: #QVENC Encoder Model: #QVDEC Decoder

Model: #QVPRO Codec

12989 Chaparral Ridge Road, San Diego, CA 92130

User’s Manual v.15

September 12, 2014

Application Firmware Version 261

 2011-2014 QVidium® Technologies, Inc.

Phone 858.792.6407 • Fax 858.792.9131

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

Table of Contents

1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4

1.1

Overview

1.2

Network Setup

1.3

Resetting Network Settings to Factory Defaults

1.4

Ping

1.5

Passwords and Security

1.6

Updating

1.7

System View – QVPRO

1.8

System View – QVENC

1.9

System View – QVDEC 2 Simplified Encoder Configuration 3 Complete Encoder Configuration

3.1

Configuring the Encoder - Overview

3.2

Encoder Configuration

3.3

Basic Encoding Configuration

3.4

Configuring Encoder Format and Bitrates

3.5

Configuring Packet Transport & Error Correction

3.6

Configuring Advanced Video Encoding Profiles 4 Encoder Operation

4.1

Starting and Stopping the Encoder ............................................................................. 30

4.2

Dynamically Changing the Video Encoding Bitrate .................................................... 30

4.3

Configuring the Encoder for RTSP and Server Mode ................................................. 32

5 Decoder Configuration and Operation

5.1

Decoding Configuration and Web Interface ................................................................ 33

5.2

Decoding Profile Settings ............................................................................................ 33

5.2.1

Video Tab .................................................................................................................... 33

5.2.2

Network Tab ................................................................................................................ 37

5.2.3

ARQ Tab ..................................................................................................................... 39

5.2.4

Server Tab................................................................................................................... 39

5.3

Starting the Decoder ................................................................................................... 39

5.4

Stopping and Reconfiguring the Decoder ................................................................... 40

5.5

Configuring Packet Transport & Error Correction ....................................................... 40

6 Transcoding 7 Importing, Exporting, & Resetting Profiles 8 System Management

8.1

Access Configuration .................................................................................................. 44

8.2

SNMP Trap Configuration ........................................................................................... 45

9 Codec Manager

9.1

Codec Manager ........................................................................................................... 46

9.2

Resetting the Network Parameters ............................................................................. 46

9.3

Resetting the Password .............................................................................................. 46

9.4

Re-installing the Application Software ........................................................................ 47

10 Encoding & Decoding to/from Files

10.1

Web Interface .............................................................................................................. 48

10.2

Command-Line Interface ............................................................................................. 50

11 Known Problems 12 Troubleshooting & Support

12.1 Troubleshooting – Common Problems

12.2 Support

13 Appendices

13.1 Appendix A: Encoder Configuration Parameters

13.2 Appendix B: Decoder Configuration Parameters

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& System Resets ..................................................................................... 46

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13.3

Appendix C: H.264 HD Video Codec™ Bitrate Limits

13.4 Appendix D: Hints for Minimizing Bitrates

13.5 Appendix E: Technical Specifications

13.6 Appendix F: Product Warranty Terms and Conditions

13.7 Appendix G:

FCC Notice

............................................................................................ 71

.................................................................... 66

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................................................. 65

................................................ 70

Note: This manual describes the combined features and capabilities of QVidium’s entire line of H.264/MPEG2 HD broadcast video networking products, models: QVPRO, QVENC, and QVDEC. Certain features may pertain to only certain products and/or options. Whereas the QVPRO combines encoding and decoding into a single product, the QVENC and QVDEC implement only the encoding and decoding functions, respectively. Thus, for sections that pertain to only a subset of these products, we note the pertinent products (QVENC or QVDEC) for which the section applies.

As of the current firmware release (V.261), licenses are required to enable HD encoding on the QVENC and QVPRO. The QVENC also requires a license to enable its SDI interface. However, the QVDEC provides SDI/HD-SDI output for SD and HD video without requiring any additional licenses, dual encoding, and bi-directional operation. These licenses may be purchased separately at a later date. If you would like a demo license or to purchase license to enable any particular optional feature, please contact QVidium Technologies, Inc.

Throughout this manual, unless otherwise noted, any mention of QVPRO by itself can equally apply to the QVENC and QVDEC. You can therefore substitute QVENC or QVDEC, as appropriate, for QVPRO.

In addition, QVidium has partnered with EVOstream (www.evostream.com) to provide optional Web Streaming services and capabilities, including, RTMP (Flash Media), HLS, and RTSP support. Please contact EVOstream directly for more information or to purchase license keys to enable these features.

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

1 Introduction

Congratulations on purchasing your new QVidium® broadcast video networking product.

QVidium® H.264 HD video networking products – Front View, Clockwise from upper left: QVENC encoder, QVDEC decoder, and QVPRO codec

1.1 Overview

QVidium’s collection of broadcast video network products includes the QVENC HD H.264 video encoder and its corresponding QVDEC decoder. These products are derived from QVidium’s original QVPRO HD Video Codec™ (currently available only by special order). The QVENC and QVDEC use the same video processor and same firmware as the QVPRO H.264 HD Video Codec™. The QVPRO can encode, decode, or transcode standard or high definition video using either MPEG2 (main profile) or MPEG4-AVC (Part 10, H.264 High Profile, Level 4.1) compression, and to interface a video feed from a wide range of video standards and connections for transport over nearly any IP network.

The QVENC includes the encoding and transcoding capabilities of the QVPRO. However while the QVPRO has SDI and HDMI inputs, the QVENC keeps the SDI/HD-SDI/3G-SDI interface, but replaces the HDMI input with Composite and S-Video inputs. It also adds two pairs or analog audio inputs and an S/PDIF input for AC3 Dolby Digital audio. The QVDEC implements the decoding functionality of the QVPRO. However, in addition to the SDI/HD-SDI/3G-SDI and HDMI outputs, it also adds a Composite video output, 2 pairs of stereo analog audio outputs, and an S/PDIF output for AC3 audio.

All of these QVidium video networking products include QVidium’s patented, advanced ARQ Error Correction and clock synchronization. In addition, they also include the option of using industry standard ProMPEG FEC, or SMPTE-2022, for compatibility with third-party products. With these advanced Quality of Service (QoS) features, the H.264 HD Video Codec™ can send video over nearly any network and across the world, including wireless connections and the public Internet, with unsurpassed video transport quality and state-of-the-art video compression for minimizing bandwidth.

1.2 Network Setup

The QVPRO includes two gigabit Ethernet ports, labeled LAN1 and LAN2. The QVENC and

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

QVDEC only have one gigabit Ethernet port, LAN1. Although on the QVDEC and QVENC, you can add a second Ethernet interface by attaching an Apple USB Ethernet Adapter Part Number: MC704ZM/A.The factory preset IP address for LAN1 is 192.168.1.23 and for LAN2 is

192.168.10.23. Both ports have a Netmask of 255.255.255.0. By default, only LAN1 can send or receive multicast packets, but you can change this in the Network/Multicast menu. You can download and run our CodecManager application to determine or change the IP settings, even when the IP address has been reset to an unknown address. Please refer to Section 9 of this manual for configuration using the CodecManager application.

WARNING: If you change the IP addresses of LAN1 or LAN2, you must make certain that they remain on different subnets. Failure to keep the IP addresses of LAN1 and LAN2 on separate

subnets will confuse the operating system routing, and result in sporadic access or possibly complete loss of network connectivity.

The QVENC, QVDEC, and QVPRO can also be reconfigured through a web browser when you know the IP address. For a new unit or one having the factory default IP settings, follow the steps below to reconfigure the network settings through a web browser on a computer connected to the same subnet as the Codec.

1) Point your web browser to http://192.168.1.23 NOTE: The H.264 HD Video Codec™ requires user authentication to enter the web interface.

Starting with application firmware version 261, the factory preset username is “admin” and the password is preset to the serial number of your unit (found on the barcode label on the back of the unit). Please enter these settings when prompted to access the system.

NOTE: Versions of the application software earlier than 261 allow you to log in with the username "root" with a password of "root". THIS HAS CHANGED STARTING WITH ALL NEW UNITS SHIPPED WITH VERSION 261. Starting with version 261 of the application software, you can NO LONGER LOG IN AS USER "root". Instead, you must log in as user "admin". If you updated to version 261 from an earlier version, the password for user "admin" is

still the previously set password for the admin user, The default password for user "admin" was "admin".

2) Click on “Configure” under the “Network” menu on the left. You should see a web page similar to the following network configuration web page:

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

3) Change settings as desired and click “Apply”.

4) If you change the IP address, you will need to change the URL in the web browser to point to the new address after clicking on “Apply”.

The Network Configure panel allows you to modify the static IP address parameters and DNS server settings, or to have these settings automatically configured through DHCP. A Hostname panel allows you to specify the host name for use in conjunction with a DNS server to assign a predetermined IP address.

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1.3 Resetting Network Settings to Factory Defaults

In case you are not able to connect to the QVENC, QVDEC, or QVPRO through the network port(s), we have provided 3 different mechanisms for resetting the IP addresses and network settings: through CodecManager, via a USB flash memory stick with the reset “autorun” script on it, and through the RS232 console serial port. Any one of these 3 methods we describe in this section will allow you to recover in case the IP address was changed or set to DHCP and you do not know its current value.

CodecManager: If you have a Windows PC or a Mac running a PC emulator, you can download and run the QVidium application, CodecManager, to change or set the IP address for LAN1 (or whatever port is configured as the multicast port). You can download CodecManager from the Support page at http://www.qvidium.com. If you have more than one network adapter on your PC, you may need to select the proper Network Interface from the pull-down control in the lower left corner of the CodecManager application. Also, because CodecManager relies on low-level Ethernet-level multicasts, we recommend having both the QVPRO and your PC connected through a switch, and not via a direct Ethernet cable. If you do not see the QVPRO on CodecManager, even after clicking on the Discover button, then you should try connecting to the other LAN port on the QVPRO. If you still do not see the QVPRO, then we suggest either resetting the network interface using the USB stick method, below, or via the RS232 serial port.

USB Flash Memory Stick: Using a USB memory stick, you can reset all of the network settings on the QVPRO to their factory default values. Go to http://www.qvidium.com/reset, copy the

“autorun” file on a USB flash, and plug flash into QVPRO. About 30 seconds after plugging the

USB stick into one of the two USB ports on the QVPRO, the QVPRO should be reset to all of its factory default IP network settings. (Please make certain that you save the autorun file as, simply,

autorun. Do not add any suffixes. For example, saving the file as “autorun.txt” or “autorun.exe”

will not work. Most new USB flash sticks are preformatted as FAT or FAT32. This is fine and should work. However, if your USB stick has multiple partitions or was reformatted to some other file system, we would recommend reformatting the USB stick as FAT or FAT32. The autorun file must be on the top level of the memory device, in cannot be located within a folder.

RS232 Console Port: Alternatively, you can connect the Console serial port to log into the Linux shell and change the IP address or other settings. To reset the IP settings to their factory defaults, connect a PC running a terminal emulator, such we Hyperterm or TeraTerm. The serial port settings should be set to 115,200 Baud (8-N-1, no flow control). Upon power-on, you should see a stream of characters as the system is booting, ending with the console prompt “/ #”. From this prompt, type resetnetwork followed by hitting the Enter key (carriage return). If you do not see any characters during boot-up, try inserting a Null-Modem adapter between the R232 cable and the Console port.

If you have experience with network monitoring software, such as Wireshark (www.wireshark.org) or Ethereal, please note that upon power-up, the Codec will emit a gratuitous ARP packet from which you can determine its IP address by looking for the ARP packets that the QVPRO generates and analyzing its contents.

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

1.4 Ping and Traceroute

Selecting Ping allows you to test network connectivity by sending ping packets to an address or hostname you specify. However, to use a hostname in place of an IP address, you must have configured at least one DNS server.

Likewise, you can use Traceroute to ping every router along the route from the QVPRO to the IP or DNS address you specify. Traceroute is very helpful in locating instances where an ISP might employ dynamic load balancing and other routing problems that can affect the quality of the video transport. Dynamic Load Balancing occurs where an ISP might specify an alternate route to send packets to balance the load across its network. This is fine for web pages that use TCP and can

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tolerate random delays. However, this can cause video streams to become mis-ordered, jumbling the video content. Using the Jitter Buffer in the QVidium decoder or ARQ software can often restore correct packet order and stream integrity, at the cost of additional delay. You can also avoid Dynamic Load Balancing by requesting MPLS (Multi-Protocol Labeled Switching) service from your ISP.

1.5 Passwords and Security

The QVidium H.264 HD Video Codec™ requires a username and password to protect access to its configuration settings. This includes both Web access and Telnet or SSH access. Starting with version 261, for greater Internet security, the default user name is now “admin” and the default

password is now set to the serial number for new units. Starting with version 261, root login is no longer allowed.

NOTE: For older units updated to version 261, the admin password is the kept to be the same

value as was previously set by the user, or the default of "admin," if the admin password was not set. You can change the password by selecting the Password menu item under the System Menu at the upper left of the Web page. (For older versions of the software, the username is "root" and the default password is "roor".)

Note on Resetting Password: If you lose the password and need to reset it, you can go to

http://www.qvidium.com/reset, click on Reset Password, copy the “autorun” file onto a USB flash,

and plug flash into QVPRO. (File must be saved as “autorun” and not “autorun.txt”.). This will reset the admin password back to the serial number of the unit You must have physical access to the USB ports on the QVPRO to use this procedure.

1.6 Updating

QVidium provides firmware updates from time to time to add new features, overcome limitations, or to fix bugs. You can find these new update packages on the QVidium Web Site under Support or by going to: http://www.qvidium.com/qvpro. QVidium provides these update as a .pkg file that you can upload into the Codec via the web browser interface. To perform an upgrade, you must perform the following steps:

1) Stop the Encoder, Decoder, and Transcoder if any of these functions are running. You can click on System/Processes to see if any of these functions are running.

2) Power cycle the system to clear memory.

3) Copy the upgrade .pkg file into a convenient location on your PC. Please follow the instructions on the Update web site to determine which of the .pkg files you need to download and use for updating.

4) Point your web browser to the Codec and click on “Upgrade” in the “System” menu.

5) Click on the “Browse” button and locate the upgrade file.

6) Click on “Upgrade” and wait for the upgrade to finish. DO NOT DISCONNECT FROM POWER OR INTERRUPT THIS OPERATION UNTIL IT COMPLETES.

7) Click on “Reboot” from the system menu to reboot the Codec.

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As part of this update, the update will be stopping and restarting the HTTP Daemon in the codec.

Note: Sometimes, a web browser will not be able to continue to reconnect to the new HTTP Daemon after it restarts, causing you to no longer see the update progress. If this happens,

please wait 2 minutes, after which it would be safe to power-cycle the codec so that it can boot from the new update. You can then check under System/Version to confirm that you have

the new firmware.

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1.7 System View – QVPRO

Front View – Computer Interface ports and Indicators

(All indicator lights either glow green or are off.)

Ref Indicator/Switch Description

1 SDI Glows green with active SD-SDI or HD-SDI input.

2 HDMI Glows green when video input is a valid HDMI signal.

3 Power Glows green when the power is connected and unit is on. 4 Reset Various reset functions. See description in manual.

Ref Port Description

5 USB 2 USB 2.0 Ports (external storage or LCD console). 6 Console RS-232 Console Interface via DB-9 Connector. 7 LAN LAN1 & LAN2, 10/100/1000-Base-TX Gigabit Ethernet Ports.

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5 2 3 6 7

Rear View – Power, Video/Audio I/O Connectors, & RS-232 Port

Ref Component Description

1 AC Power Auto-sense AC power input (100-240 VAC, 250-150 mA, 50/60 Hz). 2 RS-232 DB-9 RS-232 connector for future expansion. 3 DC Power 7 VDC to 20 VDC (1 to 3 Amps) alternative DC power input. 4 Error Glows red for bit or format errors in SDI input stream. 5 3G / HD / ASI Glows green to indicate 3Gbps or HD-SDI or ASI signal on SDI input. 6 SDI/ASI Input SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI, & DVB-ASI input with embedded audio. 7 HDMI IN HDMI HD Input. 8 SDI/ASI Output SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI, & DVB-ASI output with embedded audio. 9 HDMI OUT HDMI HD Output.

Note: Serial number (not shown) is located above DC power connector.

Important Safety Information:

 For PLUGGABLE EQUIPMENT, the socket-outlet shall be installed near the

equipment and shall be easily accessible.

 CAUTION: The QVPRO Codec contains an internal 3V. Lithium battery. RISK OF

EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN INCORRECT TYPE. USE ONLY PANASONIC CR2032 20MM COIN-TYPE BATTERY OR EQUIVALENT. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

User’s Manual v.15 QVidium® H.264 HD Video Codecs™

1.8 System View – QVENC

Front View – Computer Interface ports and Indicators

(All indicator lights either glow green or are off.)

Ref Indicator/Switch Description

1 SDI Glows green with active SD-SDI or HD-SDI input.

2 CVBS* Glows green with a valid composite or S-Video input signal.

3 Power Glows green when the power is connected and unit is on. 4 Reset Various reset functions. See description in manual.

*Note: Whether this indicates Composite (CVBS) or S-Video (Y/C) depends upon video input

selection from last time encoder was started. Defaults to CVBS indicator at power-on.

Ref Port Description

5 USB 2 USB 2.0 Ports (external storage or LCD console or LAN2). 6 Console RS-232 Console Interface via DB-9 Connector. 7 LAN LAN1 autosensing 10/100/1000-Base-TX Gigabit Ethernet Ports. 8 DC Power* Alternate DC power input (7 – 20 Vdc).

*Note: DC Power input can be used simultaneously with AC input as an emergency backup,

or by itself.

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6 2 4 7 8

Rear View – Power, Video/Audio I/O Connectors, & RS-232 Port

Ref Component Description

1 AC Power Auto-sense AC power input (100-240 VAC, 250-150 mA, 50/60 Hz).

2 ASI Input Optional: ASI Input with indicator LEDs for ASI daughtercard. 3 ASI Output Optional: ASI Output for ASI daughtercard.

4 Y/C (S-Video) S-Video analog video input (NTSC and PAL). 5 CVBS (Composite) Composite analog video input (NTSC and PAL). 6 Audio Inputs 3.5 mm analog audio inputs for channel ½ and ¾ stereo input pairs. 7 S/PDIF Optical digital audio input fo AC3 (Dolby Digital) audio. 8 SDI Input SDI video input, auto-detects SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI input. 9 3G / HD / SD Glows green to indicate 3Gbps, HD-SDI, or SD signal on SDI input. 10 Error Glows red for bit or format errors in SDI input stream.

Note: Serial number (not shown) is located above Y/C and CVBS connectors.

Important Safety Information:

 For PLUGGABLE EQUIPMENT, the socket-outlet shall be installed near the

equipment and shall be easily accessible.

 CAUTION: The QVENC Codec contains an internal 3V. Lithium battery. RISK OF

EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN INCORRECT TYPE. USE ONLY PANASONIC CR2032 20MM COIN-TYPE BATTERY OR EQUIVALENT. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

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1.9 System View – QVDEC

Front View – Computer Interface ports and Indicators

(All indicator lights either glow green or are off.)

Ref Indicator/Switch Description

1 Power Glows green when the power is connected and unit is on. 2 Reset Various reset functions. See description in manual.

Ref Port Description

3 USB 2 USB 2.0 Ports (external storage or LCD console or LAN2). 4 Console RS-232 Console Interface via DB-9 Connector. 5 LAN LAN1 autosensing 10/100/1000-Base-TX Gigabit Ethernet Port. 6 DC Power* Alternate DC power input (7 – 20 Vdc).

*Note: DC Power input can be used simultaneously with AC input as an emergency backup,

or by itself.

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Rear View – Power, Video/Audio I/O Connectors, & RS-232 Port

Ref Component Description

1 AC Power Auto-sense AC power input (100-240 VAC, 250-150 mA, 50/60 Hz). 2 S/PDIF Output Digital audio output for AC3 (Dolby Digital) 5.1 Surround Sound 3 Analod Audio 3.5 mm stereo mini-phono output jacks for channel ½ and ¾ audio. 4 CVBS Output Composite SD analog video output (PAL or NTSC). 5 SDI Output SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI output with embedded audio. 6 HDMI OUT HDMI HD Output.

Note: Serial number (not shown) is located above S/PDIF optical connector.

Important Safety Information:

 For PLUGGABLE EQUIPMENT, the socket-outlet shall be installed near the

equipment and shall be easily accessible.

 CAUTION: The QVDEC Codec contains an internal 3V. Lithium battery. RISK OF

EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN INCORRECT TYPE. USE ONLY PANASONIC CR2032 20MM COIN-TYPE BATTERY OR EQUIVALENT. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

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Simplified Encoder Configuration

(QVENC and QVPRO Only)

The encoder is configured and operated from a web browser. These settings are stored in nonvolatile flash memory, allowing the QVPRO to recover after a power failure. This section serves as a simplified Quick-Start guide for fast and easy configuration of the encoder. For mode complete control of the encoder and access to the full range of encoder functionality, please see Section 3: Complete Encoder Configuration.

1. Enter http://<IPAddress>/encode where <IPAddress> is the IP address of the QVidium QVPRO that you want to configure. For example: http://192.168.1.23/encode if using the default address. Use username encode, and the password for the admin user (default: admin). (You can change this password from the main System/Password menu.)

2. Select the Video Input (SDI or HDMI for QVPRO, SDI, Composite, or S-Video for QVENC). Enter the desired Stream Bit Rate. (We recommend 4000000 for SD and 8000000 for HD video.) Enter the IP address of the decoder for the Destination IP address. Enter the UDP port. (We recommend 10000.)

3. Confirm that the input is active and connected and that the appropriate Link Light is lit on the front and then click on Start.

For troubleshooting or verifying that the encoder has started properly, please log in to the main codec control menu using the instructions in the next section. From that main codec control menu, you can click on Encoder/Status to check the outgoing bitrate. If you suspect a problem, then please click on Encoder/Show Log.

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Complete Encoder Configuration

(QVENC and QVPRO Only)

NOTE: Although the basic encoding functionality of the QVPRO and QVENC are the same, the QVENC includes some additional capabilities and improvements not available in the QVPRO. Screenshots in this chapter are taken from the QVENC, and may include some settings not found on the QVPRO.

You can configure and operate the encoder from a web browser. All settings are stored in nonvolatile flash memory, allowing the encoder to recover after a power failure. This section explains how to configure the QVENC and QVPRO encoding parameters with full access to the capabilities of the encoder.

3.1 Configuring the Encoder - Overview

1. Enter http://<IPAddress> where <IPAddress> is the IP address of the QVidium QVPRO H.264 HD Video Codec™ that you want to configure. (The default address is http://192.168.1.23.)

2. Click on “Profile” under “Encoder” from the menu on the left. Then, either double-click on an existing encoder profile you wish to edit, or click on New to create a new encoder profile. The “Encoder Profile” interface should then display in the main area to the right of the menu system, as shown in Figure 1a.

3. Enter the Destination IP address and UDP port number for the decoder, media server, or network equipment that will be receiving the stream. Enter the desired Video Bit Rate (in bps), and modify the other audio and video parameters, such as Video Input, and Audio Bit Rate (in bps), to suit your needs, as shown in Figure 1a, and explained below. To enable error correction, set the IP Transport to ARQ (default).

Note: For ARQ and RTP IP Transport, you may enter up to 3 different destination IP

Press the “Save” button to save your changes. None of your changes will be saved nor have any effect unless you first save them. If you have any doubt about the parameters selected when running the encoder, you should click on Profile after saving the parameters or starting the coder to see the current operational encoder settings. These changes are stored in permanent memory and will persist even after a power failure.

3.2 Encoder Configuration

As shown in Figure 1a, you can select the video input source, and set the video and audio encoding format and bitrates. For the QVPRO codec, the Video Input can be either SDI or HDMI. However, The HDMI input only works for unencrypted HD video. For the QVENC, the Video Input can be one of SDI, Composite (CVBS), or S-Video (Y/C). An HD video input will automatically be scale to SD if you do not have a license installed for the HD encoding option. The QVPRO/QVENC codec will automatically detect and adjust for the input video resolution and format (PAL vs. NTSC,

addresses, separated by commas (‘,’). The QVPRO will then send an individual copy of the video stream to each of the IP addresses that you list.

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and HD vs. SD). You can also use the advanced encoding parameters (Section 3.6) to scale the video resolution and frame-rate.

The QVPRO/QVENC can output the encoded video stream either as a Constant Bit Rate (CBR) IP stream, a Capped Variable Bit Rate (Capped VBR) IP stream, or a Low-Delay Variable Bit Rate (Low Delay VBR) IP stream. The default is to output a CBR stream to maintain the highest level of interoperability with third-party decoders, but you can change this under the Advanced

Encoding profile. In all cases, you need to enter a desired Stream Bit Rate in the Basic Encoding profile. For CBR mode, the output stream will include about a 3% overhead of NULL

packets to pad the stream in order to keep the output bit rate constant and at the selected value. For Capped VBR and Low Delay VBR, the Stream Bit Rate sets the maximum output bit rate, and

the encoder only uses the amount of bandwidth that it needs to encode the video content. For either any of these three Stream Modes, the QVPRO and QVENC will automatically set an internal Video Bit Rate by subtracting from this value the Audio Bit Rate you select, and about 10% for IP packetization overhead (if IP output is selected). A VBR stream has the advantage of optimizing IP network efficiency by eliminating unnecessary null packets from the media stream. In general, the video rate may be less than this rate, depending upon video content. Thus, a VBR stream can have large variations in bit rate, but will produce a much lower average bit rate than CBR.

QVidium has implemented a precision packet output control and metering mechanism, called Pacing (under the Advanced Networking encoder profile), that regulates the output timing of the IP packets to maintain a constant inter-packet spacing, thereby minimizing packet jitter to under 25ms. This helps to reduce packet loss on Internet links that limit packet bursts. It also helps with interoperability with older decoders that have very limited input buffers. This feature is on by default, but it can add ¾ second of latency or more to the stream. If low latency is required, then you can select the Low Delay VBR for the Stream Mode, which uses a different mechanism to minimize packet jitter.

Note: Be aware that the user interface will not warn you if you try to enter a bit rate beyond the operating limits of the codec. For more details on the range of MPEG encoding bit rates, please see Appendix C (Section 13.3). For more information on the various video parameters (Frame Rate, Encoding, Format, Resolution, etc.) please see Appendix A (Section 13.1). For HD or SD video, you can select either MPEG2 or MPEG4-AVC (H.264) Video Encoding.

Warning: By default, the SDI or HDMI video input expects to see embedded audio for the encoder to start. To encode a stream without embedded audio, please check Video Only for the Audio/Video parameter in the Advanced tab. You can also encode only audio by setting this parameter to Audio Only. For the QVENC, you also have the option of using the analog external audio inputs for the audio source to embed into the output stream.

3.3 Basic Encoding Configuration

All the basic parameters you normally would need to set when creating a new encoding profile are grouped together under the Basic tab of the Encoder Profile, as shown in Figure 1a. We strongly recommend not changing any of the advanced encoder parameters unless you have carefully read this manual and you are confident of what you are doing. If you have problems with the encoder, we suggest reverting to the default advanced encoding parameters (by highlighting the profile you are using and clicking Default from the Profile panel).

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Below is a list of the basic encoding parameters and a short description for each setting: Output Device: The QVPRO/QVENC allows you to send the encoder’s output stream to one of

several devices: a Network Ethernet port for MPEG Transport Stream (TS) over IP output; an ASI port for DVB-ASI compatible output (on QVENC with optional ASI daughter card); to a File on a USB or Network-Accessible Storage (NAS) device to record the video stream as an MPEG Transport Stream (File TS); or have the encoder simultaneously save to a file and output over IP/Ethernet by selecting File + Network. The encoder ignores the Network parameters when you select ASI or File TS as the output port for the encoder.

Figure 1a: Basic Encoder Configuration.

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To record a single contiguous file larger than 4 Gigabytes, you must use an NTFS, Ext3, or networked file system. Also, if you set a Maximum File Size under the Advanced Encoding tab to a value other than Unlimited, then when a video clip exceeds this size, the encoder will automatically close the current file and start a new file.

Video Input: The QVPRO has two video inputs: HDMI and SDI. The QVENC has three video

inputs: SDI, Composite (CVBS), and S-Video (Y/C). The SDI input detects and automatically switches among SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI signals on the same BNC input port. However, please note that at present, the HDMI input only works for HD video (1080i or 720p). For SD video (480i NTSC or 576i PAL) or 1080p (50 or 60 frames per second), you must use the SDI input. On the QVENC, the Composite and S-Video inputs only accept SD video.

Stream Bit Rate: This sets the total output stream bit rate. The QVPRO/QVENC sets an internal

video bit rate by subtracting the audio bit rate from the Stream Bit Rate and setting an additional margin for IP packetization. For all stream modes, the output bit rate should not exceed this value. However, there may be a variation in output bit rate of up to about 5% over the value you set. If the bit rate is too low for the video content you have, then you can expect to see pixelization and blurring of the image for scenes with high motion.

Normally with the HD encoding license, the encoder will use this Stream Bit Rate regardless

of whether the input is SD or HD resolution. However, under the Advanced Encoding parameters, you can set a bit rate for SD video that will automatically be used when you switch the input to an SD feed. For HD feeds, the encoder would otherwise use the basic Stream Bit Rate. In this way, the encoder can automatically switch between HD and SD video encoding, with appropriate bit rates to match, by simply changing the SDI input signal.

Video Encoding: You can select primarily between H.264 encoding (selectable profile and level,

High Profile by default) and MPEG2 (Main profile). H.264 requires about ½ to 1/3 of the bit rate for comparable video quality versus MPEG2.

Audio Bit Rate: This sets the total bit rate for the combination of the 2 audio channels (left and

right channels of a single audio pair). (The default of 160Kbps actually produces the same TS Stream Bit Rate as setting the audio bit rate to 128Kbps because of size constraints for audio packet sizes that must fit within a fixed TS packet size.)

Audio Encoding: You can select among MPEG1/Layer2 and MPEG2 AAC audio encoding

formats on the QVPRO and QVENC, and also AC3 Pass-though on SDI and AC3 Pass- through on Optical for the QVENC. For speech and verbal content, and to maintain the highest level of 3rd party compatibility, we recommend the default of MPEG1/Layer 2. For high fidelity audio, such as music or concerts, we recommend MPEG2 AAC. In addition, the QVENC and QVDEC support Dolby® Digital (also known as AC3) pass-through operation selectable via either an external S/PDIF connector or embedded SDI audio. AC3 provides Surround Sound 5.1 audio (5 channels plus one subwoofer channel), also known as Dolby Digital.

Audio Sampling Rate: The default is a 48KHz audio sampling rate. For SDI I/O, 48KHz is

required as part of the SMPTE 259M standard. We recommend keeping this default value when using the SDI video input. Higher sampling rates preserve higher audio frequencies.

IP Transport: The QVPRO/QVENC offers 3 choices: ARQ, RTP, and UDP. ARQ and RTP all

output UDP/IP packets with RTP headers. UDP transport encapsulates the MPEG Transport Stream as the UDP/IP packet payload without the RTP data header. With the Evostream Media Server (EMS) license, the QVENC supports RTSP, RTMP (Flash Media), and HLS transport formats. Enabling ProMPEG FEC (SMPTE-2022) adds a ProMPEG option.

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Destination IP or Multicast Address: By default, this field is left blank. In order to create a valid

encoder profile, you must supply at least one valid IP address. This can either be a unicast or a multicast IP address. In ARQ mode for IP Transport, you can also supply up to 4 IP addresses, separated only by commas (‘,’), no spaces.

UDP Port: Enter the UDP port for the output audio/video transport stream. The default is 10000. If

the decoder is behind a firewall, you must open the firewall to port-forward packets on this port to the internal IP address of the decoder.

ARQ Port: The default is 10000. If you are using ARQ, we recommend keeping this value the

same as the UDP port. This is the port that the ARQ error correction uses for sending upstream (from the decoder to the encoder) missing-packet re-send requests to the encoder. By using the same port as the outgoing UDP port, it allows you to not have to worry about configuring port forwarding for any firewalls on the encoder-side of the network.

Note: Please remember to always hit the SAVE button after making any changes or your

changes will be lost. You must also restart the encoder with the updated profile for these changes to take effect.

3.4 Configuring Encoder Format and Bitrates

The QVidium H.264 HD Video Codec™ includes a video scalar on the input and can encode all standard broadcast resolutions as either MPEG4-AVC (H.264) or MPEG2. It can scale a high definition (HD) video input to standard definition (SD), or can encode HD video up to 1080p60 (1920x1080 resolution at 60 frames per second, Level A and Level B). You can change the encoded output video resolution and frame rate using the corresponding parameters under the Advanced Encoding tab. Without an HD encoding license, it will automatically scale am HD video input to SD.

To produce the highest quality video with the least amount of bandwidth, storage space, and lowest delay, you may choose to select H.264 encoding format, and select Capped VBR streaming mode under the Advanced Encoding profile. However, since VBR mode can cause problems with certain decoders, the encoder defaults to CBR mode.

Note: If you require an accurate Stream Bit Rate, please check the bit rate in the Status page and adjust the Stream Bit Rate as necessary, since the actual output bit rate may exceed the specified value by several percent.

3.5 Configuring Packet Transport & Error Correction

The QVidium H.264 HD Video Codec™ features some of the most powerful and advanced error correction capabilities found in any video over IP product. The QVidium H.264 HD Video Codec™ implements QVidium’s patented ARQ error correction and clock synchronization (US Patents #7,551,647 and #7,522,528) for the most robust video transmission with the lowest delay. QVidium’s ARQ (Automatic Retransmission Request) is a dynamically responsive feedback error correction mechanism designed specifically to enable the highest quality video transport over wireless networks and the Internet. ARQ senses packet loss at the receiver and requests replacement packets from the server. ARQ can provide nearly flawless reproduction of a video stream even through extremely lossy or congested networks.

The QVENC H.264 HD Video encoder and QVPRO H.264 HD Video codec minimize network bandwidth and loading due to the high efficiency of H.264 encoding and ARQ video transport. The HD Video Codec™ implements MPEG4-AVC (H.264) High Profile (up through Level 4.1) video encoding, providing advanced coding techniques in hardware, such as CABAC processing, not

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