Readme.txt for BZX-EM1000 ========================== BZX-EM1000 will control up to 9 BDX-E1000 MPEG Encoders and 2 BDX-M1000 Multiplexers using Ethernet control. The application requires a PC running Windows NT 4.0. Screen resolution should be at least SVGA (800x600). Only a single instance of BZX-EM1000 be executing on a PC at any one time. If problems occur during installation, close down all other programs including any screen savers and re-install. The overview provides a brief description of all menu options. Options are explained in more detail in subsequent sections. OVERVIEW ========= BZX-EM1000 can be started by selecting the application from the task bar: Programs->Sony->BZX-EM1000->BZX-EM1000. Or by double-clicking on a shortcut from the desktop. When started in this manner the data file used will be the last one used, if available, or bzx-em1000.mvc by default. Alternatively, BZX-EM1000 can be initiated by double-cliking on a "DVB Encoding System Configuration" file (.mvc) from an explorer dialog. Main Menu ======== File->Save As Invokes a browse dialog that permits the current system configuration to be save as a new file. Unavailable if the system or host port are active. File->Enable/Disable Control Starts/Stops system control. All devices that are included in startup will be started. File->Enable/Disable Host Port Enables/Disables the host port interface. File->Shutdown Closes BZX-EM1000. Options->Timecode Buffers. If set pending changes will be preloaded into BDX-E1000 timecode buffers. If not set pending changes will be sent to BDX-E1000 encoders as immediate commands when they fall due (using PC clock). Options->Source Router. Permits the source router to be configured. Unavailable if the system is active. Help Opens the About Box. BDX-E1000 Right-click Menu ========================== Assign Encoder (only available for an unassigned encoder) Creates a BDX-E1000 with suitable defaults. Start/Stop (Only available when control is enabled) Starts/Stops the device. Exclude from/Include In Startup (only available for an assigned encoder) Defines whether or not the device is automatically started when system control is enabled. Configuration->Edit (only available for an assigned encoder with no pending event) Opens the configuration property sheets for modification. Configuration->Copy From Allows the encoder configuration to be modified with or created from the parameters of another assigned BDX-E1000 or file. Configuration->Write to File (only available for an assigned encoder) Allows the encoder configuration to be stored in a file Engineering (only available for an assigned encoder) Opens the Engineering Property Sheets Cancel Pending Event Cancel a pending event. Only available if there is a pending event scheduled. BZX-EM1000 will reject this command if there is less than 30 seconds until the event falls due. Status Report (only available for an assigned encoder) Takes a snapshot of the current status report file for viewing. Deassign Encoder (only available for an assigned, halted encoder) Deassigns the BDX-E1000 The configuration of a BDX-E1000 encoder cannot be modified if it has an outstanding pending event. BDX-M1000 Right-click Menu ========================== Assign (only available for when unassigned) Creates a BDX-M1000 with suitable defaults. Start/Stop (only available when control is enabled) Starts/Stops the device. [*** Only closes the device controller ***] Exclude from/Include In Startup (only available when assigned) Defines whether or not the device is automatically started when system control is enabled. Configuration (only available when assigned) Opens the configuration for modification. Deassign (only available for an assigned, halted multiplexer) Deassigns the BDX-M1000 Primary Mux Permits the required state of the primary multiplexer to be selected, this is one of: On, Off or Redundant. Secondary Mux Permits the required state of the secondary multiplexer to be selected, this is one of: On, Off or Redundant. Note that BZX-EM1000 will ensure that at least one multiplexer MUST be on. Double-clicking a device opens its configuration for modification. DETAILS ======== System Configuration ==================== BZX-EM1000 initially starts with no BDX-E1000 encoders assigned and no BDX-M1000 multiplexers assigned. To assign an encoder or multiplexer right-click the mouse over the device and select the 'Assign' menu option. A device will be created with suitable default values. Devices may be deassigned in a similar way. Devices that are assigned are displayed in the active window colour and a subset of its parameters are displayed. Unassigned devices are displayed in grey and 'Not Used' is substituted for the device name. An assigned device may be excluded from system startup by right-clicking the mouse over the device and selecting the 'Exclude from Startup' menu option. Devices that are assigned but excluded from system startup are displayed in black text. Re-inclusion of devices into system startup is achieved by right-clicking the device and selecting the 'Include in Startup' menu option. To modify the settings for a device either double-click it or select 'Configuration > Edit', for encoders, or 'Configuration', for multiplexers, from the right-click menu options. BDX-E1000 Parameters ==================== Encoder parameters can be changed in much the same way as BZX-E1001. Note that IP address, encoder name, seamless flag, scrambling and number of audio channels cannot be altered when the encoder is running. When an encoder is running the video bit-rate may be altered seamlessly, depending on the seamless flag setting in the Engineering options. However, alteration of other parameters will always result in the encoder being temporarily halted whilst the changes are applied. [*** Other seamless changes may be available in future versions ***]. Configuration of a new unassigned encoder or reconfiguration of an existing assigned encoder can also be achieved by copying another encoder's configuration. An encoders configuration may be copied by right-clicking and selecting the 'Configuration > Copy From > Port X' menu option (where 'X' is the port number of the encoder from where the parameters are to be copied from). Encoder configurations may also be copied from an Encoder Configuration File (*.ECR) by right-clicking and selecting the 'Configuration > Copy From > File...' menu option. If an encoder is already assigned and a 'Copy From' menu option is selected, confirmation will be required to overwrite the existing configuration. Copying from encoders with displayed Configuration property sheets is prohibited and will be notified with the following message, 'Close the Configuration Sheet of the encoder on port X before copying'. An Encoder Configuration File may be created using the configuration of an assigned encoder. This is achieved by right-clicking on the encoder whose configuration is to be saved and selecting 'Configuration > Write To File...'. The default Encoder Configuration File name is 'Port_X_Enc_Config.ecf', where 'X' is the port number of the encoder whose parameters are to be saved. To modify the Engineering settings for an encoder select 'Engineering' from the right-click menu options. This option will display the Engineering property sheet which is divided into 4 pages; Monitor, Stream Output and Status. The Monitor page controls the monitoring of video, audio and encoder faults. The Stream page allows PID modification. Output enables selection of the output port, enabling of automatic PAT and PMT generation and seamless or non-seamless changes. The Status page configures encoder status reporting. Copying can be used to create 2 encoders with the same name. BZX-EM1000 assumes that 2 or more encoders with the same name form a redundant set of encoders. BZX-EM1000 will therefore ensure that, where there is more than one encoder with the same name only one can be running at any one instant in time. When an encoder configuration is copied the relevant multiplexer port data is also copied, if the multiplexer is assigned at the time. Note that redundancy control is 'manual' - if an encoder fails then the user must halt it and start another encoder. If the second encoder has the same name as the failed encoder then BZX-EM1000 will verify that the configuration of the 2 encoders matches. A warning will be issued if there is no match. BDX-M1000 Parameters ==================== When BDX-M1000 is first assigned it is created with default Primary & Secondary Multiplexer parameters (Name, IP Address, Number of Inputs and Output Bitrate), Network Information Table and Program Association Table. These defaults are displayed in a Windows Explorer-style tree, with icons representing the various groups of multiplexer data. The default Multiplexer parameters, represented by the Mux Details icon at the top of the tree, consist of a Primary Mux Name, Primary Mux IP Address, Secondary Mux Name, Secondary Mux IP Address, Number of Inputs and Output Bitrate. Each multiplexer parameter is user configurable by left-clicking the Mux Details icon. [*** Only 9 inputs are supported in this version ***]. The default Network Information Table, represented by the NIT icon, contains a default Network Identity and Name Descriptor. The Network Identity and Network name are user configurable by left-clicking on the NIT icon. The default NIT also contains a single transport stream descriptor. This has a default transport stream ID and original network ID. Right-clicking on the NIT icon will permit other transport stream descriptors to be created. Right-clicking on the transport stream icon allows delivery system descriptors and service list descriptors to be created. [** Service List Descriptors are not supported in this version ***]. [*** A CAT icon appears for the Conditional Access Table but this is not supported ***]. The PAT icon displayed represents the Program Association Table. A default PAT is created when BDX-M1000 is assigned and has a Program entry inserted for every BDX-E1000 assigned. Every Program entry is created with a default Program Number, Name and PID. The Program Number and Name are based on the Multiplexer port number to which the encoder is connected. The default PID allocated is derived from: (0x100 * Encoder Port Number) The Program Number, Name and PID are all user configurable, by selecting the desired Program icon with a left-click. A default Program Map Table, represented by the PMT icon, is created for every Program source. The PMT has a user configurable PCR PID, selected by left-clicking on a PMT icon. The default PCR PID value is derived from: (0x80 + Encoder Port Number) No default Elementary Streams are inserted into the Program Map Table. If Elementary Streams are required, the user must manually insert them, by right-clicking on the appropriate PMT. Right-clicking will display a menu where the user can choose to insert a Video, Audio or Data Elementary Stream. For each menu item selected, a corresponding icon will be displayed under the selected PMT. All Elementary Stream are created with a default PID, the Audio and Data Streams are created with a default Channel Identity and a default Subtype Identity is created only for the Data Stream. Stream PIDs are allocated according to PID of their corresponding Program. For each Stream added one will be added to this PID until an unallocated PID is found. Channel Identities will start from one for the first Audio and Data Streams added and will be incremented by one for every extra Stream added. Elementary Stream parameters are also user configurable by left-clicking on the desired Stream icon. The data elementary stream can be set-up as DVB Teletext or DVB Teletext with sub-titles. If these options are chosen a basic elementary stream descriptor of the relevant type is added into the PMT. Note that the PAT and PMT output by BDX-M1000 will only include data for those encoders that are on at the time. Starting the System =================== Once Encoder and Multiplexer configuration has been completed, the BZX-EM1000 System may be started by the selection of 'Enable Control' from the 'File' menu. While BZX-EM1000 is connecting to the assigned hardware, a dialog box will be displayed indicating that connection is in progress. On completion of system connection, devices that have been connected to successfully will be displayed with a background of the active window colour. If during system startup a device reports a fault, the corresponding device window will reflect the severity of the fault. Minor faults cause the device to take a yellow background and a red background is used for Major faults. Likewise, if a running device reports a fault, the background colour of the device will be set in the same way. Device faults can be automatically or manually cleared. An encoder will automatically clear a minor fault when its error count reaches zero after being in an erroneous state. [*** Automatic clearance of minor multiplexer faults is not supported in this version ***]. Major faults cannot be automatically cleared by a device as the relevant device controller will automatically terminate on the detection of a major fault. Manual clearance of faults is achieved by right-clicking on the faulty device and selecting the 'Clear Fault' menu option. The clearance of a minor fault will cause device background to revert to the active window colour. A device reporting a major fault will revert to an 'Assigned' state, when its fault is cleared. While BZX-EM1000 is running, devices that are running may be stopped and restarted and unassigned devices may be assigned and started. This can be achieved using the 'Start' and 'Stop' options, accessed by right-clicking on the desired device. If a single device is started individually the device window background will flash with the active window colour during startup. The window background will stop flashing when the device starts successfully or startup fails. A device that has been successfully started will be displayed with the active window colour as the device window background. While a device window background is flashing, all associated right-click menu commands will be unavailable. Device window backgrounds are not flashed during a system startup as startup of a system is indicated by the 'Starting Controller' dialog. The following table summarises the device colour to state mapping: Device Colour Device State ----------------------------------------------------------- Grey (with grey text) Unassigned Grey (with active window colour text) Assigned Grey (with black text) Assigned/Excluded from Startup Flashed active window colour Starting Active window colour Running Yellow Running (Minor Fault received) Red Halted (Major Fault received) Status Reporting ================ Encoder status monitoring is enabled or disabled from the Monitor page of the Engineering property sheet. In addition encoder status can be logged to file using the Status Page of the Engineering property sheet. If enabled, status reporting can be configured according to the parameters on the Status page of the Engineering property sheet. The Status page is unavailable when status monitoring is disabled. The encoder status reports are written to a Status Report File (*.SRF) specified on the Status Page. The default Status Report File name is 'Port_X_StatRep.srf', where 'X' is the port number of the encoder creating the status report. The filename and file size (in terms of number of records) can be modified on the Status page of the Engineering property sheet. The status type and period maybe altered whilst status reports are being logged. However, the filename and file size cannot. The current Status Report File can be viewed by right-clicking and selecting the 'Status Report' menu option. This option will be greyed when status monitoring is disabled. Selecting this option takes a snapshot of the status file. Major details of each record are output on a line on the page. Further details for each individual line are available by right-clicking on the line. The details available depend upon the type of status report being generated. Event List ========== Every device fault reported will have a corresponding entry placed in the Event List. Each Event List entry has a colour-coded icon to match the severity of the fault; yellow icon for minor faults and a red icon for major faults. The most recent fault is displayed at the top of this list, however the order can be reversed by clicking the 'Time & Date' column title. The event list can be resized, as necessary. Stopping the System =================== The BZX-EM1000 System may be stopped by the selection of 'Disable Control' from the 'File' menu. While BZX-EM1000 is disconnecting from the running hardware, a dialog box will be displayed indicating that disconnection is in progress. All running devices will revert to a grey background when disconnection is complete. The System must be stopped before BZX-EM1000 is shutdown. Host Port ========= The host port can be enabled and disabled from the File menu. When enabled the host port will permit an external application to connect to BZX-EM1000 using TCP/IP protocol. In TCP/IP terms the BZX-EM1000 host port is the server, hence it is waiting for other applications to connect. BZX-EM1000 will wait for connections on a TCP/IP port that is configurable - see file 'pmsi.ini' in the base Windows NT directory (usually c:\winnt). The default port for this is 1024. Using the host port an external application may perform the following functions: - Start or Stop BZX-EM1000 system. - Retrieve basic status information concerning devices. - Change the video bit-rate and/or audio modes for a BDX-E1000 Encoder with immediate effect - Pend a future change to a BDX-E1000 video bit-rate and/or audio modes . - Determine current and pending video bit-rate for a BDX-E1000. For further details refer to 'BZX-EM1000 Host Protocol Specification'. Relay Switch Software OVERVIEW =============================== Relay Switch can be started by selecting the application from the task bar: Programs->Sony->BZX-EM1000->Relay Switch. Or by double-clicking on a shortcut from the desktop. Alternatively, Relay Switch can be initiated by double-cliking on a "*.swc" file from an explorer dialog or Start->Documents. Using Relay Switch for switching input to modulators ==================================================== The relay switch software is used to configure control lines this can be done by right clicking on the operations dialog box and selecting the options tab. This brings up a configuration s dialog box which is used to configure the lines to be used. Right-click Menu. ================== File->New Starts a new operations Dialog File->Open Invokes a browse dialog that permits an existing (.swc) file to be opened. File->Save Invokes a browse dialog that permits the the current configuration to be saved. File->Save As Invokes a browse dialog that permits the current configuration to be saved as a new file. Options Invokes a Configuration mode dialog used for setting up the control lines. About RelaySwitch Opens the About Box. Exit Exits the application Configuration Mode. ==================== This mode enables a user to configure up to 16 lines. Control Line Set-up:- By clicking the up down spin, control lines can be added or removed. A green icon means that line is enabled and red means the line is disabled. Use this option to select the total number of lines you want to control. Enabling/Disabling Lines:-To disable or enable a line double-click on the required line or select the line, then click the Enable/Disable tab the icon will toggle between Enabled/Disabled states. It is important to use this option if you have hard wired lines which you do not want the user to alter. Inserting New Lines:-To insert a new line position the cursor on the line before the line you want inserted then select Insert List Item. This inserts a new line after the current cursor position. Only use this tab if necessary as it reorders the whole list. Deleting Specific items:-To delete a line, position the cursor on the line before the line you want deleted then select Delete Line Item. This inserts a new line after the current Cursor position. Only use this tab if necessary as it reorders the whole list. Configuring Active/Inactive States:-Five default values for both active and inactive states are available in the combo box. To add new selections click on the Active or Inactive box and type in new choice. Operation Mode. =============== Shows the current system configuration.