Accom Abekas MultiFlex 6000 User manual

Revised: October 21, 2004 @ 9:55 AM Page 1 of 12
Quick Reference Guide
Introduction.
This quick reference guide provides assistance for basic setup and operating functions of the Abekas 6000 MultiFlex DTV
Production Server and assumes the system has been powered up correctly, configured properly with at least one (1)
Abekas 6000 Control Panel connected and ready for operation. Please refer to the “Abekas 6000 Operations Manual” and
the “Abekas 6000 Installation Guide” for more extensive instructions.
How to POWER ON.
1. Be sure the appropriate Abekas 6000 control panel(s) is/are connected to the Abekas 6000 Main chassis before
powering ON.
2. If one or two Disk Expansion Chassis’ are present, power them ON before powering ON the Abekas 6000 Main
chassis.
3. If redundant power supplies are present in the Abekas 6000 Main chassis or Disk Expansion chassis’, you may
power ON either of the two redundant power supplies first, in a given chassis. All power supplies are located in
the front of the chassis, near the bottom — the power switch is located on the face of each power supply. Open
the chassis door and switch ON either of the two redundant power supplies first, then switch ON the other.
How to POWER OFF.
1. If one or two Disk Expansion Chassis’ are present, power OFF the Abekas 6000 Main chassis before powering
OFF any of the disk expansion chassis’.
2. The Disk Expansion chassis’ may then be powered OFF in any order between them.
3. If redundant power supplies are present in the main chassis or expansion chassis’, you may power OFF either of
the two redundant power supplies first, in a given chassis. All power supplies are located in the front of the
chassis, near the bottom — the power switch is located on the face of each power supply. Open the chassis door
and switch OFF either of the two redundant power supplies first. Be sure both redundant power supplies inside
each chassis are switched OFF.

Quick Reference Guide
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How to ACQUIRE / RELEASE Video Channels.
In order to RECORD, PLAYBACK or perform other functions using an Abekas 6000 control panel, you must first acquire at
least one (1) video channel to the control panel. The channel select buttons are located on the left edge of the Abekas
6000 control panel, shown below.
A given channel select button that has a GREEN light located below the button indicates this channel has been
ACQUIRED and is selected. If a given channel button is illuminated YELLOW, that particular channel is acquired to this
panel, but is not currently selected. If a given channel select button is illuminated RED, that particular channel is acquired
by other Abekas 6000 control panels or by other remote control devices (such as an automation system), and therefore
cannot be controlled by this Abekas 6000 control panel until they are RELEASED by the other controller. If a given
channel select button is NOT ILLUMINATED, that particular channel has not yet been ACQUIRED and are RELEASED.
• To ACQUIRE a Video Channel on the Abekas 6000 Control Panel
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. To ACQUIRE a given video channel, be sure the lamp below the channel button that you wish to ACQUIRE is
NOT illuminated. If the lamp is RED, you must first RELEASE this channel from the other Abekas 6000 control
panel or automation system before the channel can be ACQUIRED by this Abekas 6000 control panel. Once
released, the channel lamp will be OFF and is ready to be ACQUIRED on your Abekas 6000 control panel.
3. Press +
C h A
button to ACQUIRE Channel A. The lamp below the channel button will then illuminate
GREEN, indicating this channel is now ACQUIRED and selected on the control panel you are operating. To
acquire a different video channel, press the appropriate channel button instead of the
C h A
button.
• To RELEASE a Video Channel from the Abekas 6000 Control Panel
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. To RELEASE a given video channel, be sure the channel you’re releasing is already ACQUIRED by this Abekas
6000 control panel (the lamp below the channel button will be illuminated GREEN or YELLOW).
3. Press +
C h A
button to RELEASE Channel A. The lamp below the channel button will then turn OFF,
indicating this channel is now RELEASED from this Abekas 6000 control panel. To release a different video
channel, press the appropriate channel button instead of the
C h A
button.

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How to GROUP / UNGROUP Video Channels.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press and hold down the
G r o u p
button.
3. While holding down the
G r o u p
button, togglethe channel buttons for the channels you wishto GROUP. The
lamp below each channel button that is included in the group will illuminate GREEN:
 DIM GREEN indicates channels that are included in the GROUP.
 BRIGHT GREEN indicates a channel that is included in the GROUP, and is the currently “active” video
channel.
4. To REMOVE a given channel from the GROUP, repeat steps #2 and #3.
How to Change CHANNEL PAIR Configurations (V+V or V+K or Time Delay) .
This procedure allows you to change the CHANNEL PAIR configurations for pairs of video channels, choosing between
“VIDEO / VIDEO”, “VIDEO / KEY” or “TIME DELAY” configurations.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the appropriate CHANNEL button that has an analog STATUS OVERLAY video monitor display.
3. Press the button. Press the button again to select FULL SCREEN menu display.
4. Press the button a few times to exit from any SUBMENU that may be active. To verify you’re in the HOME
MENU position; you will see a list of SUBMENUS with a title: “ABEKAS 6000 HOME MENU” on the menu display.
5. From the HOME MENU, select the SYSTEM SETUP submenu using the rotary knob on the Abekas 6000 control
panel; press the
T A K E
button to enter the submenu.
6. From the SYSTEM SETUP submenu, use the rotary knob to select the desired CHANNEL PAIR (ChA/ChB,
ChC/ChD, ChE/ChF, ChG/ChH); then press the
T A K E
button.
7. Using the rotary knob, select the configuration you desire and then press the
T A K E
button (3 choices):
• V / V = VIDEO / VIDEO: This selection sets the CHANNEL PAIR as independent video channels. For
example, RECORD and PLAYBACK using the same CLIP ID across a CHANNEL PAIR can be achieved if
that CHANNEL PAIR is set to V / V.
• V / K = VIDEO / KEY: This selection sets the CHANNEL PAIR as synchronized VIDEO + KEY channels. For
example, if ChA/ChB is set as V / K configuration, then CHANNEL A will be the VIDEO + AUDIO channel
and CHANNEL B will be the synchronized KEY channel (luminance only). The VIDEO channel is the
MASTER channel and when ACQUIRED and selected, the KEY (SLAVE) channel follows.
• TIME DELAY: This selection sets the CHANNEL PAIR to TIME DELAY mode. When TIME DELAY is
activated (See “How to Perform TIME DELAY”), the INPUT video is recorded on the MASTER channel (ChA,
ChC, ChE, ChG) and played out (after a defined delay time). Playout occurs on the SLAVE channel (ChB,
ChD, ChF, ChH). The SLAVE channel is also locked out from normal operations and dedicated to time
delayed play-out only.
8. Press the button three times to return to the HOME MENU.

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How to SAVE USER SETUPS.
This procedure allows you to SAVE USER SETUP menu settings under one of four USER memory locations.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the appropriate CHANNEL button that has an analog STATUS OVERLAY video monitor display.
3. Press the button. Press the button again to select FULL SCREEN menu display.
4. Press the button a few times to exit from any SUBMENU that may be active. To verify you’re in the HOME
MENU position; you will see a list of SUBMENUS with a title: “ABEKAS 6000 HOME MENU” on the menu display.
5. From the HOME MENU, select the SYSTEM SETUP submenu using the rotary knob on the Abekas 6000 control
panel; press the
T A K E
button to enter the submenu.
6. From the SYSTEM SETUP submenu, use the rotary knob to select the USER SETUP SAVE/RECALL submenu;
then press the
T A K E
button.
7. From the USER SETUP SAVE/RECALL submenu, select SETTINGS and then press the
T A K E
button.
8. Using the rotary knob, select the user memory (1-4) under which user you wish to SAVE the menu settings; and
then press the
T A K E
button.
9. Using the rotary knob, select SAVE SETTINGS; and then press the
T A K E
button.
10. A confirm prompt will appear in the control panel, asking if you wish to SAVE SETTINGS under the USER memory
you have chosen. If you wish to continue, press the
ENTER
button.
11. If desired, repeat these steps to SAVE SETTINGS under other user memory locations.
12. Press the button three times to return to the HOME MENU.
How to RECALL USER SETUPS.
This procedure allows you to RECALL USER SETUP menu settings from one of four USER memory locations.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the appropriate CHANNEL button that has an analog STATUS OVERLAY video monitor display.
3. Press the button. Press the button again to select FULL SCREEN menu display.
4. Press the button a few times to exit from any SUBMENU that may be active. To verify you’re in the HOME
MENU position; you will see a list of SUBMENUS with a title: “ABEKAS 6000 HOME MENU” on the menu display.
5. From the HOME MENU, select the SYSTEM SETUP submenu using the rotary knob on the Abekas 6000 control
panel; press the
T A K E
button to enter the submenu.
6. From the SYSTEM SETUP submenu, use the rotary knob to select the USER SETUP SAVE/RECALL submenu;
then press the
T A K E
button.
7. From the USER SETUP SAVE/RECALL submenu, select SETTINGS and then press the
T A K E
button.
Continued on next page…

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8. Using the rotary knob, select the user memory (1-4) under which user you wish to RECALL the menu settings; and
then press the
T A K E
button.
9. Using the rotary knob, select RECALL SETTINGS; and then press the
T A K E
button.
10. A confirm prompt will appear in the control panel, asking if you wish to RECALL SETTINGS from the USER
memory you have chosen. If you wish to continue, press the
ENTER
button.
11. Press the button three times to return to the HOME MENU.
How to RECORD Clips.
The following steps assume the Abekas 6000 is configured properly in NEW CLIP RECORD SETUP menu, with desired
settings for COMPRESSION, OUTPUT MODE, TIMECODE MODE, CLIP TC START and CLIP TC TYPE.
NOTE
Be sure an SDI (serial digital interface) digital video and 4-track AES/EBU digital audio input signals are present on the video channel that you
wish to record on.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the button to preview the SDI video input signal that you wish to record.
3. Press the desired CHANNEL button you wish to RECORD on, for example press the
C h A
button. The lamp
below the CHANNEL button should be illuminated GREEN — if not, follow the procedure “To ACQUIRE a Video
Channel”, starting on page 2 above.
4. Using the numeric keypad on the Abekas 6000 control panel, type an OPEN CLIP ID or type an existing CLIP ID
that you wish to RECORD into, and then press the desired CHANNEL button to load (CUE) the given clip.
NOTE
If an OPEN CLIP ID is defined, a NEW CLIP RECORD will occur. If an existing CLIP ID is defined, an INSERT RECORD will occur.
5. Using the numeric keypad, type the RECORD DURATION and then press the red button. For example, type
“1000000” and then press the button to define a 1-hour RECORD DURATION.
6. Enable the tracks that you wish to record:
 Toggle the button to enable VIDEO track recording (the lamp inside the button will illuminate).
 Toggle the button to select KEY track recording (the lamp inside the button will illuminate).
 Toggle one or more of the audio track enable buttons ( | | | ). The lamp inside the button will
illuminate when a given audio track is enabled for recording.
7. Press the + buttons to initiate RECORD. The clip will begin recording the enabled tracks on the given video
channel.
NOTE
When recording is finished after the RECORD DURATION has expired, the clip will automatically stop and RECUE to the first frame in the clip.

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How to LOAD Clips (CUE) .
Before loading a clip, be sure at least one video channel is ACQUIRED on the Abekas 6000 control panel and select the
channel you wish to load a CLIP ID into. For example press the
C h A
button. The lamp below the CHANNEL button
should be illuminated GREEN — if not, follow the procedure “To ACQUIRE a Video Channel”, starting on page 2 above.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. On the numeric keypad, type a 1- through 7-digit CLIP ID that you wish to load.
3. Press the specific CHANNEL button (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.). The defined CLIP ID is now loaded
into that specific video channel.
• Alternative Method
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the specific CHANNEL button (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.).
3. On the numeric keypad, type a 1- through 7-digit CLIP ID that you wish to load.
4. Press the
C L I P I D
button.
How to PLAY Clips.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the specific CHANNEL button (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.), which has the CLIP ID loaded that
you wish to PLAY.
3. Press the button. The clip will PLAY to the end.
How to GO TO START of Clip (RECUE).
To instantly go to the START frame of the currently loaded clip (RECUE):
1. Press + . This will instantly cue to the starting frame of the clip.
How to GO TO END of Clip.
To instantly go to the END frame of the currently loaded clip:
1. Press + . This will instantly cue to the end frame of the clip.

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How to DELETE Clips.
Caution: Deleting clips is a destructive operation, and cannot be undone. Before performing DELETE, you must confirm
that all Clip IDs that you wish to DELETE are not CUED in any of the Abekas 6000 video channels. DELETE will skip any
clips that are LOADED or CUED (for protection of the cued clips).
You must also be sure that all Clip IDs that you wish to DELETE do not have the "clip locked" flag set, since DELETE will
skip all locked clip(s) (for protection of the locked clips). Please refer to the procedure “Locking / Unlocking a ClipID” on
page 10 below.
To be sure there are no CLIP ID’s you wish to DELETE in any video channels, toggle each of the eight video channel
buttons (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.) and verify the clip ID’s are not cued, or to be really sure, just load clip ID
“0” (BLACK) into each of the video channels before performing DELETE (see “How to LOAD Clips” procedure on page 6
above). This will load BLACK into each video channel.
• DELETING a SINGLE Clip
1. Press the blue
D E L E T E
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the clip ID you wish to delete.
3. Press the button.
4. Be sure the “THRU” field is empty so you do not DELETE a range of clips. To clear the THRU field, press the
B A C K S P A C E
button and then press the button.
5. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip DELETE operation.
• DELETING a RANGE of Clips
1. Press the blue
D E L E T E
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the STARTING clip ID.
3. Press the button.
4. Using the numeric keypad, type the ENDING clip ID.
5. Press the button.
6. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip RANGE DELETE operation.

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How to MOVE Clips.
Caution: Moving clips can be a destructive operation. Before performing MOVE, you must confirm that all clip IDs you
wish to MOVE are not CUED in any of the Abekas 6000 video channels. MOVE will skip any CUED clip(s) (for protection
of the cued clips).
You must also be sure that all Clip IDs that you wish to MOVE do not have the "clip locked" flag set, since MOVE will skip
all locked clips (for protection of the locked clips). Please refer to the procedure “Locking / Unlocking a ClipID” on page 10.
To be sure there are no CLIP ID’s you wish to MOVE in any video channels, toggle each of the eight video channel
buttons (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.) and verify the clip ID’s are not cued, or to be really sure, just load clip ID
“0” (BLACK) into each of the video channels before performing MOVE (see “How to LOAD Clips” procedure on page 6
above). This will load BLACK into each video channel.
NOTE
If MOVE is initiated within a single Abekas 6000 chassis, the process will be performed rather quickly, since the CLIP ID is only being change to
a new CLIP ID (MOVE). The clip’s video, audio and key material is not physically moved.
• MOVING a SINGLE Clip
1. Press the blue
M O V E
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the clip ID you wish to MOVE.
3. Press the button.
4. Be sure the “THRU” field is empty so you do not MOVE a range of clips. To clear the THRU field, press the
B A C K S P A C E
button and then press the button.
5. Using the numeric keypad, type the clip ID that you wish to MOVE this clip TO.
6. Press the button.
7. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip MOVE operation.
• MOVING a RANGE of Clips
1. Press the blue
M O V E
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the START OF RANGE clip ID you wish to MOVE FROM.
3. Press the button.
4. Using the numeric keypad, type the END OF RANGE clip ID you wish to MOVE FROM.
5. Press the button.
6. Using the numeric keypad, type the START OF RANGE clip ID you wish to MOVE TO.
7. Press the button.
NOTE
The range of CLIP IDs that you wish to MOVE TO must be UNUSED (available).
8. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip RANGE MOVE operation.

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How to COPY Clips.
Copying clips will duplicate the video, key and audio data of the clip — as well as the clip metadata.
• COPYING a SINGLE Clip
1. Press the blue
C O P Y
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the clip ID you wish to COPY.
3. Press the button.
4. Be sure the “THRU” field is empty so you do not COPY a range of clips. To clear the THRU field, press the
B A C K S P A C E
button and then press the button.
5. Using the numeric keypad, type the clip ID that you wish to COPY this clip TO.
6. Press the button.
7. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip COPY operation.
• COPYING a RANGE of Clips
1. Press the blue
C O P Y
button.
2. Using the numeric keypad, type the START OF RANGE clip ID you wish to COPY FROM.
3. Press the button.
4. Using the numeric keypad, type the END OF RANGE clip ID you wish to COPY FROM.
5. Press the button.
6. Using the numeric keypad, type the START OF RANGE clip ID you wish to COPY TO.
7. Press the button.
NOTE
The range of CLIP IDs that you wish to COPY TO must be UNUSED (available).
8. Press the
ENTER
button to start the clip RANGE COPY operation.

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How to BROWSE Clips.
This procedure allows youto BROWSE multiple CLIP ID’s using theSTATUS OVERLAY analog video output monitor.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Press the desired CHANNEL button (
C h A
,
C h B
,
C h C
, etc.) you wish to BROWSE on.
NOTE
BROWSING clips will CUE each clip over the desired video CHANNEL. Be sure to use a CHANNEL that is not on-air or otherwise in use!
3. Press +
C L I P P L A Y
to activate BROWSE.
4. Press the and buttons to scroll through the CLIP ID’s one CLIP at a time.
5. Press + and + to scroll through the CLIP ID’s one PAGE at a time.
NOTE
As you scroll up or down, the CLIP ID’s will CUE on the video CHANNEL.
6. Press + to toggle between the BROWSE display categories (CLIP LENGTH, COMPRESSION, etc.).
7. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button to EXIT the BROWSE function.
Locking / Unlocking a ClipID.
A given Clip that’s already recorded can be locked so that the clip cannot be accidentally deleted, moved or altered in any
way. To confirm if a clip is LOCKED or UNLOCKED, load the desired clip ID into the active video channel. If the given clip
is LOCKED, the RED warning light titled “Clip ID Locked” (located directly below the red button) will illuminate.
If the “Clip ID Locked” RED warning light is not illuminated, then the clip is not locked.
To LOCK or UNLOCK a given clip follow this procedure:
1. Load the given clip ID. Refer to the procedure “How to Load Clips” on page 6.
2. Press + . This will LOCK the clip ID, and the “Clip ID Locked” lamp will illuminate.
3. To UNLOCK the clip ID, repeat step #2. The “Clip ID Locked” lamp will turn OFF.

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How to TRIM Clips.
This feature allows you to TRIM the “head” and “tail” portions of clips using the MODIFY (TRIM) function.
WARNING!
This is a destructive process and material trimmed from any CLIP will be permanently lost.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Load the CLIP ID you wish to TRIM in the channel you desire.
3. Press the blue
M O D I F Y
button (CLIP TRIM).
4. PLAY, JOG or SHUTTLE the CLIP to the point you wish to TRIM. If this is the new IN point you desire, press
MARK IN. If this is the new OUT point, press MARK OUT.
5. To preview the new TRIM point(s), press the
T A K E
button. This will PLAY the CLIP within the new mark IN
and OUT points.
6. If you are satisfied with the new mark IN and OUT points, press and hold +
M O D I F Y
buttons to execute the
TRIM. A confirm prompt will appear in the LCD display before the clip is finally TRIMMED.
7. Press the
ENTER
button to execute the TRIM.
How to TITLE Clips.
You may TITLE clips that are allocated to be recorded, are in record or have already been recorded.
NOTE
You must have a QWERTY keyboard connected to the Abekas 6000control panel of which you are using in order to TITLE clips. Youmay also
TITLE clips via PC or MAC, if the Abekas 6000 Content Management Panel (CMP) is connected.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Cue the CLIP you wish to TITLE in the channel you desire.
3. Press the blue
T I T L E
button.
4. Begin to TITLE the clip by using the QWERTY keyboard attached to the Abekas 6000 control panel.
5. Once the TITLE is completed, press the
ENTER
button.
6. You may also CUE and TITLE multiple CLIPS, while remaining in the TITLE mode. Repeat steps 4-6, once you
have CUED another CLIP to TITLE.
7. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button to exit the TITLE mode.

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How to PLAY Clips in SLOW MOTION.
This will allow you to play clips in VAR-PLAY speeds, other than 100% normal play speed.
NOTE
Field-based video CLIPS that are set to FIELD (VI) OUTPUT MODE in the MODIFY ATTRIBUTES menu will play with less stuttering motion at
speeds less than 100%. Frame-based video CLIPS that are set to FRAME OUTPUT MODE will play with fewer motion artifacts.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Load the CLIP ID you wish to PLAY in SLOW MOTION in the channel you desire.
3. In the numeric keypad, type a variable speed value expressed as a percentage of 100% play speed. For
example, for one-quarter play speed, type “ 25 ”.
4. Press the button.
5. To return PLAYING a CLIP at 100% (NORMAL) play speed, press the button.
How to LOOP Clips.
This will allow you to LOOP single or multiple CLIPS using the LOOP function.
1. Press the green
C L I P P L A Y
button (this is necessary only if the lamp below the button is not already illuminated).
2. Cue the CLIP in the channel you desire.
3. Toggle the button located just above the Jog Knob, until the loop icon is illuminated.
4. Press the button.
5. The clip will play forward to the end frame, automatically jump to the starting frame and then play forward again.
6. To disable the loop function, toggle the button until neither the loop icon or the ping-pong icon are
illuminated.
7. To save the loop function in a clip so that loop is automatically enabled the next time the clip is loaded, press and
hold the + buttons while the loop icon is illuminated.
END