Accom APR Attache User manual

APRy$WWDFKp 
DIGITAL DISK RECORDER
8VHU*XLGH
6RIWZDUH 9HUVLRQ 

(This Page Blank)

i
APRy$WWDFKp 
DIGITAL DISK RECORDER
8VHU*XLGH
6RIWZDUH 9HUVLRQ 
Part Number 750221-07

ii User Guide
Printing History
APR
y $WWDFKp
User Guide: Jan-1998 / Feb-1998 / Mar-1998 / Apr-1998
Printed in U.S.A.
Copyright
Accom, Inc. 1998

iii
FCC Compliance
This equipment complies with the requirements in Part 15 of the FCC rules for a
Class A computing device. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may
cause unacceptable interference to radio and TV reception requiring the operator to
take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference.
Notice
The information contained in the User Guide is subject to change without notice or
obligation.
Acknowledgments
f
APRis a trademark of Accom, Inc.
f
APR
y $WWDFKp
is a trademark of Accom, Inc.
f Indy®, Indigo2®, and O2®are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
f FTP PC/TCP Network Software for DOS, Ver 3.1
Copyright 1995, FTP Software, Inc.
f DOS is a trademark of International Business Machines.
f The APR y Attaché has the following approvals:
Company Contact
Accom, Incorporated
1490 O’Brien Drive
Menlo Park, California 94025 U.S.A.
Voice: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web Site: http://www.accom.com
E-Mail: [email protected]m

iv User Guide
Safety and First Aid
Accom equipment is designed to the highest standards of quality and reliability. However, no
matter how these systems are designed, operators and maintenance personnel can be exposed
to electrical shock hazard when protective covers are removed for maintenance or the
installation of options. With this caution in mind, each operator and engineer must observe all
safety regulations, and have a clear understanding of first aid procedures related to electrical
hazards.
The following safety practices must be followed precisely whenever engineering or
maintenance work is performed on the system:
f
Do not attempt to adjust circuit or wiring assemblies with power on.
f
Avoid placing body parts in series between ground and the system’s electrical circuit
points.
f
To prevent burns, avoid contact with hot or overheated components.
f
Always remember that many semiconductor and solid-state circuit cases can carry
high voltages.
f
Do not assume that electrical shock danger is removed when system power is turned
off. Charged capacitors can retain dangerous voltages long after power is turned off.
f
Do not take chances with electrical components. As a priority, all equipment should
be operated and maintained by qualified personnel.
f
If someone seems unable to free himself or herself while receiving an electric shock,
turn system power off before giving aid. Muscle spasm or unconsciousness can make
a victim unable to free himself or herself.
■ :$51,1* ■
Do not touch a shock victim or their clothing before power is disconnected,
otherwise, you can also become a shock victim. If electric power can not
be turned off immediately, quickly and carefully loop a length of dry
nonconducting material (such as rope, insulating material, a towel, or
clothing) around the victim and pull the person free of the power. It is
imperative that you avoid touching the person or their clothing until they
are free of the electric power hazard. At this point, immediately start
appropriate first aid.
■ &$87,21 ■
Danger of explosion if battery is replaced with incorrect type. Replace any
batteries only with the same type recommended by the manufacturer.
Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

User Guide a
7DEOHRI&RQWHQWV
CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM FAMILIARIZATION
1.1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL.................................................................................................... 1
1.2 TERMS AND CONVENTIONS............................................................................................ 2
1.3 FEATURES ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.3.1 System Inputs........................................................................................................ 7
1.3.2 System Outputs ..................................................................................................... 8
1.3.3 External Control................................................................................................... 8
1.3.4 System Options ................................................................................................... 10
1.4 MAIN CHASSIS - FRONT LAYOUT................................................................................. 11
1.5 MAIN CHASSIS - REAR PANEL LAYOUT....................................................................... 13
1.6 APPLICATIONS ............................................................................................................. 14
1.7 COMPUTER/VIDEO TRANSFER LIMITATIONS................................................................ 16
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE CONTROL PANEL FAMILIARIZATION
2.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ................................................................................................. 23
2.2 ATTACHÉ CONTROL PANEL ......................................................................................... 24
2.2.1 Softkey Function Section .................................................................................... 24
2.2.2 Attaché Mode Select........................................................................................... 26
2.2.3 Numeric Keypad................................................................................................. 30
2.2.4 Transport Control............................................................................................... 31
2.2.5 Auto Edit Functions............................................................................................ 43
2.3 ATTACHÉ STATUS MENU OVERLAY DISPLAY ............................................................. 47
2.3.1 Status Menu Overlay .......................................................................................... 47
2.4 ATTACHÉ MENU TREE................................................................................................. 53
2.5 ATTACHÉ MENU FAMILIARIZATION............................................................................. 54
2.5.1 HOME Menu ...................................................................................................... 55
2.5.2 F1: Attributes Menu .......................................................................................... 56
2.5.3 F2: Setup: Editor Menu.................................................................................... 70
2.5.4 F3: Setup: Video Timing .................................................................................. 74
2.5.5 F4: Macros Menu.............................................................................................. 79
2.5.6 F5: Segments Menu........................................................................................... 83
2.5.7 F6: Setup: System I/O Menu............................................................................. 89
2.5.8 F7: Setup: Record Menu .................................................................................. 97
2.5.9 F8: Setup: Audio Menu .................................................................................. 106
2.5.10 F9: Setup: Ethernet Menu.............................................................................. 110
2.5.11 F10: System Status Menu ................................................................................ 113

Accom APR• $WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
bUser Guide
CHAPTER 3 GETTING STARTED
3.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ...............................................................................................119
3.2 POWER PROCEDURES .................................................................................................120
3.2.1 Power Up..........................................................................................................120
3.2.2 Power Down.....................................................................................................121
3.3 DISPLAY SETUP..........................................................................................................122
3.4 EDITOR SETUP............................................................................................................124
3.5 SETUP SYSTEM I/O.....................................................................................................130
3.5.1 System Setup Menu Adjustments.......................................................................130
3.5.2 Video Setup Menu Adjustments ........................................................................138
3.5.3 Setup Audio.......................................................................................................141
3.5.4 Setup Record.....................................................................................................146
3.5.5 Setup Ethernet...................................................................................................155
CHAPTER 4 GENERAL OPERATIONS
4.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ...............................................................................................163
4.2 NUMERIC CONVENTIONS............................................................................................164
4.2.1 Timecode...........................................................................................................164
4.2.2 Frames..............................................................................................................164
4.2.3 Timecode Entry Mode.......................................................................................165
4.2.4 Frame Entry Mode............................................................................................167
4.2.5 Var Play Entries ...............................................................................................170
4.2.6 Invalid Entries ..................................................................................................170
4.2.7 Marking Edit Points..........................................................................................171
4.2.8 Setting Edit Points ............................................................................................172
4.3 RECORDING................................................................................................................173
4.3.1 Basic Recording................................................................................................173
4.3.2 Recording Live or Frozen Video.......................................................................175
4.3.3 Re-Recording a Still..........................................................................................176
4.3.4 Loop Recording ................................................................................................176
4.4 GOTO..........................................................................................................................179
4.5 PLAYBACK MODES ....................................................................................................181
4.5.1 Normal Play......................................................................................................181
4.5.2 Var Play............................................................................................................182
4.5.3 Defining a Var Play Speed ...............................................................................182
4.5.4 Playing with Var Play Speed............................................................................183
4.5.5 Important Points Regarding Var Play..............................................................184
4.5.6 Loop and Ping-Pong Playback.........................................................................184
4.6 SEGMENT PLAYBACK.................................................................................................188
4.6.1 Segment Insert ..................................................................................................191
4.6.2 Segment Pause..................................................................................................192

Table of Contents
User Guide c
4.6.3 Segment Play Mode.......................................................................................... 194
4.6.4 Segment Play Repeat........................................................................................ 196
4.6.5 Segment Editing................................................................................................ 198
4.7 CINE PLAY (525 LINE STANDARD ONLY)................................................................... 202
4.7.1 Cine Timeline (525 Line Standard only).......................................................... 204
4.8 GPI PROCEDURES...................................................................................................... 206
4.8.1 Input GPI’s....................................................................................................... 206
4.8.2 Output GPI’s .................................................................................................... 206
4.9 INTRODUCTION TO MACROS ...................................................................................... 209
4.9.1 Recording Macros............................................................................................ 210
4.9.2 Macro Playback ............................................................................................... 211
4.9.3 Editing Macros................................................................................................. 212
4.10 AUTO EDIT PROCEDURE........................................................................................ 217
4.10.1 Auto Edit Background...................................................................................... 217
4.10.2 Criteria for Setting up an Auto Edit Event....................................................... 218
4.10.3 Points to Know About Auto Edit....................................................................... 223
4.11 SYSTEM STATUS.................................................................................................... 225
4.11.1 Disk Array Status.............................................................................................. 225
4.11.2 Disk Errors which Prevent Attaché from Booting............................................ 228
4.11.3 Resetting the Disk Error Log............................................................................ 228
4.11.4 Formatting the Disk Array ............................................................................... 229
4.11.5 Checking the Software Version ........................................................................232
4.12 TRICKS AND SHORTCUTS....................................................................................... 233
4.12.1 “Press and Hold” Functions............................................................................ 233
CHAPTER 5 ETHERNET OPERATIONS
5.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ............................................................................................... 237
5.2 ETHERNET CONCEPTS................................................................................................ 238
5.2.1 Identifying Network Components..................................................................... 238
5.3 USING ATTACHÉ VIA ETHERNET................................................................................ 240
5.3.1 Interactive Attaché Control.............................................................................. 240
5.3.2 Remote Shell Commands (rsh) ......................................................................... 243
5.3.3 Remote Copy Command (rcp).......................................................................... 246
5.3.4 Attaché Control Panel Emulation Mode .......................................................... 249
5.3.5 Dedicated Socket Interface............................................................................... 251
5.3.6 Ethernet Image Transfer................................................................................... 252
5.3.7 Ethernet Image Transfer Script........................................................................ 257
5.3.8 Ethernet Machine Control................................................................................ 258

Accom APR• $WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
dUser Guide
CHAPTER 6 AUTO EDIT VIA ETHERNET
6.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ...............................................................................................263
6.2 AUTO EDIT FUNCTION VIA ETHERNET .......................................................................264
6.2.1 Auto Edit Setup.................................................................................................265
6.3 AUTO EDIT COMMANDS.............................................................................................269
6.4 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF AUTO EDIT COMMANDS......................................................272
CHAPTER 7 ETHERNET COMMAND LIST
7.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ...............................................................................................279
7.2 SUMMARY OF ATTACHÉ ETHERNET COMMANDS.......................................................280
CHAPTER 8 AUDIO OPTION
8.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER ...............................................................................................311
8.2 GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE ATTACHÉ AUDIO ...................................................312
8.2.1 Audio Specifications .........................................................................................312
8.2.2 Analog Audio I/O with Digital Recording........................................................312
8.2.3 Audio File Transfer...........................................................................................312
8.2.4 Audio Locked to Video......................................................................................313
8.2.5 Audio During Cine Play...................................................................................313
8.2.6 Audio after Switching Line Standards..............................................................313
8.2.7 Audio Volume Reduction & Muting..................................................................314
8.3 USING THE ATTACHÉ AUDIO......................................................................................315
8.3.1 Audio Menu Selections .....................................................................................317
8.4 AUDIO ETHERNET COMMANDS..................................................................................321
8.5 COMPUTER AUDIO FILE TRANSFER SUPPORT ............................................................322
8.5.1 AIFF Transfer from Computer to Attaché........................................................323
8.5.2 AIFF Transfer from Attaché to Computer........................................................324

Table of Contents
User Guide e
APPENDIX A HARDWARE INSTALLATION
A.1 ABOUT THIS APPENDIX ......................................................................................... 329
A.2 UNPACKING AND INSPECTION ............................................................................... 330
A.3 SITE PREPARATION................................................................................................ 331
A.4 SYSTEM INTERCONNECTION.................................................................................. 332
A.4.1 Rear Panel Connectors .................................................................................... 332
A.4.2 Rear Panel Video and Key Connectors............................................................ 333
A.4.3 Rear Panel Audio I/O Connectors.................................................................... 336
A.4.4 Rear Panel Control & Data Connectors.......................................................... 337
A.4.5 Rear Panel Power ............................................................................................ 339
A.5 REAR PANEL CONNECTOR PIN-OUTS..................................................................... 342
A.6 INSTALLING THE ATTACHÉ.................................................................................... 349
A.6.1 Power / Control Panel / Data / Reference........................................................ 349
A.6.2 Video Connections............................................................................................ 350
A.6.3 KeyTrack Key Connections.............................................................................. 352
A.6.4 Audio Connections ........................................................................................... 354
A.6.5 Connecting to the Workstation via Ethernet..................................................... 355
A.6.6 RS-422 Remote Communications..................................................................... 357
A.7 DISK ARRAY DRIVES............................................................................................. 358
APPENDIX B HARDWARE INSTALLATION
B.1 ABOUT THIS APPENDIX ......................................................................................... 363
B.2 SYSTEM BOOTUP................................................................................................... 364
B.3 ATTACHÉ ETHERNET PORT CONFIGURATION........................................................ 365
B.4 SGI WORKSTATION SETUP.................................................................................... 368
B.4.1 Setup Conventions............................................................................................ 368
B.4.2 Network Setup................................................................................................... 368
B.5 MAC AND PC COMPUTER SETUP........................................................................... 370
B.6 ATTACHÉ SOFTWARE UPDATE INSTALLATION...................................................... 371

Accom APR• $WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
fUser Guide

&KDSWHU
APRy$WWDFKp 
6\VWHP)DPLOLDUL]DWLRQ

Accom APR• $WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
User Guide

System Familiarization - Ch.1
User Guide 1
1.1 About this Manual
This manual covers operations of the Accom APR y
y
Attaché Digital Disk Recorder.
If your system is not yet installed, refer to Appendix A, Hardware Installation.
This manual has the following sections and appendices:
Chapter 1: APR
y
y
Attaché System Familiarization
Covers system features, capabilities, options, and applications.
❏Chapter 2:APR y
y
Attaché Hardware Control Panel Familiarization
Provides an overview of all the controls on the Attaché Control Panel.
❏Chapter 3:APR y
y
Attaché Getting Started
Discusses power up and power down procedures, as well as procedures for
setting up the APR y Attaché for normal operations.
❏Chapter 4:APR y
y
Attaché General Operations
Discusses all phases of system operation, including timecode, recording,
playback, segment play mode, and Macros.
❏Chapter 5:APR y
y
Attaché Ethernet Operations
Explains all phases of Ethernet operation, including configuration and setup.
❏Chapter 6:APR y
y
Attaché Auto Edit via Ethernet
Explains the Auto Edit Function and commands, as controlled via Ethernet.
❏Chapter 7:APR y
y
Attaché Ethernet Commands
Explains the command structure, the command syntax, and the options
available for each of the instructions.
❏Chapter 8:APR y
y
Attaché Audio Option
Discusses the all phases of audio operation, including recording, playback,
and moving files between the APR y Attaché and the workstation.
❏Appendix A: APR y
y
Attaché Hardware Installation
Provides hardware installation and wiring instructions.
❏Appendix B: APR y
y
Attaché Software Installation
Provides software installation and setup instructions.

Accom APR y
y
$WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
2User Guide
1.2 Terms and Conventions
■The following conventions are used throughout this manual:

Buttons and other physical components such as connectors are shown in
bold-faced, capital letters or a graphic representation of the button. In the
text, the word “press” precedes Attaché control panel buttons. For
example:
On the Attaché control panel, press to…

Operations procedures on the Menu Overlay are shown as follows:
From the HOME Menu, press (MAIN).

Button and function labels on the Menu are shown exactly as they appear
on screen, using the font “Courier.” For example:
Press Display

To simplify the text, the reference word “button” will not always be used in
a description. For example, the phrase
Press the button to …
will be simplified to read:
Press to …

States of buttons and functions such as “on” and “off” are displayed in
upper case. For example:
If the Freeze function is ON, this indicates …

Combinations of keystrokes are printed with the “+” (plus) sign between
the buttons. This instructs you to hold down the first button while pressing
the second. For example:
Press + to …

Primary paragraphs at the start of major chapter sections are listed with a
double line above:
2.5 Remote Setup Menu

System Familiarization - Ch.1
User Guide 3
 Secondary paragraphs subsections in a primary paragraph are listed with a
single line above:
2.6.1 Edit Protocol
■The following terms are used throughout this manual:
à “CAV” refers to Component Analog Video.
à “D1” refers to RP-125/ITU-R/BT.601 signal processing.
à “Control Panel” and “Panel” refer to the hardware Control Panel for the
Attaché, which is the primary user interface to the disk recorder.
à “Virtual Control Panel” refers to the Attaché VCP SGI workstation on-
screen control panel display.
à “Menu”, “Menu Overlay” and “Status Menu Overlay” refer to the on-
screen status overlay, which is visible on the system’s analog composite
video output (status).
à “Image” and “Picture” refer to video images that can be recorded and
played back using the Attaché system.
à “Keyboard”, “Mini-Keyboard” both refer to a standard QWERTY
computer keyboard.
à “Operator” and “User” refer to the person who operates the Attaché.
à “SGI” refers to Silicon Graphics, Inc.
à “System” and “Attaché” refer to the Accom Attaché Digital Disk
Recorder.
à “Transport” refers to the mechanism that controls the internal disk drive
array inside the Attaché.
à “Workstation” refers to an external system that contains a CPU &
graphics board, and typically includes a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
This may be any kind of Workstation such as an SGI Indigo, Sun
Workstation, IBM Compatible PC/NT, Macintosh, etc. For references to
a specific Workstation, the type of Workstation is referred to.

Accom APR y
y
$WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
4User Guide
1.3 Features
The Accom APR
y
y
Attaché Digital Disk Recorder consists of a rack-mount chassis
with built-in floppy disk drive, a dedicated user control panel, and interconnect
cables. The main chassis contains no operator controls other than power and
computer reset, as all control functionality is provided through either the user control
panel, via Ethernet, or from an external editing system via RS422 control. The user
is expected to provide video and audio cables, video and audio monitoring
devices(s), and RS422 serial control cables as required.
The Accom APR
y
y
Attaché is the ideal peripheral device for the vast number of real
time online editing systems (such as the Accom Axial editing system), as well as for
workstation applications which involve processing or creating images on a frame-by-
frame basis. With the Attaché, rendered frames can be played back in real time,
allowing you to view the end result of a creative process in full motion, on a video
monitor. The Attaché system also eliminates the need to render to tape-based or
other network related devices, greatly enhancing speed, quality, and productivity.
The optional KeyTrackfeature for Attaché provides the ability to record and play a
key signal that is associated with the video. This option also provides the capability
to record full-bandwidth 4:4:4 digital RGB video images as two 4:2:2 SDI (Serial
Digital Interface) video streams from telecine equipment. This is also known as
“Dual Link” RGB.
The following list summarizes the primary standard and optional features of the
Attaché Digital Disk Recorder.
■General Features
The Accom APR
y
y
Attaché Digital Disk Recorder is a “rackmount” real time
digital disk recorder, an integral part of any real-time online editing system,
telecine suite, or an ideal companion to any computer graphics video workstation.
The Attaché has a wide variety of applications, including online editing, telecine
capture, graphics creation, animation, imaging, and scientific visualization. The
following features are provided:

Pentium PCI Bus processing.

A minimum storage capacity of over 32 minutes of uncompressed digital
video, key and audio when the KeyTrack and Audio Options are fitted

Full range of variable speed playback, in both forward and reverse.

8-bit or 10-bit digital video recording.

System Familiarization - Ch.1
User Guide 5
127(
10-bit video input/output is achieved via the serial digital video I/O (SDI)
and via Ethernet. The component analog video I/O has only 8-bit
resolution on the Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog conversions.
 Fast Ethernet implementations for transport control and image transfer.
 Choice of control methods including: Attaché Control Panel; remote RS422
control from external editing systems; General Purpose Interface (GPI);
Ethernet; and the Attaché Virtual Control Panel.
■Analog Video I/O
The Attaché includes component analog video I/O in the basic configuration. The
component analog I/O format is menu-selectable between Betacam (YUV) and
RGB. The system also comes standard with two composite video outputs that
provide full-color NTSC or PAL video output. One of these outputs has a menu
status overlay, which may be switched on or off. Lastly, there is also an S-Video
output, which also has the switchable menu status overlay.
■ITU-R/BT601 Serial Digital Video I/O (SDI)
The Attaché offers ITU-R/BT.601 (CCIR 601) serial digital video I/O as a
standard feature. Full-bandwidth 4:2:2 sampled 10-bit or 8-bit component digital
video sources may be routed directly to and from the Attaché via coaxial cables,
on the industry-standard serial digital interface (SDI).
■Host Computer Image Transfer
Digital video files may be transferred between a computer workstation and the
Attaché via Ethernet. The Ethernet interface is a standard feature of Attaché.
Pictures files may be transferred using TCP/IP protocol. Standard “rcp”
commands are used for image transfer, while “rsh” or “rlogin” commands are
used for transport control. These processes allow rendered images to be
transferred from the workstation to the Attaché without leaving the host
application. Please refer to Chapter 5 for complete information and instructions.

Accom APR y
y
$WWDFKp Digital Disk Recorder
6User Guide
■Playback Segments
To take advantage of the random access capability of Attaché, a playback range
from the disk (as defined by a marked IN point and OUT point) may be defined as
a segment, and then inserted into a segment play list. Each segment has an
associated play speed (from -99.999 to +99.999 times normal play), direction
(either forward or reverse), and output mode (field, frame or Cine). The segment
play list may contain up to 99 segments, and is saved in non-volatile memory.
Once created, segment lists may be edited and rearranged as desired.
■Play Repeat Functions
Two continuous play repeat functions are provided: “Loop” and “Ping-Pong”,
which are active in all three play modes: Normal, Segment, and Cine. In Segment
Play, the In and Out points are defined as either Segment IDs or as points on the
Segment List time line.

Using the Mark In and Mark Out functions, a timecode range on the disk is
defined. The Loop function then allows repeated playback of this timecode
range on the disk. In the forward play direction, the disk plays from the In
point to the Out point, and then immediately seeks back to the In point
again to repeat the forward playback. In the reverse play direction, the disk
plays from the Out point backwards to the In point, and then immediately
seeks back to the Out point again to repeat the reverse playback.

Using the Mark In and Mark Out functions, a timecode range on the disk is
defined. The Ping-Pong then allows repeated playback of this timecode
range on the disk. Regardless of the initial playback direction, the disk will
play repeatedly forwards and backwards between the marked In and Out
points.
■Timecode
The Attaché operates using an internal disk time line, which starts at zero (00.00)
and increments to the maximum record capacity of the disk. Standard timecode
notation is used to indicate hours, minutes, seconds, frames, and fields. You may
switch between a “timecode” display or an absolute “frames” display. You may
also offset the timecode range by any amount on a 24-hour time line, in order to
align the Attaché material to a source video tape.