AJA XenaHS User manual

XenaHS
PCI Card Module
User Manual
July 12, 2005 P/N 101664-00

ii
Trademarks
AJA, Xena, Io, and Kona are trademarks of AJA Video, Inc. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective holders.
Notice
Copyright © 2005 AJA Video, Inc. All rights reserved. All information in this manual is subject to
change without notice. No part of the document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form,
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, without the
express written permission of AJA Inc.
FCC Emission Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by AJA Video can effect emission compliance
and could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
Contacting Support
To contact AJA Video for sales or support, use any of the following methods:
443 Crown Point Circle, Grass Valley, CA. 95945 USA
Telephone: [phone] or +1.530.274.2048
Fax: [phone]
Web: http://www.aja.com
Support Email: [email protected]
Sales Email: [email protected]
When calling for support, have all information on the product (serial number etc.) at hand prior to
calling.
Limited Warranty
AJA Video warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three years
from the date of purchase. If a product proves to be defective during this warranty period, AJA Video, at its option, will
either repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the
defective product.
In order to obtain service under this warranty, you the Customer, must notify AJA Video of the defect before the expiration
of the warranty period and make suitable arrangements for the performance of service. The Customer shall be responsible
for packaging and shipping the defective product to a designated service center nominated by AJA Video, with shipping
charges prepaid. AJA Video shall pay for the return of the product to the Customer if the shipment is to a location within
the country in which the AJA Video service center is located. Customer shall be responsible for paying all shipping charges,
insurance, duties, taxes, and any other charges for products returned to any other locations.
This warranty shall not apply to any defect, failure or damage caused by improper use or improper or inadequate
maintenance and care. AJA Video shall not be obligated to furnish service under this warranty a) to repair damage resulting
from attempts by personnel other than AJA Video representatives to install, repair or service the product, b) to repair
damage resulting from improper use or connection to incompatible equipment, c) to repair any damage or malfunction
caused by the use of non-AJA Video parts or supplies, or d) to service a product that has been modified or integrated with
other products when the effect of such a modification or integration increases the time or difficulty of servicing the
product.
THIS WARRANTY IS GIVEN BY AJA VIDEO IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED. AJA VIDEO AND ITS VENDORS DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AJA VIDEO’S RESPONSIBILITY TO
REPAIR OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS IS THE WHOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED TO
THE CUSTOMER FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER AJA VIDEO OR THE VENDOR HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

1
AJA XenaHS User Manual — Contents
Trademarks ......................................................................................................................................... ii
Notice .................................................................................................................................................. ii
FCC Emission Information................................................................................................................. ii
Contacting Support ............................................................................................................................. ii
Limited Warranty ................................................................................................................................ ii
Table Of Contents ............................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Features ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Windows Media Support ............................................................................................................. 1
Microsoft applications ................................................................................................................. 1
Other Applications ....................................................................................................................... 2
Requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Software ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Application Requirements ........................................................................................................... 2
Hardware ...................................................................................................................................... 3
PCI Slot Information .................................................................................................................... 3
Disk arrays and PCI performance for SD .................................................................................... 3
Disk arrays and PCI performance for HD ................................................................................... 4
PCI Bus Latency .......................................................................................................................... 4
Block Diagram .................................................................................................................................... 5
I/O Connections .................................................................................................................................. 5
AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs—15-pin D-connector .............................................. 5
Reference Input—BNC ........................................................................................................ 6
SDI Input and Output—2 BNCs (SD/HD) ........................................................................... 6
Using Xena With Application Software ............................................................................................. 6
Control Panel ............................................................................................................................... 6
Video Settings—Choosing Format and Reference Source .................................................. 6
Test Patterns ......................................................................................................................... 8
Capture ................................................................................................................................. 9
Windows Media Preferences—Set Dither .......................................................................... 10
Windows Media Preferences—Set A/V Synchronization .................................................. 10
Windows Media Preferences—Windows Media Player Preferences ................................ 11
Video Processing Settings .................................................................................................. 12
Using Xena With Adobe Photoshop .......................................................................................... 14
Import Plug-in .................................................................................................................... 14
Export Plug-in .................................................................................................................... 15
Using Xena With Adobe AfterEffects ....................................................................................... 15
Using Xena With PowerCG ....................................................................................................... 16
Using Xena With ThumbsPlus .................................................................................................. 17
Working with ThumbsPlus ................................................................................................. 17
YUV Files and ThumbsPlus ............................................................................................... 17
Clipboard ‘image’ interface ................................................................................................ 17
Clipboard ‘filename’ interface ........................................................................................... 18
Supporting YUV Files within ThumbsPlus ........................................................................ 19
Using the Photoshop Plug-in to Load YUV files ............................................................... 21
Using “copyname” as the Default Action .......................................................................... 22
Table Of Contents

Reconciling Standard File Types With The “Edit” Default Action ................................... 22
Windows Media Audio Configuration ...................................................................................... 23
Sound Playback controls .................................................................................................... 24
Sound Recording controls .................................................................................................. 25
Enabling/Disabling Xena as a System Audio Device ........................................................ 27
Windows Media Applications ................................................................................................... 27
Using Xena with Windows Media Encoder 9 .................................................................... 27
Setup ................................................................................................................................... 27
For Best Encoder Performance ........................................................................................... 28
Encoder Configuration ....................................................................................................... 28
Using Xena with Windows Media Player 9 ....................................................................... 29
Using Xena with GraphEdit ............................................................................................... 29
Using Xena with WMCap .................................................................................................. 30
Using Xena with Third-Party applications ......................................................................... 31
Installation ......................................................................................................................................... 31
Video and Audio Cabling .......................................................................................................... 31
Video Specifications ...........................................................................................................32
Standard Definition converters ........................................................................................... 32
High Definition converters ................................................................................................. 32
AES Audio ................................................................................................................................. 32
Analog converters ............................................................................................................... 33
Software Installation .................................................................................................................. 33
About the Driver ................................................................................................................. 33
Windows Plug-and-Play Driver Installation Procedure ..................................................... 33
Driver Upgrade Only .......................................................................................................... 37
Xena Control Panel Installation .......................................................................................... 40
Xena Tools Installation ....................................................................................................... 43
Install Photoshop Plug-ins .................................................................................................. 43
Install AfterEffects Plug-ins ............................................................................................... 43
Install PowerCG Support .................................................................................................... 43
WM9Capture Installation ................................................................................................... 43
DirectX9 Installation ..........................................................................................................43
Downloading and Installing Software From The AJA Website ................................................ 44
Troubleshooting Installation Problems ...................................................................................... 44
Driver Has Not Loaded ...................................................................................................... 44
PCI slot Compatibility ........................................................................................................ 44
Page Table Entries .............................................................................................................. 45
Troubleshooting Software Operation ........................................................................................ 45
Firmware Initialization failure ............................................................................................ 45
DMA Speed ........................................................................................................................ 45
Windows Media Problems and Solutions ........................................................................... 45
When to Use the Reference Source Input ........................................................................... 46
If Your Application Drops Frames ..................................................................................... 46
Specifications .................................................................................................................................... 47

1
1
AJA XenaHS User Manual — Introduction
Introduction
XenaHS provides high-speed uncompressed digital audio/video input/output in a
simple to install Windows PCI card. Ideal for character generation, video stills, disk
recording, and ultra-high quality webcasting, XenaHS offers Windows users a
professional-quality solution for working with Windows media applications.
The XenaHS driver (“XenaHD” available from www.aja.com/xena.htm) supplies a
generic Windows Media interface for applications. XenaHS also supports PowerCG,
ThumbsPlus, and Adobe Photoshop and After Effects.
XenaHS offers one channel of either standard definition or high definition Serial
Digital video (input and output).
Features
• Supports SMPTE 292M (SDI) digital video (SD).
• Supports SMPTE 259M (SDI) digital video (HD).
• One video input, one video output, and AES audio I/O.
• Supports up to 6 channels of 24 Bit/48Khz AES Audio or Embedded Audio.
The AES inputs support asynchronous audio at 32-96Khz.
• XenaHS drivers are DirectShow-compatible WDM Kernel Streaming drivers
that work with Windows Media and most DirectShow applications.
Windows Media
Support
Most Windows media applications work properly with XenaHS as a capture device.
However, since few applications support using Xena (or any other device) as an
output device, the Xena Control Panel allows you to reconfigure the Windows Media
Player to output video to the Xena card.
Six channels of audio are available from Xena, accessed as three stereo pairs:
• Channels one and two are represented as “Xena Audio Device (1).
• Channels three and four are represented as “Xena Audio Device (2).”
• Channels five and six are represented as “Xena Audio Device (3).”
XenaHS supports DirectShow-compliant (Windows Media) applications. Microsoft’s
DirectX architecture uses DirectShow as the video component. Within this
architecture, Xena’s board driver is considered a “WDM Streaming” driver. Under
control of Windows Media applications, a WDM Streaming driver makes efficient
use of system resources, as user-mode applications can command the driver.
Other system components can process the video and audio streams entirely in kernel
mode without the extra overhead of switching back and forth into user mode for
processing.
Microsoft
applications
Microsoft produces several Windows Media applications that support the XenaHS
board, including:
• Windows Media Encoder
• WmCap
• Sound Recorder
• Windows Media Player

2
Windows Media Encoder is a great tool for producing streaming webcasts. When
starting with pristine uncompressed video from the XenaHS board, Encoder can
produce high quality images low-bandwidth networks. Encoder can also capture
uncompressed video and audio to a .wmv file (for use on a high-speed disk system).
WmCap and Sound Recorder are simple tools useful for verifying XenaHS system set-up.
Some of the more complex applications have many possible settings that can interfere
with proper XenaHS usage. WmCap and Sound Recorder can also be useful in their own
right; WmCap can save uncompressed video to an .avi file for viewing with Windows
Media Player, or save compressed video for use with an encoding application such as
Cleaner or Windows Media Encoder.
Windows Media Player can be configured to play video files through the XenaHS card’s
SDI output. There is a configuration setting in the Xena Control Panel for Windows
Media Player. When it’s chosen, the Windows registry is modified so that all Windows
Media Player output goes to XenaHS instead of to the Media Player’s own video
window.
Note:
This configuration may interfere with preview capability in some video
capture programs.
Other Applications
XenaHS boards also work great with many applications for character generation,
producing stills, and general video work. Applications known to work, include Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, PowerCG, and ThumbsPlus.
Requirements
Software
• Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or better. (Windows XP is
highly recommended for Windows Media applications.)
• DirectX 9 or 8.1 minimum. (DirectX 8.1 is included with Windows XP.) The
latest DirectX Runtime is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx
The DirectX 9.0c setup program can also be installed from the XenaHS CD.
Note:
DirectX 8.1 may work for some applications. However, DirectX 9 is highly
recommended for Windows Media applications.
• Administrator privileges are required for driver installation.
For Windows Media applications, the following requirements apply:
• Windows XP
• DirectX 9
• Windows Media Player 9 is required for the Windows Media Player application
• Windows Media Encoder 9 is required for Windows Media Encoder application
Application
Requirements
• Photoshop 5.0 or above (for use with the supplied Photoshop plug-ins)
• Windows Media applications each have their own requirements for working with
XenaHS. See the “Using XenaHS With Application Software” topic later in this
manual for more information

1
3
AJA XenaHS User Manual — Requirements
Hardware
For detailed hardware requirements, see the Installation topic later in this manual.
• Minimum 400 Mhz Processor (Pentium III or better) and 128 Mbyte RAM
• 1GHz or faster Processor for real-time encoding with XenaHS using the Windows
Media Encoder application.
• For recording uncompressed video, a high performance disk system will be required. Use
the XenaHD disk system performance utility at “ Start > Programs > AJA > Benchmarks >
Test Disk Speed ” to measure your systems’s disk capabilities.
• Use the XenaHD PCI performance utility at “ Start > Programs > AJA > Benchmarks >
Test PCI performance with XenaHD ” to measure Xena’s DMA data transfer performance
on your PCI bus. This will determine if your system’s performance is acceptable for use
with XenaHS. Use the utility program to test the DMA transfer speed between the
XenaHS card and the host PC’s memory. The benchmark utility program comes in SD
and HD versions, and can be found under the Benchmarks folder on the XenaHS
installation CD—use the HD version for XenaHS. PCI transfer speed is generally
dependent on the speed of the computer’s Frontside Bus. For best transfer speeds, use a
PC with the fastest Frontside Bus available.
Note:
PCI slots that support “Zero Channel Raid” may prove problematic with a XenaHS
installed. These tend to be green-colored slots on SuperMicro motherboards.
PCI Slot
Information
The following information is not generally needed for XenaHS Users, but is provided for
reference.
Bus Mastering must be enabled in the BIOS for the PCI slot where XenaHS is installed.
The PCI implementation for any particular PC determines how much memory is addressable
by the CPU for each PCI slot. Some (rare) computers may have insufficient PCI addressing
capabilities. If the board is installed in a PCI slot with insufficient addressing capabilities, the
computer may not boot with the XenaHS driver installed. You may need to contact the
computer manufacturer to determine these limits. The amount of memory space required is
as follows: 256M + 8K
A 64-bit PCI slot is required for real-time video functions.
The XenaHS is designed for 3.3 volt signaling PCI slots, and work in 32-bit or 64-bit PCI
slots. However, this is dependent on the motherboard having both 5.0 Volt and 3.3 Volt
power to the slot. Even though the PCI Specification requires that both voltages are supplied,
some motherboard manufacturers may neglect to provide 5.0 v power to a 3.3 v PCI slot. The
cards will not work in these slots.
The XenaHS card also works in a 5.0 v PCI slot of a modern computer bearing both 5.0 v
and 3.3 v slots. Again, however, this is dependent on the motherboard supplying both 5.0 v
and 3.3 v power to the slot. The cards will not work in an older system bearing only 5.0-volt
slots. (If the motherboard has both ISA and PCI slots, it’s probably too old!)
Disk arrays and
PCI performance
for SD
When using XenaHS with standard-definition video, we recommend a dual-channel ultra320
SCSI controller such as the ATTO UL4D, or the Adaptec 39320. A 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel
host bus adapter also works well. The recommended configuration is four (4) 10K disk drives,
(such as the Seagate Cheetah Ultra320 10K-6 or the Maxtor Ultra320 10K-3). The minimum
requirement is an ultra160 controller (such as the ATTO UL3D or Adaptec 39160) with
Ultra-320 10K disks.
Disk throughput requirements vary according to the video format used.

4
The data rate for 8-bit UYVY and YUY2 video is 21 MB/second per channel. At this rate,
the disk system must be able to sustain 21 MB/second, with at least 42 MB/second system
PCI performance (for each channel), as the data must go from the AJA Xena card to main
memory, and then from main memory to the disk.
The data rate for RGB video is 42 MB/second per channel. At this rate, the disk system
must be able to sustain 42 MB/second, with at least 84 MB/second system PCI
performance for each channel.
Disk arrays and
PCI performance
for HD
When using XenaHS with high-definition video, we recommend a dual-channel ultra320
SCSI controller such as the ATTO UL4D, or the Adaptec 39320. A 2-Gigabit Fibre
Channel host bus adapter also works well. The recommended configuration is eight (8)
10K disk drives, (such as the Seagate Cheetah Ultra320 10K-6 or the Maxtor Ultra320
10K-3) with four disks connected to each SCSI channel. The minimum requirement is an
ultra160 controller (such as the ATTO UL3D or Adaptec 39160) with Ultra-320 10K
disks. Disk throughput requirements vary according to the video format used.
The data rate for YUV video is 124 MegaBytes/second for UYVY and YUY2 1080i, 30 fps.
This rate requires a disk system that can sustain 124 MB/second, with at least 248 MB/
second system PCI performance (for each channel), as the data must go from Xena to main
memory, and then from main memory to the disk.
The data rate is 100 MB/second for 8-bit 1080i at 24 Hz. At this rate, the disk system only
needs to sustain 100 MB/second, with at least 200 MB/second across the PCI bus.
For RGB, 30 fps, the data rate is 249 MB/second. This rate requires a disk system that can
sustain 249 MB/second, with at least 498 MB/second system PCI performance, per
channel.
Data rates are slightly less for 720p format:
720p/60fps YUV is 111 MB/second disk transfer rate, with 222 MB/second PCI.
720p/60fps RGB is 222 MB/second disk transfer rate, with 444 MB/second PCI.
If the test PCI performance as measured with the XenaHD benchmark utility ( Start->AJA-
>Benchmarks->Test Disk Speed ) indicates inadequate speed, consider using a PC with more
efficient PCI architecture (such as PCIX) or with a faster Frontside Bus.
PCI Bus Latency
PC motherboards with Hypertransport (such as the AMD Opteron systems) may require
changing the PCI latency timer to get acceptable PCI performance. For the fastest DMA
speeds, use the maximum “PCI Latency” in your PC’s BIOS setup.

1
5
AJA XenaHS User Manual — Block Diagram
Block Diagram
Xena, Block Diagram
I/O Connections
XenaHS I/O Connection
A group of BNCs on the card edge plate provide I/O for the module. The illustration above
shows the connectors available when the card is installed in a PC.
AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs — 15-pin D-connector
One female 15-pin D connector is provided for six channels of AES/EBU inputs and outputs.
The connector attaches to a six-XLR breakout cable supplied with the Xena card module.
Xena AES/EBU audio is 24 Bit/48Khz. All AES inputs support asynchronous audio at 32-
96Khz.
VIDEO PROCESSING
MIXER/
KEYER/
SPLIT or
PASSTHRU
PCI Bus
Control Interface
Memory
Output
Mix/Split
Control
Genlock
Reference
Input
Format
Convert
Format
Convert
Channel 2
Video In Video Out
Key In
NOTES:
Input and output are Serial Digital
Reference Input - Can be:
HD Composite Sync- Bi or Trilevel
Standard Def - Color Black or
Composite Sync.
Memory - The memory can accept
the following formats:
10 Bit YCbCr.
8BitYCbCr.
8BitRGBA.
Format Convert - General Block for Color
Space Conversion, Key Extraction,
and Level Shifting
VideoProcessing-Alldonewith10bit
YCbCr and 10 Bit Key.
Channel 1
Channel 1
Channel 2
Input
Constant
Format
Convert
AES Audio Input/Output
Output
Reference Input
Input

6
Reference Input — BNC
This BNC connector allows you to synchronize outputs to your house reference video
signal (or black burst). If you have a sync generator or central piece of video equipment to
use for synchronizing other video equipment in your studio, then connect its composite
output here. When Xena outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to.
SDI Input and Output — 2 BNCs (SD/HD)
These BNC connectors are for connecting serial digital video input and output devices
(respectively). SD signals are 10-bit or 8-bit SMPTE-259. HD signals are 10-bit or 8-bit
SMPTE-292.
Using Xena With Application Software
The Xena card is configured with a supplied control panel that is installed as part of the
normal software installation. Once configured, the Xena board can be used with a variety of
Windows Media applications and 3rd-party software such as Adobe Photoshop, After
Effects, and others. In some cases supplied plug-ins provide the 3rd-party software with
special control features for using Xena capabilities.
Control Panel
The Xena Control Panel offers a way to select specific board settings, generally not
selectable from standard applications. Through the Control Panel, you can choose the
Video Format, select the Video Reference source, output test patterns, and control Dither
for 8-bit inputs.
For Windows Media applications, you can alter the Audio/Video synchronization values in
the Control Panel Preferences, and modify the default behavior of the Windows Media
Player.
If you have more than one Xena board installed, you can run one Control Panel for each
board installed.
Video Settings — Choosing Format and Reference Source
For video Capture applications, set the Reference Source to “Input 1.” For Playback-only
applications, instead set the Reference Source to “Free Run.”
To GenLock your system to the “Reference In” signal, set Reference Source to “External.”
For Windows Media applications, you don’t have to select “Input 1” as the reference source
for Capturing. When the board is put into Capture mode, the system automatically uses
“Input 1” as the capture source. When not in Capture mode, the system uses the Reference
selected in the Control Panel. For non-Windows Media applications, such as Photoshop,
you do have to select sources manually.