AJA Io IP Operating instructions

Io IP
Transport, Capture, Display
Version 14.2
Published July 3, 2018
Installation and Operation Guide

Io IP Transport, Capture, Display v14.2 2 www.aja.com
Notices
Trademarks
AJA® and Because it matters.® are registered trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
for use with most AJA products. AJA™ is a trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for
use with recorder, router, software and camera products. Because it matters.™ is a
trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for use with camera products.
CION®, Corvid Ultra®, lo®, Ki Pro®, KONA®, KUMO®, ROI® and T-Tap® are registered
trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
AJA Control Room™, KiStor™, Science of the Beautiful™, TruScale™, TruZoom™,
V2Analog™ and V2Digital™ are trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 AJA Video Systems, 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
Video Systems, Inc.
Contacting AJA Support
When calling for support, have all information at hand prior to calling. To contact AJA
for sales or support, use any of the following methods:
Telephone [phone]
FAX [phone]
Web https://www.aja.com
Support Email suppor[email protected]
Sales Email [email protected]

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Contents
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Contacting AJA Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1 – Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Io IP Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
AJA Software & Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Hardware Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Front Panel Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Rear Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
In This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2 – Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shipping Box Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing Io IP Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Important MacOS High Sierra Installation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cabling the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Io IP Cable Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Unicast and Multicast Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3 – Io IP Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Using Io IP with Professional Video /Audio Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Capture Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
AJA Control Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
AJA Control Panel User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Controlling Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Default Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Io IP Audio Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Control Panel Function Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Control Panel Operation in s2022 Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Control Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Format Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Input Select Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Output Select Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
HDMI Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
HDMI HDR Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Video Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Audio Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Audio Mixer Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Audio Mixer Playback Monitor Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Audio Mixer Capture Monitor Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
IP Network Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
IP Input Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
IP Output Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Conversion Screen (Mac OS only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
DS Keyer Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
LUT Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Timecode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Presets Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Firmware Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Info Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Appendix A – Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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Io IP Tech Specs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Appendix B – Safety and Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Warranty and Liability Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Limited Warranty on Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Limitation of Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Governing Law and Language; Your Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

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Chapter 1 – Introduction
Overview
Io IP is a portable Thunderbolt 3 ingest and playback device for professional HD
video and audio over IP, bridging 10 GigE to the most popular creative software
applications.
Io IP has all the portable benefits of the AJA Io family line with two Thunderbolt 3
ports for flexibility. It works with AJA's Control Room, Control Panel software and
SDK tools, and provides support for leading content creation applications, such
as Adobe Premiere® Pro, Apple FCP X, Avid Media Composer®, FilmLight products
and more. Designed as a flexible platform with support for SMPTE 2022-6 and
2022-7 uncompressed IP video and audio, Io IP offers you the flexibility to keep
current as the IP transition proceeds.
Io IP Features
Io IP is designed as a flexible platform for supporting various different IP
standards and types. See "Video Formats" on page 52 for a complete listing.
NOTE: NDI is supported on Io IP in the same way as it is supported on KONA 4, Io 4K Plus
etc., courtesy of running Newtek Connect.
Physical Connection for IP Video
• 2x 10 Gb Ethernet SFP+ Cages - SFP+ modules not included.
Inputs and Outputs
• AJA Desktop Software package congured by default for 2022-6 operation
with two simultaneous uncompressed streams on SFP 1 (one In, one Out).
• For 2022-7 operation, a second SFP is used for redundant transport of the
other SFP's signals.
• Dedicated 3G SDI monitor output
• Dedicated HDMI 2.0 output
• HDR signaling and monitoring for HDR10 and HLG. HLG support is
application dependent. Check with your software manufacturer for
compatibility.
Digital Audio Input
• 16-Channel embedded audio

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Digital Audio Output
• 16-Channel embedded audio, 16- and 24-bit per channel, 48 kHz sample rate,
synchronous
• 8-Channel HDMI embedded audio, 48 kHz sample rate, synchronous
Balanced Analog Audio Input and Output
A 25-pin connector provides 8-channel balanced analog audio. The eight analog
audio channels can be configured in four different ways:
• Ch 1-8 Output
• Ch 1-4 Input and Ch 5-8 Output
• Ch 1-4 Output and Ch 5-8 Input
• Ch 1-8 Input
Signal Timing
• 1x BNC assignable to reference video or LTC input
Internal HD/SD Hardware Downstream Keyer
Io IP provides a powerful hardware keyer that can place graphic files with an
alpha channel over video in a selectable matte or the contents of the card’s
framebuffer from a software application (including AJA TV). Key a bug or text
over picture and avoid what might normally be a lengthy software render. Also,
working with these software applications, you can key video that has an alpha-
channel over video input or a matte. For example, you can load a QuickTime clip
that has an alpha-channel (a flying logo generated in the Animation codec) into
AJA TV and then place it over live video coming into the card and then passing
both on to a VTR for recording or broadcast.
AJA Software & Utilities
Io IP operates with AJA's Desktop software package, developed for powerful
integrated video/audio capture, editing, and production with a variety of 3rd-
party software. AJA software is distributed as a unified package which includes all
the software, firmware, plug-ins, and utility programs for the Io IP, as well as AJA’s
Io, KONA, and T-TAP products.
Two retail packages are available, one for Mac and one for Windows.
Mac and Windows Packages
These packages include:
Firmware
Firmware, otherwise referred to as a bit file or the card's 'personality', refers to
very low level code that defines the capabilities of the hardware. It is important
to always update to the firmware recommended following install of new, or older
versions of software.
Drivers
AJA device drivers for the host system OS provide tightly integrated hardware/
software operation.
AJA Control Panel
The Control Panel provides:
• Source selection and control of your AJA hardware.

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• A block diagram to show visually what routing and processing is being
performed.
AJA Control Room
Control Room is a cross-platform software application for ingest, playback and
output with AJA products.
AJA System Test
AJA System Test provides accurate and detailed evaluations of drive and system
performance statistics, allowing you to measure the capabilities of your system
for recording and playing back various resolutions and codecs. The application
includes:
• System Disk Test
• AJA Device Test
• Disk + Device Test
• System Report
The application tests Read and Write, Capture and Playback speeds in both
Megabytes per second and Frames per second. The disk speed tests differ from
standard disk I/O performance applications in that they specifically test the
system under conditions typically encountered with video capture, playback, and
editing.
NOTE: Theoretically the best test (or simulation) is to fill your storage disk to 80% and
then test capture at the highest data rate you will use.
3rd-Party Plug-ins
Plug-ins for popular 3rd-party Professional Video Applications from Adobe, Avid,
Apple, Telestream, and others.
System Requirements
Your system should meet minimum hardware and software requirements to
achieve a satisfactory level of performance. Updates to system requirements are
subject to change.
NOTE: See Software Vendor system requirements for GPU and additional hardware
recommendations.
Recommended system specifications:
• Mac OS 10.12 Sierra or later
• Win 10 or later with all updates
• 2.5 GHz quad core i7 minimum, for HD
• 8GB RAM minimum, 16GB or more recommended, especially for High Frame
Rate applications
• A reasonably fast and powerful graphics card, with plenty of on-board
memory. Examples (may be specic to application version and/or host CPU)
include:
• NvidiaK5200
• Nvidia K4200
• Nvidia M6000
• Nvidia M5000
• Nvidia M4000
• AMD W7100
• AMD W8100

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• Media storage with adequate bandwidth to sustain the capture and playback
of the material you expect to be working with.
NOTE: For large scale installations with shared storage, or for very high performance
requirements, consultation with an experienced a system integrator is
recommended. A consultant will be able to assist with many important variables.
Hardware Description
Front Panel Controls and Indicators
Figure 1. Io IP Front Panel
Power
LED
Audio Level
Meters (8)
Monitor Output
Connector 1/8 in. TRS
Monitor
Gain Control
The Io IP front panel has the following controls and indicators:
Monitor Output and Gain Control
A 1/8 inch TRS connector is available for monitoring two channels of audio,
selectable in channel pairs using the Control Panel application. Typically used
with a pair of headphones.
The Monitor Gain knob on the left adjusts the monitor output level. Pushing in
the knob extends it (for adjustment) or recesses it (to prevent accidental changes).
Audio Level Meters
The Audio Level Meters in the center of the front panel indicate:
• During Capture - The rst 8 channels of the audio source selected (SDI, HDMI,
Analog).
• During Playback - The sum of whatever sources are being played out via
the AJA hardware; i.e. NLE timeline and mix of host system audio output (if
applicable).
The meter's LEDs are colored to indicate the amount below 0dBfs when averaged
over a one millisecond time interval:
dBfs LED Color and Location
-2 db Red LED 1 (top)
-12 db Yellow LED 2
-20 db Yellow LED 1
-30 db Green LED 4
-40 db Green LED 3

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-50 db Green LED 2
-60 db Green LED 1 (bottom)
NOTE: These audio level meters are for guidance only. Third-party audio metering
should be employed when doing critical audio editing and mixing.
Power LED
The power LED lights up yellow when power is provided via the power supply.
Once a Thunderbolt 3 connection is made, and the host is in an active state, the
light turns green.
Rear Panel Connectors
Figure 2. Io IP Rear Panel
Thunderbolt 3
Ports (2)
SFP Cage 1 SFP Cage 2 Balanced Audio In/Out
DB-25F (8-Ch)
4-Pin XLR
DC Power Input
HDMI
Output
HD/SD-SDI
Monitor Out BNC
Reference or
LTC Input
Thunderbolt 3
The Io IP provides the third-generation Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports to support
increased bandwidth between host computer and I/O device. Two ports are
provided for daisy-chained network configurations.
SFP Cages and Modules
Two SFP+ cages are provided to connect two separate 10 Gigabit Ethernet Links.
Both links are bi-directional. Inputs and outputs for most uses will be set up over
the same link if bandwidth allows it.
For a list of SFP+ modules tested by AJA, see "Appendix A Specifications" on page
52.
Dedicated SDI HD/SD Output
One BNC connector is provided for full-time, real-time output of 2K/HD/SD video.
HDMI Output
A full-size HDMI connector on the Io IP endplate provides HDMI 2.0 capability.
HDMI also supports multi-channel embedded audio (8 channels). HDCP is not
supported on the output. HDMI Output also supports HDR (HDR10 and HLG).

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Reference Video
When in SMPTE 2022-6/7 mode, Io IP can lock to reference analog or tri-level
input, or the incoming SMPTE 2022-6/7 stream.
For analog reference, a single BNC on the Io IP endplate allows you to synchronize
Io IP outputs to your house analog or tri-level 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, connect its output here.
When Io IP outputs video in SMPTE 2022-6/7 mode, it locks to this reference
signal. When connecting a reference video source, the locking signal should be
the same format as the Primary format selected in Io IP software. It is possible in
some circumstances to use an alternate format video signal if the basic frame rate
is compatible.
Io IP can also lock to an incoming SMPTE 2022-6 signal, or it can free run.
Balanced Analog Audio Input and Output
A 25-pin connector provides 8-channel balanced analog audio, 24-bit 48kHz
sample rate D/A and A/D, for use with an industry standard 8x XLR on DB-25
breakout cable (cable not included). The eight analog audio channels can be
configured four different ways:
• Ch 1-8 Output
• Ch 1-4 Input and Ch 5-8 Output (default setting)
• Ch 1-4 Output and Ch 5-8 Input
• Ch 1-8 Input
12V Power Connector
A standard 4-pin XLR type connector is provided for either battery or line source
power using the supplied AC power adapter.
In This Manual
Chapter 1 - Introduces the product briefly, listing features and system
requirements.
Chapter 2 - Provides complete instructions for installing and configuring the
product.
Chapter 3 - Discusses operational aspects and how to work with 3rd-party
software.
Appendix A - Presents a list of technical specifications for the product.
Appendix B - Provides important Safety and Compliance information.