Alcorn Mcbride DVMHD-8400 User manual

Digital Video Machine HD
User's Manual
DVMHD-8400

Document Revision 1.0
August 21, 2009
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this manual, and the reliability
of the Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD hardware and software. Errors can sometimes go undetected,
however. If you find one, please bring it to our attention so that we can correct it for others. Alcorn McBride
welcomes comments and suggestions on the content and layout of its documentation.
Applications described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Alcorn McBride Inc. assumes no responsibility or
liability for the use of these products, and makes no representation or warranty that the use of these products for
specific applications will be suitable without further testing or modification. Alcorn McBride products are not
intended for use in applications where a malfunction can reasonably be expected to result in personal injury.
Customers using or selling Alcorn McBride products for use in such applications do so at their own risk, and
agree to fully indemnify Alcorn McBride for any damages resulting from such improper use or sale.
Alcorn McBride Inc. reserves the right to make changes to these products, without notice, in order to improve
their design or performance.
Digital Video Machine™ is a trademark of Alcorn McBride Inc., all rights reserved.
Copyright ©2009 Alcorn McBride, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.
Hardware Design: Jim Carstensen, Scott Harkless, Jeremy Scheinberg
Firmware Design: Scott Harkless
Software Design: Scott Harkless, Joy Burke, Adam Rosenberg
Documentation: Jim Carstensen, Scott Harkless, John Conley
Mechanical Design: Martin Chaney
Document Number: 110-103464.50
Alcorn McBride Inc.
3300 S. Hiawassee, Suite 105
Orlando, Florida 32835
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
http://www.alcorn.com
[email protected]

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 i
Table of Contents
WELCOME .............................................................................................................................................................3
STANDARD FEATURES............................................................................................................................................4
TECHNICAL SUPPORT.........................................................................................................................................5
GETTING STARTED ..............................................................................................................................................7
PLAYING A TEST VIDEO ..........................................................................................................................................7
HARDWARE INFORMATION.................................................................................................................................9
DISPLAY AND MENU WHEEL..................................................................................................................................10
Front-Panel Menu Map .................................................................................................................................11
INDICATOR LEDS.................................................................................................................................................12
Status LED....................................................................................................................................................12
Lock LED ......................................................................................................................................................12
Sync LED......................................................................................................................................................12
CONFIGURATION DIP SWITCHES ...........................................................................................................................13
L2 - Restore Factory Defaults .......................................................................................................................13
L4 - Ground Lift .............................................................................................................................................13
R3 - 75ΩVideo Sync Termination.................................................................................................................14
R4 - Sync Input Type (C-Sync/Blackburst) ...................................................................................................14
POWER CONNECTOR ...........................................................................................................................................15
AUDIO/VIDEO OUTPUTS .......................................................................................................................................15
SERIAL PORT:DB-9 CONNECTOR .........................................................................................................................15
INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL:20-PIN CONNECTOR ......................................................................................................16
CONTROL INTERFACES ....................................................................................................................................17
SERIAL CONTROL ................................................................................................................................................17
ETHERNET CONTROL ...........................................................................................................................................17
PLAYLIST CONTROL .............................................................................................................................................18
Overview.......................................................................................................................................................18
Special Playlist Commands...........................................................................................................................19
Example Playlist............................................................................................................................................20
Using Playlist Builder ....................................................................................................................................21
SCHEDULER CONTROL .........................................................................................................................................22
Schedule File Format....................................................................................................................................22
Schedule Builder...........................................................................................................................................27
GPS CONTROL ...................................................................................................................................................29
Overview.......................................................................................................................................................29
Using GPS Builder Software.........................................................................................................................30
Creating a GPS Playlist ................................................................................................................................34
Configuring the DVMHD for GPS Operation .................................................................................................35
Overlapping GPS Routes..............................................................................................................................35
INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL .....................................................................................................................................36
Input Control .................................................................................................................................................36
Status Outputs ..............................................................................................................................................39
COMMAND PROTOCOL .....................................................................................................................................40
PLAYBACK COMMANDS.........................................................................................................................................40
Search File....................................................................................................................................................40
Play...............................................................................................................................................................41
Loop Play......................................................................................................................................................41
Play File ........................................................................................................................................................41
Loop File .......................................................................................................................................................42
Play Next ......................................................................................................................................................42
Loop Next .....................................................................................................................................................42

Still ............................................................................................................................................................... 43
Pause ........................................................................................................................................................... 43
Stop.............................................................................................................................................................. 43
Audio Mute ................................................................................................................................................... 43
Video Mute ................................................................................................................................................... 44
Status Request............................................................................................................................................. 44
Clip Request................................................................................................................................................. 44
CONFIGURATION COMMANDS ............................................................................................................................... 45
Set Colorspace............................................................................................................................................. 45
Set Video Output Format.............................................................................................................................. 45
Set User Name............................................................................................................................................. 46
Set Password ............................................................................................................................................... 46
MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS ............................................................................................................................... 46
Format Media ............................................................................................................................................... 46
Set Device ID ............................................................................................................................................... 47
Software Reset............................................................................................................................................. 47
Send Serial String ........................................................................................................................................ 47
Set Relay Output .......................................................................................................................................... 48
COMMAND PROTOCOL SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... 49
Playback Command List............................................................................................................................... 49
Configuration Command List ........................................................................................................................ 50
COMMAND ERROR CODES ................................................................................................................................... 51
MEDIA FILES....................................................................................................................................................... 53
SUPPORTED VIDEO FILE TYPES............................................................................................................................ 53
FILE NAMING ...................................................................................................................................................... 54
VIDEO FORMATS ................................................................................................................................................. 55
MPEG-2 Video Specifications ...................................................................................................................... 55
H.264/MPEG-4 Video Specifications............................................................................................................ 56
VC-1 Video Specifications ............................................................................................................................ 57
AUDIO FORMATS ................................................................................................................................................. 58
FILE SYSTEM LIMITATION –4GB FILE SIZE............................................................................................................ 58
TRANSFERRING FILES TO THE DVMHD................................................................................................................. 59
Copying Files Using a Compact Flash Card Reader .................................................................................... 59
Copying Files Using an FTP Connection (FileZilla) ...................................................................................... 59
SYNCHRONIZATION .......................................................................................................................................... 62
CONFIGURING THE DVMHD FOR EXTERNAL SYNC ................................................................................................. 62
SYNCHRONIZING MULTIPLE DVMHD’S.................................................................................................................. 63
Sharing Video Sync Between DVMHD’s ...................................................................................................... 63
Triggering Synchronized DVMHD’s Simultaneously ..................................................................................... 64
POWER UP OPERATION ................................................................................................................................... 66
UPDATING FIRMWARE ...................................................................................................................................... 68
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE / FAQ .................................................................................................................. 70
MECHANICAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................... 73
Mechanical Dimensions................................................................................................................................ 73
Surface Mounting ......................................................................................................................................... 74
Rack Mounting ............................................................................................................................................. 75
SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 77
INDEX .................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 3
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing The Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine™ HD. The Digital Video
Machine HD, or DVMHD for short, is designed to be an ultra reliable HD video playback source
for permanent installations. It can provide hours of superb digital video and audio. We’ve tried
to think of everything you’d need in a stand-alone HD video player – five types of video outputs,
three types of audio outputs, GPS and numerous control interfaces make the DVMHD
incredibly flexible.
The DVMHD was designed to be a solid-state drop-in substitute for many different brands of
DVD players and other types of video players, in a wide variety of applications. With no moving
parts, it’s far more than a DVD player replacement, offering standard features that go way
beyond what ordinary video playback solutions can offer including SMPTE 292M HD-SDI
digital video, HDMI, RGB, YPbPr or Composite (SD) analog video, unbalanced audio, Dolby
Digital bit stream or S/PDIF digital audio, voltage/contact input control, built-in real-time
scheduling, playlists, Ethernet, RS-232, and many other features. The DVMHD is the ultimate
choice for almost any installation that requires high quality and reliable video playback
We hope you enjoy using it as much as we enjoyed designing it. Have fun with your new
Digital Video Machine HD!
For the most recent documentation, firmware upgrades, and other information on
the Digital Video Machine HD, please visit our website at:
http://www.alcorn.com

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0
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Standard Features
The Digital Video Machine HD offers a wide variety of standard features including:
•Playback of several popular video formats, including H.264 (MPEG4), MPEG2, and VC-1
•Bit rate up to 40 Mbps
•Removable solid-state Compact Flash card
•Scheduled playback using built-in Real Time Clock
•Operates from 9VDC to 36VDC (power supply included)
•GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) triggering capability
•HD video on YPbPr component, HDMI, HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) outputs
•SD composite video output for easy integration with monitoring systems
•Unbalanced analog audio (stereo) on RCA connectors
•Digital Audio on coax (RCA), HDMI and HD-SDI (SMPTE-292M) connectors
•1080i, 720p, 480p, 576p, 480i, 576i video output resolutions
•Ethernet interface for control and content transfer
•Stores hundreds of individual video files (Compact Flash)
•Serial RS-232 Control is Pioneer LDP compatible.
•8 isolated inputs (voltage or contact) provide control of up to 255 files, including playlists.
•Relay outputs provide indication of playback status
•2x16 LCD display and knob for navigation of system settings and playback features.
•External sync input that supports both C-Sync and Blackburst sync sources

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 5
Technical Support
You can obtain information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming
your Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD from several sources:
For… Contact… When?…
Firmware Updates http://www.alcorn.com/support Any Time
Knowledge Base http://www.alcorn.com/kb Any Time
E-mail Support [email protected] Any Time
Fax Support [phone] M-F 9am-5pm (EST)
Telephone Support [phone] M-F 9am-5pm (EST)

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 7
Getting Started
Throughout this manual you will find detailed discussions on all the features of this product.
However, you’re probably anxious to see your DVMHD play some video first before you dive in
to all of that. Below are a few easy steps to show you how to play video from DVMHD right out
of the box!
Playing a Test Video
Every DVMHD comes with a Compact Flash card that is preloaded with an Alcorn McBride test
clip. The card is already installed in the DVMHD’s Compact Flash socket. To get the DVMHD
to play this test clip, please follow these step-by-step directions.
•Connect the DVMHD to your display using one of the following outputs:
oAnalog Component Video and Analog Audio
oHDMI
oHD-SDI
•Power up the DVMHD using the included power supply. The status LED
should briefly blink green and then remain off. The LCD display will also
indicate that the DVMHD is initializing, and then display its current status
when it’s finished.
•When the DVMHD has finished initializing, press in the menu knob. This will
enter the ‘Main Menu’ of the DVMHD’s display interface.
•Select ‘Play Menu’ by pressing in the knob again.
•Select ‘Play Test File’ by pressing the knob once more. After this, the
DVMHD will begin playing the preloaded test clip. The status LED will turn
green to indicate that the DVMHD is playing. Assuming your display is on
and configured for the correct video input, you should be seeing video and
hearing audio.
NOTE: If you have any trouble identifying any components mentioned is this guide,
refer to the diagrams in the Hardware Information section.

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 9
Hardware Information
The Digital Video Machine HD provides controls that can accommodate a wide variety
of installations. The front panel incorporates a menu wheel, two-line LCD display,
status indicators, and a Compact Flash Socket. The rear panel provides the Sync in,
HD-SDI, HDMI, Component and composite video, S/PDIF and unbalanced audio
outputs, parallel controls as well as GPS, serial and Ethernet ports.
Menu Wheel Status LEDs Compact Flash
Socket
Parallel Control
Connecto
r
Ethernet Jack
Analog Video
Out
p
uts
L/R Line-Level
Audio Out
p
uts
GPS
RS232
Connector
Power
Input
LCD Display
Sync
Input
HD-SDI HDMI
SPDIF
USB

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0
10
Display and Menu Wheel
Note: The menu
wheel ‘clicks’ when
rotated to provide
tactile feedback
between selections.
The DVMHD is equipped with 2x16 character LCD Display. This display is primarily
used to indicate the current status of the DVMHD. Here’s an example of that status
display:
The current playback state is indicated at the top-left of this screen. This state can be
any one of the following:
Stopped – Not playing a file
Playing – Playing a file
Searched – File is searched and ready to play. 1st video frame on-screen.
Paused – Playback is paused, screen is black.
Stilled – Playback is paused, screen displays stilled image
Error – DVMHD has encountered an error (i.e. bad command)
When the DVMHD is Playing, Searched, Paused, or Stilled it is actively working
with a video or playlist file. Therefore, when in these states the status display also
shows the current file on the bottom half of the screen. In the example screen above,
the DVMHD is currently playing a file named VID00001.MPG. If the DVMHD were
playing a playlist, the screen would look something like this instead:
In addition to providing system status, the display can also be used in conjunction with
the nearby Menu Wheel to access both configuration settings and simple playback
controls for the DVMHD. To enter this menu, simply press in the menu wheel.
After you do this, you can navigate through the various menus of the DVMHD’s front-
panel interface by rotating the menu wheel to change the selection, and pressing it to
select the current item. For a full list of the available menu options, see the Front-
Panel Menu Map on the following page. When you are finished, simply browse to the
‘Exit’ selection and push the menu wheel to return to the status screen. If you don’t
select ‘Exit’, the menu interface will return to the Status screen automatically after 30
seconds of inactivity.

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 11
Front-Panel Menu Map
MAIN MENU
PLAY MENU
UNIT SETUP
VIDEO SETUP
IO SETUP
NETWORK SETUP
CLOCK SETUP
Play Test File
Stop
Device ID
(
0-126
)
Video Format
(
1080i
,
720
p,
etc.
)
Colorspace
(
YPbPr / RGB
)
Input Type
(
Contact / Volta
g
e
)
Input Mode
(
Pla
y,
Encoded Pla
y,
Combo
)
IP Address
(
192.168.0.254
)
Subnet Mask
(
255.255.255.0
)
Gateway
(
192.168.0.1
)
Set Time
Set Date
Set DST Mode
(
None
,
USA
,
UTC
)

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0
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Indicator LEDs
The Digital Video Machine HD has 3 LEDs that are used to indicate the status of
various features of the product. Two of these LEDs are located on the front panel to
the left of the Compact Flash socket. The bottom one is the Status LED and the top
one is the Lock LED. The third LED, the Sync LED, is located on the rear panel of
the DVMHD, and is right next to the Sync input. As you can probably guess, it
indicates when a supported video sync source is being detected by the DVMHD’s
video sync input. Below you will find a detailed description of each LED and their
behavior.
Status LED
LED Status Meaning(s)
Steady green Playing
Steady orange Searched, Paused, Stilled, Formatting Media, Updating
Firmware
Steady red Audio Muted
Flashing red Fault (i.e. bad command, hardware problem, etc.)
Flashing green Power-on initialization, Search in progress
Single pulse of green Flash card inserted and detected
Single pulse of red Flash card removed
Off Idle (Stopped)
Lock LED
LED Status Meaning(s)
Off Not receiving GPS input from GPS antenna
Pulse red Received message from GPS antenna, but the antenna
has not locked on to any GPS satellites.
Pulse green Received coordinates from GPS antenna
Sync LED
LED Status Meaning(s)
Off No video sync detected on sync input
On Locked to external video sync.

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 13
Configuration DIP Switches
Two sets of 4-position configuration DIP switches are located on the side of the
DVMHD. These switches allow you to configure various hardware related settings
which are explained in this section. In the explanations below, ON refers to the DIP
switch being in the DOWN position, while OFF means the UP position.
NOTE: For DVMHD’s that are being installed in equipment racks, it’s always a good
idea to configure the DIP switches before installing the rack mount kit.
L2 - Restore Factory Defaults
Switch #2 of the left bank of DIP switches allows you to restore all of the DVMHD’s
configuration settings to the factory default settings. This includes things like IP
Address, Username, Password, Video Output Format, etc. For normal operation, this
switch should always remain in the ON position. When you wish to restore the
settings, simply set the switch to the OFF position for a few moments while the
DVMHD is powered on. Leave the switch in the OFF position until the status LED
pulses RED to indicate that the settings have been restored, and then return the switch
to the ON position.
L4 - Ground Lift
The Ground Lift feature can sometimes help in situations where audio hum, video
banding, or other noise is being caused by potential ground loops. A Ground Lift
disconnects the internal ground from the DVMHD’s metal chassis, reducing the chance
of ground noise affecting the DVMHD’s electrical systems (i.e. audio outputs, video
outputs, etc.). This feature is configured using switch #4 on the left bank of DIP
switches. By default, this switch is set to the ON position which grounds the DVMHD
to its chassis. You can implement a ground lift by setting this switch to the OFF
position. After that, the DVMHD’s ground will be isolated from the chassis.
Ground
Lift
Ground
Chassis
Restore
Defaults
Normal
Operation
Left
Bank
Left
Bank

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0
14
R3 - 75ΩVideo Sync Termination
When distributing video sync, it’s standard practice to terminate every dedicated video
sync line with 75Ω. An ideal system design would provide a dedicated sync line for
each DVMHD from the video sync generator. However, there are circumstances
where you may need to split a single sync line (typically done using BNC ‘T’
connectors) so that it can be shared with multiple DVMHD’s. In this situation, having
termination enabled on every DVMHD in the chain could easily over terminate the line,
degrade the signal, and result in the DVMHD’s being unable to lock to the sync input.
When video sync is distributed in this way, you should disable the 75Ωtermination in
every DVMHD except for the last one in the chain.
Switch #3 of the right bank of DIP-switch allows you to disable the 75Ωtermination if
necessary. By default, the DVMHD ships with this switch in the ON position. If you
need to disable the termination, just set this switch to the OFF position
R4 - Sync Input Type (C-Sync/Blackburst)
There are two common types of video sync sources; Composite Sync (C-Sync) and
Blackburst. A typical C-Sync signal operates at a peak-to-peak voltage of 4V.
However, Blackburst sync signals are typically much lower at less than 1V peak-to-
peak. This DIP switch settings allows the DVMHD to reliably support both types
despite this drastic difference in signal amplitude.
Switch #4 of the right bank of DIP switches is used to select between the two sync
types. By default, the DVMHD ships with this switch in the OFF position, which
configures the sync input for Blackburst. If you want to connect a C-Sync generator to
the DVMHD, you’ll need to set this switch to the ON position for C-Sync operation.
75Ω
Off
75Ω
On
Right
Bank
Blackburst C-Sync
Right
Bank

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0 15
Power Connector
The power input is a captive 2.5x5.5x10mm barrel connector with center pin (+) and
the outer rim (-). The Digital Video Machine requires 9.0 VDC to 36.0 VDC at 2 Amp.
This is useful for mobile applications where an automotive battery is used to power a
DVMHD. An external 100-250 VAC 50/60Hz input universal switching power supply is
provided with the unit.
DO NOT EXCEED THE SPECIFIED INPUT VOLTAGE RANGE!
Audio/Video Outputs
The audio RCA
outputs provide a
standard -10dbu
unbalanced signal.
The video output
format (1080i, 720p)
can be configured
using the front-panel
menu or with Serial or
Ethernet command.
The composite video
output always
provides a scaled
down Standard-
Definition output. No
configuration
necessary.
Every DVMHD comes equipped with many audio and video outputs. Audio is
available on the unbalanced RCA, digital coax, HDMI, and HD-SDI connectors. Video
is available on the YPbPr component, Composite, HDMI, and HD-SDI connectors.
In most circumstances, all of these outputs are on simultaneously. The only
exception is when you are playing content that is encoded with a surround sound
format, such as Dolby or DTS. In this case, the analog audio outputs will remain
silent.
With the exception of the composite video output, all of the video connectors will
output High-Definition video using the configured video format. The composite
output, on the other hand, always scales the current output down to a Standard-
Definition NTSC or PAL video format. This makes this connector ideal for interfacing
to monitoring equipment like rack monitors or touch-panel control systems that accept
composite video.
Serial Port: DB-9 Connector
A serial cable is
provided with each
Digital Video Machine.
This input is a standard DB-9 male RS-232C connector. This port is designed to
connect to a Show Controller, Computer, or other control device using a straight-
through (not null-modem) 9-pin cable. The connector pin assignments are listed in
the table below.
Pin Function
2 TXD (data from DVMHD)
3 RXD (data to DVMHD)
5 GND

Alcorn McBride Digital Video Machine HD User’s Manual Rev 1.0
16
Input/Output Control: 20-pin Connector
Remember to configure
the DVMHD’s inputs for
Voltage or Contact
Closure. If you do not,
the inputs will not be
damaged, but they may
not operate correctly.
This setting can be
configured using the
front-panel or via Serial
or Ethernet command.
A wiring harness that
mates to this
connector is included
with the DVMHD.
The Input/Output Control connector provides 8 configurable inputs, and 2 dry contact
relay outputs. The inputs are software configurable for either Voltage or Contact
Closure operation. The behavior of these inputs is also software configurable. The
outputs are primarily used to indicate when the DVMHD is in either the Playing or
Error state, although this functionality can be changed in software as well.
For more information on how to use this connector to control the DVMHD, please
refer to the Input/Output Control section of this manual.
+ _ + _