birddog OG4 User manual

WORLD'S FIRST NDI® OPENGEAR CARD.
OG4
USER GUIDE

Table of Contents
Welcome to BirdDog..................................................................................................2
Key Features..................................................................................................................4
Getting To Know Your BirdDog OG4 Converter Card ..................................5
Card Installation............................................................................................................6
Operating your OG4 Converter Card .................................................................7
Web Conguration Panel ........................................................................................................7
Dashboard.....................................................................................................................................8
Network..........................................................................................................................................8
System ............................................................................................................................................9
AV .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Ross DashBoard ........................................................................................................... 14
Receiving NDI® Streams ......................................................................................... 16
Glossary.......................................................................................................................... 17

1
Copyright
Copyright 2022 BirdDog Australia all rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, translated,
or distributed in any form or by any means without prior consent in writing from our company.
Trademark Acknowledgement
and other BirdDog trademarks and logos are the property of BirdDog Australia. Other trademarks,
company names and product names contained in this manual are the property of their respective owners.
•Microsoft, Windows, ActiveX, and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S. and/or other countries.
•Other trademarks, company names and product names contained in this manual are the property of
their respective owners.
•NDI® is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc.
Important Information
Legal Notice
To ensure account security, please change the password after your rst login. You are recommended to set a
strong password (no less than eight characters).
The contents of this document are subject to change without prior notice. Updates will be added to the new
version of this manual. We will readily improve or update the products or procedures described in the manual.
Best eort has been made to verify the integrity and correctness of the contents in this document, but no statement,
information, or recommendation in this manual shall constitute formal guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied.
We shall not be held responsible for any technical or typographical errors in this manual.
The product appearance shown in this manual is for reference only and may be dierent from the actual appearance
of your device. Due to uncertainties such as physical environment, discrepancy may exist between the actual
values and reference values provided in this manual. Use of this document and the subsequent results shall be
entirely on the user’s own responsibility.
Regulatory Compliance
FCC Part 15
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for 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.
This product complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two coNDI® tions:
•This device may not cause harmful interference.
•This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
LVD/EMC Directive
This product complies with the European Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC and EMC Directive 2004/108/EC.

2
Welcome to BirdDog
Thank you for purchasing your OG4 converter card. If you have any questions regarding the card, please contact
your authorized dealer.
Using This Manual
Your new OG4 converter card is a sophisticated and powerful device, therefore before operating the unit, please
read this manual thoroughly and retain for future reference.
Tip
When viewing the diagrams in this manual, use the zoom controls in your browser or PDF reader to reveal more
detail.
We’re Invested In Your Success
We pride ourselves on being approachable and easily contactable. We’d love to hear from you.
Dan Miall
Co-Founder and CEO
[e-mail]
Eamon Drew
Co-Founder and CMO
[e-mail]

3
Welcome to the Future
What is NDI®?
Your new OG4 converter card has been designed from the ground up to support the cutting edge NDI® video
transmission standard.
NDI® (Network Device Interface) is a free, high-quality, low-latency, frame-accurate standard that enables
compatible devices to communicate, deliver, and receive high denition video over your existing Gigabit Ethernet
network.
Operating bi-directionally, NDI® devices can be auto-detected, powered and controlled over the same Ethernet
cable used to send the video and audio. If you have a Gigabit network, you have a now have the potential for a
streamlined, interconnected, video production environment.
With the introduction of NDI® 5, you can now securely share network sources between remote sites anywhere in
the world - on a single network port. Even a smartphone can be a NDI® source.
Transitioning to NDI® can also occur gradually. Existing SDI signals can easily be converted to an NDI® stream and
piped where required on your network and converted back only at the neccessary SDI endpoints.
BirdDog has been on the NDI® journey since the very beginning and your OG4 converter card is just one of our
products designed to take advantage of the features and potential of NDI®.
For more information on NDI®, please refer to this page on our website.

4
Key Features
BirdDog OG4 openGear card, is the World’s First NDI® card and features four independently congurable 12G SDI
inputs and outputs.
•Supports up to four channels of 4Kp60/1080p60 encode. Two channels of 4Kp60 decode, four channels
of 1080p60 decode.
•Network streaming transport support:
• Full NDI® I-frame compression
•Up to UHD 4K/60 Input.
•Full bandwidth I-frame compression.
•4 x 12G-SDI selectable inputs/outputs.
•Next Level NDI® Tools.
•System management and control: On-device WebUI, Published RESTful API, Q-Sys plugin, Crestron,
Zoom and openGear Dashboard control system.
Encode and Decode up to 4Kp60
Encode or Decode Full NDI® for all resolutions up to 4Kp60, including all HD resolutions and embedded 2 channel
48kHz audio.
4x 12G SDI bi-directional ports
Each port supports independent resolutions/frame rates.
Selectable Network Connectivity
Easily toggle between SFP+ or the openGear 1GbE Network connection. The Industry standard SFP+ connection
allows for short, medium, and long range connections over ber and supports Ethernet protocols from 1GbE to
10GbE.
Professional Cooling and Power.
openGear frames include integrated cooling fans to provide maximum cooling for all cards and can be congured
with dual, redundant power supplies for maximum reliability and uptime.

5
Getting To Know Your BirdDog OG4 Converter Card
Thanks for purchasing the BirdDog OG4 converter card. This card is designed for the openGear OG3-FR High
Density Multi-Denition modular frame. This AV industry rack standard makes it easy to securely install and
integrate many types of processing cards from a large variety of openGear partners.
Please take some time to read this guide and familiarize yourself with the features of your new converter.
The OG4 converter card consists of the main processing card, which is mounted inside the
openGear frame, and the rear module plate which houses the connectors for the converter.
The card is automatically powered by the frame and you can easily access the settings of the converter using either
the BirdDog WebUI, or the Ross Video Dashboard, via the frame Ethernet port. The front end of the card also
features a Reset button which clears all user conguration.
Video I/O Connectivity
The rear module plate features: Four 12G SDI connectors.
Network Connectivity
Press the Reset button at the front of the card for 30 seconds to toggle
between:
•The openGear 1GbE Network Port (integrated into chassis
backplane).
or
•The 10Gbps SFP+ Network Port (optional module, Optical or
Copper 10GbE):
System Requirements
•openGear OG3-FR High Density Multi-Denition modular frame.
•For 1Gb Ethernet operation, the frame requires either a OG3-N or OG3-NS controller card installed.
The 8322-S controller card does not provide external 1 Gb Ethernet connectivity.
•Both the Ross Dashboard and BirdDog WebUI interfaces must run on a computer that has a physical
wired Ethernet connection. Wireless connections do not allow device discovery.

6
NOTE openGear cards are hot swappable, which means that cards can be installed or removed without powering
down the frame.
Installation of the module connector plate
1. From the rear of the openGear frame, locate the card slot into which you wish to install your OG4 converter
card.
2. Using a No. 1 Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the top screw from the desired blank module plate and remove the
plate. Retain the plate for possible future use.
3. Locate the bottom of the module into the seating slot at the base of the frame backplane.
4. Using the Phillips screwdriver, secure the module in position with the screw. Do not tighten fully at this point.
Installation of the main card
1. From the front of the frame, slide the side door catches towards the center of the door, releasing the door from
the frame.
2. Using both hands, pull the door towards you. The door extender arms will prevent the door from falling.
3. Locate the card slot in which you installed the module connector plate.
4. Insert the card into the guides and push the card into the frame until the card is seated into the module
connector plate at the rear of the frame. The white plastic card ejection tab at the front of the card will stand
fully vertical when the card is fully seated.
5. Close the frame door, ensuring that the door catches engage into the frame.
6. Use the Phillips screwdriver to fully secure the rear module plate in position but do not overtighten.
NOTE The SFP+ module is part of the card and NOT attached to the module connector plate. Therefore, when
plugging into the module, ensure that the card is not pushed out of it's slot.
Helpful Resources
Manual for the openGear® OG3-FR High Density Multi-Denition modular frame.
ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Precautions
•Always wear a grounded anti-static wrist strap when handling cards.
•Always hold card by the corners and avoid direct contact with any of the
components.
•Never let the card come in contact with clothing. Clothing can generate high
levels of electrostatic energy.
•The warranty may be void if equipment is damaged by ESD.
Card Installation

7
Operating your OG4 Converter Card
Operation of the OG4 Converter Card is simple and very similar to the BirdDog QUAD Converter.
Setup of your card is accomplished via the BirdDog WebUI. Once set up, you can choose to adjust the settings of
your card via the BirdDog WebUI or the Ross Dashboard.
However, rmware updates, as well as conguration of network settings such as DHCP can only be done via the
BirdDog WebUI.
Your card is supplied with a sample Ross Dashboard interface. You can custom design your own Ross Dashboard
to display whatever features you wish. Both interfaces must run on a computer that has a physical wired Ethernet
connection. Wireless connections do not allow device discovery.
Web Conguration Panel
The BirdDog web conguration panel (WebUI) allows you to interact with your converter and ofers complete
control of A/V settings and video frame rates, including restarting the video processing engine, changing
networking parameters and applying rmware updates.
Access via web browser (URL)
Your converter is congured to automatically receive a network IP address from the computer network via DHCP
(Dynamic Host Conguration Protocol). Most corporate, education and home networks have a DHCP server on the
network to allow this to occur. Usually your Internet Router provides this.
If your device receives an IP address automatically from this server (DHCP) the IP address can be discovered in
several ways, including the free BirdDog Central Lite software.
Your computer will need to have ‘Bonjour’ services loaded in order to access the unit via it’s user dened name.
Apple devices come pre-installed with Bonjour, while Windows devices need a plugin available from here.
Access without a network DHCP server
Some standalone or private networks may not have a DHCP server. After 30 seconds of waiting for an automatically
assigned IP address the device will fall back to a default address which is: 192.168.100.100.
In order to access the web conguration panel on a network which is congured to a dierent subnet, change your
computers IP address to match the BirdDog unit’s IP address range. Once you gain access to the BirdDog web
conguration panel (WebUI), choose your IP address to match the rest of the devices on your network.
For instructions on setting your computers IP address please consult your computer operating system manual or
IT support resources.
Default password
The web conguration panel is secured by a user-selectable password. The default password is:
birddog (one word, lower case).
To change the password simply login using the default password, navigate to the Network tab in the WebUI, and
select Change Password.
It is recommended to change this password in a network environment where your device is shared with other users
(e.g. not private). By entering this password, the user is granted full access to the conguration settings and could
interrupt a live program.

8
Dashboard
The Dashboard summarizes the important settings for the OG4 converter card in one convenient location. You can
also reboot the device or restart the video processing engine. The card also has a Reset button located at the front
end of the card which can be used to clear all user conguration. Open the frame front door, press and hold the
Reset button for approximately 5 sec.
Network
You can congure the device to operate on the
network with a dynamic (DHCP) IP address or
a xed address. For smaller networks DHCP
networking is generally suitable, however larger
networks with managed operations will often
determine each device needs to have a dedicated
and static IP address.
NIC Medium Select
Select the desired network connection. Note that
SFP+ is the default selection.
DHCP IP address
DHCP is set as the network conguration by default.
Static IP address
To enable a static IP address, change conguration method to static and ll in the details required in Address, Mask
and Gateway. Particular attention should be paid to the Address and Mask elds as incorrect information entered
will result in the device not being visible on the network.
BirdDog Name
You can name each converter with a friendly name that makes sense for each production. This name will appear
on any NDI® receiver when it looks for video over the network. The name must not include any special characters
and can be any combination of ‘a-z, 0-9, and –‘.

9
System
Password Settings
The WebUI is secured by a user password.
Thedefaultpasswordisbirddog(oneword,
lower case). It is recommended to change
this password to retain administration
rights to prevent unauthorized changes
since the WebUI grants full access to the
conguration settings.
1. Enter the current password.
2. Enter the new password. Conrm the
new password and click the Apply
button.
System Update
The converter is able to be updated via
the BirdDog WebUI. Please check our
Downloads page regularly to ensure you
have the latest rmware available for
your device. Having the latest rmware
ensures you have all the latest features
and performance updates to get the
most out of your OG4 converter card.
After downloading the latest rmware
release, navigate to the System tab on the
WebUI and click the Choose le… button,
select the rmware update le and click
the Update button.
Conguration Update

10
Remote IP List
By default, NDI® devices are visible to each other only when they’re
on the same VLAN. If you want visibility or control of a device on a
dierent VLAN, you need to add it’s address manually as a Remote IP.
1. Click the CHOOSE FILE button to load your Remote IP List in UTF-
8 encoded string format.
2. Click the UPDATE button. Do not upload a blank list.
NDI Group List
Set the NDI group list. NDI® groups allow you to restrict communication
to only devices that belong to the same NDI® group. NDI® Groups can
be very useful in larger environments to control visibility and access
amongst various groups.
1. Click the CHOOSE FILE button to load your NDI Group List in
UTF-8 encoded string format.
2. Click the UPDATE button. Do not upload a blank list.
NDI Network Settings
The OG4 operates with the latest NDI® Libraries. There are several options to congure its behaviour in an NDI®
network. Each conguration has its benets, however it is recommended to utilise the default TCP transmit method
unless you have reason to change.
Preferred Transmit / Receive Method
TCP
TCP is the default transmission method for NDI®. It
operates well within local networks with predictable
latency and limited jitter. BirdDog recommends
that TCP be used for typical applications, and using
alternative transports only for specic reasons.
UDP
UDP is recommended for networks where there is
extended latency. The nature of UDP allows dropped
packets and doesn't establish handshaking dialogues
to conrm each received packet – which can improve
performance. UDP can have some consequences if
there are other issues on the network, such as jitter or
packet loss, as lost packets will not be re-sent.
Multicast
Multicast is especially useful for use cases that require
a single source to be received on multiple receivers
simultaneously. Using Multicast ooads the distribution of the NDI® A/V packets from the device to the network
infrastructure. You should take care to ensure your network is specically congured to support Multicast, as use
on an ill-prepared network can create unintended network problems.

11
NDI Discovery
By default, NDI® utilizes mDNS (multicast Domain Name System) to create a zero conguration environment for
network discovery. The primary benets of using mDNS is that it requires little or no administration to set up.
Unless the network is specically congured to not allow mDNS, NDI® sources will be discovered.
The NDI® Discovery Service is designed to allow you to replace the automatic discovery with a server that operates
as an ecient centralized registry of NDI® sources resulting in much less bandwidth use. NDI® discovery server
also helps with location of devices that reside on dierent subnets. The NDI® Discovery Server is available as part
of the free NDI Tools in NDI version 5.5 (C:\Program Files\NDI\NDI 5 Tools\Discovery\ NDI Discovery Service.exe).
1. If you are using a NDI® Discovery Server, click the ON button.
2. Enter the IP address of your NDI® Discovery Server.
3. Click the APPLY button to save your changes.
AV
Operation Mode
Choose whether the converter is operating in Encode or Decode mode. You may need to click on the Operation
Mode label to display this option.
Operation Mode - Encode
Bitrate Management
Birddog Devices allow you to set your target
NDI® output bitrate. This allows you to select a
compression ratio that is more ecient on your
networking infrastructure (lower bandwidth)
or higher image quality for critical footage.
The scale allows you to select anywhere from
60 - 360 Mbps.
By setting Bitrate Management to NDI®
MANAGED, the BirdDog device will manage
the target bitrate in accordance with the NDI®
standard. By selecting MANUAL you are able
to manually select a target bitrate.
NDI® Group Enable
This allows you to limit the visibility of the
device to other devices that belong to the
same NDI® group. By default this setting is
DISABLED. When enabled the receiver device
needs to also be set to the same identical
group name. Commonly this is done using the
NDI® Access Manager application provided by
NewTek free of charge. NDI® Groups can be
very useful in larger environments to control
visibility and access amongst various groups.
NDI® Stream Name
When your BirdDog converter generates an
NDI® stream, it can be identied via it’s name
on any NDI®-capable receiver. Here you can

12
nominate a descriptive NDI® stream name to help identication, particularly on multi-channel devices or on
networks where there are a large amount of NDI® streams.
Encoder Screensaver
Assign a captured frame, black frame, or BirdDog logo as a screensaver.
Capture Screensaver Frame
Click the Capture button to capture the current frame for use as a screensaver.
Video Input Format
This converter is capable of accepting many dierent video formats to encode to NDI® . For the most part it
is recommended to leave Video Input Format set to AUTO, you can manually override this setting and choose
whatever resolution your source device is set to. This can be useful if there is an issue in synchronising video input
resolutions.
Chroma Subsample Rate
The NDI® specication recommends the chroma subsampling should be set to 4:2:2 when operating in HD video
resolutions and 4:2:0 when operating in 4K.
However, the OG4 converter card allows you to override these recommendations and is capable of operating
in two chroma subsample modes, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0. Generally speaking, for video-sourced material in 4K, it is
recommended to use 4:2:0, but for computer generated graphics such as gaming and presentations, your chroma
subsampling should be set to 4:2:2.
Failover Source
If the generated NDI stream is interrupted for any reason the receiver can automatically switch to a nominated
alternative NDI stream. This is particularly useful for live productions where there can be no risk of black being
broadcast should any source no longer be available. Select an available NDI source for the failover function from
the Available NDI Sources dropdown list. Click the Reset button to reset this list to display only active streams, or
click the Refresh button to add new streams to the current list.
Restart
Click the restart button to ensure the video engine initializes with any new settings.
Operation Mode - Decode
Current NDI decode source
To select an NDI decode source, click the
Available NDI sources dropdown list and
select a source. The source will be displayed
in the Current NDI decode source eld. Click
the link icon to navigate to a webpage if
applicable.
The Reset button will delete the currrent list
and display only current NDI sources. The
Refresh button will add newly discovered
sources to the list but not remove older,
currently non-active sources.
Apply Source Change
Click the Apply button to update your
change of NDI source.
Interlaced Field Order
Select the desired eld order to match your
playback hardware.

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Decoder Screensaver
Assign a captured frame, black frame, or BirdDog logo as a screensaver.
Capture Screensaver Frame
Click the Capture button to capture the current frame for use as a screensaver. The video frame must be progressive.
Interlaced frames cannot be captured.
Failover Source
If the generated NDI® stream is interrupted for any reason the receiver can automatically switch to a nominated
alternative NDI stream. This is particularly useful for live ‘on air’ productions where there can be no risk of still
frames or black being broadcast should any source no longer be available. Select an available NDI® source for the
failover function from the in Available NDI Sources dropdown. You can update this list by pressing Refresh source
list in either Chrome or Firefox web browsers.
To select a failover source, click the Available NDI sources dropdown list to select the source. The source will be
displayed in the Failover source name eld. Click the link icon to navigate to a webpage if applicable.
The Reset button will delete the currrent list and display only current NDI sources. The Refresh button will add
newly discovered sources to the list but not remove older, currently non-active sources. Click the Apply button to
update your NDI failover source.
Restart
Click the restart button to ensure the video engine initializes with any new settings.

14
Ross DashBoard
Displayed below are images of the supplied Ross DashBoard for the OG4 Converter Card. Note that network set
up and rmware updates need to be done via the BirdDog WebUI. The available settings in the Ross DashBoard are
similar to those available in the BirdDog WebUI.
To open the Ross DashBoard.
1. Download the BirdDogPanel.grid le from here.
2. Double click on the downloaded le.
Conguration
1. Select the Cong tab.
2. Add the IP Address of the installed BirdDog OG4 card.
Device Settings

15
Encode
Decode

16
Receiving NDI® Streams
There are many applications that support receiving the NDI® signal that the unit produces. Each application will
vary slightly on how you choose your source.
NewTek Studio Monitor
NDI® Tools is a free suite of applications designed to introduce you to the world of IP video and is available here.
The included Studio Monitor application allows you to monitor many NDI® sources on a standard Windows
computer. Once Studio Monitor is launched on your computer, simply right click anywhere in the interface and
select OG4 from the dropdown list.
Once connected to your converter, a Conguration gear icon is displayed on the bottom right-hand side of the
video display that provides shortcut access to the OG4 WebUI.
NewTek TriCaster Series
NewTek TriCaster series devices allow several NDI® sources to be received simultaneously - the amount of
simultaneous connections varies by what model TriCaster you have. Consult your TriCaster user manual to
determine how many connections are available on your device.
To select OG4 as a source on your TriCaster, click on the Conguration gear icon below your desired source location.
This will display the Input Setting dialog, from which you can select your converter source from the dropdown list.
Once connected to your converter, a Conguration gear icon displays next to the Source dropdown window that
provides shortcut access the OG4 converter card WebUI.

17
Glossary
Domain
A domain contains a group of computers that can be accessed and administered with a common set of rules.
Domain can also refer to the IP address of a website on the Internet.
DNS
DNS (Domain Name System) is a system used by the Internet and private networks to translate domain names into
IP addresses.
mDNS
mDNS (Multicast DNS) refers to the use of IP multicast with DNS to translate domain names into IP addresses and
provide service discovery in a network that does not have access to a DNS server.
Ethernet
Ethernet, standardized as IEEE 802.3, refers to a series of technologies used to connect computers and other
devices to a LAN (Local Area Network) or wide area network (WAN).
Firmware
Firmware is a class of software held in non-volatile memory that provides the low-level control for a device’s
hardware.
Gigabit Ethernet (GigE)
An Ethernet capable of transmitting frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. A Gigabit capable Ethernet network
is recommended for NDI® production workows.
IP
IP (Internet Protocol) is the communications protocol for the Internet, many wide area networks (WANs), and
most local area networks (LANs) that denes the rules, formats, and address scheme for exchanging datagrams or
packets between a source computer or device and a destination computer or device.
LAN
LAN (Local Area Network) is a network that connects computers and devices in a room, building, or group of
buildings. A system of LANs can also be connected to form a WAN (Wide Area Network).
Mbps
Mbps (Megabits per second) is a unit of measurement for data transfer speed, with one megabit equal to one
million bits. Network transmissions are commonly measured in Mbps.
NDI®
NDI® (Network Device Interface) is a standard allowing for transmission of video using standard LAN networking.
NDI® comes in two avours, NDI® and NDI® |HX. NDI® is a variable bit rate, I-Frame codec that reaches rates
of around 140Mbps at 1080p60 and is visually lossless. NDI®|HX is a compressed, long-GOP, H.264 variant that
achieves rates around 12Mbps at 1080p60.
Packet (Frame)
A packet s a unit of data transmitted over a packet-switched network, such as a LAN, WAN, or the Internet.
PoE
Power over Ethernet
Port
A port is a communications channel for data transmission to and from a computer on a network. Each port is
identied by a 16-bit number between 0 and 65535, with each process, application, or service using a specic port
(or multiple ports) for data transmission. Port can also refer to a hardware socket used to physically connect a
device or device cable to your computer or network.

18
PTZ
Pan, tilt and zoom.
RJ45
A form of standard interface commonly used to connect computers onto Ethernet-based local area networks
(LAN).
RS422, RS485, RS232
Physical layer, serial communication protocols.
Subnet
Subnet or subnetwork is a segmented piece of a larger network.
Tally
A system that indicates the on-air status of video signals usually by the use of a red illuminated lamp.
TCP
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a network communications protocol.
UDP
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is an alternative protocol to TCP that is used when reliable delivery of data packets
in not required.
WAN
WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network that spans a relatively broad geographical area, such as a state, region, or
nation.