birddog P4K User manual

USER MANUAL
PART 2: NDI®INSTRUCTIONS
P4K
THE HIGHEST QUALITY FULL NDI®
CAMERA ON THE PLANET.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.

P4K
FULL NDI®. NO COMPROMISES.
4. GETTING TO KNOW YOUR P4K
4. Physical connectors
4. Powering 4K
4. PoE+ (Power over Ethernet)
4. DC
4. Thermal management
5. BOOTING UP YOUR BIRDDOG P4K
5. Indication of system boot process
5. OPERATING P4K
5. Web configuration panel
5. BirdDog Finder application
5. Accessing P4K via an IP address
5. Accessing on a network without a DHCP server
6. PASSWORD MANAGEMENT
6. Default password
6. A/V-SETUP
6. Adjusting Camera image settings
6. A/V Input
6. Video input format
7. NDI Encode
7. Bitrate management
7. NDI Audio
7. Onboard Tally
7. Failover Source
8. PTZ
8. Control
8. Settings
8. PT Max Speed
8. OSD
9. SYSTEM
9. System update
9. NDI NETWORK SETTINGS
9. Transmit Preferred Method
9. TCP
9. UDP
9. Multicast
9. MultiTCP
10. NETWORK
10. Device naming
10. Configuration method
10. DHCP IP address
10. Static IP address
10. IP address recovery
10. BirdDog name
10. RECEIVING NDI STREAMS
10. NewTek Studio Monitor
10. NewTek TriCaster Series

Getting to know your P4K
Thanks for purchasing BirdDog P4K. Please take some
time to read this document to allow you to get the most
out of your purchase and familiarize yourself with the
features available in the unit.
Physical connectors
Powering P4K
P4K is equipped with a sophisticated system allowing
power from various sources:
PoE+ (Power over Ethernet)
PoE+ is a convenient way to power P4K as it allows both
data and power to be sent through the same standard
Ethernet cable. To take advantage of PoE+, the network
switch that P4K is directly plugged into must support PoE+
(802.11at).
Different network switches are capable of providing
differing amounts of total power to all connected devices.
P4K uses approximately 14 watts in PoE mode.
DC
Located at the rear of the P4K is a DC connection port. This
power input socket is capable of accepting 12vDC power.
P4K should only be powered by the included AC adaptor.
Thermal management
P4K has been engineered to be passively cooled, no fans
are required. In order to achieve this the entire enclosure of
P4K is designed to dissipate heat. The main processor is
capable of operating up to 100º C / 212º F.
Some factors affect how much heat BirdDog will produce,
and it is normal for it to feel warm to the touch.
In extreme circumstances (a hot day/direct hot sun) it is
advised to power P4K via DC as this produces less heat
than PoE. BirdDog has been tested in extreme environments.
4
FW upgrade
DC 12V
IR Select
Audio IN/OUT
Dip Switch info
Dip Switch
RS232-RS422
HDMI
Video Format
NDI/PoE
Genlock
6G/3G SDI x2

Booting up your BirdDog P4K
Indication of system boot process
As soon as BirdDog P4K detects a power input signal the
left hand 'power/fault' light will light up green.1
On the ethernet/NDI connector on the rear.
After initial boot up is complete your P4K unit will be visible
as a source on any NDI compatible devices on the SAME
ethernet subnet.
For further networking architecture instructions including
routing please consult either your system administrator or
the support page at bird-dog.tv
Operating P4K
Web configuration panel
In this release, the web configuration panel allows you to
alter key settings of P4K, specifically A/V settings, and
video frame rates, restarting the video processing engine,
changing networking parameters, recalling PTZ presets and
applying firmware updates.
Access via web browser (URL)
To access the web configuration panel please point your
computer web browser to: http://birddog-xxxxx.local/
“xxxxx” is the serial number of the P4K, the serial number is
printed on the box and on the main unit. Note the web
address is case sensitive and should be all lower case. Your
computer will need to have ‘Bonjour’ services loaded in
order to access the unit via it’s ‘friendly’ name described
above.
Apple devices come pre-installed with Bonjour, while
Windows devices need a small plugin available here:
https://support.apple.com/kb/dl999?locale=en_AU
BirdDog Finder application
In addition to typing this URL in manually there is an applica-
tion: BirdDog Finder, which is available from http://www.-
bird-dog.tv/firmware-updates. This application looks on the
local network for any NDI capable P4K and launches the web
configuration interface directly from the application.
Accessing P4K via an IP address
P4K is configured to automatically receive a network (IP)
address from the computer network via DHCP (Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol). Most corporate, education
and home networks have a DHCP server present on the
network to allow this to occur. Usually your Internet Router
provides this.
If P4K receives an IP address automatically from this server
(DHCP) the IP address can be discovered in several ways,
including the BirdDog Finder application or BirdDog
Central Lite available from: http://www.bird-dog.tv/
Accessing P4K on a network without a DHCP server
Some standalone or private networks may not have a DHCP
server. After 30 seconds of searching for an automatically
assigned IP address P4K will fall back to a default address
which is:
192.168.100.100
In order to access the web configuration panel on a network
which is configured to a different subnet, change your
computers IP address to match the BirdDog unit. Once you
gain access to the BirdDog web configuration panel 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.
5
1
BirdDog P4K
SERIAL xx:xx:xx:x x:xx:xx
Note: only the last 5 digits are required
for accessing the web interface.

Password management
Once you direct your web browser to the web configuration
panel you will need to log in to change any settings.
Default password
The web configuration 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 web interface,
and select change password.
It is recommended to change this password in a network
environment where P4K is shared with other users (e.g. not
private). By entering this password, the user is granted full
access to the P4K configuration settings and could interrupt
a live program.
A/V-SETUP
Adjusting Camera image settings
Please note in the initial release of P4K the image adjust-
ments for the camera are affected by using the camera’s
unbuilt OSD (On Screen Display), details of how to access
this are available later in this user guide or in Part 1 of the
P4K manuals.
A/V Input
P4K
Enter Password
6
Video input format
Please select the desired camera frame rate and video size
from the drop-down menu. This action can take up to 60
seconds to complete if the camera is changing frame-rates.
A Companion application, BirdDog Cam Control is currently
available with additional functionality to be made available
with regular updates to this application.
Video format options are:
UHD Progressive Resolutions: 2160p25, 29.97, 30
HD Progressive Resolutions: 1080p25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60
HD Interlaced Resolutions: 1080i50, 59.94, 60
720P Progressive Resolutions: 720p50, 59.94, 60

7
Bitrate management
BirdDog P4K allows you to interact with the video bitrate
that the NDI encode engine produces. This can have drama-
tic effects on image quality and network traffic. It is strongly
recommended to leave this option on NDI Managed, if
Manual is selected this can easily cause issues with receiving
hardware and software that is not designed for lower or
higher bitrates and should be used with caution. Please
ensure you keep HD bitrates in Manual close to 100Mbps
and UHD close to 170Mbps.
NDI Audio
You are able to select if the audio input on the rear of the
P4K is embedded into the NDI Stream by making NDI
Audio Active, or Mute to disable
Onboard Tally
P4K comes equipmed with a 360 degree tally system
allowing you to see a tally light from any angle of the
camera head. This tally light automatically communicates
with receiver software and will illuminate RED when the
Tally position on the receiver is set to Program, and GREEN
when the Tally position on the receiver is set to Preview.
Onboard Tally can be suppressed with this setting.
Failover Source
Within P4K you are able to nominate a failover source, this
means that if a receiver is connected to the P4K and for any
reason the P4K is no longer available the receiver will
automatically switch over to the nominated NDI source, this
can be any valid NDI signal within your network.
Please note to update the list of Available NDI sources you
must press the REFRESH button twice in the Web Dashbo-
ard, noting the Web Dashboard is designed to be used with
Chrome or Firefox browsers.
NDI Encode

8
PTZ
Control
You are able to save and recall presets from the Web Dash-
board using the Select Preset option. To operate this,
simply press the Preset number you wish to recall or save
followed by APPLY PRESET or SAVE PRESET
Settings
The P4K communicates with the camera head via a serial
interface, these settings should remain as per default:
VISCA ADDRESS: 1
VISCA BAUDRATE: 9600
PT Max Speed
When controlling the P4K over NDI you can limit the
maximum speed of PTZ movements by affecting this
option, the higher the number (18) the faster and more
sensitive the movements will be on theP4K.
OSD
In the initial release of P4K the OSD is very important for
adjusting the camera image settings since this is the
primary control mechanism. To adjust all cameras settings
please press the OSD N/OFF button to illuminate the OSD.
The OSD is visible on both the NDI output and SDI/HDMI
and can equally be accessed via the included remote
control.
Please take note that the PTZ will not operate normally
(control of movement) until the OSD menu is closed again.

9
System update
The converter is updateable via the web interface. Please
check the below address regularly to ensure you have the
latest firmware available for your device.
Having the latest firmware ensures you have all the latest
features and performance updates to get the most out of
Flex 4K Converters:
bird-dog.tv/firmware-updates
After downloading the latest firmware release, navigate to
the settings tab on the web configuration console and click
on Choose file... select the firmware update file and press
the update button.
NDI NETWORK SETTINGS
Transmit Preferred 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 only using alternative transports
for specific reasons.
UDP
UDP is recommended for networks where there is extended
latency from one end to the other. The nature of UDP
means that it does not need to receive a confirmation of
each packet being received successfully – vastly improving
performance on distance WANs. UDP can have some
consequences f there are other issues on the network such
as jitter or lost packets as it will not inher- ently re-sent a lost
packet.
SYSTEM
Multicast
Multicast is especially useful for use-cases that require a
single source to be received on multiple receivers simulta-
neously. Utilising Muliticast offloads the distribution of the
NDI A/V packets from the BirdDog Flex 4K to the network
infrastructure. You should take care to ensure your network
is specifically configured to support Multicast as using it on
an ill-prepared network can create unintended network
problems.
MultiTCP
MultiTCP is a new NDI transport method that allows users
to send NDI video over poor network topography such as
WAN (Wide Area Networks) without experiencing issues
such as packet loss and lost frames. In the past in order to
send NDI video over a WAN the UDP transport was the only
option available. UDP solved some issues of WAN applica-
tions by allowing the NDI video to travel without dropping
masses of frames but results in dropped packets being
missed which could cause unstable video. UDP also places
more performance demands on devices sending and recei-
ving the signal.
MultiTCP employs a new method of sending TCP packets
whereby it opens a mass of TCP connections over the WAN
and uses them in a ‘round robin’ manner, this allows each
individual TCP connection enough time to acknowledge the
receiving packet, confirm nothing is lost and prepare for the
next one before it’s sent the next TCP packet in the round
robin. This is similar to a RAID setup in traditional storage.

Configuration method:
Address:
Mask:
Gateway:
DHCP timeout:
Static fallback address:
Static fallback mask:
BirdDog Name:
DASHBOARD NETWORK PTZ SYSTEM A/V SETUP LOGOUT
P4K
NETWORK
Receiving NDI streams
There are many applications that support receiving the NDI
signal that P4K produces. Each application will vary slightly
on how you choose your source.
NewTek Studio Monitor
NewTek provide a free Studio Monitor application that
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 your Mini from the drop-down list.
Once connected to the P4K you will notice a configuration
cog appears on the bottom right-hand side of the video
display, this is a shortcut to access the P4K web configura-
tion panel.
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 P4K as a source on your TriCaster, simply click on
the configuration cog below your desired source location,
this will bring up the Input Setting dialog, select from the
drop-down list your P4K source.
Once connected to the P4K you will notice a configuration
cog appears next to the source drop down window, this is a
shortcut to access the P4K web configuration panel.
10
Device naming
When your device is first powered on it defaults to the
naming convention as described in the web configuration
panel section of this manual.
It is possible to change the name along with the network
settings to better suit your environment.
Configuration method
You can configure your device to operate on the network
with a dynamic (DHCP) IP address or a fixed address.
For smaller networks DHCP networking is generally
suitable, however larger networks with managed opera-
tions will often deter- mine each device needs to have a
dedicated and static IP address.
DHCP IP address
DHCP is set as the network configuration by default for
Mini.
Static IP address
To enable a static IP address, change configuration method
to static and fill in the details required in Address, Mask and
Gateway. Particular attention should be paid to the Address
and Mask fields as incorrect information entered will result
in device not being visible on the network and a factory
reset will be required in order to recover the unit.
IP address recovery
In the event that the device is not visible on the network,
the network has changed, or the static IP address details
have been lost, reset the BirdDog back to its default settin-
gs by following the factory reset procedure.
BirdDog name
You can name each unit with a friendly name that makes
sense for each production (Camera 1, Camera 2, etc). This
name will appear on any NDI receiver when it looks for
video coming from Mini over the network. The name must
not include any special characters and can be any combina-
tion of ‘a-z, 1-0, and –‘.
Note: no uppercase characters are valid.
On NDI receiving devices, the device will present as a
source as follows: birddog-name [HDMI] when the unit is
set to automatic input.

bird-dog.tv
[email protected]