Ensemble Designs BrightEye 16 User manual

This user guide provides detailed information for using the BrightEye™16 SDI
to Analog Converter with Frame Sync/Genlock with Audio Disembedder.
The information is organized into the following sections:
• Product Overview
• Functional Description
• Applications
• Rear Connectors
• Operation
• Front Panel Controls and Indicators
• Using The BrightEye Control Application
• Warranty and Factory Service
• Specifications
• Glossary
BrightEye-1
SDI to Analog Converter
with Frame Sync/Genlock
and Audio Disembedder
User Guide
Revision 4.0 SW v1.0.2
ENSEMBLE
DESIGNS

BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
BrightEye™ 16 provides digital to analog conversion with a timeable output. It is
perfect for feeding composite analog switchers and routers where timing to a
reference is required. It also disembeds audio from the SDI input and converts it
to four analog audio outputs.
The BrightEye 16 has an SDI video and a reference input. The input signal is
converted to analog composite and synchronized (genlocked) to the reference
signal. The analog composite output is fully timed with respect to the reference
including ScH phase.
Embedded audio from the SDI input is disembedded and converted with 24 bit
precision to analog audio.
Basic controls are accessed on the front panel. The BrightEye Control application
provides access to video proc functions and built-in audio mixer controls not
available from the front panel.
A glossary of commonly used video terms is provided at the end of this user guide.
FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
As shown in the functional block diagram below, serial digital video input is fed
to the converter unit on a single BNC connector. The SDI input is routed to the
reclocking and deserializing circuitry before entering the TBC/Frame
Synchronizer where the external Ref In signal provides a timing reference.
Embedded audio is disembedded from the SDI input and converted to analog
audio and output as balanced audio at the 15 pin D connector.
The video is sent to a 12 bit D-to-A converter. The converted analog signal
is then encoded to PAL or NTSC analog video depending on the line rate of the
input. During this stage, proc amp adjustments can be made for the correct
output levels. Two composite out BNCs are provided at the output.
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Reclocker Deserializer
SDI In
Ref In
Composite Out 1
Composite Out 2
12-bit
D to A
Converter
and
Video
Encoder
TBC/
Frame
Sync
Ch 1/2 Ch 3/4
D
A
C
Ch 1
Ch 3
Ch 2
Ch 4
Balanced
Audio
Outputs
Mixer
Shuffler
Disembedder
BrightEye 16 Functional Block Diagram

BrightEye 16 is powered by a 12 volt DC universal power supply. This power
supply can accept an input voltage between 90 and 230 volts, at 50 or 60 Hertz. It
uses a standard IEC line cord and can be used anywhere in the world. It is
normal for the converter to be quite warm to the touch when operating.
APPLICATIONS
The versatility of BrightEye 16 can be utilized in a number of different applica-
tions where conversion of SDI to analog video with timing and disembedded audio
is required. An example of using BrightEye 16 is given below.
D-to-A Conversion to Analog Destination
One application, shown in the illustration below, utilizes the full functionality of
BrightEye 16 by using the converted SDI input from a video server to feed an
analog VTR, all timed to the same house reference.
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BrightEye 16
Video Server Analog VTR
Embedded SDI In
Ref In
Ref In Ref In
Analog Video
Analog Audio
House Reference
BrightEye 16 Application

BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
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REAR CONNECTORS
All connections to the BrightEye 16 converter are made on the rear of the unit.
Refer to the illustration below.
Power Connection
Connect a modular power supply to the 12 volt DC power input connection on the
far left of the unit. Use the locking ring to secure it.
USB Connector
The USB connector is used to provide more comprehensive control, diagnostics,
and upgrades to the unit from a PC or Mac. Use the BrightEye Control applica-
tion included on CD-ROM to make adjustments as described in the OPERATION
section of this user guide.
Input/Output BNCS
There are four rear BNC connectors used as inputs and outputs as follows:
SDI In
This BNC input accepts a SMPTE 259M serial digital component signal, 525 or
625 line standard.
Ref In
For synchronizing (genlocking) the input signal to an external reference, connect
a composite video (PAL or NTSC) to the Ref In BNC.
Composite Out 1 and 2
Two timed composite outputs are provided for feeding analog destinations. The
standard PAL or NTSC outputs follow the input standard and must be the same
standard as the reference, if one is used.
Analog Audio Out
A 15 pin D connector provides the output for four channels of analog audio
according to the pinouts given in the table and shown in the illustration below.
BrightEye 16 Rear Connectors
Analog Audio Pinouts
Signal Pins Output
Aud 1 +, –, G 1, 2, 7 Output 1
Aud 2 +, –, G 5, 4, 3 Output 2
Aud 3 +, –, G 11, 12, 6 Output 3
Aud 4 +, –, G 15, 14, 13 Output 4
1
6
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
-
11
AUD 2 AUD 1
AUD 3
AUD 4

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OPERATION
Control and operation of the BrightEye 16 converter is performed from the front
panel or with the BrightEye Control application.
Some control settings are only available with BrightEye PC or BrightEye Mac. These
parameters cannot be monitored or controlled with the front panel.
Front Panel Controls and Indicators
The front panel of the converter, shown in the figure below, provides status indi-
cators and control over ti and gain.
Status Indicators
The following status indicators are provided on the front panel:
In
Illuminates green when an input for is detected on the SDI In BNC
connector.
Ref (Reference)
Illuminates green when a valid reference is detected on the Ref In BNC
connector.
Group
The group (1, 2, 3, or 4) currently selected for disembedding from the SDI
output is illuminated green.
Ch 1/2 and Ch 3/4
VU output level and the status of the Gain adjustment for each of these
channel pairs is indicated by the state the VU and Gain indicators. The VU
indicator illuminates red when the audio level exceeds the headroom level
set by the user (with the Peak Indicator control in BrightEye PC or Mac.)
Additionally, the VU indicator illuminates orange when the output is above
0 VU, illuminates green when the output is above -20 VU, and doesn’t illu-
minate when the output is below -20 VU.
NOTE:
BrightEye 16 Front Panel

BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
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The Gain indicator illuminates red when the gain level has been adjusted
off from unity by the user. The 0 VU point corresponds in the digital domain
to the digital reference level (-18 or -20 dBFS) and in the analog domain to
the analog reference level (-10 or +4 dBu).
Pwr (Power)
Illuminates green when power is applied to the converter and the internal
voltage regulator is functioning correctly
ADJUSTING PARAMETERS FROM THE FRONT PANEL
Use the Mode, Right Arrow, and Left Arrow buttons to select and adjust
parameters from the front panel.
Pressing the Mode button activates the front panel for editing and tabs between
each section of editable parameters.
Pressing the Right Arrow or Left Arrow advances the selection within a given
section of parameters, or increases (Right Arrow) or decreases (Left Arrow) the
value of a selected parameter.
The LED of an edited parameter will blink for 15 seconds, after which time its value is
stored in memory. If power is interrupted before this 15 second timeout period has
elapsed, the edited state will not be not saved.
The controls and their indicators are described below.
NOTE:

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Timing
The timing function operates in one of three modes:
1. When the Frame Sync control is turned On and a proper reference signal is
connected to the Ref In BNC, the video output of the unit will be syn-
chronous and locked to the external reference. The output may be timed
with respect to the Ref In using the timing controls. In this case, the unit
will accept asynchronous video and time base errors will be corrected.
2. When the Frame Sync control is turned On and no reference signal is
connected, the unit will act as a time base corrector only. The output will
not be synchronous to any reference, including the input. This mode allows
a noisy input signal to be time base corrected for a clean stable output.
3. When the Frame Sync control is turned Off, any reference signal to the Ref
In BNC is ignored. The video input is synchronous to the video output when
a nearly perfect, clean video input signal is present (no time base correction
required).
The output timing of the module can be adjusted with the following controls when
Frame Sync is enabled:
Vert – adjust the vertical timing in lines in reference to the Ref In.
Hor – adjust the horizontal timing in clocks in reference to the Ref In.
Fine – adjust the fine phase in subpixels in reference to the Ref In.
TBC/Frame Sync
This control enables the Frame Sync genlock function when an external reference
is present on the Ref In BNC.
Vid Gain
This control adjusts the gain of the analog video signals in the Digital-to-Analog
converter and encoder circuitry of the converter. The right arrow will increase the
gain, the left arrow will decrease it. The Vid Gain indicator will illuminate green
when the gain is set to its nominal or unity setting.
This is the setting which will produce correct analog output levels from a digital
input source which itself is at proper level. The Vid Gain indicator will illumi-
nate red whenever the control is adjusted either higher or lower than the nominal
setting. The gain can be reset to nominal (green) by pressing both arrows simul-
taneously.

BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
USING THE BRIGHTEYE CONTROL APPLICATION
The BrightEye PC and BrightEye Mac applications included on CD-ROM are
designed to allow you to configure and control the BrightEye 16 from a personal
computer. Installation and instructions for using this software application are
given in the PDF manual on disk.
If the BrightEye 16 is connected to a computer running this software, the
following menus are available for controlling and monitoring the unit.
Input Menu
• Input Pres – gives read-only status indication of input video presence
(None, 525 Lock, or 625 Lock).
• Ref Pres – gives read-only status indication of reference video presence
(No Ref or Ref Present).
• Group Select – select the group to be disembedded from the SDI input.
The status of the selected audio group is given in the Group Status window
(Group 1 – 4 OK or No Audio Present).
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Proc Menu
• Gain – adjust the overall gain of the signal from 50 to 150%.
• Chroma – adjust the chroma gain of the signal from 50 to 150%.
• Pedestal – adjust the pedestal level of the signal +/- 5 IRE.
•Hue– adjust the hue of the signal +/- 180 degrees.
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
Audio Mixer Menu
• Outputs 1-4 – provide peak/VU status, with the same methodology as
the front panel VU indicators, but on a per channel basis, rather than per
channel pair. Peak/VU indicators illuminate red when the audio level on
that channel exceeds the headroom level set by the user with the Peak
Indicator control. Additionally, the VU indicator illuminates orange when
the output is above 0 VU, illuminates green when the output is above -20
VU, and doesn’t illuminate when the output is below -20 VU.
•Input Ch 1 – assign Input Channel 1 to the desired output bus or tie to
Channel 2. Set the input level using the slider control or by entering a
number in the window and pressing the Enter key on your PC.
•Input Ch 2 – assign Input Channel 2 to the desired output bus or tie to
Channel 1. Set the input level using the slider control or by entering a
number in the window and pressing the Enter key on your PC.
•Input Ch 3 – assign Input Channel 3 to the desired output bus or tie to
Channel 4. Set the input level using the slider control or by entering a
number in the window and pressing the Enter key on your PC.
•Input Ch 4 – assign Input Channel 4 to the desired output bus or tie to
Channel 3. Set the input level using the slider control or by entering a
number in the window and pressing the Enter key on your PC.
Selecting the Tie button in Input Ch 1 or Input Ch 2 will tie the two controls
together. Selecting the Tie button in Input Ch 3 or Input Ch 4 will tie the
controls for these channels together.
Select the Default button to return to the default value.
Select the Invert button to invert the phase of the audio content.
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Timing Menu
Use the timing controls below when the Frame Sync function is On:
• Ver Time – adjust the vertical timing of the signal in lines in reference to
the Ref In signal.
• Hor Time – adjust the horizontal timing of the signal in clocks in reference
to the Ref In signal.
• Fine Phase – adjust the fine phase of the signal in subpixels in reference
to the Ref In signal.
• Frame Sync – set the Frame Sync function On to genlock to the external
reference input to the module and enable the timing controls or Off for no
Frame Sync.
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
Output Menu
Use the Output menu to set the following output conditions for the module:
• V Blanking – set the vertical blanking to Narrow (NTSC: lines 1-9,
PAL: lines 1-6) or Wide (NTSC: lines 1-20, PAL: lines 1-22).
• Signal Mute – select the condition on which to mute the output signal from
No Muting, Mute On Noise, or Freeze on Noise.
• Test Pattern – select a test pattern at the module output from Black or
Color Bars or turn to Off for normal operation.
• Analog Setup – for NTSC output signals apply setup level to the output by
selecting On.Set to Off if no setup on the output is required.
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Aud Config Menu
Use the Aud Config menu to set the following output conditions for each audio
group:
• Dig Ref Level – selects the digital reference output level. This pulldown
lets you choose between: -20 dBFS or -18 dBFS.
• Anlg Ref Level – selects the analog audio input level for embedding. This
pulldown lets you select between: -10 dBu Analog and +4 dBu Analog.
• Peak Indicator – selects the amount of headroom to use in determining
peak indications. This pulldown lets you chose between: Clipping,2 dB
Headroom,4 dB Headroom,6 dB Headroom, 8 dB Headroom, or 10
dB Headroom.
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
WARRANTY AND FACTORY SERVICE
Warranty
Ensemble Designs, Inc. warrants this product to be free from defect in material
and workmanship for a period of five years from the date of delivery. During this
two year warranty period, Ensemble Designs, Inc. will repair any defective units
at Ensemble’s expense if the unit should be determined to be defective after con-
sultation with a factory technician.
This warranty is not transferable. Any implied warranties expire at the expira-
tion date of this warranty.
This warranty does not cover a defect that has resulted from improper or unrea-
sonable use or maintenance as determined by us. This warranty is void if there is
any attempt to disassemble or adjust factory set presets without factory autho-
rization.
Factory Service
If you require service (under warranty or not), please contact Ensemble Designs
and ask for Customer Service before you return the unit. This will allow the
service technician to provide any other suggestions for identifying the problem
and recommend possible solutions.
You may also refer to the technical support section of the Ensemble web site for
the latest information on your equipment at the URL below:
http://www.ensembledesigns.com/support
If you return equipment for repair, please get a Return Material Authorization
Number (RMA) from the factory first.
Ship the product and a written description of the problem to:
Ensemble Designs, Inc.
Attention: Customer Service RMA #####
870 Gold Flat Rd.
Nevada City, CA 95959 USA
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
http://www.ensembledesigns.com
Be sure to put your RMA number on the outside of the box.
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SPECIFICATIONS
Serial Input:
Number One
Signal Type: 270 Mb/s Serial Digital (SMPTE 259M)
Impedance: 75 Ω
Return Loss: > 15 dB
Max Cable Length 300 meters
Reference Input:
Number One
Signal Type: 1 V p-p Composite Video, PAL or NTSC
Impedance: 75 Ω
Return Loss: > 40 dB
Analog Video Output:
Number Two
Type: Composite PAL or NTSC (follows input)
Return Loss: > 40 dB
Output DC: < 100 mV
SDI to Analog Performance:
Bit Resolution: 12 bit output reconstruction
8 X oversampling
Signal to Noise: > 65 dB
Timing Window: Infinite (with respect to reference)
Output Timing
Resolution: ScH Phase matches reference
Adjustable to within 1 degree of subcarrier
Frequency Response: ± 0.1 dB, 0 to 5.5 MHz
K Factors: < 1%
ScH Phase Error: < ± 2 degrees
Differential Phase: < 1 degree
Differential Gain: < 1%
Analog Audio Outputs:
Number: Four
Type: Balanced, transformerless
Impedance: 30 Ω
Max Output Level: 24 dBu
Resolution: 24 bits, 128x oversampled
Reference Level: -10 dBu to +4 dBu
Freq Response: -0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20kHz
Crosstalk: < 102 dB
Dynamic Range: > 106 dB
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
General Specifications:
Size: 5.625” W x 0.8 “ H x 5.5” D
(143 mm x 20 mm x 140 mm)
including connectors
Power: 12 volts, 7 watts
Temperature Range: 0 to 40 degrees C ambient
Relative Humidity: 0 to 95% noncondensing
Due to ongoing product development, all specifications are subject to change.
BrightEye-16

BRIGHTEYE POWER SUPPLY INFORMATION
Below is a list of power supplies and optional items that may have come with your
BrightEye:
BEPS
BrightEye Individual Power Supply.
BEPS6
Spider Power Supply. This powers 6 single high BrightEyes or 3 double high
BrightEyes (BrightEye 90 family).
BEPS6-RP
Redundant Power Supply for Spider.
BERKMT
BrightEye Rack Mount. This holds 6 single high BrightEyes or 3 double high
BrightEyes (BrightEye 90 family) or a combination.
BEBP
BrightEye Blank Panel. Single high, for empty slots in Rack Mount.
BEAC
Analog Audio Breakout Cable.
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
GLOSSARY
This is a brief glossary of commonly used terms associated with this product.
AES/EBU
The digital audio standard defined as a joint effort of the Audio Engineering
Society and the European Broadcast Union. AES/EBU or AES3 describes a serial
bitstream that carries two audio channels, thus an AES stream is a stereo pair.
The AES/EBU standard covers a wide range of sample rates and quantizations
(bit depths.) In television systems, these will generally be 48 kHz and either 20 or
24 bits.
Bandwidth
Strictly speaking, this refers to the range of frequencies (i.e. the width of the band
of frequency) used by a signal, or carried by a transmission channel. Generally,
wider bandwidth will carry and reproduce a signal with greater fidelity and
accuracy.
Beta
Sony Beta SP video tape machines use an analog component format that is
similar to SMPTE, but differs in the amplitude of the color difference signals. It
may also carry setup on the luminance channel.
Blanking
The Horizontal and Vertical blanking intervals of a television signal refer to the
time periods between lines and between fields. No picture information is trans-
mitted during these times, which are required in CRT displays to allow the
electron beam to be repositioned for the start of the next line or field. They are
also used to carry synchronizing pulses which are used in transmission and
recovery of the image. Although some of these needs are disappearing, the
intervals themselves are retained for compatibility purposes. They have turned
out to be very useful for the transmission of additional content, such as teletext
and embedded audio.
CAV
Component Analog Video. This is a convenient shorthand form, but it is subject to
confusion. It is sometimes used to mean ONLY color difference component
formats (SMPTE or Beta), and other times to include RGB format. In any case, a
CAV signal will always require 3 connectors – either Y/R-Y/B-Y, or R/G/B.
Checkfield
A Checkfield signal is a special test signal that stresses particular aspects of
serial digital transmission. The performance of the Phase Locked-Loops (PLLs) in
an SDI receiver must be able to tolerate long runs of 0’s and 1’s. Under normal
conditions, only very short runs of these are produced due to a scrambling
algorithm that is used. The Checkfield, also referred to as the Pathological test
signal, will “undo” the scrambling and cause extremely long runs to occur. This
test signal is very useful for testing transmission paths.
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Chroma
The color or chroma content of a signal, consisting of the hue and saturation of
the image. See also Color Difference.
Component
In a component video system, the totality of the image is carried by three
separate but related components. This method provides the best image fidelity
with the fewest artifacts, but it requires three independent transmission paths
(cables). The commonly used component formats are Luminance and Color
Difference (Y/Pr/Pb), and RGB. It was far too unwieldy in the early days of color
television to even consider component transmission.
Composite
Composite television dates back to the early days of color transmission. This
scheme encodes the color difference information onto a color subcarrier. The
instantaneous phase of the subcarrier is the color’s hue, and the amplitude is the
color’s saturation or intensity. This subcarrier is then added onto the existing
luminance video signal. This trick works because the subcarrier is set at a high
enough frequency to leave spectrum for the luminance information. But it is not a
seamless matter to pull the signal apart again at the destination in order to
display it or process it. The resultant artifacts of dot crawl (also referred to as
chroma crawl) are only the most obvious result. Composite television is the most
commonly used format throughout the world, either as PAL or NTSC. It is also
referred to as Encoded video.
Color Difference
Color Difference systems take advantage of the details of human vision. We have
more acuity in our black and white vision than we do in color. This means that we
need only the luminance information to be carried at full bandwidth, we can
scrimp on the color channels. In order to do this, RGB information is converted to
carry all of the luminance (Y is the black and white of the scene) in a single
channel. The other two channels are used to carry the “color difference”. Noted as
B-Y and R-Y, these two signals describe how a particular pixel “differs” from
being purely black and white. These channels typically have only half the
bandwidth of the luminance.
Decibel (dB)
The decibel is a unit of measure used to express the ratio in the amplitude or
power of two signals. A difference of 20 dB corresponds to a 10:1 ratio between
two signals, 6 dB is approximately a 2:1 ration. Decibels add while the ratios
multiply, so 26 dB is a 20:1 ratio, and 14 dB is a 5:1 ratio. There are several
special cases of the dB scale, where the reference is implied. Thus, dBm refers to
power relative to 1 milliwatt, and dBu refers to voltage relative to .775V RMS.
The original unit of measure was the Bel (10 times bigger), named after
Alexander Graham Bell.
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BrightEye 16 D-to-A Converter TBC/FS and Disembedder
dBFS
In Digital Audio systems, the largest numerical value that can be represented is
referred to as Full Scale. No values or audio levels greater than FS can be repro-
duced because they would be clipped. The nominal operating point (roughly corre-
sponding to 0 VU) must be set below FS in order to have headroom for audio
peaks. This operating point is described relative to FS, so a digital reference level
of -20 dBFS has 20 dB of headroom before hitting the FS clipping point.
EDH
Error Detection and Handling is a method to verify proper reception of an SDI or
HD-SDI signal at the destination. The originating device inserts a data packet in
the vertical interval of the SDI signal and every line of the HD signal which
contains a checksum of the entire video frame. This checksum is formed by
adding up the numerical values of all of the samples in the frame, using a
complex formula. At the destination this same formula is applied to the incoming
video and the resulting value is compared to the one included in the transmission.
If they match, then the content has all arrived with no errors. If they don’t, then
an error has occurred.
Embedded Audio
Digital Audio can be carried along in the same bitstream as an SDI or HD-SDI
signal by taking advantage of the gaps in the transmission which correspond to
the horizontal and vertical intervals of the television waveform. This technique
an be very cost effective in transmission and routing, but can also add complexity
to signal handling issues because the audio content can no longer be treated inde-
pendently of the video.
Frame Sync
A Frame Synchronizer is used to synchronize the timing of a video signal to
coincide with a timing reference (usually a color black signal that is distributed
throughout a facility). The synchronizer accomplishes this by writing the
incoming video into a frame buffer memory under the timing direction of the sync
information contained in that video. Simultaneously the memory is being read
back by a timing system that is genlocked to a house reference. As a result, the
timing or alignment of the video frame can be adjusted so that the scan of the
upper left corner of the image is happening simultaneously on all sources. This is
a requirement for both analog and digital systems in order to perform video
effects or switch glitch-free in a router. Frame synchronization can only be
performed within a single television line standard. A synchronizer will not convert
an NTSC signal to a PAL signal, it takes a standards converter to do that.
Frequency Response
A measurement of the accuracy of a system to carry or reproduce a range of signal
frequencies. Similar to Bandwidth.
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