Ensemble Designs BrightEye 81-F User manual

R Revision 1.0 SW v 1.0.0
81-F
3G/HD/SD Optical to HDMI
and SDI Electrical Converter
User Guide

Everything is made at our factory in
Nevada City, California.
Come on by and visit us.
Drop in for lunch and a tour!
Shipped with care to television broadcasters
and video facilities all over the world.
And consider our Avenue product line when
you need a modular system.
BrightEye — palm sized video and audio conversion,
HD up/down/cross conversion, scan conversion and
test signal generators with 3G, HD, SD, ASI, HDMI video,
audio and optical choices.
“Regardless of how quickly we need to take Mitto to air, it works famously every time. And it looks spectacular. When
we covered the blizzards last winter, all of our user-generated content submissions and Skype camethrough Mitto.”
~ John Schilberg, VP of Technology, Grin Communications, KWTV, KOTV and KQCW
By Engineers, For Engineers
In 1989, a former television station engineer who loved designing
and building video equipment, decided to start a new company.
He relished the idea of taking an existing group of equipment
and adding a few special pieces in order to create an even more
elegant ensemble. So, he designed and built his rst product and
the company was born.
Focused On What You Need
As the company has grown, more former TV station engineers have
joined Ensemble Designs and this wealth of practical
experience fuels the company’s innovation. Everyone at the
company is focused on providing the very equipment you need
to complete your ensemble of video and audio gear. We oer
those special pieces that tie everything together so that when
combined, the whole ensemble is exactly what you need.
Notably Great Service for You
We listen to you – just tell us what you need and we’ll do our best
to build it. We are completely focused on you and the equipment
you need. Being privately held means we don’t have to worry
about a big board of directors or anything else that might take
attention away from real business. And, you can be sure that
when you call a real person will answer the phone. We love this
business and we’re here to stay.
Bricks and Mortar of Your Facility
The bricks and mortar of a facility include pieces like
up/downconverters, audio embedders, video converters,
protection switches, routers and SPGs for SD, HD and 3Gb/s .
That’s what we’re focused on, that’s all we do – we make proven
and reliable signal processing and infrastructure gear for
video facilities worldwide, for you.
Who is Ensemble Designs?

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Contents
Product Overview 4
Capabilities Overview for BrightEye 81-F 4
Free Software Upgrades for the Life of the Product 4
Functional Description and Block Diagram 5
Application Example 6
Rear Connectors 7
Power Connection 8
USB Connection 8
HDMI Out 8
SDI Output 9
Optical Input 9
Inputs and Outputs 10
Operation 11
Front Panel Indicators 11
Status Indicators 11
Using the BrightEye Control Application 12
Input Menu 13
Troubleshooting 15
The HDMI LED on the front panel is Illuminated orange. 15
The power LED on the front panel is Illuminated, but none of the Input LEDs are
illuminated. 15
Software Updating 16
Warranty and Factory Service 16
Warranty 16
Factory Service 16
Specications 17
Glossary 18

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Product Overview
Use BrightEye 81-F to convert optical 3G, HD or SD video feeds to HDMI and electrical SDI. Convenient
for feeding a video monitor, BrightEye 81-F provides a reliable way to achieve confidence monitoring
in post and broadcast applications.
BrightEye 81-F is an optical to HDMI and electrical converter for use with 3 Gb/s and 1.5 Gb/s high
definition video signals, and standard definition signals.The video input is received on an optical
LC connector, converted, and then output on both a BNC connector and an HDMI connector.The
HDMI output is not HDCP encrypted.
For facilities using 3G, the issue of monitoring the signal becomes a challenge. A 3G video signal can
be easily viewed via the HDMI output of BrightEye 81-F.
Signal monitoring and control is provided through the included BrightEye Mac or PC software.
Note: A glossary of commonly used video terms is provided at the end of this user guide.
Capabilities Overview for BrightEye 81-F
• Optical to HDMI Converter
• Optical to Electrical Converter
• Use with Video Monitors that have HDMI Input
• Use with HD or SD Signals
• 3G HD, Level A Supported
• Optical Receiver
• Passes Embedded Audio
Free Software Upgrades for the Life of the Product
BrightEye Mac or PC software is included with each unit at no charge. Use BrightEye Mac or PC
software to monitor and control a single BrightEye unit or any number of units connected to a USB
hub. BrightEye Mac or PC software is not required as the BrightEye 81-F front panel indicators provide
signal monitoring. You can choose what type of monitoring and control is best for your facility.
BrightEye software is easily upgraded through the unit’s USB port. Software upgrades are available at
no charge for the life of the product and are conveniently downloadable at the following link:
www.ensembledesigns.com/support/brighteye-support/brighteye-software

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Functional Description and Block Diagram
BrightEye 81-F accepts a ber optic video input on the LC/UPC connector. The video signal is then
deserialized and converted to HDMI and electrical SDI. HDMI is output on the HDMI 1.3 connector.
3G, HD, or SD electrical SDI is output on the SDI Out BNC.
BrightEye 81-F 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.
BrightEye 81-F 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.
Deserializer
3G/HD/SD
Optical In
HDMI Out
Video and Audio
8 Channel
Audio
Demux Audio Signal to HDMI
3G/HD/SD SDI
Out
Autotimer
Audio
Encoder Serializer
HDMI
Transmitter
BrightEye 81-F Functional Block Diagram

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Application Example
One useful application for BrightEye 81-F is shown below. In this case, an electrical signal from an
HD router in a remote location (a distance of up to 20 km) is needed in another location. The electrical
signal from the remote HD Router can be converted to optical by a BrightEye 46, then sent over
optical cable to the other location where it is converted back to electrical by the BrightEye 81-F, which
provides one HDMI and one electrical SDI output.
BrightEye 81-F
HD Optical In
HD Optical Out
BrightEye 46
Electrical
HD Router
Remote Location
(up to 20 km for single mode)
Electrical
Distibution
Outputs
Electrical to
Optical Converter
Optical to HDMI
and Electrical SDI
Converter
SDI Out
HDMI Out
HD SDI
Monitor
HDMI
to another HD SDI Destination
BrightEye 81-F HDMI to Optical and Electrical Conversion Example

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Rear Connectors
All connections to the BrightEye 81-F are made on the rear of the unit. Refer to the illustration below
for a snapshot reference. A more detailed explanation of the rear connectors follows.
BrightEye 81-F Rear View

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Power Connection
Your BrightEye 81-F comes with a modular power supply (ED part number 23118900). Connect the
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 Connection
Your BrightEye 81-F comes with a USB cable, shown below. Connect the USB port to a PC or Mac
running BrightEye software for more comprehensive monitoring and upgrades to the unit. BrightEye
Mac or PC software is included on CD that came with your BrightEye. Additionally, the application can
be downloaded for free at the following link:
www.ensembledesigns.com/support/brighteye-support
USB cable that is included with your BrightEye
HDMI Out
The High Denition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an uncompressed, all-digital interface that
transmits digital video and eight channels of digital audio. HDMI is a bit-serial interface that carries
the video content in digital component form over multiple twisted-pairs. The HDMI interface standard
supports limited cable length as compared to SD and HD SDI. The use of cables over 10m (30 feet)
is not recommended. The HDMI output of BrightEye 81-F is not HDCP encrypted. Connect the HDMI
output to your video monitor.

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Optical Input
This ber optic input accepts a 3 Gb/s HD SDI, 1.5 Gb/s HD SDI, or a SD SDI video signal on the
LC/UPC connector.
Example of a BNC cable
SDI Output
BrightEye 81-F provides one SDI Output BNC. It outputs an electrical version of the SDI optical input.
The output standard (3G, HD or SD) follows the input standard.
Connect to a video destination such as a router, production switcher, or broadcast monitor.

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Inputs and Outputs
• HDMI Out – Outputs HDMI 1.3. The HDMI output of BrightEye 81-F is not HDCP encrypted.
The High Denition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an uncompressed, all-digital interface that
transmits digital video and eight channels of digital audio. HDMI is a bit-serial interface that
carries the video content in digital component form over multiple twisted-pairs. The HDMI
interface standard supports limited cable length as compared to SD and HD SDI. The use of
cables over 10m (30 feet) is not recommended.
• SDI Output – BrightEye 81-F provides one SDI Output BNC. It outputs an electrical version of
the SDI optical input. The output standard (3G, HD or SD) follows the input standard.
• Optical Input – This ber optic input accepts a 3 Gb/s HD SDI, 1.5 Gb/s HD SDI, or a SD SDI
video signal on the LC/UPC connector.

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Operation
BrightEye 81-F provides status indicators on the front panel. Status indicators can also be viewed
remotely from a networked PC with the BrightEye Mac or PC software.
Front Panel Indicators
The front panel of the converter, shown in the gure below, provides status indicators.
BrightEye 81-F Front Panel
Status Indicators
• Input – The incoming format (3G, HD, or SD) will Illuminate green.
BrightEye 81-F supportsall of the 3G, HD and SD standards listed in the chart in the "Using the
BrightEye Control Application” section, beginning on page 12. The video format is auto detected.
• HDMI – The HDMI LED will indicate cable connection and status as follows:
Green – The HDMI LED will illuminate green when an HDMI cable is connected to a monitor
and the monitor reports back that it supports the incoming format.
Orange – The HDMI LED will illuminate orange when an HDMI cable is connected to a monitor
and the monitor reports back that it does not support the incoming format.
Note: Because many monitors do not report back format support fully or accurately,
BrightEye 81-F will often function properly when the HDMI LED illuminates orange.
Unlit – If the HDMI LED is not illuminated check the cabling between BrightEye 81-F and
the monitor.
• Pwr (Power) – The power indicator illuminates green when the BrightEye unit has power and
the internal voltage regulator is functioning correctly.

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Using the BrightEye Control Application
The BrightEye Mac or PC software is included on a CD with each unit and oers more comprehensive
monitoring of your BrightEye 81-F. BrightEye Mac or PC software is designed to allow you to monitor
the BrightEye 81-F from a personal computer. Installation and instructions for using this software
application are given in the PDF manual on the CD.
If the BrightEye 81-F is connected to a computer running BrightEye Mac or PC software, the
Input menu is available for monitoring the unit. This menu is detailed on the following page.

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Input Menu
The status indicators of the Input Menu are detailed below. Please refer to the Input Menu illustration
on the following page.
• Input – This menu provides a read-only status indication of input video presence. The video
format coming in on the BNC connector(s) is auto detected and reported here. BrightEye 81-F
supports all of the 3G, HD and SD standards listed in the chart below.
3G HD SD Other
3G 1080p/50 720p/50 SD 525 No Input
3G 1080p/59.94 720p/59.94 SD 625 Unknown
3G 1080p/60 720p/60
1080i/50
1080i/59.94
1080i/60
1080p/25
1080p/23.98
1080p/24
1080sF/25
1080sF/23.98
1080sF/24
Note: If the status indicator displays “Unknown,“ the unit is detecting an invalid or
incompatible input signal. If the status indicator displays“No Input,”BrightEye 81-F is not
detecting any input signal. Check your cabling connections. When the Input status is
“No Input,” none of the Input LEDs on the front panel will be illuminated, and the Power LED
will be illuminated.
• Embedded Audio – This provides a read-only status indication regarding embedded audio
presence as follows:
G1 – Embedded audio is present on Group 1 of the audio input.
G2 – Embedded audio is present on Group 2 of the audio input.
G1 G2 – Embedded audio is present on Group 1 and Group 2 of the audio input.
Four Sets of Dashes (-- -- -- --) – No embedded audio is present.
Note: Please see the Input Menu illustration on the next page.

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BrightEye 81-F Input Menu

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Troubleshooting
The HDMI LED on the front panel is Illuminated orange.
The HDMI LED will illuminate orange when an HDMI cable is connected to a monitor and the monitor
reports back that it does not support the incoming format. Because many monitors do not report back
format support fully or accurately, BrightEye 81-F will often function properly when the HDMI LED
illuminates orange.
The power LED on the front panel is Illuminated, but none of the Input LEDs are
illuminated.
This indicates that BrightEye 81-F does not detect a valid input. Check your cabling connections.

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Software Updating
Software upgrades for BrightEyes are available free at the following link:
www.ensembledesigns.com/support/brighteye-support/
Use BrightEye Mac or PC software to install the software update into your BrightEye.
Warranty and Factory Service
Warranty
This module is covered by a ve-year limited warranty. 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 an opportunity to provide any other suggestions for identifying the
problem and to recommend possible solutions.
Factory Service
If you return equipment for repair, please get a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA) from the
factory rst.
tel [phone]
fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.ensembledesigns.com
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
Be sure to put your RMA number on the outside of the box.

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Specications
Optical Input
Number One, LC/UPC
Type 270 Mb/s (SMPTE 297M, optical equivalent of 259M)
1.485 Gb/s Gb/s HD Serial Digital (SMPTE 274M, 272M or 296M)
2.97 Gb/s HD Serial Digital(SMPTE 424M, 425M), Level A
Wavelength 830 to 1610 nm
Receiver Sensitivity -18 dBm
Max Cable Length 20 km (For greater distances, or higher power and larger loss budgets, please contact the factory)
Fiber Type Single Mode
Multi-mode compatible with attenuation at transmit end
SDI Standards Supported
1080i (SMPTE 274M -4,5,6) 50, 59.94 or 60 Hz
720p (SMPTE 296M -1,2,3) 50, 59.94 or 60 Hz
1080p (SMPTE 274M -9,10,11) 23.98, 24, 25 Hz
1080sF (RP211 -14,15,16) 23.98, 24, 25 Hz
1080p (SMPTE 424M, 425M), 50, 59.94, 60, Level A
525i, 625i (SMPTE 259M)
HDMI Output
Number One
Type HDMI 1.3
Format HDMI 1.3
Serial Digital Output
Number One, BNC
Signal Type Follows input
Impedance 75 Ω
Return Loss >15 dB to 1.485 GHz
>10 dB to 2.97 GHz
Output DC None (AC coupled)
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
(100-230 VAC modular power supply)
Temperature Range 0 to 40° C ambient (all specs met)
Relative Humidity 0 to 95° non-condensing

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Glossary
AES/EBU
The digital audio standard dened as a joint eort 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.
AFD
Active Format Description is a method to carry information regarding the aspect ratio of the video
content. The specication of AFD was standardized by SMPTE in 2007 and is now beginning to appear
in the marketplace. AFD can be included in both SD and HD SDI transport systems. There is no legacy
analog implementation. (See WSS).
ASI
A commonly used transport method for MPEG video streams, ASI or Asynchronous Serial Interface,
operates at the same 270 Mb/s data rate as SD SDI. This makes it easy to carry an ASI stream through
existing digital television infrastructure. Known more formally as DVB-ASI, this transport mechanism
can be used to carry multiple program channels.
Aspect Ratio
The ratio of the vertical and horizontal measurements of an image. 4:3 is the aspect ratio for standard
denition video formats and television and 16:9 for high denition. Converting formats of unequal
ratios is done by letterboxing (horizontal bars) or pillar boxing (vertical pillars) in order to keep the
original format’s aspect ratio.
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 delity and accuracy.
Beta
Sony Beta SP video tape machines use an analog component format that is similar to SMPTE, but
diers in the amplitude of the color dierence signals. It may also carry setup on the luminance
channel.
Bit
A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest amount of information that can be stored or transmitted digitally
by electrical, optical, magnetic, or other means. A single bit can take on one of two states: On/O,
Low/High, Asserted/ Deasserted, etc. It is represented numerically by the numerals 1 (one) and 0
(zero). A byte, containing 8 bits, can represent 256 dierent states. The binary number 11010111, for
example, has the value of 215 in our base 10 numbering system. When a value is carried digitally, each
additional bit of resolution will double the number of dierent states that can be represented. Systems

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that operate with a greater number of bits of resolution, or quantization, will be able to capture a
signal with more detail or delity. Thus, a video digitizer with 12 bits of resolution will capture 4 times
as much detail as one with 10 bits.
Blanking
The Horizontal and Vertical blanking intervals of a television signal refer to the time periods between
lines and between elds. No picture information is transmitted 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 eld.
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 dierence 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.
Checkeld
A Checkeld 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 Checkeld, 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.
Chroma
The color or chroma content of a signal, consisting of the hue and saturation of the image.
See also Color Dierence.
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 delity with the fewest artifacts, but it requires
three independent transmission paths (cables). The commonly used component formats are
Luminance and Color Dierence (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 dierence 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

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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 Dierence
Color Dierence 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 dierence”. Noted as B-Y and R-Y, these two signals
describe how a particular pixel “diers” 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
dierence of 20 dB corresponds to a 10:1 ratio between two signals, 6 dB is approximately a 2:1 ratio.
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.
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 reproduced because they would be clipped.
The nominal operating point (roughly corresponding 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.
DVI
Digital Visual Interface. DVI-I (integrated) provides both digital and analog connectivity. The larger
group of pins on the connector are digital while the four pins on the right are analog.
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 can be very cost eective in transmission and routing, but