Matrox Veos User manual

User Guide
20073-301-0105
2008.08.08
Matrox Veos
ENGLISH

2 Matrox Veos – User Guide
Overview
Thank you for purchasing Matrox Veos. Your Veos product consists of 3 components – the Master,
Display, and Repeater units–that work together to extend your graphics data over 100 meters per unit.
Providing high image quality, multiple channels of content, and multi-display support at great
distances, your Matrox Veos product is designed to meet the needs of the digital signage market.
Hardware supplied
Master unit
Display unit
Matrox Veos Master Unit Matrox cable
(HD15-to-HD15) Matrox cable (DVI-to-DVI)
Power/USB cable Power supply
Matrox Veos Display Unit Power/USB cable Power supply
2 DVI-to-HD15 adapters

Matrox Veos – User Guide 3
Repeater unit
Additional hardware required
To connect your Matrox Veos product, you also need the following hardware:
 Supported coaxial cables
 RS-232 serial cables (only if connecting RS-232 monitors)
 Repeater unit – PoE (Power Over Ethernet) power supply unit and twisted pair cables
(CAT5 or CAT6)
Software supplied (for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP
Professional x64, and Windows Vista)
 Matrox PowerDesk-SE – to use your Matrox product. Matrox makes new display drivers
available on the Matrox Technical Support Web site
(www.matrox.com/graphics/support/drivers).
Installation overview
To install your Matrox product:
1 Connect your monitors and Veos units – see “Connection setup”, page 4.
2 Install the software – see “Software setup”, page 13.
Matrox Veos Repeater Unit

4 Matrox Veos – User Guide
Connection setup
This section describes how to connect your Matrox Veos product. Your Veos product consists of 3
components that work together to extend your graphics data over 100 meters per unit:
 Master unit (required) – connects to your computer.
 Display unit (required) – connects to your monitors. The input can come from a Master,
Display, or Repeater unit. The output can go to a Display or Repeater unit.
 Repeater unit (optional) – connects to another Veos unit. The input can come from a
Master, Display, or Repeater unit. The output can go to a Display or Repeater unit.
The following is an example of a possible Veos setup.
WARNING: Because your units disperse heat, they may become warm during operation.
Make sure your units are located in a well ventilated area and nothing is blocking their
ventilation holes.
Master unit
Display unit
Display unit
Repeater unit
Display unit
Display unit
Repeater unit

Matrox Veos – User Guide 5
Connection overview – Master unit
* Depending on your graphics hardware, you need to attach either the Matrox HD15-to-HD15 cable or the Matrox DVI-to-DVI
cable to the input connector on your Master unit.
Step-by-step connection setup – Master unit
1Attach the Matrox cable
If your graphics hardware has a DVI
connector, attach one end of the Matrox
cable to the graphics connector on your
computer. Attach the other end of the cable
to the DVI input connector ( ) on
your Master unit.
If your graphics hardware has an HD-15
connector, attach one end of the Matrox
cable to the graphics connector on your
computer. Attach the other end of the cable
to the HD-15 input connector ( ) on
your Master unit.
Serial cable
Power/USB cable
Input connector
(HD-15 ) Input connector
(DVI )
Matrox cable
(DVI-to-DVI)*
Matrox cable
(HD15-to-HD15)* Coaxial cable
Output coaxial
connector
(BNC )
Input connector
(Serial DB-9 )
Matrox cable
(DVI-to-DVI)
Matrox cable
(HD15-to-HD15)

6 Matrox Veos – User Guide
2Connect the coaxial cable
Connect your coaxial cable to the output
coaxial connector ( ) on your Master
unit.
3Connect the serial cable
(optional)
If you want to use a monitor that has an RS-
232 serial port connector, you need to
connect a serial cable to the DB-9 connector
on your Master unit.
Connect one end of your RS-232 serial cable
(sold separately) to the RS-232 connector on
your computer.
Connect the other end of your cable to the
DB-9 input connector ( ) on your
Master unit.
4Connect the Power/USB cable
Plug one end of the Power/USB cable
provided with your Master unit into the
USB connector ( ) on your Master unit.
Plug the power supply connector of the
Power/USB cable into the external power
supply provided with your Master unit.
Plug the USB connector into a USB port on
your computer.
Coaxial cable
Serial cable
Note: For your Master unit to work
properly, both the power supply connector
and USB connector of the Power/USB
cable must be plugged in at the same time.
Power/USB cable
USB connector
Power supply
connector

Matrox Veos – User Guide 7
5Check the indicator light
If the indicator light is on (green or red),
your Master unit is properly connected.
If the indicator light is off (black), make sure
your Master unit is properly connected and
that all connectors are properly fastened.
For more information, see “Description of
indicator lights”, page 12.
Connection overview – Display unit
* If your monitor has an HD-15 connector, use a DVI-to-HD15 adapter included with your Display unit to connect your monitor
to the monitor connector on your Display unit.
Indicator light
Note: To get the most out of your Matrox product, we recommend you use identical
monitors (that is, monitors that support the same settings such as display resolution,
refresh rate, and aspect ratio). For information on the settings your monitor supports, see
your monitor documentation.
Monitor cables
(DVI)
Power/USB cable
Serial cable
Coaxial cables
Content channel
button ( )
Output connectors
(DVI )*
Input coaxial
connector
(BNC )
Output coaxial
connector
(BNC )
Output connector
(Serial DB-9 )
Content channel
button ( )

8 Matrox Veos – User Guide
Step-by-step connection setup – Display unit
1Connect the coaxial cable
Connect the input coaxial cable to the input
coaxial connector ( ) on your Display
unit.
To connect your Display unit to another
Veos unit (Display or Repeater), connect a
second coaxial cable to the output coaxial
connector ( ) on your Display unit.
2Connect your monitors
If your monitor has a DVI connector,
connect it directly to the connector labeled
( ) on your Display unit.
If your monitor has an HD-15 connector,
use a DVI-to-HD15 adapter included with
your Display unit to connect your monitor
to the monitor connector on your Display
unit.
If your monitor has an RS-232 serial port
connector, attach one end of your RS-232
serial cable to the connector on your
monitor. Attach the other end of the cable to
the DB-9 output connector ( ) on
your Display unit.
WARNING: Don’t change monitor connections while your computer is turned on. While
your computer is turned on, it may be using monitor settings that are specific to the
current monitor connections.
Some devices may be permanently damaged if incorrect
settings are used.
Output coaxial
cable
Input coaxial
cable
Note: Some monitors that have RS-232
serial port connectors support daisy
chaining. For information on the
capabilities of your monitor, see your
monitor documentation.
Monitor cable
Serial cable

Matrox Veos – User Guide 9
3Connect the Power/USB cable
Plug one end of the Power/USB cable
provided with your Display unit into the
USB connector ( ) on your Display unit.
Plug
only the power supply connector of the
Power/USB cable into the external power
supply provided with your Display unit. The
USB connector remains unplugged.
4Check the indicator light
If the indicator light is on (green or red),
your Display unit is properly connected.
If the indicator light is off (black), make sure
your Display unit is properly connected and
that all connectors are properly fastened.
For more information, see “Description of
indicator lights”, page 12.
5 Check the content channel lights
If the content channel lights are green, your
Display unit is properly connected.
If the content channel lights are red, make
sure the coaxial cables are properly
connected and that all connectors are
properly fastened.
Power/USB cable
Power/USB cable
USB connector
Power supply
connector
Indicator light
Content
channel
lights

10 Matrox Veos – User Guide
6Set the content channels
Press button 1 ( ) to set the content
channel for monitor 1 ( ), and press
button 2 ( ) to set the content channel
for monitor 2 ( ). You may need to press
the buttons repeatedly to cycle through the
available content channels (
CH01 , CH02 , or
CH03 ).
Connection overview – Repeater unit
Step-by-step connection setup – Repeater unit
1Connect the coaxial cable
Connect the input coaxial cable to the input
coaxial connector ( ) on your
Repeater unit.
Content channel buttons
Coaxial cable
Twisted pair
cable
Coaxial cables
Twisted pair
cables
Input coaxial
connector
(BNC )
Output coaxial
connectors
(BNC )
Output jacks
(RJ-45) Input jack
(RJ-45)
Input coaxial
cable

Matrox Veos – User Guide 11
To connect your Repeater unit to another
Veos unit (Display or Repeater), connect a
second coaxial cable to the output coaxial
connector ( ) on your Repeater unit.
2Connect the twisted pair cable
Plug one end of your twisted pair cable into
the RJ-45 input jack on your Repeater unit.
Plug the other end of your twisted pair cable
into a PoE (Power Over Ethernet) power
supply unit (sold separately), then plug the
PoE power cord into your power supply.
To power another Repeater unit, plug one
end of your twisted pair cable into the RJ-45
output jack on your Repeater unit. Plug the
other end of your twisted pair cable into the
RJ-45 input jack on the next Repeater unit.
3Check the indicator light
If the indicator light is on (green or red),
your Repeater unit is properly connected.
If the indicator light is off (black), make sure
your Repeater unit is properly connected
and that all connectors are properly
fastened. For more information, see
“Description of indicator lights”, page 12.
Your Matrox product is now connected. Restart your computer and install your Matrox software (see
“Software setup”, page 13).
Output coaxial
cable
Input twisted
pair cable
Output twisted
pair cable
Indicator light

12 Matrox Veos – User Guide
Description of indicator lights
The indicator lights on your Veos units provide status information on your connection setup. The
following describes the different indicator lights on your Veos units:
After restarting your computer , the indicator lights on your Veos units should all be green . If the
indicator lights on your Veos units aren’t green, see “Troubleshooting”, page 14.
Red indicator light Green indicator light No indicator light (black)
Master unit
Unit is powered.
Unsupported display
resolution is selected.
Valid input signal is
detected. Unit isn’t powered.
Display unit
Unit is powered.
No valid input signal is
detected.
Valid input signal is
detected. Unit isn’t powered.
Display unit
(Content
channel lights)
Unit is powered.
Coaxial cable may not be
connected or an
unsupported coaxial cable
is connected.
Coaxial cable is supported
and properly connected. Unit isn’t powered.
Repeater unit Unit is powered. Valid input signal is
detected. Unit isn’t powered.

Matrox Veos – User Guide 13
Software setup
This section describes how to install Matrox software for Windows
2000
, Windows XP , Windows XP Professional x64 , and Windows
Vista
.
You may need administrator rights to install certain software. For
more information, see Windows documentation or contact your
system administrator.
1Install your Matrox software
Insert the Matrox installation CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive – the CD-ROM installation
program automatically starts.
*
Follow the on-screen instructions.
2Change your display settings (optional)
After the installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to change your current display settings
(for example, your display resolution). If you want to change your current display settings,
use Matrox PowerDesk software to change these settings. For more information on how to
change your display settings, see Matrox PowerDesk help.
Accessing PowerDesk
Your Matrox software includes Matrox PowerDesk software. This software helps you get the most out
of your Matrox product. Use Matrox PowerDesk software to change certain display settings or access
Matrox features. To access PowerDesk, click its icon ( ) on your Windows taskbar. To see the
PowerDesk icon, you may need to click the
Show hidden icons button ( ) on your Windows
taskbar.
You can also access Matrox PowerDesk by clicking
Start Æ All programs Æ Matrox Graphics Æ Matrox
PowerDesk-SE
.
For more information on how to use Matrox PowerDesk, see Matrox PowerDesk help.
Note: This guide has references that are specific to the Matrox installation CD-ROM. If a CD-
ROM wasn’t provided with your Matrox product, contact your Matrox representative.
* If Windows doesn’t automatically start the setup program, you can run the setup program from the Umbrella folder of the
CD-ROM.

14 Matrox Veos – User Guide
Troubleshooting
This section addresses possible problems that could prevent you from using your Matrox product.
Problem Computer doesn’t display information after Matrox product is
connected
1
Cause Your Matrox product may not be properly connected.
1
Solution Make sure your Matrox product is properly connected and that all connectors are properly
fastened. For more information, see “Connection setup”, page 4.
2
Cause Your computer may be turned off.
1
Solution Make sure your computer is turned on.
3
Cause A display resolution may have been selected in Windows but may not be supported by your
Matrox product.
1
Solution Use Matrox PowerDesk software to change your display resolution. For more information,
see Matrox PowerDesk help.
Problem No indicator light (black)
1
Cause Your Power/USB cable or twisted pair cable
may not be properly connected.
1
Solution Make sure your Power/USB cable or twisted pair cable are properly connected. For more
information, see “Connection setup”, page 4.
Problem Indicator light is red
1
Cause Master unit only – Your Master unit may not support the selected display resolution.
1
Solution Make sure your Master unit supports the selected display resolution. For more information,
see Matrox PowerDesk help.
Indicator
light

Matrox Veos – User Guide 15
2
Cause The segment length of your coaxial cable may be too long.
1
Solution Make sure the segment length of your coaxial cable is supported by your Matrox product. For
more information, see “Product information”, page 21.
2
Solution To add more distance, connect one or more Repeater units to your setup. For more
information, contact your Matrox representative.
3
Cause The coaxial cable or connector you’re using may not be supported by your Matrox product.
1
Solution For more information on supported coaxial cables and connectors, see “Product
information”, page 21.
4
Cause The connector on your cable may not be properly crimped.
1
Solution Try re-crimping the connector on your cable.
Problem Content channel lights on Display unit are red
1
Cause Your Display unit can’t detect an input
signal.
1
Solution Make sure the coaxial cable is properly connected to the input coaxial connector on your
Display unit and all connectors are properly fastened.
2
Cause The coaxial cable you’re using may not be supported by your Matrox product.
1
Solution For more information on supported coaxial cables, see “Product information”, page 21.
Problem Can’t select one or more resolutions supported by your monitor
1
Cause Windows may list certain display resolutions, even though they may not be supported by
your Matrox product.
1
Solution Make sure your Matrox product supports the selected display resolution. For more
information, see Matrox PowerDesk help.
2
Solution Make sure your Matrox software is installed. For more information, see “Software setup”,
page 13.
Content
channel
lights

16 Matrox Veos – User Guide
2
Cause Windows identifies the highest display mode and discards all modes with a higher vertical or
horizontal resolution. In Windows 2000/XP, the highest display mode is the one with the
highest horizontal resolution. In Windows Vista, the highest display mode is the one with the
highest vertical resolution.
1
Solution Disable Windows mode filtering to view all available display modes:
Windows XP –
1 Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Settings .
2 Select the display for your product, then click Advanced Æ Monitor . Make sure Hide
modes that this monitor cannot display
is clear.
3 Click OK Æ OK .
Windows Vista –
1 Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Personalize Æ Display
Settings
.
2 Select the display for your product, then click Advanced Settings Æ Monitor . Make sure
Hide modes that this monitor cannot display is clear.
3 Click OK Æ OK .
Problem Display on flat panel monitor appears blurry or uses only a portion of
the screen
1
Cause You may be using different types of monitors.
1
Solution To get the most out of your Matrox Veos product, we recommend you use identical
monitors (that is, monitors that support the same settings such as display resolution, refresh
rate, and aspect ratio). For more information on the settings your monitor supports, see your
monitor documentation.
2
Cause The image quality of your displays may need to be adjusted.
1
Solution Use the Adjust Image Quality option in Matrox PowerDesk to adjust the image quality of
your displays. For more information, see Matrox PowerDesk help.
3
Cause You may be using a lower display resolution than what your flat panel monitor supports. If
your monitor supports display scaling, the image on your screen may appear blurry. If
display scaling isn’t supported, the display may use only a portion of your screen.
1
Solution Select the highest display resolution available. This generally results in better image quality.

Matrox Veos – User Guide 17
Problem Wrong color balance, screen image off-center, or no picture at all
1
Cause Your computer may be turned off.
1
Solution Make sure your computer is turned on.
2
Cause The power saving settings on your computer or monitor may not be properly set.
1
Solution Adjust the power saving settings on your computer or monitor.
3
Cause Your Matrox product may not be properly connected.
1
Solution Make sure your Matrox product is properly connected and that all connectors are properly
fastened. For more information, see “Connection setup”, page 4.
4
Cause Your secondary display may not be enabled in Windows.
1
Solution Make sure your display is enabled:
Windows 2000/XP –
1 Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Settings .
2 Select any disabled display, enable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor
check box, then click
Apply .
Windows Vista –
1 Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Personalize Æ Display
Settings
.
2 Select any disabled display, enable the Extend the desktop onto this monitor check box,
then click
Apply .
2
Solution If no secondary display is available in Windows, your secondary display may not be enabled
on your system. For more information on how to enable your secondary display, see your
system or graphics hardware documentation.
5
Cause You may be using different types of monitors.
1
Solution To get the most out of your Matrox Veos product, we recommend you use identical
monitors (that is, monitors that support the same settings such as display resolution, refresh
rate, and aspect ratio). For more information on the settings your monitor supports, see your
monitor documentation.
6
Cause Your monitor video controls may be improperly set.
1
Solution Adjust your monitor controls (brightness, contrast, and so on). For more information, see
your monitor manual.

18 Matrox Veos – User Guide
7
Cause Your monitor may not be properly connected.
1
Solution Make sure your monitor is properly connected to the connector on your Display unit.
2
Solution Make sure the monitor power cable is firmly in place.
3
Solution Make sure the connection to the back of the monitor is firmly in place.
8
Cause If your monitor supports multiple input sources (analog/digital), it may be configured to use
the wrong source.
1
Solution Make sure your monitor is using the correct input source. For more information on selecting
the input source for your monitor, see your monitor documentation.
2
Solution Change your connection setup to use a different input source.
Problem After the startup screen, or after display settings are changed, the
screen image is garbled or unusable
(blank screen, rolling or overlapping screen images)
1
Cause An unsupported display mode may have been selected.
1
Solution If one of your displays is usable, use Matrox PowerDesk to change your display mode. For
more information, see Matrox PowerDesk help.
2
Solution If all your displays are unusable, change your display resolution in Windows.
1 Restart your computer in VGA mode.
Windows 2000/XP/Vista –
a Click Start Æ Shut Down Æ Restart Æ OK * to restart your computer. (* Depending
on your version and configuration of Windows, this part of the step may not be
necessary.)
If your primary monitor is unusable, see your system manual for information on
how to restart your computer using a hardware control.
b Before Windows starts, press [F8] for the Windows startup menu to appear. (If [F8]
doesn’t work, instead try pressing and holding [Ctrl] before Windows starts.)
Select “VGA mode” (or “Low resolution video”), then press [Enter].
2 Change your display resolution:
Windows 2000 –
a Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Settings .
b Move the Screen area slider to a lower setting, then click OK .

Matrox Veos – User Guide 19
Windows XP –
a Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Settings .
b Move the Screen resolution slider to a lower setting, then click OK .
Windows Vista –
a Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Personalize Æ Display
Settings
.
b Move the Resolution slider to a lower setting, then click OK .
3 Restart your computer normally.
Problem Matrox product isn’t automatically detected
1
Cause Your Matrox product may not be properly connected.
1
Solution Make sure your Matrox product is properly connected and that all connectors are properly
fastened. For more information, see “Connection setup”, page 4.
2
Cause Your Matrox product may not support the selected display mode.
1
Solution Make sure your Matrox product supports the selected display mode.
Problem Screen image defects appear
(tearing)
1
Cause You may be using a higher display resolution than what your graphics hardware supports.
1
Solution Select a lower display resolution. This generally results in better image quality.
2
Solution If you’re using a 32-bit color palette, try using a 16-bit color palette instead.
Problem Program window or dialog box doesn’t appear on screen
1
Cause Another window or dialog box may be covering the window or dialog box you want to see.
1
Solution Move, close, or minimize any window or dialog box that may be covering the window or
dialog box you want to see.

20 Matrox Veos – User Guide
2
Cause If you’re using multi-display mode, the program window or dialog box may be in a display
or on a monitor that’s unusable. (For example, your monitor may not be properly connected
or configured.)
1
Solution Make sure all the displays and monitors you want to use are usable. For more information,
see other troubleshooting items in this guide.
3
Cause The program window or dialog box may be somewhere off-screen.
1
Solution If the program window you want to see is named on the Windows taskbar, right-click it and
select
Maximize . (If you click Restore the program window goes back to its previous
position. To fix this problem, see the other solutions.)
2
Solution Manually move the program window or dialog box:
1 Press [Alt]+[Space].
2 If you see a pop-up menu, click Move . If you don’t see a pop-up menu, press [M] (for
Move ).
3 Press one of the arrow keys once and move your mouse pointer to where you want the
window or dialog box to appear, then click that spot on your Windows desktop. The
program window or dialog box should appear where you clicked.
3
Solution Windows 2000/XP/Vista –
1 Click the Matrox PowerDesk icon ( ) on your Windows taskbar, then click Desktop
Management
.
To see the PowerDesk icon, you may need to click the Show hidden icons button ( )
on your Windows taskbar.
2 Enable one or more of the following features:
 Open program windows
 Center dialog boxes and message boxes
3 Choose where you want the program window or dialog box to appear.
For more information, see Matrox PowerDesk help.