NCast PR-720-R User manual

NCast Presentation Recorder Reference Manual
NCast Product Specification
Presentation Recorder
Reference Manual
Revision 1.1
May 5th, 2011
PR-720 Software Release 6.1.7
Copyright NCast Corporation, 2011
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NCast Presentation Recorder Reference Manual
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1. Purpose .................................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2. Document Overview ............................................................................................................................... 6
1.3. Terms and Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 6
1.4. Presentation Recorders ......................................................................................................................... 7
1.5. Presentation Recorder Modes of Operation ........................................................................................... 9
1.6. Startup ................................................................................................................................................. 10
1.7. Connections ......................................................................................................................................... 12
1.8. Installation ............................................................................................................................................ 13
2. Theory of Operation ...................................................................................................................... 14
2.1. Presentation Recorder Component Block Diagram ............................................................................. 14
2.2. Capture Module Function ..................................................................................................................... 15
2.3. Compression ........................................................................................................................................ 15
2.4. Transmission ........................................................................................................................................ 15
2.5. Decompression .................................................................................................................................... 15
2.6. Display Function ................................................................................................................................... 15
2.7. Audio Subsystem ................................................................................................................................. 15
2.8. Archive Flash Disk ................................................................................................................................ 15
3. Configuration Settings and Parameters Reference ....................................................................... 16
3.1. Unit Options Settings ........................................................................................................................... 16
3.2. Passwords ............................................................................................................................................ 18
3.3. Web Control ......................................................................................................................................... 19
3.4. Display Settings ................................................................................................................................... 20
3.5. Custom Settings ................................................................................................................................... 22
3.6. Network Settings .................................................................................................................................. 26
3.7. Telnet Settings ...................................................................................................................................... 29
3.8. Scheduler ............................................................................................................................................. 30
3.9. Notifications .......................................................................................................................................... 36
3.10. Logs ................................................................................................................................................... 38
3.11. Update Tool ........................................................................................................................................ 40
4. The Channel Table ........................................................................................................................ 41
4.1. Channel Settings .................................................................................................................................. 41
4.2. Channel Settings - General .................................................................................................................. 42
4.3. Channel Settings - Recording .............................................................................................................. 49
4.4. Channel Settings - Layout .................................................................................................................... 51
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4.5. Channel Settings – Image Overlays ..................................................................................................... 56
4.6. Channel Settings – Text Overlays ........................................................................................................ 56
4.7. Channel Settings – Upload ................................................................................................................... 59
4.8. Channel Settings – Notifications .......................................................................................................... 61
5. Archives Page ............................................................................................................................... 63
5.1. Archive Settings ................................................................................................................................... 63
6. Sources Page ............................................................................................................................... 67
6.1. Sources Settings .................................................................................................................................. 67
7. Information Pages Reference ....................................................................................................... 72
7.1. Session Page ....................................................................................................................................... 72
7.2. Viewers Page ....................................................................................................................................... 73
7.3. View Page ............................................................................................................................................ 74
7.4. VLC Media Player ................................................................................................................................ 75
7.5. Media Players ...................................................................................................................................... 76
7.6. Closed-Caption Support ....................................................................................................................... 77
8. Custom Layouts ............................................................................................................................ 80
8.1. Frame Layouts and Presets ................................................................................................................. 80
9. Presentation Recorder Interfaces ................................................................................................. 85
9.1. Serial Interface ..................................................................................................................................... 85
9.2. Telnet Interface ..................................................................................................................................... 85
9.3. HTTP Interface – Archive Download .................................................................................................... 86
9.4. HTTP Interface – Image and Thumbnail Capture ................................................................................. 92
9.5. HTTP Interface – Graphics Overlay Upload ......................................................................................... 93
10. Techniques for Presentation Capture ....................................................................................... 96
10.1. Webcasting, Podcasting and Archiving .............................................................................................. 96
10.2. Capturing Graphics, Video and Audio ................................................................................................ 96
10.3. Conference Day Problems and Issues ............................................................................................... 98
10.4. Video Post-Production ........................................................................................................................ 99
11. References .................................................................................................................................. 102
11.1. MPEG Compression ......................................................................................................................... 102
11.2. Packet Transmission ........................................................................................................................ 102
11.3. Multicast ........................................................................................................................................... 102
12. Revision History .......................................................................................................................... 103
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Regulatory Compliance Information
Equipment Label
The Presentation Recorder meets all applicable FCC, CE and ICAN radiation and emission
standards:
44366 S. Grimmer Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538
[phone] [phone] Fax
Report 30 4-1
Electromagnetic Compatibility Test Report
47 CFR Part 2 Subpart J Paragraph 2.906
Report 30 4-2
Electromagnetic Compatibility Test Report
ECD 2004/108/EC, LVD 2006/95/EC
(1) Connections between peripherals of this equipment may be made with low voltage non-
shielded computer data cables.
(2) Network connections may consist of non-shielded CAT 5 cable.
Warnings
(1) A non-shielded power cord may be used to connect AC power to every component and
peripheral of the system.
FCC NOTICE
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
FCC NOTICE – INFORMATION FOR THE USER
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
(1)Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
(2)Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
(3)Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
(4)Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
The user may find the following publication prepared by the Federal Communications Commission
helpful:
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“How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems”
Stock Number 004-000-00345-4, available exclusively from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (telephone [phone]).
FCC WARNING
Changes or modification not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance to Part
15 of the FCC Rules could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
CE NOTICE – INFORMATION FOR THE USER
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to EN 55022 Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at the expense of
the user.
The user may find the following publication prepared by the Federal Communication Commission
helpful:
“How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems”
Stock Number 004-000-00345-4, available exclusively from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (telephone [phone]).
WARNING
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance to EN
55022 Rules could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
ICAN Class A Digital Equipment
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigencies due Réglement sur le
matériel brouilleur du Canada.
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NCast Presentation Recorder Reference Manual
1. Introduction
1.1. PURPOSE
The NCast Presentation Recorder Reference Manual is intended for the Audio/Video or Network engineer
who will be tasked with the job of installing and setting up a Presentation Recorder or a system of multiple
Presentation Recorders. This guide is designed to cover topics in depth and to assist in optimizing the
performance of a Presentation Recorder.
1.2. DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
This document is divided into two major sections: the theory of operation and a discussion of parameter
settings.
1.3. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
A complete discussion of MPEG compression, Internet streaming, webcasting protocols and related topics is
beyond the scope of this document. Other sources cover this material in great detail. The following are brief
definitions of some of the terms used throughout this manual.
AAC – Advanced Audio Coding, a wideband audio encoding and compression algorithm.
Auto-detect – A capability to automatically sense if an input signal (graphics or video) is
present and to lock onto that signal without further manual intervention.
CIF - Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 352x288 pixels.
DVI – Digital Visual Interface, a digital interface standard which provides for connection to
LCD panels and displays.
H.264 – A compression format that delivers very high quality video at low bit rates. MPEG-4
Part 10 utilizes the H.264 codec for transmission.
IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force, the standards body for Internet protocols.
ISO – International Standards Organization
Latency – The end-to-end time delay between a change in the source image and the
corresponding change in the remotely displayed image.
Line-Level – Sound level signals typically in the range of –10 dBu to +30 dBu.
Lip-sync – The synchronization of independent audio and video streams at a receiving
decoder so that the presentation is in the same time relationship as the source.
Mic-Level – Sound level signals typically in the range of –70 dBu to –30 dBu.
MPEG Compression – MPEG is an acronym for Motion Picture Experts Group, an industry-
wide committee which has defined a series of standards for the compression of audio and
video source material.
MTU – The maximum transmission unit is the maximum number of bytes permitted in a
transmitted packet.
Multicast – A family of computer transmission protocols where multiple receivers access a
single transmitted packet stream.
NCCP – NCast Conference Control Protocol provides coordination, control and identification
of participants in a multi-way collaborative conference session.
N-Way – An NCast proprietary service for multicast bridging and webcasting.
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PIP – A picture-in-picture function overlays one video or graphics image with a reduced-sized
version of another video image.
RFC – Request for Comments, an Internet protocol standard.
RTSP – Real-Time Streaming Protocol is an IETF approved protocol for control of real-time
streaming on the Internet.
S-Video – A video connector (usually DIN style) where luminance and chroma information are
transmitted on separate wires or cable pairs. Provides for a higher fidelity image than a
composite connection.
SDP – Session Description Protocol, for describing streaming media transmissions
SIF - Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 320x240 pixels.
SVGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 800x600 pixels.
SXGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. The
aspect ratio for SXGA is 5:4. Support for a 4:3 aspect ratio is accomplished by utilizing a
1280×960 subset of the display surface.
Telnet – An IP network based protocol, which was originally used to connect remote consoles
and terminals to mainframes, but is now used as a general, bi-directional, byte oriented
communications facility. See RFC’s 854 and 855.
Unicast – Refers to a point-to-point connection between two Internet host machines.
UXGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels.
VGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 640x480 pixels.
WUXGA - Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels.
WXGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. Some
projectors use WXGA to refer to 1280x720 as well. This display size implements a 16:9
aspect ratio, as compared to a normal 4:3 monitor.
XGA – Describes an image or display surface with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels.
1.4. PRESENTATION RECORDERS
The Presentation Recorder is a stand-alone network communications appliance which captures RGB (VGA)
or DVI signals from a desktop or laptop, compresses the image with an industry standard compression
algorithm, packetizes and transmits the imagery as an internet media stream, receives a media stream from
the internet, decompresses the imagery, and presents the received information to a viewing audience
through use of a large-screen monitor or via a room projector. Presentation Recorders are able to archive the
media stream in real-time while simultaneously webcasting, allowing for playback by the recipient at a later
date.
The following Presentation Recorder models are covered by this documentation:
PR-720-R – A rack-mounted unit with streaming and archiving capabilities. The PR-720-R introduces
support for up to WUXGA (1920x1200) input reso utions with up to WXGA (1280x720) capture reso utions and
PiP (Picture In Picture) video and graphics over ay.
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PR-720-D – A rack-mounted unit with streaming and archiving capabilities. The PR-720-D introduces
support for up to WUXGA (1920x1200) input reso utions with up to WXGA (1280x720) capture reso utions and
PiP (Picture In Picture) video and graphics over ay. This unit has two independent and identica encoders in a
sing e 1U rack-mount chassis (each encoder and its power supp y occupy ½ rack).
The dua -encoding capabi ities of this mode enab es many different app ications, for examp e:
•Two independent 720p encoders – With identica inputs, one encoder may be setup to stream and record
a high-bandwidth, high-reso ution stream and the second encoder provides for a reduced reso ution,
reduced bandwidth stream.
•Dua wide-screen de ivery – One encoder transmits a 720p hi-def camera stream, and the second
transmits a wide-screen presentation. Te epresence at a budget price!
•Synchronized Encoders – Two 1280x720 wide-screens side by side, giving a 2560x720 panorama, or a 3D
eft-right image.
•Two-way Interactive – One encoder is configured for streaming send, and the second is setup for
streaming receive.
•Fai -Safe System – Each encoder independent y transmitting the same materia . Shou d one fai , the
receivers can switch to the other.
PR-720-P - A flange-mounted unit with streaming and archiving capabilities. This is a very small
form-factor chassis suitable for mounting on the walls of a podium, on top of or underneath a
podium shelf, in a mobile cart, or on a wall in an equipment room.
PR-720-M - A desktop unit with streaming and archiving capabilities. This is a very small form-factor
case suitable for desktop or mobile cart applications.
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All PR-720 Series units share a core operating system and base set of features. The mainboard and
connector set is identical for all units.
1.5. PRESENTATION RECORDER MODES OF OPERATION
The Presentation Recorders have four major modes of operation:
Streaming Send – In this mode of operation one of the Presentation Recorders is designated
as the “Sender” and all of the other units are designated as “Receivers”. The media streams
originate from the Sender and are decoded by one or more Receivers or desktop client media
players. The transmission is strictly one-way, and no feedback or interactivity is provided for.
The one-to-many operation is enabled via use of multicast connected networks. The unit is
able to stream and record simultaneously.
Streaming Receive – In this mode of operation the Presentation Recorder is configured to
receive a stream from another unit acting as a sender. See diagram above.
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Automatic Unicast – In this mode of operation the Presentation Recorder sends a unicast
stream to a streaming server which then reflects the stream to one or more client PCs for live
streaming playback. The unit is able to stream and record simultaneously.
Record Only – The Presentation Recorder only records the file to storage. Once the Session
has ended the file may be automatically uploaded to a video-on-demand server for later
playback by client PCs.
1.6. STARTUP
1.6.1. Really, Really Quick Start
Here’s a really short description on how to get started:
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