NovaStar MX20 User manual



User Manual

MX20 LED Display Controller User Manual
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
Document Version
Release Date
Description
V1.0.0
2023-06-09
First release

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Change History ................................................................................................................................................................................i
Contents ......................................................................................................................................................................................... ii
1 Overview......................................................................................................................................................................................1
2 Appearance..................................................................................................................................................................................2
 Front Panel............................................................................................................................................................................2
 Rear Panel ............................................................................................................................................................................2
3 Applications..................................................................................................................................................................................5
4 UI Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................6
 Home Screen ........................................................................................................................................................................6
 Main Menu.............................................................................................................................................................................7
5 Initial Screen Configuration..........................................................................................................................................................9
 Swift Layout via Front Panel Screen .....................................................................................................................................9
 Set Input Source..........................................................................................................................................................9
 Load Cabinet Config File ...........................................................................................................................................10
 Swift Layout ...............................................................................................................................................................11
 Free Screen Configuration via VMP ....................................................................................................................................11
6 Display Effect Adjustment ..........................................................................................................................................................12
 Apply Presets ......................................................................................................................................................................12
 Set External Input Source Parameters ................................................................................................................................12
 View Input Source Information...................................................................................................................................12
 Set Resolution and Frame Rate (HDMI1 and HDMI2 only) .......................................................................................12
 Adjust Color ...............................................................................................................................................................13
 Set Internal Input Sources ...................................................................................................................................................14
 Set Output Parameters........................................................................................................................................................14
 Adjust Screen Brightness...........................................................................................................................................14
 Adjust Gamma and Color Temperature......................................................................................................................15
 Set Low Latency ........................................................................................................................................................16
 Set Bit Depth .............................................................................................................................................................17
 Set Sync Source........................................................................................................................................................17
 Set Layers (All-in-One Controller Mode only) ......................................................................................................................18
7 Device Management..................................................................................................................................................................19
 Switch Working Mode..........................................................................................................................................................19
 Set a Backup Device ...........................................................................................................................................................19
 Configure Communication Settings .....................................................................................................................................19
 Enable Mapping ..................................................................................................................................................................20
 Control Display Status .........................................................................................................................................................21
 Diagnostics..........................................................................................................................................................................21
 View the Firmware Version..................................................................................................................................................22
 Reset to Factory Settings ....................................................................................................................................................22
8 Basic System Settings ...............................................................................................................................................................24
 Set Language ......................................................................................................................................................................24
 Set Session Timeout............................................................................................................................................................24
 Set Temperature Scale ........................................................................................................................................................24
 View Service Information.....................................................................................................................................................25
9 Product Specifications ...............................................................................................................................................................26
10 Video Source Specifications ....................................................................................................................................................27
11 Ethernet Port Load Capacity ....................................................................................................................................................28

MX20 LED Display Controller User Manual
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1 
The MX20 is an all-in-one LED display controller in the brand-new control system COEX series of Xi'an NovaStar
Tech Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as NovaStar). This controller integrates video processing and video control into
one box and offers 2x HDMI 1.3, 1x 3G-SDI input connectors, 6x Ethernet output ports, and 2x 10G optical ports. It
can also work with the brand-new software VMP (Vision Management Platform) to provide a better operation and
control experience.
This document mainly describes the menu operations on the LCD screen of the controller. For more function
operations, see the VMP Vision Management Platform User Manual.

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2.1 Front Panel
Name
Description
Running Indicator
Solid red: Standby
Solid blue: The device is being started.
Solid green: The device is running normally.
Flashing red: The device is running abnormally.
Standby Button
Press the button to power on or power off the device.
Hold down the button for 5s or longer to restart the device.
USB 2.0
Connect to a USB drive only to export the device diagnostic result.
Only the NTFS and FAT32 file systems are supported. Others are not supported.
LCT screen
A 2-inch screen that displays the device status, menus, submenus and messages for
parameter settings
Knob
On the home screen, press the knob to enter the main menu screen.
On the main menu screen, rotate the knob to select a menu item or adjust the
parameter value. Press the knob to confirm the operation.
Hold down the knob and BACK button simultaneously for 5s or longer to lock or unlock
the buttons.
BACK
Go back to the previous menu or cancel the current operation.
2.2 Rear Panel
Inputs
Type
Qty
Description
HDMI 1.3 IN
2
Resolution
Max resolution: 1920×1200@60Hz
Min resolution: 800×600@60Hz

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Max
width/height
Max width: 3840 pixels (3840×600@60Hz)
Max height: 2560 pixels (800×2560@60Hz)
Frame Rates
23.98 / 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30 / 47.95 / 48 / 50 / 59.94 / 60 / 72 / 75 /
85 / 100 / 119.88 / 120 / 143.86 / 144 Hz
EDID
management
Support standard resolutions, up to 1920×1080@60Hz.
Support custom input resolutions.
HDCP
Support HDCP 1.4.
Interlaced
signal inputs
Not supported
3G-SDI IN
1
Standard
Support ST-424 (3G), ST-292 (HD) and ST-259 (SD) standard
video inputs.
Support 3G-Level A/Level B (DS mode).
Resolution
Max resolution: 1920×1080@60Hz
Frame Rates
23.98 Hz to 60.00 Hz
Interlaced
signal inputs
Support MQ level deinterlacing. The interlaced signals will be
automatically detected and converted to progressive signals.
Outputs
Type
Qty
Description
1–6
6
Gigabit Ethernet output ports. Support hot backup between Ethernet ports.
Max device load capacity: 3.9 million pixels
The maximum load capacity per Ethernet port is as follows. For details, see the
11 Ethernet Port Load Capacity.
−8bit@60Hz: 659,722 pixels
−10bit@60Hz: 329,861 pixels. When the controller works with the A10s Pro
receiving card, the capacity can be up to 494,791 pixels.
OPT 1–2
2
10G optical output ports
OPT 1 transmits the data of Ethernet ports 1 to 6.
OPT 2 is the copy channel of OPT 1.
HDMI 1.3 LOOP
2
HDMI loop through. Up to 8 devices can be cabled in one loop.
3G-SDI LOOP
1
SDI loop through. Up to 8 devices can be cabled in one loop.
SPDIF OUT
1
A digital audio output (Reserved)
Controls
Type
Qty
Description
ETHERNET
2
Gigabit Ethernet control ports. Support TCP/IP protocol and star topology.
They have the same functions without priority and order, and can be connected to
VMP software. No switch or router is needed to deploy multiple devices on the
same LAN via device cascading as the network switching function is already built
in. Up to 20 MX20 devices can be cascaded.

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GENLOCK
1
A pair of Genlock signal connectors. Support Bi-Level and Tri-Level.
IN: Accept the sync signal.
LOOP: Loop the sync signal.
For standard Genlock signal generators, up to 20 MX20 devices can be cascaded.
AUX
1
An auxiliary connector that connects to the central control device (RS232)
(Reserved)
Power
100-240V~,
50/60Hz, 2- 0.8A
1
An AC power input connector and switch

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3 
The MX20 has two typical application scenarios as shown below. In those application examples, the LED screen size
is 1920×1080.



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4 
4.1 Home Screen
After the device is powered on, the home screen showing device related information is displayed as follows.
Figure 4-1 Home screen
The home screen shown in Figure 4-1 is described in Table 4-1.
Table 4-1 Home screen descriptions
Area
Content
Description
Top line
MX20
The device name.
The name can be changed in VMP software.
All-in-One Controller
The device working mode.
All-in-One Controller: The video processing and sending functions are
available.
Send-Only Controller: Only the video sending function is available.
For related operations, please refer to 7.1 Switch Working Mode
The device button lock status.
When the icon is displayed, the buttons are locked.
When the icon is not displayed, the buttons are unlocked.
Hold down the knob and BACK button simultaneously for 5s or longer to
lock or unlock the buttons.
The connection status of the controlling Ethernet ports.
Blue: Connected
Gray: Disconnected
192.168.1.10
The device IP address
For related operations, please refer to 7.3 Configure Communication
Settings.
Input
HDMI1, HDMI2, SDI,
Internal
The device input source type and status.
Green: The signal is accessed normally and used.
Blue: The signal is accessed normally, but not used.

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Area
Content
Description
Red: The signal is abnormal.
Gray: The signal is abnormal and not used.
For related operations in the Send-Only Controller working mode, please
refer to 5.1.1 Set Input Source.
Internal
1920×1080@60Hz
The resolution and frame rate of the currently available input source.
If multiple input sources are available, the resolution and frame rate of each
input source will be displayed one by one. If the input is used by a layer,
the layer number will be displayed below.
For related operations, please refer to 6.2.2 Set Resolution and Frame
Rate (HDMI1 and HDMI2 only).
Screen
1920×1080@143.99Hz
The screen resolution and frame rate.
The screen brightness
For related operations, please refer to 6.4.1 Adjust Screen Brightness.
Port
1–6
The statuses of the Ethernet ports.
Blue: Connected
Gray: Disconnected
OPT
1–2
The statuses of the OPT ports.
Blue: Connected
Gray: Disconnected
Bottom
line
Sync: Active Input
The sync signal currently used and the signal status
Sync: Active Input: Sync with the frame rate of the current input source
Sync: Genlock: Sync with the frame rate of the Genlock signal
Sync: Internal: Sync with the frame rate of the internal clock of the device
Color code:
Blue: The signal is normal.
Red: The signal is abnormal.
For related operations, please refer to 6.4.5 Set Sync Source.
The output display status.
: The display is frozen.
: The display is blacked out.
When no icon is displayed, the display is normal.
For related operations, please refer to 7.5 Control Display Status.
The temperature inside the chassis.
4.2 Main Menu
On the home screen, press the knob to enter the main menu screen. When the device working mode is All-in-One
Controller, the main menu is shown in Figure 4-2. When the device working mode is Send-Only Controller, the 
 menu is not displayed.

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Figure 4-2 Main menu

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5 
If the LED screen, cabinets, data flow and the number of cabinets loaded by Ethernet ports can meet the following
requirements, you can configure the screen via the device front panel menu; otherwise, screen configuration in VMP
will be your ideal choice.
Screen: The LED screen must be a regular screen.
Cabinet: The cabinets must be regular ones of the same size, and function well.
Data flow: The data must run in the same way for all Ethernet ports and the data flow must be one of the
followings. The starting position of the data flow is the first cabinet of Ethernet port 1, and the connections are
made in sequence according to the serial number of the Ethernet port.
Number of cabinets loaded by Ethernet ports: If n ports are used to load the cabinets, the number of cabinets
loaded by each of the first (n–1) ports must be the same and the integral multiple of the number of cabinet rows
or columns, and it must be greater than or equal to the number of cabinets loaded by the last port.
5.1 Swift Layout via Front Panel Screen
5.1.1 Set Input Source
Select the desired input source and complete the related settings, such as resolution and frame rate. If the
resolutions of the input source and screen are the same, the image can be displayed pixel to pixel. A lower frame rate
may result in image flickering at low refresh rate, while a higher frame rate helps stabilize the display image.

Input source settings are required for screen configuration in the Send-Only Controller working mode and not
required in the All-in-One Controller mode.
On the main menu screen, choose Input Settings to select a video source.
Figure 5-1 Select input source
Perform the corresponding operations for the input source according to the input source type. For the SDI sources,
please skip this step.
External input sources (HDMI1, HDMI2)

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a. Choose input source > EDID. The input source is HDMI1 or HDMI2.
b. Set Mode to Custom or Standard, and then set the resolution and frame rate.
Custom: Set the resolution manually.
Standard: Select the desired resolution from the drop-down options.
c. After the settings are done, tap Apply.
Internal sources
a. Choose Internal > Image, and then select a static picture or a motion picture.
b. When the relevant parameters of the image are displayed, set the parameters according to your actual
needs; otherwise, please skip this step.
c. Press the BACK button to go back to the upper-level menu and select Resolution.
d. Set Mode to Custom or Standard, and then set the resolution and frame rate.
e. After the settings are done, tap Apply.
5.1.2 Load Cabinet Config File
When the cabinet cannot display images normally, send the cabinet configuration file (.rcfgx) to the cabinet and save
it to let the cabinet display image normally. Before the operation, please import cabinet configuration file with VMP, or
store the cabinet configuration file in the root directory of a USB drive and insert it into the USB port on the device
front panel.
On the main menu screen, choose Screen Configuration > Send Cabinet Config File.
Figure 5-2 Send cabinet config file
Select the target configuration file.
Select Yes in the displayed dialog box.
After the configuration file is successfully sent, a message appears on the menu screen and then then you will
automatically return to the configuration file screen.
Press the BACK button to go back to the upper-level menu.
Select Save to RV Card.
Select Yes in the displayed dialog box.

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After the configuration file is successfully saved, a message appears on the menu screen.
5.1.3 Swift Layout
Set the screen configuration parameters to quickly complete the cabinet connection, so that the LED screen can
display the input source image normally.
On the main menu screen, choose Screen Configuration > Swift Layout.
Figure 5-3 Swift Layout
Select Yes in the displayed dialog box.
Set screen configuration parameters as required.
Cabinet Row Qty: Set the quantity of cabinet rows.
Cabinet Column Qty: Set the quantity of cabinet columns.
Port 1 Cabinet Qty: Set the quantity of the cabinets loaded by Ethernet port 1.
Data Flow (Front View): Select the data flow for the cabinets loaded by Ethernet port 1.
H Offset: Set the horizontal offset of the displayed image.
V Offset: Set the vertical offset of the displayed image.
5.2 Free Screen Configuration via VMP
The VMP software can be used to configure either the regular screens or complex screens, and supports free wiring
of the cabinets, plus the ability of calculating the used load capacity according to the cabinets that are actually
loaded. For the details of performing the free screen configuration, please refer to VMP Vision Management Platform
User Manual.

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6 
6.1 Apply Presets
Apply a saved preset in VMP to the device to quickly complete display effect adjustment.
On the main menu screen, select Preset.
The saved presets in VMP are displayed on the menu screen, as shown in Figure 6-1.
Figure 6-1 Presets
Select a preset.
6.2 Set External Input Source Parameters
6.2.1 View Input Source Information
View the attribute values of the external input source, including the resolution, frame rate, bit depth, color gamut, etc.
On the main menu screen, select Input Settings > input source > Infoframe. The input source is HDMI1, HDMI2, or
SDI.
Figure 6-2 Input source information
When the device working mode is All-in-One Controller, the  menu is not displayed.
View the input source information.
6.2.2 Set Resolution and Frame Rate (HDMI1 and HDMI2 only)
Set the resolution and frame rate of the external input source. If the resolutions of the input source and screen are the
same, the image can be displayed pixel to pixel. A lower frame rate may result in image flickering at low refresh rate,
while a higher frame rate helps stabilize the display image.
On the main menu screen, select Input Settings > input source > EDID. The input source is HDMI1 or HDMI2.

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Figure 6-3 EDID
When the device working mode is All-in-One Controller, the  menu is not displayed.
Set Mode to Custom or Standard, and then set the resolution and frame rate.
Custom: Set the resolution manually.
Standard: Select the desired resolution from the drop-down options.
After the settings are done, tap Apply.
6.2.3 Adjust Color
Set the infoframe override parameters of the external input source and adjust the color. The override parameter will
be used in the calculation of color adjustment. If the value of this parameter is not set manually, the value that comes
with the input source will be used.
On the main menu screen, select Input Settings > input source > Infoframe Override. The input source is HDMI1,
HDMI2, or SDI.
Figure 6-4 Infoframe override
When the device working mode is All-in-One Controller, the  menu is not displayed
Set the override parameters as required.
Select  and the device will read the attribute value that comes with the input source.
Press the BACK button to go back to the upper-level menu.
Select Color Adjustment.
Set the related parameters.
Parameter
Description
Black Level
It is used to adjust the brightness of the dark areas of the image. The smaller the
value, the darker the dark part of the screen.
Contrast
It is used to adjust the brightness of the highlight areas of the image. The greater the
value, the brighter the highlight part of the screen.
Contrast and black level together affect the overall contrast of the image.
Saturation
It is used to adjust the color purity of the image. The greater the value, the more vivid
the color.
Hue
It is used to adjust the color effect of the displayed image color.
Red Shadow/Green
It is used to adjust the brightness of the dark areas of the image. The principle is the

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Shadow/Blue Shadow
same as that of black level, but only the RGB components are adjusted.
Red Highlight/Green
Highlight/Blue Highlight
It is used to adjust the brightness of the highlight areas of the image. The principle is
the same as that of contrast, but only the RGB components are adjusted.
6.3 Set Internal Input Sources
Select the internal source stored in the device and set the related parameters for screen testing and troubleshooting.
On the main menu screen, select Input Settings > Internal > Image.
Figure 6-5 Internal source
When the device working mode is All-in-One Controller, the  menu is not displayed.
Select a static picture or a motion picture.
When the relevant parameters of the image are displayed, set the parameters according to your actual needs;
otherwise, please skip this step.
Press the BACK button to go back to the upper-level menu and select Resolution.
Set Mode to Custom or Standard, and then set the resolution, frame rate and bit depth.
Figure 6-6 Resolution parameters
Custom: Set the resolution manually.
Standard: Select the desired resolution from the drop-down options.
After the settings are done, tap Apply.
6.4 Set Output Parameters
6.4.1 Adjust Screen Brightness
Adjust and save the screen brightness.
On the main menu screen, select Screen Brightness and press the knob to let the brightness value become
editable.

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Figure 6-7 Screen brightness (the Send-Only Controller mode as example)
Rotate the knob to adjust the brightness to the target value, and then press the knob to confirm.
Select Screen Configuration > Save to RV Card.
Figure 6-8 Save to RV card
Select Yes in the displayed dialog box.
After the brightness value is successfully saved, a message appears on the menu screen
6.4.2 Adjust Gamma and Color Temperature
Adjust and save the Gamma and color temperature.
On the main menu screen, select Advanced Functions > LED Screen Color.
Figure 6-9 LED screen color
Adjust the Gamma value.
1. Select Gamma and press the knob to let the value become editable.
2. Rotate the knob to adjust the Gamma to the target value, and then press the knob to confirm.
Adjust the color temperature value.
1. Select  and press the knob to let the value become editable.
2. Rotate the knob to adjust the temperature to the target value, and then press the knob to confirm.
If you want to restore the parameters to the defaults, select .
Press the BACK button to go back to the main menu, and then select Screen Configuration > Save to RV Card.

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Figure 6-10 Save to RV card
Select Yes in the displayed dialog box.
After the values are successfully saved, a message appears on the menu screen.
6.4.3 Set Low Latency
The low latency function is used to reduce the delay at the controller, or increase the latency when the device works
with high-latency equipment.
On the main menu screen, choose Advanced Functions > Output Settings.
Figure 6-11 Low latency
Perform any of the following operations as required.
Enable low latency
Set the  switch to to enable the low latency function.
Set additional frame latency
a. Select Additional Frame Delay and press the knob to let the value become editable.
b. Rotate the knob to adjust the parameter to the target value, and then press the knob to confirm.

When low latency is enabled, the sync signal source cannot be set to Genlock.
The latency at the controller is 0 frame (less than 1 ms) in Send-Only Controller working mode and 1 frame in
All-in-One Controller working mode.
To enable low latency, please make sure all Ethernet ports load the cabinets vertically and share the same Y
coordinate. Free screen configuration (for example, Ethernet port 2 loads cabinets horizontally, or its Y
coordinate is different from that of Ethernet port 1) will reduce the load capacity.

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6.4.4 Set Bit Depth
Set the output bit depth of the input source.
On the main menu screen, choose Advanced Functions > Output Settings.
Figure 6-12 Bit depth
Select the desired bit depth value from the listed ones.
If  is selected, the output bit depth is the same as the input bit depth.
6.4.5 Set Sync Source
Select a synchronization signal for the display frame rate and set the phase offset.
On the main menu screen, select Advanced Functions > Output Settings > Sync.
Figure 6-13 Sync
Select Sync Source and then select the desired sync source from the drop-down options.
Active Source: Sync with the frame rate of the active source.
Genlock: Sync with the frame rate of the Genlock signal.
Internal: Sync with the frame rate of the controller's internal clock. When this option is selected, a related
parameter  is displayed. You can select a value from its drop-down options.
Press the BACK button to go back to the upper-level menu.