VBrick 9000 Series User manual

VBrick 9000 Series Appliances
H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance v2.0
Getting Started Guide
October 23, 2012
4410-0315-0001

Copyright
© 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
12 Beaumont Road
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA
www.VBrick.com
This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written
permission from VBrick. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and VBrick Systems assumes no
responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies. VBrick, VBrick Systems, the VBrick logo, StreamPlayer, and
StreamPlayer Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries. Windows Media is a
trademarked name of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other products or services
mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks, service marks, or product names as designated by the
companies who market those products. Inquiries should be made directly to those companies. This document may also have
links to third-party web pages that are beyond the control of VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick
endorses or recommends the content of any third-party web pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source
software and licenses in some VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/
opensource.
FCC Part 15
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the
FCC rules, Class A for OC-3C Interface, Class A for the SDI Interface. 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 their own expense. This
Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil
numerique de la Classe A respecte toutes les exigences do reglement dur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.
VBrick declares that this product conforms to the following certificate standards for electromagnetic emissions
when installed according to the manufacturer's specifications: EN 55022:2006; EN 55024:1998, A1:2001, A2:2003;
EN 61000-3-2:2005; EN 61000-3-3:1995, A1:2001, A2:2005.
This product incorporates High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology. HDMI, the HDMI Logo,
and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing
LLC in the United States and other countries.
About VBrick Systems
Founded in 1997, VBrick Systems, an ISO 9001 certified vendor, is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth
by helping our customers successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks. Since our
founding, VBrick has been setting the standard for quality, performance and innovation in the delivery of live and stored
video over IP networks—LANs, WANs and the Internet. With thousands of video appliances installed world-wide, VBrick is
the recognized leader in reliable, high-performance, easy-to-use networked video solutions.
VBrick is an active participant in the development of industry standards and continues to play an influential role in the
Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), the MPEG Industry Forum, and Internet2. In 1998 VBrick invented and shipped
the world's first MPEG Video Network Appliance designed to provide affordable DVD-quality video across the network.
Since then, VBrick's video solutions have grown to include Video on Demand, Management, Security and Access Control,
Scheduling, and Rich Media Integration. VBrick solutions are successfully supporting a broad variety of applications
including distance learning and training, conferencing and remote office communications, security, process monitoring,
traffic monitoring, business and news feeds to the desktop, webcasting, corporate communications, collaboration, command
and control, and telemedicine. VBrick serves customers in education, government, healthcare, and financial services markets
among others.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide iii
Contents
Getting Started Guide
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Product Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
1. Introduction
Appliance Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Encoder Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Decoder Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Encoder Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Decoder Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Appliance Setup
Appliance Setup Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using the Quick Start Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Environmental Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Appliance Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1. Connect Encoder Audio and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2. Connect to the IP Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3. Power-on the Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4. Find or Set an IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. Verify Streaming Video and Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6. Installing Blade Encoders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7. Configuring a Decoder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Front Panel LCD Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Front Panel Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3. Shelf Setup
Shelf Setup Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
H.264 Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Blade LCD Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Unpacking and Inspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Installing the Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Software Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

iv Contents
Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Fan Tray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Blade Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
4. Software Upgrade
Software Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Installing a Software Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Configuring VBDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5. Management Tools
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
VBAdmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
VBDirectory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Web Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Auto Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
6. VBAdmin
Using VBAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Login Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Using Apply, Revert, and Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Resetting the Appliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Logout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7. Command Line Interface
Connection Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Connecting via the COM Port with HyperTerminal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Connecting with Telnet or SSH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using the MIB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Finding VBrick Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Setting VBrick Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CLI Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
8. Web Services
Web Services Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide v
9. Streaming Video Basics
Video Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Getting the Best Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Network Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Assigning Multicast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
VBrick Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Serial Port Passthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
How Passthrough Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Serial Port Passthrough Using Telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
10. VBrick iPhone App
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Getting the App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Monitoring an Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Running Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Creating Script Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Changing the Function Key Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
11. VBrick 9000 Series Reference
VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Device Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Video-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Audio-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
COM 1/COM 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
External Event Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

vi Contents

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide vii
Getting Started Guide
Preface
This document explains how to set up and configure a VBrick H.264 network video
appliance. It explains the management tools available and describes some of the fundamental
concepts behind the technology. It also explains how to use the VBAdmin management
interface to configure the appliance and control appliance functions.
Organization
This online help system provides access to VBrick H.264 documentation. It has a
powerful search engine so you can get answers to technical questions in seconds; it also has
the documentation in PDF format if you need hard-copy. Our publications team is
committed to providing first-rate documentation and your feedback is important to us. If you
find errors or omissions, click the e-mail icon in the upper-right corner of this window or
send your feedback to [email protected]
1. Introduction Lists the specifications and describes the features and
functions of the H.264 appliance.
2. Appliance Setup Explains the basics. Provides general configuration
recommendations as well as how to cable the appliance
and connect it to the network.
3. Shelf Setup Explains how to set up and configure a Rack Mount
Shelf that houses from 1 to 11 H.264 blade encoders.
4. Software Upgrade Explains how to upgrade the software when a new
version is released.
5. Management Tools Explains how to configure the appliance using a variety
of management tools. These include the VBAdmin web
interface, Telnet, SNMP, and the command line.
6. VBAdmin Explains how to use the VBAdmin application to
manage VBrick configuration from an external browser.
7. Command Line Interface Explains how to configure an appliance from the
command line using Telnet or HyperTerminal (when an
Internet connection is not available).
8. Web Services Explains how to use the standards-based SOAP interface
to programatically interface to the appliance.
9. Streaming Video Basics Explains some of the fundamentals behind the
technology including compression techniques, network
concepts, serial port passthrough, and other video basics.
10. VBrick iPhone App Explains how use an iPhone application to check
parameters and run scripts.
11. VBrick 9000 Series Reference Provides back panel drawings, COM port pinouts, LED
descriptions, and other miscellaneous information.

viii Preface
Getting Help
If you need help, or more information about any topic, use the online help system. The
online help is cross-referenced and searchable and can usually find the information in a few
seconds. Use the tree controls in the left pane to open documents and the up and down
arrows to page through them. Use the Search box to find specific information. Simply enter
one or more words in the box and press Enter. The search results will return pages that have
all of the words you entered—highlighted in yellow (Internet Explorer only). The Search box
is not case-sensitive and does not recognize articles (a, an, the), operators (+ and –), or
quotation marks. You can narrow the search by adding words.
Our publications team is committed to accurate and reliable documentation and we
appreciate your feedback. If you find errors or omissions in any of our documents, please let
us know. If you can't find the information you need in this document, or from your reseller,
you can contact VBrick Support Services on the web, by e-mail, or by calling 1-203 303-0222.
For faster service, be sure to have your VBrick product serial number or support contract
number. Support Services can usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or
less. Note that all VBrick documentation is on the web. For more information about any
VBrick product, go to www.vbrick.com/documentation
Font Conventions
Arial bold is used to describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All
Programs > VBrick
Courier fixed-width font is used for scripts, code examples, or keyboard commands.
Courier bold fixed-width font is used for user input in scripts, code examples, or keyboard
commands.
This bold black font is used to strongly emphasize important words or phrases.
Folder names and user examples in text are displayed in this sans serif font.
User input in text is displayed in this bold sans serif font.
Italics are used in text to emphasize specific words or phrases.
Printer-Friendly
VBrick H.264 Appliance Getting Started Guide
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Product Safety
Battery. The appliance contains a lithium battery which may explode if replaced
incorrectly. Do not attempt to replace this battery. If absolutely necessary, replace
only with the same or equivalent type recommended by manufacturer. Recycle
batteries if possible and dispose used batteries in accordance with local environmental
regulations.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide ix
General. Do not spill food or liquids on your appliance. Protect your appliance from
sudden power-surges and interruptions by using a surge suppressor, line conditioner,
or uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Avoid using and/or connecting appliance
during an electrical storm. Comply with all standard safety precautions associated
with the use of electronic devices.
Servicing. This product contains no user-serviceable parts. No user is authorized to
remove the appliance's cover. This device has tamper-evident seals. Breaking or
modifying the seals will immediately invalidate the product warranty. If you have
problems with this appliance, contact VBrick Support Services.
Placement. Use common sense when installing the device. Do not expose the
appliance to direct sunlight, high humidity or wet conditions. Do not block the air
vents or impede the airflow in any way. And once installed, do not place anything on
top of unit. Failure to follow these guidelines can cause overheating and affect the
reliability of your appliance
Cleaning. This product and accessories will only require an occasional wipe with a
dry cloth. Do not spray any substance or use any thinners, abrasives, liquids, or
aerosol products to clean the device.

xPreface

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Topics in this section
Appliance Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Appliance Overview
The VBrick 9000 Series H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance enables anyone to encode
video from an uncompressed source—such as a camera or TV broadcast—and stream it live
onto a network for viewing on PCs, MACs, tablets, televisions, or smartphones. The 9000
Series Encoding Appliance is the first portable device that streams 1080p60 HD video from
multiple sources at the same time—and the first line of encoding appliances to support up to
four channels of HD video. VBrick H.264 decoding appliances deliver high-quality, low
latency video with exceptional performance, ease-of-use, and flexibility. The H.264 decoder
is fully compatible with encoder appliances and supports single or dual channel HD decoding
at either 1080p or 720p resolutions (or decodes up to D1 resolution at lower data rates).
Building upon more than a decade of experience engineering the most widely deployed
enterprise encoders, the 9000 Series sets a new benchmark in H.264 encoding performance.
Based on purpose-built hardware and running a real-time operating system, this unique
appliance approach combines encoding, networking, stream serving and recording functions
to deliver unmatched price-performance and ease-of-use.
Figure 1. VBrick 9000 Series Appliance (Enterprise Model)
Figure 2. VBrick 9000 Series Appliance (Industrial Model)
Applications
• Television Distribution – Deliver selected television channels—including news and
financial programming—to an unlimited number of desktops and displays across your

2© 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc.
existing LAN, WAN or IP network. There is no need for extra cabling or a dedicated
network and you can reduce TV headend rack space by 75%.
• Telemedicine – Use the most advanced encoding standards, highest resolution, and
highest frame rate available to watch intricate operations and other medical procedures—
applications where image quality cannot be compromised.
• Surveillance and Monitoring – Oversee roadways, seaports, factory floors and security
borders; survey battlefield situations and maintain situation awareness with an
unprecedented level of video quality ensuring access to detailed and accurate
information.
• Digital Signage – Deploy signage economically by encoding the content once and
distributing over your network to cost-effective set-top boxes. Feed an unlimited number
of digital signs with four different HD sources using a single encoding appliance.
• Meeting and Event Broadcasts – Deliver high-impact, rich media event broadcasts. Reach
a large audience of customers, constituents, employees and others over the corporate
network and the Internet to communicate a uniform message.
• Extending Videoconferencing – If you already have a videoconferencing solution,
VBrick's H.264 Encoding Appliance can leverage your investment by extending its reach.
Your videoconferencing suite, combined with our streaming technology, becomes a mini-
broadcast studio, enabling you to reach a much wider audience.
• Broadcasting Live to the Internet – Combine the flexibility and reliability of VBrick's
H.264 Encoding Appliance with the global reach of VBrick's Online Streaming Service
(VBOSS).
Encoder Features and Benefits
• Capture High Definition Video – Appliances encode and stream HD 720p and 1080p
video at 60 frames-per-second, the highest frame rate available from standard video
sources. This provides incredible video quality at bandwidths of 1 Mb/sec and up.
• Capture Multiple Video Sources on a Single Appliance – Dual-channel and quad-channel
models simultaneously encode and stream HD video from multiple sources in a single
appliance, leading to economical deployments and space savings of up to 75%.
• Manage the Appliance Easily and Securely – Control and monitor the appliance with
VBrick’s iPhone application. Integrate into any IT infrastructure with a rich set of
management protocols and options that let you manage, configure and lock down the
H.264 appliance. Use VBrick’s VBAdmin tool to configure and monitor the appliance.
Use command line interface over Telnet, SSH, or serial port to configure the appliance.
• Transport Video Over a Wide Variety of Network Transport Protocols – Video streams
are compatible with Adobe Flash™ Player, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft Windows
Media™ Player, Apple QuickTime and other players. Network friendly operation –
meaning everything from streaming with the most appropriate bit rates to the inclusion
of advanced features like persistent push – allows VBrick H.264 streams to tunnel
through firewalls and traverse any network.
• Integrate into a Complete Enterprise IP Video Platform – VBrick’s H.264 appliance
works seamlessly with our VEMs Mystro™ media management solution and the entire
VBrick Enterprise Video Architecture (VEVA). By making video accessible, personal and
scalable, VEMS Mystro eliminates multiple barriers to the adoption of enterprise IP
video.
• Multicast, Unicast and Serve from the Same Device – Use multicast technology to reach
an unlimited number of users on your LAN or push video over point-to-point unicast

Introduction
H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 3
connections to reach remote locations and CDNs. Serve and support hundreds of players
that request video directly from a single appliance.
Decoder Features and Benefits
• Dependable embedded operating system and dedicated decoding hardware delivers
highest reliability for mission-critical applications.
• HD video output is ideal for large displays and video backhaul applications.
• Flexible networking and bandwidth options allow placement anywhere in the network.
• Create high density installation using decoder blades in a rack mount chassis.
• Efficient H.264 codec delivers the highest video quality at the lowest bandwidth.
• Low latency enables near real-time applications and two-way video.
Specifications
Encoder Specifications
Table 1. Encoder Specifications
Video Encoder
(Standard Definition)
• H.264 Encoding
- Input format: 1080p50/60, 1080i, 720p50/60, 576i, 480i, 1280x1024,
1024x768
- 4:3 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: D1 (720x480, 720x576), SIF (NTSC), QSIF
(NTSC), CIF (PAL), QCIF (PAL), 400x304, 384x288 (PAL), 640x480,
320x240, 128x96, 192x144
- 16:9 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: 656x368, 512x288 (PAL), 256x144
- Video Frame Rates: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 15, 30 fps (NTSC), 2.5, 5, 12.5, 25
(PAL)
- Constant Bit Rate / Constant Frame Rate
- User-defined key frame interval
- Rates: 32Kbps – 20Mbps
- Baseline, Main, and High profile
• Inputs: HDMI/Component or SD/HD/3G-SDI/Composite/HDMI/
Component
• Rate control
• Deblocking filter
• Entropy Coding: CAVLC, CABAC
Video Encoder
(High Definition)
• H.264 Encoding
- High Definition input formats: 1080p50/60, 1080i, 720p50/60
- 16:9 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: All standard definition resolutions listed
above, plus 960 x 544, 720p (1280 x 720p), 1080p (1920 x 1080)
- Video Frame Rates: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 15, 30 fps (NTSC), 2.5, 5, 12.5, 25
(PAL), 50, 60 fps
- Constant Bit Rate / Constant Frame Rate
- User-defined key frame interval
- Rates: 32Kbps – 20Mbps
- Baseline, Main, and High profile
• Inputs: HDMI/Component or SD/HD/3G-SDI/Composite/HDMI/
Component
• Rate control
• Deblocking filter
• Entropy Coding: CAVLC, CABAC

4© 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Audio Encoder • AAC-LC and AAC-HE Encoding
- Sample Frequency 8 Khz to 48 Khz
- Rates: 8 Kbps to 256 Kbps
- Audio Modes: Stereo, Mono
- Inputs: Stereo Unbalanced at line, microphone or high headroom input
levels, and microphone via analog audio inputs. Digital audio can also come
through the HDMI input. Stereo Balanced through optional XLR cable on
SDI/Composite/HDMI/Component models
• Audio Processing:
- Automatic Volume Control (AVC) with configurable attack and release rates
and minimum/maximum levels
- Noise Gate with configurable threshold
- Configurable gain from -96dB to 10dB
Push • IIS Smooth Streaming to Microsoft IIS Server
• 25 concurrent unicast and multicast destinations
• Automatic Unicast/RTSP Announce
• RTP
• Transport Stream
Server • Live multicast server
• Live streaming server—up to 200 concurrent live streams
Ethernet Network • 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet via RJ-45, Static, or DHCP
• Auto sense Full / Half duplex
Protocols Unicast / Multicast, DiffServ (QoS), UDP / IPv4 and IPv6 / RTSP / RTCP / RTP
/ HTTP / RTSP Interleave / IGMP / MPEG-2 Transport Stream / Automatic
Unicast (RTSP ANNOUNCE) / HTTPS Management / SSH / RTMP / IIS
Smooth Streaming / FEC
Traffic Shaping • RTP Metering
• CBR Transport Stream
• VBR Transport Stream with configurable latency
KLV Metadata • LDS received over the serial port or IP and multiplexed into transport stream
(one channel over IP, up to two channels over serial)
• CoT over serial port or IP converted to LDS and multiplexed into transport
stream (one channel over IP, up to two channels over serial)
Management • Two serial ports for local maintenance and data transport
• Management Web Pages over HTTP or HTTPS
• SNMP, ssh, telnet
• soap/xml Web Service
• iPhone application
• Front panel display on Enterprise Models
Dimensions Appliance: 1.75” x 8.1” x 8.75”
Weight 2 pounds
Temperature Range • Industrial Appliance: 0 to +70 degrees Celsius
• Enterprise Appliance: 0 to +50 degrees Celsius
Power Input: 100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz, 45 Watts, 12V DC, 4A
Regulatory FCC Part 15, CE

Introduction
H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 5
Decoder Specifications
Table 2. Decoder Specifications
Transport and
Networking Protocols
• H.264 in RTP
• Receive streams: 32Kbps to 20Mbps
• Unicast or Multicast over RTP/UDP
• IGMP
• Autotune streams from VBrick Encoders
Video Decoder • H.264 Baseline, Main, and High Profile
• Streaming resolution and frame rates up to 1080p60
• Scaling from any input resolution and frame rate to match output resolution
and framerate
• Configurable letter box or stretch to screen aspect ratio
• 4:3 and Widescreen 16:9 Frame Aspect Ratios
• Output Resolutions: 1080p, 1080i, 720, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i
• Output frame rates: 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25
Audio Decoder AAC-LC, AAC-HE
Video Outputs • Analog: Composite and YPbPr component video
• Digital: SD/HD/3G-SDI, HDMI
• HDMI, SDI connectors mounted directly on appliance/blade
• Breakout cable to BNC connectors for Analog Audio, Composite Video, and
Component Video
Audio Outputs • Analog: Stereo Line Level Unbalanced BNC, Balanced XLR (through optional
XLR cable)
• SDI audio
• HDMI Audio
Network Connectivity • 10/100/100 Ethernet
• Auto senses Full/Half Duplex
• Static IP address or DHCP
Management • Management Web Pages over HTTP or HTTPS from integrated web server
• SNMP
• soap/xml Web Service
• ssh
• telnet
• iPhone app
• RS-232/422
• Front panel display on Enterprise Models
Dimensions Appliance: 1.75” x 8.1” x 8.75”
Power Supply Input 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 45 Watts, 12VDC, 4A
Regulatory Approvals FCC Part 15, CE
Protocols Unicast/Multicast, DiffServ (QoS), UDP, IPv4 and IPv6, RTP, SAP, IGMP,
HTTP/HTTPS Management, SSH
Maintenance/Control
Port
Two serial ports for local maintenance and data transport
Weight 2 pounds
Operating
Temperature Range
• Industrial Appliance: 0 to +70 degrees Celsius
• Enterprise Appliance: 0 to +50 degrees Celsius

6© 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Table 3. Rack Mount Chassis Specifications
Table 4. Supported Browsers (VBAdmin)
Table 5. Recommended H.264 Players
† Use version shown or higher.
Options XLR audio cable
Rack Mount Chassis • Height: 14”, 8 rack units
• Depth: 11”, Allows for two rack mount chassis mounted back-to-back
• Weight: 46.7 pounds fully loaded
• Maximum Channel Density: 88 channels in 8U of rack space with back to back
chassis mounting
• Operating Temperature Range: 0 to 40C
• Storage Temperature Range: -20 to 70C
• Regulatory Compliance UL: FCC Part 15 Class A, CE, RoHS (5 of 6)
• Cooling Capacity: 50W per blade with one failed fan
• Hot Swap: Power Supplies, Fan Tray, Encoder Blades, Air Filter Media
• AC Power: 485 watts per power supply, 47 to 63Hz, 8 amps at 90-132VAC, 4
amps at 180-264VAC
Grounding • ESD wrist strap included with ground connection to chassis for user blade
insertion/removal
• Chassis ground connection lug
LEDs • - Power Supply Failure LED (for each supply and for enclosure)
• - Fan Status LED
• - Fan Tray Hot Swap LED
Alarm Audible Alarm on Power Supply Failure
Browser Version
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 9.0 or higher
Player †Vendor Notes
QuickTime 7.0 Apple If not installed, download application from Apple website.
VLC 1.0.1 VideoLAN Not fully tested or supported by VBrick.

Introduction
H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 7
Table 6. Recommended Desktop Requirements
• Ethernet LAN with Multicast IGMP Version 2
• Windows XP (SP3), Vista, Windows 7
• Mac OS X 10.3 (Power PC)
• Mac OS X 10.4 (Intel-based PC)
• 750 MHz Pentium III processor (Windows)
• 128 MB RAM
• SVGA video card 640x480, 256 colors or better
• Windows or Macintosh-compatible sound device
• Minimum 5 MB hard disk space for installation
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or Safari 4.0
• Microsoft DirectX Media 8.1 or higher
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.0 (Windows XP), 11 (Vista, Windows 7)
• VBrick StreamPlayer 5.2 or Apple QuickTime 7.0
• VBrick VBDirectory 5.4

8© 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 9
Chapter 2
Appliance Setup
Topics in this chapter
Appliance Setup Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Environmental Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Appliance Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Front Panel LCD Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
This chapter explains how to set up and configure VBrick H.264 network appliances. The
information here is basically the same as that in the Quick Start Guide that came with the
appliance. You can use this document or the Quick Start Guide set up and configure an
appliance. Before you do anything else, be sure to open the box and inspect the components.
Each shipment comes with the components shown in Table 7.
Table 7. What's in the Box?
Appliance Setup Overview
Your VBrick H.264 appliance is shipped with all appropriate cables and connectors. The
appliance(s) you purchased may vary slightly from the illustration in Figure 3 but the basic
elements are common to all H.264 appliances. See VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models on
page 63 for more model information.
Figure 3. Quad Channel Encoder (no SDI)
9000 Series Appliance Number
H.264 network appliance 1 per order
H.264 Quick Start Guide 1 per order
H.264 Product CD 1 per order
Power supply and cable 1 per appliance
Serial cable and adapter 1 per appliance
Ethernet cable 1 per appliance
HDMI cable and adapters 1 per channel
A/V breakout cables 1 per slot

10 © 2012 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Figure 4. Dual Channel Encoder (with SDI)
Using the Quick Start Guide
An 11x17 in. Quick Start Guide that explains how to set up the appliance is shipped with each
device. The Quick Start Guide explains how to setup the appliance to quickly verify that you
can stream audio and video over your local network. (Your actual production setup may be
different.) The information is included here for your convenience.
Click to enlarge
Figure 5. H.264 Appliance Quick Start Guide
HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface that transmits uncompressed
digital data.
A/V Attach VBrick "breakout" cable with color-coded (Y, Pb, Pr)
component connectors.
SDI Serial Data Interface typically used for broadcast-grade streaming
video.
Power In 24 VDC Power input. LED illuminates when power is applied.
Ethernet RJ-45 connector. Connect to the network.
COM1/COM2 • COM1 is used with HyperTerminal for appliance configuration.
• COM2 is used for Serial Port Passthrough or KLV metadata.
USB Use to attach an external storage device.