Z3 Technology Z3-HE4K-01 User manual

User Instructions
4K Video Encoder and Decoder
Model Name: Z3-HE4K-01
The Power of ZEUS™
DOC-USR-0056-08
Manual Version 2.01.47d
Software Version 2.01.47
February 19, 2016
Before attempting to connect or operate this product, please read these instructions carefully and save this manual for future use.
Copyright © 2016 Z3 Technology, LLC. All rights reserved. This document contains proprietary and confidential information of Z3 Technology, LLC
("Z3"). This document may not be used, reproduced, disclosed, or disseminated to anyone without prior written approval of an authorized Z3
representative.
Z3 Technology, LLC incorporates HDMI® technology. The terms of HDMI and HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, and
the HDMI Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and other countries.

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Revision History
Version
Date
Change Note
Author
0.00.01
07/25/2014
Original Document
KA
2.01.47
10/31/2014
Added Quick Start Section in Section 2.0. Added note on serial cable
and HDMI cable in Section 3.0. Updated features in Section 4.0 to
reflect current release. Added LEDs, note that serial port for debug
only, note that HDMI Out for future use, and broke out USB1/2 in
Section 5.0. Rewrote Section 6.0 to reflect current operation. Added
Section 8.0 on Changing Password. Added Section 9.0 on Summary of
Options Available. Added Appendix A on Troubleshooting. Updated
screenshots. Made document more robust.
RC
2.01.47
03/27/2015
Added Supported Resolutions, Latency, DHCP support sections. Added
Decode information in Section 7.0 and RTMP Streaming in Section 8.0
KA
2.01.47a
07/20/2015
Added SATA2 note
KA
2.01.47b
12/17/2015
Formatting updates. Added Section 9.4: Saving to File. Corrected
Video Bitrate range. Updated warranty information. Added notes
regarding version numbers pictured.
TT/TA
2.01.47c
02/10/2016
Added Simultaneous Streaming Encode Resolutions Supported,
Updated HW Warranty Link
TA
2.01.47d
02/19/2016
Added camera control information (Section 9.5), Corrected Max
Bitrate
TA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................. 6
Preface ................................................................................................................. 61.1
2.0 QUICK START GUIDE ..................................................................................................... 6
If You Have Received a System from Z3 with the Software Preloaded ........................................ 62.1
If You Already Have a System from Z3 and Need to Update the Firmware ................................... 62.2
3.0 INCLUDED PARTS LIST ................................................................................................... 7
4.0 FEATURES ................................................................................................................. 8
Supported Encode Resolutions ...................................................................................... 84.1
Supported Decode Resolutions...................................................................................... 84.2
5.0 OPERATING CONTROLS .................................................................................................. 9
6.0 GETTING STARTED AND RUNNING THE Z3-HE4K-01.................................................................10
Prepare the 4K Source ..............................................................................................106.1
Connect and Power Up the Z3-HE4K-01 ..........................................................................106.2
Find the Z3-HE4K-01 on the Network using ZFinder ............................................................116.3
Streaming UDP .......................................................................................................136.4
Streaming RTP........................................................................................................156.5
Tuning for Latency...................................................................................................186.6
7.0 RUNNING DECODE ON THE Z3-HE4K-01 ..............................................................................19
Connect the Z3-HE4K-01............................................................................................197.1
Set Decoder Mode ...................................................................................................207.2
Changing Back to Encoder Mode...................................................................................237.3
8.0 STREAMING RTMP .......................................................................................................24
Connect the Encoder ................................................................................................248.1
Configure for RTMP Streaming .....................................................................................248.2
Set Up the Wowza Server...........................................................................................258.3
Start the Encode .....................................................................................................258.4
View the Content on Wowza .......................................................................................258.5
9.0 PERFORMING OTHER OPERATIONS WITH THE Z3-HE4K-01.........................................................27
Saving Current Settings .............................................................................................279.1
Making a Firmware Update.........................................................................................299.2
Using the Password Feature ........................................................................................309.3
Saving to File .........................................................................................................329.4
Camera Control via the Z3-HE4K-01 ..............................................................................349.5
10.0 SUMMARY OF OPTIONS ................................................................................................37
The System Setup Tab .............................................................................................3710.1
The User Presets Tab...............................................................................................3810.2
The Status Tab ......................................................................................................3910.3

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The MPTS Tab .......................................................................................................3910.4
The Term Tab........................................................................................................4010.5
The CH1 Tab (Encode Options) ...................................................................................4010.6
The CH1 Tab (Decode Options) ...................................................................................4310.7
The CH2 Tab.........................................................................................................4410.8
Values Appearing at the Bottom of All Tabs ....................................................................4410.9
APPENDIX A: Configuring the Wowza Server for RTMP .................................................................46
APPENDIX A: Troubleshooting .............................................................................................48
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Parts Included with the Z3-HE4K-01............................................................................ 7
Figure 2 Z3-HE4K-01 Front View........................................................................................... 9
Figure 3 Z3-HE4K-01 Rear View............................................................................................ 9
Figure 4 Encoder Connections for Z3-HE4K-01 .........................................................................10
Figure 5 Turning the Z3-HE4K-01 On .....................................................................................11
Figure 6 ZFinder with Z3-HE4K-01 Selected ............................................................................11
Figure 7 System Setup Tab ................................................................................................12
Figure 8 CH1 Tab (Top Part) ...............................................................................................12
Figure 9 Configuring the 4K Encoder to Stream via UDP..............................................................13
Figure 10 VLC Open Network Screen for UDP ..........................................................................14
Figure 11 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (UDP)..............................................................14
Figure 12 Configuring the 4K Encoder to Stream via RTP.............................................................15
Figure 13 VLC Open Network Stream Screen for RTP .................................................................16
Figure 14 Determine the Current IP Address of Your Z3-HE4K-01....................................................16
Figure 15 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (RTP) ..............................................................17
Figure 16 Tuning for Various Use Cases..................................................................................18
Figure 17 Decoder Connections for Z3-HE4K-01........................................................................19
Figure 18 System Setup Tab ...............................................................................................20
Figure 19 Changing Preset.................................................................................................20
Figure 20 Saving serial_menu settings...................................................................................21
Figure 21 The “Save complete” window ................................................................................21
Figure 22 Decoder Initial Menu ...........................................................................................22
Figure 23 Decoder CH1 Settings ..........................................................................................22
Figure 24 RTMP Encode Settings..........................................................................................24
Figure 25 Getting to the Wowza Test Player............................................................................25

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Figure 26 Viewing Z3-HE4K-01 Content on Wowza.....................................................................26
Figure 27 The User Presets Tab ...........................................................................................27
Figure 28 Entering a User Preset Name .................................................................................27
Figure 29 Selecting “z3_config1” within the System Setup Tab .....................................................28
Figure 30 Saving a User Preset............................................................................................28
Figure 31 Updating the Device Firmware ...............................................................................29
Figure 32 Selecting “Set Password”......................................................................................30
Figure 33 Changing the Password ........................................................................................30
Figure 34 Password Entry Screen.........................................................................................31
Figure 35 Configuring the 4K Encoder to Write to File................................................................32
Figure 36 USB Connection for Camera Control .........................................................................34
Figure 37 Term Tab Settings for USB1 Camera Connection ...........................................................35
Figure 38 Com2TCP Configuration .......................................................................................35
Figure 39 Camera Controller Software Configuration .................................................................36
Figure 40 Wowza Performance Settings .................................................................................46
Figure 41 Wowza Security Settings.......................................................................................47

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1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
Preface1.1
The Z3-HE4K-01 is a compact 4K UHD encoder that quickly allows 4K coming in through HDMI to be
streamed via UDP or RTP or to be saved to a .ts file through USB or SATA2. It is configurable through an
easy-to-use GUI. The Z3-HE4K-01 is the ideal solution for industrial video, video distribution, surveillance
and remote monitoring.
2.0 QUICK START GUIDE
If You Have Received a System from Z3 with the Software Preloaded2.1
To start working with the encoder, you can go straight to Section 6.0, “ GETTING STARTED AND RUNNING
THE Z3-HE4K-01,” on page 10. This section describes how to quickly stream 4K through the Ethernet via
UDP or RTP. Adding password protection is described in Section 9.3, “Using the Password Feature,” on
page 30. Information on RTMP mode can be found in Section 8.0, “STREAMING RTMP,” on page 24. Details
on running the Decoder can be found in Section 7.0, “RUNNING DECODE ON THE Z3-HE4K-01,” on page
19. Finally, a summary of each parameter that can be configured in the GUI is given in Section 10.0,
“SUMMARY OF OPTIONS,” on page 37.
If You Already Have a System from Z3 and Need to Update the Firmware2.2
(1) You can update the firmware via the HTTP-based graphical user interface (GUI) by following the
instructions in Section 9.2, “ Making a Firmware Update,” on page 29.
*Note: Actual version numbers for your Z3 product may differ from those pictured in this document.

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3.0 INCLUDED PARTS LIST
*Note: The HDMI cable is an HDMI 1.4 cable. This is required for 4K support.
*Note: The serial cable and gender changer are included for advanced troubleshooting purposes only
and are not needed by the typical user.
Figure 1 Parts Included with the Z3-HE4K-01
Z3-HE4K-01

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4.0 FEATURES
Encode up to 3840 x 2160 at 30fps H.264 + AAC
29.97, 25, 24 and 23.98fps capture also supported
4K HDMI Input
Output to MPEG-2 TS, RTP or RTMP stream through GigE Ethernet
Supports simultaneous encode of a single 4K source into two different resolutions
Supports camera control via USB connection, including VISCA protocol compatible cameras
Multicast or Unicast streaming
Optional output to TS file on USB or SATA21
Bitrate and frame rate changes without stopping/restarting encoder
HTTP-based configuration software for user-friendly configuration, control, and update
Operating temperature: 0 to 40 degrees C at 20-80% relative humidity
Storage temperature: -10 to 65 degrees C at 20-80% relative humidity
Measurements: 145 x 130 x 34 mm (5.71 x 5.12 x 1.34 in)
Weight: 608 g (1.34 lb)
Supported Encode Resolutions4.1
HDMI: 2160p30, 2160p29.97, 2160p25, 1080p30, 1080i30, 1080i29.97, 1080i25, 720p60,
720p59.94, 720p50, 720p30, 720p29.97, 720p25, 576p50, 576i25, 480p60, 480i30, and
480i29.97
The Z3-HE4K-01 supports simultaneous encode of a single 4K source into two different resolutions and
bitrates. Supported simultaneous stream encode resolutions:
HDMI: 2160p30 and 720p30
2160p29.97 and 720p29.97
2160p25 and 720p25
Supported Decode Resolutions4.2
HDMI: 2160p30, 2160p29.97, 2160p25, 1080p30, 1080i30, 1080i29.97, 1080i25, 720p60,
720p59.94, 720p50, 576p50 and 480p60
1Only SATA2 drives are supported.

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1
2
3
4
5
6
5.0 OPERATING CONTROLS
FRONT VIEW
REAR VIEW
* Note: Please contact Z3 Technology to activate serial (RS-232) functionality.
1
2
1. Power Switch
2. Power LED
3. LED1
4. LED2
5. Serial Port*
1. HDMI In
2. HDMI Out (for future use)
3. GigE Ethernet
4. USB1 (top) and USB2 (bot)
5. SATA
6. 12V Power
3
4
5
Figure 2 Z3-HE4K-01 Front View
Figure 3 Z3-HE4K-01 Rear View

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6.0 GETTING STARTED AND RUNNING THE Z3-HE4K-01
To encode 4K video, complete the following steps.
*Note: Actual version numbers for your Z3 product may differ from those pictured in this document.
Prepare the 4K Source6.1
(2) Set the video source to 4K2K30 (3840x2160 at 30fps) and connect an HDMI1.4 cable to it.
-29.97, 25, 24 and 23.98fps also supported.
-If you are using a VISCA or other camera control protocol compatible camera, see Section 9.5 for
information on camera control via the Z3-HE4K-01.
Connect and Power Up the Z3-HE4K-016.2
For these steps, please refer to Figure 4.
(3) Take the HDMI1.4 cable from step (1) and connect it to HDMI In of the Z3-HE4K-01.
(4) Connect an Ethernet cable to the Ethernet jack on the Z3-HE4K-01. Connect the other end of the
Ethernet cable directly to a PC. You will use this PC to control the Z3-HE4K-01.
(5) Connect the 12V power supply.
(6) Turn on the power switch.
(7) You should see the power LED turn on. After about five seconds you should see LEDs 1 and 2 blink on
and off for a few seconds. 4K initialization and setup then starts. After about 40 more seconds, you
will see LED 2 turn green. This indicates the Z3-HE4K-01 is ready to run.
Figure 4 Encoder Connections for Z3-HE4K-01
(1) Connect Video Source
to HDMI In
(2) Connect
Ethernet
(4) Connect to
12V power

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*Note: If LED 2 is blinking, this indicates the encoder has autostarted and is currently encoding.
Find the Z3-HE4K-01 on the Network using ZFinder6.3
ZFinder is a PC Utility that allows you to find any Z3 product on your network. If you have not
downloaded this to your computer, you can find it on the flash drive provided with your system.
(8) Verify your PC is set to DHCP. If it is set to a static IP address and is directly connected, ZFinder will
be unable to discover your encoder.
(9) Run the “ZFinder” PC Utility on your Windows PC. The ZFinder window appears. ZFinder completes a
scan of the network and lists the location of all Z3 systems connected to the network. In this case,
the Z3-HE4K-01 appears.
(10) Click on the Z3-HE4K-01 entry in the window. This will cause the “Edit Device”, “Open Device” and
“Flash LEDs” boxes to activate.
Figure 6 ZFinder with Z3-HE4K-01 Selected
(1) Turn on
switch
Figure 5 Turning the Z3-HE4K-01 On
(2) Power LED
Turns
(3) LED1 and LED2 blink
for a few seconds
(4) LED2 turns green

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(11) Click “Open Device”. An Internet browser window is opened (for best results, we recommend using
Firefox or Chrome) and the HTTP-based graphical user interface (GUI) appears at the System Setup
tab.
(12) Confirm that the Operation Mode in the lower right corner is “Encoder UltraHD.” If it is not, select
“Encoder UltraHD” from the dropdown menu.
(13) Click on the CH1 tab to bring up the encoder settings.
Figure 8 CH1 Tab (Top Part)
Figure 7 System Setup Tab
Click here

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Streaming UDP6.4
The Z3-HE4K-01 supports streaming a 4K stream via UDP. To do this, complete the following steps:
(14) On the “CH1” tab, change “Output Format” to “UDP.”
(15) Set the “Dest Address” to:
(a) the IP address of your PC that will be running the VLC media player (in the pictured
example, 192.168.0.6)
(b) or to a multicast address (An example multicast address would be “225.1.2.3”. If you are
on a shared network, check with your Network Administrator.)
(16) Change “Dest Port” to 5004.
(17) Verify whether or not your video source supports audio. If it does not support audio, set “Audio
Enable” to “False” for the best performance.
(18) Click “start”.
(19) After your changes, the “CH1” tab should have the following settings:
Figure 9 Configuring the 4K Encoder to Stream via UDP
(1) Change Output Format to “UDP”
(2) Change Dest Address
to IP address of PC or
multicast address
(3) Change Dest Port to
5004

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(20) Run VLC on your PC (Version used by Z3: 2.1.5)
(21) Select Media –Open Network Stream. In the box, type “udp://@192.168.0.6:5004”, where
“192.168.0.6” matches the values of the computer IP address or multicast address entered for “Dest
Address” in step (15), and 5004 is the value of “Dest Port” in step (16).
(22) Press “Play.”
(23) You will now see your 4K video streaming to VLC.
Figure 11 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (UDP)
Figure 10 VLC Open Network Screen for UDP

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Streaming RTP6.5
The Z3-HE4K-01 also supports streaming a 4K stream via RTP. To do this, perform the following steps:
(24) Click “stop” to stop any previous encoding in progress.
(25) In the “CH1” tab, change “Output Format” to “RTP.”
(26) Change “Dest Address” to the IP address of the PC running VLC or a multicast address (the pictured
example is 192.168.0.6).
(27) Click “start”.
(28) After your changes, the “CH1” tab should have the following settings:
Figure 12 Configuring the 4K Encoder to Stream via RTP
(1) Change Output Format to
“RTP”
(2) Change Dest Address
to IP address of PC or
multicast address

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(29) Open VLC. Select “Media –Open Network Stream”
(30) In the “Open Media” box, type “rtsp://192.168.81.68/{name}.mp4”, where “192.168.81.68” is the
IP address of the Z3-HE4K-01, and {name} is “z3-1” for unicast streaming, and “z3-1m” for multicast
streaming.
In the pictured example, the IP address of the Z3-HE4K-01 is a static IP address value of
192.168.81.68 and unicast streaming is being done. The user would type in
“rtsp://192.168.81.68/z3-1.mp4”:
You can find the IP address of your encoder as the URL in your open web browser or by using ZFinder.
Figure 13 VLC Open Network Stream Screen for RTP
Figure 14 Determine the Current IP Address of Your Z3-HE4K-01
HE4K-01 Current
IP address
HE4K-01 Current
IP address

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(31) Click “Play.” You will then see RTP video streaming on VLC.
*Note: VLC Version 2.1.5 or higher is needed for RTSP support.
Figure 15 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (RTP)

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Tuning for Latency6.6
For latency, the key parameter to work with is Maximum Delay.
Maximum Delay defines the number of milliseconds of buffering the encoder has to work with. The
higher this value, the more buffers it has to work with and the more time it has to “smooth things out”
for challenging content. However, a higher value also causes latency to increase accordingly. To
minimize latency, this value should be set to the lowest possible value. The lowest value Z3
recommends is 100.
Figure 16 shows the suggested values for Maximum Delay for three common use cases:
Maximum Delay
Case 1: Highest Quality, Highest Latency
3000
Case 2: Good Quality, Standard Latency
2000
Case 3: Normal Quality, Lowest Latency
100
Figure 16 Tuning for Various Use Cases
RTP offers lower latency than UDP, so for the lowest latency you should use RTP.
If you are streaming to VLC, you can reduce latency on the decode side by adjusting the network caching
value. By default, this is set to 1000ms. You can lower this to as low as 200ms. To do this, go to the
following:
VLC →Tools →Preferences →Show Settings (ALL) →Input / Codecs →Network caching (ms)

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7.0 RUNNING DECODE ON THE Z3-HE4K-01
The Z3-HE4K-01 also supports decode. Note that, to change between encode and decode modes, a reboot of
the system is required for each mode switch. Details are listed below.
Connect the Z3-HE4K-017.1
For these steps, please refer to the figure below.
(1) Connect and HDMI 1.4 cable to HDMI Out on the Z3-HE4K-01. Connect the other end to a 4K monitor.
(2) Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet jack on the Z3-HE4K-01. Connect the other end of the
Ethernet cable directly to a PC or to a hub connected to the PC. You will use this PC to control the
Z3-HE4K-01.
(3) Take a USB 3.0 drive with the content to be decoded and connect it to USB1 (the top USB port). USB
3.0 is recommended to ensure that it is fast enough to read the data to be decoded.
(4) Follow steps (6) through (13) of Section 6.0 on page 10 to bring up the Web GUI of the Z3-HE4K-01.
(5) Verify the Z3-HE4K-01 is not currently encoding. If an encode session is running, click “stop”.
Figure 17 Decoder Connections for Z3-HE4K-01
(1) Connect Video Source
to HDMI Out
(2) Connect
Ethernet
(3) Connect to
USB1 (top)

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Set Decoder Mode7.2
(6) Switch to “Decoder” mode by changing “Operating Mode” in the lower right corner of the GUI:
(7) Once you do this, the System Setup tab will appear with decode settings. In this tab, select
“serial_menu” as the preset at the bottom left of the GUI:
Figure 18 System Setup Tab
Change to
“Decoder”
Figure 19 Changing Preset
Change to
“serial_menu”