Z3 Technology Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS User manual

User’s Guide
Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS
Custom Software for Z3-DM8169-APP-L1
DOC-USR-0052-01
Manual Version 2.01.10
Software Version 2.01.10
April 10, 2014
Before attempting to connect or operate this product, please read these
instructions carefully and save the manual for future use.
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 the prior written approval of an authorized representative of Z3.

CONFIDENTIAL Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS V2.01.10
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Z3 Technology, LLC ♦100 N 8th ST, STE 250 ♦Lincoln, NE 68508-1369 USA ♦+1.402.323.0702
2
Revision History
Version
Date
Change Note
Author
2.01.10
04/10/14
Original Document
RC

CONFIDENTIAL Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS V2.01.10
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Z3 Technology, LLC ♦100 N 8th ST, STE 250 ♦Lincoln, NE 68508-1369 USA ♦+1.402.323.0702
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. General Description....................................................................................................................................5
2. Features........................................................................................................................................................6
3. Untarring and Building the Sample Code................................................................................................ 7
3.1 Preparing the Linux Environment....................................................................................................7
3.2 Making the Directories and Running the Make Script ..................................................................7
4. Code Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 8
4.1 Directory Structure............................................................................................................................8
4.1.1 The z3apps/rdk directory ...........................................................................................................8
4.2 Z3 Application Overview ...................................................................................................................9
4.2.1 Application Names and Locations .............................................................................................9
4.2.2 Application Options and Arguments.......................................................................................... 9
4.2.3 Application Source Code........................................................................................................... 10
4.3 RDK documentation .........................................................................................................................10
5. Running the Encoder ................................................................................................................................13
5.1 Set up the HD Source....................................................................................................................... 13
5.2 Connect the Board ...........................................................................................................................13
5.3 Set up the Terminal Window .......................................................................................................... 14
5.4 Power on the board .........................................................................................................................14
5.5 Ensure your PC has a proper IP address ....................................................................................... 14
5.6 Run the Web Interface to Configure CH1..................................................................................... 15
5.7 Run VLC to View Stream ................................................................................................................. 17
5.8 Streaming RTP...................................................................................................................................18
5.9 Changing the Bitrate Dynamically.................................................................................................19
5.10 Tuning for Latency .......................................................................................................................... 20
5.11 Simultaneous 720p and “Crop to VGA” Encode Mode ..............................................................21
6. Exercising Other Features .......................................................................................................................24
7. Running the Code You Built on the Board............................................................................................. 25
7.1 Method 1: Updating the Image File .............................................................................................25
7.2 Method 2: Running Your Code through TFTP/NFS .....................................................................27
7.3 Other available u-boot commands................................................................................................31
Appendix A: Example of Successful Boot Log ............................................................................................ 32
Appendix B: Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................45

CONFIDENTIAL Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS V2.01.10
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Z3-DM816X-MOD ............................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 2 Z3-DM8169-APP-L1 Application Board.............................................................................................. 5
Figure 3 Encode Connections for Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS .......................................................................... 13
Figure 4 Web Interface Initial Screen ................................................................................................................15
Figure 5 Channel 1 Configuration Screen .........................................................................................................16
Figure 6 VLC Open Network Screen.................................................................................................................17
Figure 7 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (UDP) ................................................................................ 17
Figure 8 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (RTP) ..................................................................................18
Figure 9 Viewing Bitrate in VLC.......................................................................................................................19
Figure 10 Drop in Bitrate after Dynamic Bitrate Change..................................................................................19
Figure 11 Tuning for Various Use Cases ...........................................................................................................20
Figure 12 720p Encode Settings.......................................................................................................................21
Figure 13 VGA Encode Settings........................................................................................................................22
Figure 14 The Status Tab for Dual Encode.......................................................................................................23
Figure 15 Updating the Device Firmware from the Web Interface ...................................................................25
Figure 16 Browsing for the Image File in the Updater......................................................................................26
Figure 17 Editing u-boot-env-netra-rdk.txt.......................................................................................................29
Figure 18 Minicom Terminal Settings ............................................................................................................... 29

CONFIDENTIAL Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS V2.01.10
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1. General Description
The Z3-DM816X-APP-L1-RPS is a low-latency custom system that supports encode of 720p video through SDI
as well as simultaneous 720p and cropped VGA encode. The hardware provided includes one Z3-DM816X-
MOD System on Module card and one Z3-DM8169-APP-L1 Carrier/Application board.
The Z3-DM816X-MOD-3X is a compact OEM module which supports H.264 High Profile encode/decode at up
to two channels of 1080p at 60 fps (frames per second). It includes the interface used to connect the
serial port. The Z3-DM8168-MOD-3X features a unique expansion interface comprised of five high density
connectors providing access to most of the interface signals available from the DM8168 processor. Figure 1
below shows the Z3-DM8168-MOD-3X System on Module:
The Z3-DM8168-APP-L1 is used as the application board. It includes a PCI interface used to transmit the
video data:
Figure 1 Z3-DM816X-MOD
Figure 2 Z3-DM8169-APP-L1 Application Board
Serial
68 mm
108 mm
mm

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2. Features
HD resolutions up to 1920x1080
H.264 support
Input video resizer
Outputs RTP or MPEG-2 Transport Stream
Web-based or serial-based configuration software

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3. Untarring and Building the Sample Code
3.1 Preparing the Linux Environment
Prior to building the Z3 sample code, certain modules are required. In Ubuntu 10.x or later, the following
command can be used to get the required modules:
sudo apt-get install bison flex mtd-utils liblzo2-dev uuid-dev zlib1g-dev
libpcre3-dev autoconf autoconf-archive automake automake1.9 automake1.9-doc
libtool libtool-doc
In Fedora, the command would be:
sudo yum install bison flex mtd-utils mtd-utils-ubi lzo-devel libuuid-devel
pcre-devel automake automake17 automake14 autoconf libtool
If you are running a 64-bit OS, it may be necessary to install some 32-bit libraries for the cross-compiling
toolchain. You can determine whether your OS is 64-bit by using the “uname –p” command. A 64-bit OS
will return “x86_64,” while a 32-bit OS will return “i386”, “i586”, or “i686”.
For 64-bit Ubuntu, you can get the necessary libraries by typing:
# sudo apt-get install ia32-libs
For 64-bit Fedora, you can type:
# sudo yum install glibc.i686
3.2 Making the Directories and Running the Make Script
The software provided will allow you to re-create the pre-installed software of the Z3-DM8169-L1-RPS
starting from the included source code.
On a PC running Linux, create a directory where the released materials are going to be located:
# mkdir /home/z3/z3-netra-rdk
Copy the released tar archive to that directory (note: the name may slightly vary).
# cp SW-7R2-00199-01_DM8169-APP-L1-RPS-SRC-20140409.tar.bz2 /home/z3/z3-netra-rdk
Untar the archive (name of tar file may slightly vary. Untarring will take 5 to 10 minutes).
# tar -xvjf SW-7R2-00199-01_DM8169-APP-L1-RPS-SRC-20140409.tar.bz2
Then go into the directory just created and run the build script (directory name may slightly vary):
# cd z3-netra-RDK-20140409
# ./makeall
Note: Building can take around 30-40 minutes. You will also need to type in the sudo password a few
times toward the end of the build.
The outcome of the build process should be newly created image files in the images directory.

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4. Code Overview
4.1 Directory Structure
Once you have untarred the code, you will see the following top-level directories:
build-tools Config files and scripts for building the codebase
dvr-rdk A modified version of the TI RDK code
factory Factory testing scripts (the user can disregard these)
filesys The base filesystem for release
kernels Kernel code for release
sysapps Various supporting applications
toolchain The ARM toolchain for building the codebase
u-boot u-boot code for release
z3apps Z3 demo application code and scripts
The Z3 demo code that comes with the Z3-DM816X-APP-L1-RPS is run from the run.sh script in dvr-
rdk/dvr_rdk/bin/ti816x. This code calls the z3_dvr_rdk_demo_mcfw_api.out binary, which initializes and
runs the encoder. This binary is built from the dvr-rdk directory. The code for the binary resides in
z3apps/rdk/rdk_demo. The z3apps/rdk directory is described in more detail in the next section.
4.1.1 The z3apps/rdk directory
There are three main subdirectories: rdk_demo, z3_mcfw_api, and z3 (Note: Source code is available for
customers that have licensed RPS-SRC. For licensees of RPS, binaries of the applications are available).
rdk_demo
This directory contains the code for the various modes that Z3’s boards are able to run in. The encoder
setup is done in demo_vcap_vdis.c. The decoder setup is done in demo_vdec_vdis.c. The passthrough
setup is done in demo_vcap_vdis.c.
The file demo_rtptx.c is responsible for setting the output mode of the encoder. Output to file, RTP, and
MPEG2-TS are handled here.
The file demo_mcsenc.c contains the implementation of the command line interface. This can be run
using the following command:
# source /opt/mcsenc/mcsenc.sh

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z3_mcfw_api
This directory contains a modified version of the TI MCFW API (found in dvr-
rdk/dvr_rdk/mcfw/src_linux/mcfw_api) that is tailored to work with Z3’s hardware and use-cases. The
link setup code for Z3’s demos can be found in the usecases directory. The use-case code is called from
ti_vsys.c in the same directory.
z3
This directory contains the base code for RTP tx and rx, as well as the base code for audio capture and
output.
4.2 Z3 Application Overview
4.2.1 Application Names and Locations
For encode, there are two binaries in the sample code. The first is a menu-based demo (this is what comes
up in the serial terminal when the board is powered on). The second is a command line interface that is
more flexible and easier to use from a programming standpoint. The web-based interface uses the
command line interface extensively.
The menu-based demo binary can be found at:
/opt/dvr_rdk/ti816x/bin/z3_dvr_rdk_demo_mcfw_api.out
The command line interface binary can be found at:
/opt/dvr_rdk/ti816x/bin/mcfw_mcsenc
On the decode side, there is a command line interface. The binary for this can be found at:
/opt/dvr_rdk/ti816x/bin/mcfw_mcsdec
4.2.2 Application Options and Arguments
The menu-based demo uses an .ini file. This .ini file is built in the script run.sh and stored in
/tmp/encode.ini.
Once called with the .ini file, the menu-based demo presents to the user a menu of demos. Most .ini files
are geared toward a specific demo. The easiest way to get a valid .ini file is to run the script with the
settings you want and then copy the generated .ini out of /tmp and save it.
The command line interface for the encoder is set up by running:

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# source /opt/mcsenc/mcsenc.sh
This will present you with an "=" prompt. You can then enter commands to encode. For example:
= encode instance=1 source=SDI1 dst=rtp://192.168.0.6:5004 size=1280x720 audio=off
Will start to encode from SDI1 streaming to 192.168.0.6 at port 5004 scaled to 1280x720. You can find an
example of using this in a script at:
$PRJROOT/dvr-rdk/runz3demo.sh
4.2.3 Application Source Code
The application source code can be found mainly in:
z3apps/rdk/rdk_demo
The top-level file for the menu-driven demo is demo.c. The top-level files for the command line interfaces
are demo_mcsenc.c and demo_mcsdec.c.
4.3 RDK documentation
Documentation on the RDK can be found in dvr-rdk/dvr_rdk/docs. Below is a list of some of the major
documentation available:
Docs
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Install_Guide.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_MainPage.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Release_Notes.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Release_Summary.pdf
├── AppNotes
│├── DM8107_DVR_RDK_DM8107DVR_SchematicChanges_BCH120.pdf
│├── DM8107_DVR_RDK_PowerSavings.pdf
│├── DM8168_DVR_RDK_AVS_User_Guide.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_960H_Notes.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_App_Notes_Summary.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Audio_Notes.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_AVSync_Notes.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Boot_Logo_and_External_Device.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Customer_Display_Resolution.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Debug_Statistics.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Display_Output_Configuration.pdf

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│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Ethernet_Offload_Driver.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_External_Video_Device_Configuration.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Flash_File_FS.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Graphics_Using_FBDev.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_HDMI_Control_Notes.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Memory_Map.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Minimal_Root_File_System.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Network_Stack_Optimization_Techniques_for_Multichannel_NVR.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_PLL_Print_Utility.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Qt_Installation_Guidelines.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_SCD_AlgorithmIntegration.pdf
│├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Software_OSD_Notes.pdf
│└── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Software_OSD_Text_Render_Notes.pdf
├── software_manifest.htm
├── TestReports
│├── DM810X_DVRRDK_Test_Report_04.00.00.03.xls
│└── HDMITestReports
├── Trainings
│└── DVR_RDK_McFW_Link_API_Training.pdf
├── Usecases
│├── DM810x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_4D1_8CIF_16CIF_DVR.pdf
│├── DM810x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_Decode_Display.pdf
│├── DM814x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_4D1_8CIF_16CIF_DVR.pdf
│├── DM814x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_Decode_Display.pdf
│├── DM816x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_16D1_DVR.pdf
│├── DM816x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_32D1_Decode_Display.pdf
│├── DM816x_DVR_RDK_UseCaseGuide_SD_HD_Encode_Card.pdf
│└── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Interlace_UseCaseGuide.pdf
└── UserGuides
├── DM8168_DVR_RDK_GUI_Guide.pdf
├── DM816x_FAPLL.xls
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Demo_Guide.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_FAQs.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_IPC_Bits_Out_Host.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Migration_Guide.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_Overview.pdf
├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_PSP_Arago.pdf

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├── DM81xx_DVR_RDK_SCD_DMVAL_FAQs.pdf
├── DMVAL_API_and_UsersGuide.pdf
├── DVR_RDK_ApiGuide.CHM
└── SCD_TI_API_UsersGuide_v00.50.pdf

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5. Running the Encoder
This section gives step-by-step instructions on taking the Z3-DM8169-L1-RPS and using it to stream 720p or
simultaneous 720p and cropped VGA.
5.1 Set up the HD Source
(1) Select an HD source with an SDI output and configure for 720p.
5.2 Connect the Board
For these steps, please refer to Figure 3.
(2) Connect the supplied 2.5mm serial cable and NULL modem adapter to your PC.
(3) Connect the Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS to SDI / Ethernet / Power via the PCI interface.
Figure 3 Encode Connections for Z3-DM8169-APP-L1-RPS
Serial
SDI / Ethernet / Power

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5.3 Set up the Terminal Window
(4) If you are running from a Windows PC, run TeraTerm. Select “Setup – Serial Port” and set the following:
Port: Whichever serial port the port is connected to
Baud Rate: 115200
Data: 8-bit
Parity: None
Stop: 1-bit
Flow Control: None
(5) If you are running from Linux, type:
# sudo minicom –s
And then configure by doing the following:
-Select “Serial Port Setup”
-Ensure the correct Serial Device is specified (typically “/dev/ttyUSB0”)
-Set option E (“Bps/Par/Bits”) to 115200 8N1
-Press <return>
-Select “Exit”
5.4 Power on the board
(6) Connect the 12V power supply and turn on the switch. If all is configured properly, you should see the
board booting up within the terminal window. After about a minute, you will see the RPS Main Menu.
Note the local IP address and netmask (in this example, it is 192.168.81.68 and 255.255.0.0). This is
the IP address of the board. You will need this later to access the web interface.
5.5 Ensure your PC has a proper IP address
(7) To be able to communicate with the RPS, the PC that you are communicating from needs to have at
least the same first two parts of the IP address. For example, if the RPS has an IP address of
192.168.81.68, your PC would need to have an address of 192.168.x.y, where x.y is anything but
“81.68”(and not conflicting with whatever is on your current network). Ensure that this is the case.
Note that the first two parts being the same are based on a value of netmask of 255.255.0.0. If
netmask were 255.255.255.0, for example, then the first three parts of the IP address would have to be
the same.
After you are done, make note of the address you set your PC to. This will be important in the
streaming step.

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5.6 Run the Web Interface to Configure CH1
(8) In your PC, run a web browser (for best results, Z3 recommends FireFox). In this browser, type the IP
address of the board noted in step (7) (for example, if the default value is used, it would be
http://192.168.81.68). After about three seconds, the System Setup menu should come up:
(9) Click on the “CH1” tab
(10) You should see the Channel 1 configuration tab (see Figure 5).
Figure 4 Web Interface Initial Screen

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(11) In this tab, change Video Resolution to “1280x720”, set “Output Format” to UDP and “Dest Address”
to the IP address of your PC (in this example, 192.168.0.6). Also make note of the value of “Dest
Port” (should be 5004 by default).
(12) Click “start” (note: The demo may have already started as it will automatically start in 30 seconds if
a valid input is detected. If that occurs, just click “stop” first). The status should change from
“IDLE” or “STOPPED” to “RUNNING” (see Figure 5). If status is “POLLING” that means a valid SDI
input was not detected.
Figure 5 Channel 1 Configuration Screen
(5) Click “stop” if
already started,
then click “start”
(6) Status can be seen here
(2) Change
to UDP
(3) Change to IP
Address of your PC
(4) Note “Dest Port”
value
(1) Change to
“1280x720” or
“Follow input”

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5.7 Run VLC to View Stream
(13) Run VLC on your PC (version used in testing at Z3: 2.05)
(14) Select Media –Open Network Stream. In the box, type “udp://@192.168.0.6:5004”, where
“192.168.0.6” is the IP address of your PC, and 5004 is the value of “Dest Port” noted in step (11).
(15) Press “Enter.”
(16) You should now see video streaming to VLC:
Figure 6 VLC Open Network Screen
Figure 7 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (UDP)

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5.8 Streaming RTP
Once you have UDP streaming, it is relatively simple to change to RTP streaming. All that is needed are a
change of settings and an SDP file (an example file is provided with the software release from Z3). To
stream using RTP, do the following steps:
(17) In the CH1 configuration tab, click on “stop” to stop the current encoding session.
(18) Change “Output Format” from “UDP” to “RTP” (see Figure 5).
(19) Confirm that “Dest Port” (see Figure 5) is 5004 (this will be important for the VLC configuration).
(20) Click on “start” to start the RTP encoding session.
(21) Copy the “z3-netra.sdp” file received from Z3 to your PC.
(22) Open VLC. Select “Media – Open File” and select the “z3-netra.sdp” file you just copied.
(23) You should then see RTP video streaming on VLC:
Figure 8 Example of Z3 Video Streaming to VLC (RTP)

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5.9 Changing the Bitrate Dynamically
The Z3-DM8169-L1-RPS includes an “update” button which allows you to change the bitrate without
stopping and restarting the encoder. To use it, do the following steps:
(24) In VLC, click on “Tools” and select “Codec Information”. This brings up a window with four tabs.
Select the “Statistics” tab. In this tab, you can see the current video+audio bitrate (8Mbps shown in
this example):
(25) In the CH1 screen, change the bitrate (in this example, the bitrate is changed from “8000K” to
“2000K”) and click the “update” button.
(26) You should see the quality of the picture in VLC change. You should also observe the video bitrate
drop:
Video+Audio bitrate
Figure 9 Viewing Bitrate in VLC
Figure 10 Drop in Bitrate after Dynamic Bitrate Change
Lower video+audio bitrate

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5.10 Tuning for Latency
For latency, the key parameters to work with are TS Lowlat Mode, Maximum Delay and Number of B-
frames.
TS Lowlat Mode causes the TS muxer to operate in low latency mode.
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 50.
B-frames improve the quality of the picture, but they also increase the latency by one frame time. To
minimize latency, B-frames should be disabled (done by setting “Number of B-frames” to 1).
Figure 11 shows the suggested values for TS Lowlat Mode, Maximum Delay and Number of B-frames for
three common use cases:
TS
Lowlat
Maximum
Delay
# of B-frames
Case 1: Highest Quality, Highest Latency
0
9999
3
Case 2: Good Quality, Standard Latency
0
2000
2
Case 3: Normal Quality, Lowest Latency
1
50
1
Figure 11 Tuning for Various Use Cases