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Installation and Operation

Guide

B e c a u s e i t m a t t e r s .

Published: 11/29/10

Summary of Contents for Io Express

Page 1: ...1 1 www aja com Installation and Operation Guide B e c a u s e i t m a t t e r s Published 11 29 10 ...

Page 2: ...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 interf...

Page 3: ...uties taxes and any other charges for products returned to any other locations This warranty shall not apply to any defect failure or damage caused by improper use or improper or inadequate maintenance and care AJA Video shall not be obligated to furnish service under this warranty a to repair damage resulting from attempts by personnel other than AJA Video representatives to install repair or ser...

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Page 5: ...oftware Requirements 6 Cable Connections 7 Connector Descriptions Io Express Cables 7 HD SD SDI Input and Output 7 HDMI Input and Output 7 Analog 2 Channel Unbalanced Audio Output 7 RS422 Machine Control 7 Component Video Output with Composite and Y C functions 8 Reference Video and LTC Input 8 In This Manual 8 Chapter 2 Installation Configuration Installation Overview 9 Connecting to your Compute...

Page 6: ...ng Io Express 39 QuickTime Application Control 39 Io Express Control Panel Control 40 Control Recommendations 40 Easy Setups for Typical Uses 40 Easy Setups Menu 41 Easy Setups For Use With Io Express 42 Audio Video Settings Menu 42 To Create A New Easy Setup 43 The Sequence Presets Window 44 The Capture Presets Window 45 Capture Presets Editing 46 The Device Control Presets Window 47 The A V Devi...

Page 7: ...ctory Setup 61 Enforce Memory Alignment 61 Audio Files Setup 61 Audio Monitor Levels 61 Capture Window 62 File Options 62 Type 62 Video Audio 63 Video Subtype 63 Audio Subtype 63 Audio Track 63 Clip Options 64 Clip Name 64 Reel Name 64 Sequence Offset 64 Create New Folder Per Sequence 64 Abort on Dropped Frames 64 Display Options 64 Display Type 64 Display To Desktop 65 Display Sizes 65 Capture Co...

Page 8: ... Output 1 77 HDMI Output 77 Analog Output 78 Audio Level 78 Timecode Input 78 Desktop Display Options 78 Display To Desktop 78 Display Capture Speed 78 Desktop Capture Width and Height 78 File Options 79 Audio Formats 79 Audio Tracks 79 Io Express Playback Options 80 Audio Device 80 Analog Output 81 Reference 81 Overlay Options 81 HDMI Output Options 81 Options Set in Premiere Pro Preferences 81 A...

Page 9: ...9 Using the AJA Preview Plugin 101 Using the AJA Playback Plugin 102 File Options 102 Playback General Options 103 Leader Trailer Options 104 Memory Options 104 Playback AJA Options 104 Activation Options 105 Playback Options 105 Play Controls 106 Insert Edit Mode 107 Print to Video Mode 108 Chapter 6 Using Combustion Fusion with Windows Using Autodesk Combustion 2008 111 Preview Options 112 Activ...

Page 10: ...6 Appendix B Specifications Formats 121 Video Input 121 Video Output 121 Audio Input 121 Audio Output 122 Reference Input 122 Machine Control 122 ...

Page 11: ...file based workflows Features The Io Express package includes the following features HD SD SDI input and output HDMI 1 3a input and output Component Video output for monitoring 2 channel RCA audio output LTC I O selectable LTC input or Reference Video Input RS 422 2 model options with Expresscard adapter for laptop use or with PCIe card for desktop tower For Mac OSX and 64 bit Windows 7 operating ...

Page 12: ...put Go back to the Control Panel application and select a KONA 3 as the targeted product Launch the AJA TV application AJA TV would now use the KONA 3 for its output If you switch back to Final Cut Pro you will see that it still uses the Io Express for its input output Note that some applications like AJA TV have a provision for playing in the background so playback on one product could even conti...

Page 13: ...h an I input designation for the Secondary Format then Choose a Secondary Video Input type Down conversion display mode choices that may be available include Anamorphic full screen Letterbox image is reduced with black top and bottom added to image area with the aspect ratio preserved Crop image is cropped horizontally to fit new screen size The following Primary Video Signal Formats are supported...

Page 14: ...included Support for Adobe Premiere Pro After Effects and Photoshop application software not included AJA s Io Express software and hardware were developed for use on the Macintosh platform providing powerful integrated video audio capture editing and video production With an Apple Mac Pro and Io Express you have an ideal high quality cost effective system for standard definition and high definiti...

Page 15: ...ind any damage immediately notify the shipping service and supply them with a complete description of the damage AJA will repair or replace damaged items If you find shipping damage contact your AJA dealer or distributor for details on how to have your Io Express repaired or replaced Save packing materials and the shipping box If you ever require service or move your system use the packaging mater...

Page 16: ...t Pro is FCP 7 5 x Io Express Driver version Leopard and Snow Leopard OSX compatible version For operation under Windows OS XP 32 or Vista 32 64 use Io Express version 4 2 Note Always consult the release notes for the AJA software version you are running included with installer For the latest appropriate match for your software and hardware visit http www aja com support io io express php Platform...

Page 17: ...l support of the latest 10 bit monitors HDCP is not supported on either input or output Io Express HDMI output does not have HDCP and input sources having HDCP are not supported The HDMI input is designed to support long cable runs up to 100 ft when using 22 or 24AWG HDMI cable or up to 50 ft using 28 or 30AWG HDMI cable The HDMI output supports standard HDMI cables only The AJA Io Express Control...

Page 18: ...ther video equipment in your studio then connect its analog composite output here When Io Express outputs video it uses this reference signal for locking When connecting a reference video source the locking signal should be the same format as the Primary format selected in the Io Express Control Panel It is possible in some circumstances to use an alternate format video signal as long as the basic...

Page 19: ...press software 3 For latest System Compatibility and Software Version information for Io Express Visit http www aja com support io io express php Note Starting with Io Express 7 5 you can operate multiple AJA capture products in a workstation See Using Multiple AJA Products on page 2 for details 4 Install AJA Io Express software on your Mac or PC from the supplied AJA CD ROM 5 Cable the system aud...

Page 20: ...o monitoring reference and machine control cables Refer to Cabling the System following 5 Connect the Power Supply to AC power and turn on Io Express using the front power switch Important For correct performance always power Io Express before starting your computer and power down your computer before powering down Io Express Note Ensure that the Apple Adobe or other software you are going to use ...

Page 21: ...NC connectors to go to an analog monitor 3 Connect a 9 pin DE 9 machine control cable between your VTR s RS422 control port and the Io Express RS 422 machine control connector 4 Connect two SDI cables between Io Express and your digital VTR Digital Betacam etc one from Io Express SDI In to the VTR SDI Out and one from Io Express SDI Out to the VTR SDI In The Io Express SDI connections have embedde...

Page 22: ... SDIVideo I O with Embedded Audio External Reference Blackburst or LTC Input Unbalanced Audio In Out to Monitors Reference Monitors POWER CMPTR Computer Monitor Storage RAID HDMI Monitor Apple Mac Pro w OSX or Windows PC w XP Vista 7 PCIe Adapter and cable supplied Adapter Installed Inside Mac ...

Page 23: ...lications at a later date and have not previously installed the appropriate plugins you must run the install program again selecting the appropriate application support software to be installed Mac Pro Software Installation Locate the AJA Io Express Software download or CD ROM packaged with your system Then follow the procedure below to put the required software on the host Mac to be used with Io ...

Page 24: ... installer will launch and you ll see a series of installer screens Initial Installer Screen 7 Click Continue to begin installation 8 The next screen lets you know that the installer will check your Mac to ensure it has the hardware and software resources required see Minimum Requirements in Chapter 1 ...

Page 25: ...oftware License Agreement Io Express Software License Agreement Screen 10 The next screen shows all the available drives on the Mac Pro Click on the drive that contains your system files Apple default is Macintosh HD A green arrow will point to the drive you ve selected Click the Continue button to proceed with installation ...

Page 26: ... X must be restarted after installation Click the Continue Installation button to proceed Restart OS X Reminder Prompt 13 The installer will run and put all the necessary Io Express drivers presets and software on the desired hard drive When it has completed installation a final screen will be displayed announcing that software was successfully installed 14 Click the Restart button to complete the...

Page 27: ...ows Software turn off any virus protection and security software that you have installed on your computer Open the AJA Windows Software download or insert the Software CD in the PC Note If you are installing from the CD the Auto run installation installs the 32 bit package If you want the 64 bit you must stop the auto run browse the C D and select the 64 bit package for installation Install Wizard...

Page 28: ...you would like to perform Installation Type If you don t have all the AJA Windows Software supported Adobe Production Studio products installed on your workstation you may choose to perform a Custom installation default and select only the software necessary for your applications If you use the entire collection use the Complete installation ...

Page 29: ...eens depict the more elaborate Custom installation Shown below are the top level directory of options Click to expand or contract Top level Installation Item Selection You may deselect any Item for installation by using the pulldown to make it unavailable Custom Selections Pulldown Menu ...

Page 30: ...ld like installed Custom Selection Second level Options Disabled selections are marked with a red X Before clicking Next to install you can verify your disk space availability by clicking the Disk Usage button Workstation Disk Usage Display To return to the installation click OK ...

Page 31: ... to disk you will see a standard Windows Logo test warning Click on the Continue Anyway button to finish the installation When the installation is completed a final screen will be displayed announcing that Setup has finished installing AJA Windows Software on your computer Click on the Finish button after the installation is complete Restart the computer after installation to activate the Io Expre...

Page 32: ...r Remove Installation Menu Genlock and Your System For video stability and proper system operation you can genlock all equipment to house sync however genlock is not required for Io Express due to excellent freerun accuracy To connect genlock use a black burst generator output looped through the system On the Io Express house sync is connected to LTC Ref In Note Be sure to set the Reference LTC co...

Page 33: ...ontrol Panel is a software application that provides a simple visual way to see how the Io Express interface is currently configured and make changes as desired Settings both those you changed and those you didn t can be saved as a snapshot for recall at anytime This lets you save settings associated with all your frequent tasks then as you switch tasks you don t have to spend extra time resetting...

Page 34: ...s or via external application software such as the Easy Setups in Final Cut It is important to realize that inside the Macintosh many applications can use the Io Express as you switch from window to window and it may not always be obvious which currently controls it The Control Panel displays the name of the application controlling the card In some cases applications may not always properly let go...

Page 35: ...uffer Red the selected operation cannot be performed Yellow reference video black burst or other reference source Green indicates that Io Express is performing an active change to the video making it different from the Primary Format e g down conversion Tabbed Windows The bottom area of the IO Express Control Panel provides different information categorized by topic Clicking on a Tab or a block di...

Page 36: ... SDI and pick which to bring in from the group 1 8 or 9 16 If your application supports only two channels of audio you will select which two channels from the 8 selected embedded will be mapped to the two designated channels 1 2 Format Screen The Format screen shows the video format currently in use by the Io Express framebuffer called the Primary Format and allows you to change it Throughout the ...

Page 37: ...y Format is and the input signal frame rates of input sources limits the to from conversion choices The Secondary Video Format pull down menu lists all formats with those that are incompatible shown in gray these can t be selected This allows you to see what you ve chosen and also see those formats that are incompatible with the selected Primary format For more details on Io Express Primary and Se...

Page 38: ...r to change to it Primary when selected this indicates that the SDI output is set to the same format as the framebuffer That value will be listed in blue Secondary when selected this indicates that the SDI output is set to a format different from the framebuffer Primary Format That secondary format value will be listed in green This shows that active processing of the video is taking place format ...

Page 39: ...gure it when desired Io Express Control Panel Analog Out Tab Analog Out Screen Settings Analog Format choices in the Analog Format pulldown menu vary depending upon the Analog Output video standard For example the Composite Y C selection is only available when an SD 525i29 97 or 625i25 format is in use Analog formats can include Composite Y C Component SMPTE EBU N10 Component Beta Monitor Audio se...

Page 40: ... two different ranges of colorspace values that SDI can use RGB and YCbCr the HDMI input on the Io Express defaults to the SMPTE video input range A pulldown allows you to select full range HDMI Output Pulldowns are provided for configuring the video output range color space and number of embedded audio channels 2 or the maximum 8 for the HDMI output A Protocol pulldown allows you to choose either...

Page 41: ...tion currently controlling the Io Express card if there is one For example in the screen shown here the default output is Input Passthrough Io Express Control Panel Control Tab Control Screen Settings Default Io Express Output Here you select the output Io Express will use as the default when no application has control of the board like when the Finder is active Since Io Express can be controlled ...

Page 42: ...cation is using Io Express Note Hold Last Application this selection directs Io Express to hold and output the last frame of video from the last application to control Io Express This can be helpful when operating in an environment where you re switching back and forth between multiple application windows Tip Pressing and holding the Apple COMMAND key while clicking in the Io Express Control Panel...

Page 43: ...as been selected in the Inputs tab window for sync Note When the Io Express goes into capture mode the Genlock mode automatically switches to Video In Timing Horiz and Vert these two pull downs allow output timing adjustment with reference to the Ref Video source selected The Horizontal reference can be adjusted by selecting a number of pixels clocks to offset Vertical can be adjusted by specifyin...

Page 44: ...ces tab By selecting the checkbox next to specified parameters the video outputs related to these specified parameters are enabled as possible video outputs for applications As an example if the checkbox next to 25 50 is unchecked 50Hz video outputs are deselected and would not be available to the user in the A V Devices tab of Final Cut Pro To avoid confusion users might elect to leave 50Hz unche...

Page 45: ...d three times then the next twice and then back to three times Io Express Control Panel Codec Tab Frame padding Pattern Choices Video Out Pause On these two choices determine what happens when Final Cut Pro is paused in stop mode Full Frame both fields are displayed resulting in some jitter while paused Single Field a single field is displayed showing no flicker useful when color correcting or whe...

Page 46: ...th Final Cut Pro or any other application that has timecode offsets that are user controlled In FCP go to Timeline Options and locate the Starting Timecode value Use that same value here as the Output Timecode Offset to ensure the timecode is synchronized Timecode Burn in this pulldown selects whether the timecode value is burned in on video output from Io Express If set to OFF timecode will not b...

Page 47: ...ose the Enable Timelapse Capture checkbox This functionality is enabled for all QuickTime capture applications Final Cut Pro VTR Xchange etc Set the Capture and For Interval parameters as desired Launch a capture application like Final Cut Pro select the desired Easy Setup for the video format desired You will not need to change anything within the application the timelapse feature will produce Qu...

Page 48: ...aving Your Control Panel Presets After configuring the Io Express Control Panel via the Tabbed screens you can then save all your settings as a snapshot for later recall called a preset In this way you can organize the presets for all your typical tasks saving time by not having to manually reconfigure each time To save a preset simply go to File Save Preset Be sure to give the preset a meaningful...

Page 49: ...ined by Final Cut s Video Playback submenu under the View menu or its Audio Video Settings dialog under A V Devices When a QuickTime application is in control of the Io Express it will be indicated by a label in both the Io Express Control Panel s Format and Control tabs The Io Express Control Panel s Primary Format menu will also indicate that it is not active while the QuickTime application is r...

Page 50: ...nel Control If a QuickTime application is not running the Io Express Control Panel gets control of the board Control Recommendations To avoid surprises run the Io Express Control Panel keep it visible on the desktop and stay consistent in your settings within all QuickTime applications when working on a project For example if you re working in a particular format e g 525i29 97 it would make sense ...

Page 51: ...ideo Settings menu item are located under the main Final Cut Pro menu Easy Setup and Audio Video Menu Items Click on the Easy Setups menu item and Final Cut Pro will present the Easy Setup dialog window Easy Setup dialog At the top of the Easy Setup dialog is the currently selected Easy Setup It can be changed by clicking on the pulldown arrow at the right Doing so results in a long list of the fa...

Page 52: ...pen the Audio Video Settings window it shows a summary of the currently selected Easy Setup Other tabbed windows are available with greater details about each category On the initial summary window you can see the selected presets for the Easy Setup as well as change specific presets The presets you can change on the Summary window are Sequence Preset select one of these as the editing timebase fo...

Page 53: ...e Create Easy Setup button at the bottom of the Summary window 3 A new dialog will pop up Enter a descriptive name for the new Easy Setup e g 10 bit SDI from Video Server in the Name field 4 Enter a sentence or two describing what is unique about the Easy Setup in the Description field 5 Click the Create button to store the new Easy Setup Audio Video Settings Creating a New Easy Setup At any point...

Page 54: ...r example once you ve selected uncompressed 10 bit NTSC 48 kHz you then have to stay in that timebase and can t switch to another By clicking in the leftmost column see the checkmark in the sample screen above you select a new Sequence Preset for use The checkmark tells which Preset is in use highlighting a choice alone does not select it If you select an editing timebase you can then edit it clic...

Page 55: ...set format for incoming source video and audio media you ll be capturing Select the maximum quality format you ll be using for most of the material so there will be no need to re render later The information on the right window pane describes the preset and all it s parameters If you select a format by making a checkmark in the left column you can edit it click the Edit button or copy and rename i...

Page 56: ...ight fields QuickTime Video Settings these settings select a video input source and affect how it s processed by Final Cut Pro The Digitizer pull down menu selects whether you want the selected input source to be digitized as 8 bit or 10 bit uncompressed video as it comes into Io Express The Input pull down selects the primary format Io Express will use to capture input video The Compressor pull d...

Page 57: ...Io Express is handling the machine control parameters for the VTR attached to Io Express Alternatively you could also select a different device for input output instead of Io Express For example if you have a IEEE 1394 camcorder attached to the Mac s FireWire port you might choose FireWire NTSC The information on the right window pane describes the current machine control settings and parameters f...

Page 58: ... roll Post roll Auto Record and PTV Io Express ships with VTR Device Control Presets for Sony and Panasonic VTRs Select a Device Control Preset for the desired frame rate Presets for both Sony and Panasonic VTRs are provided with these frame rates 23 98 24 25 29 97 and 59 94 Audio Video Settings Device Control Presets Editor Window ...

Page 59: ...r video configuration the Audio Options button opens a second dialog where Final Cut gives options for changing bit depth number of channels and the sample rate Since Final Cut currently only supports 2 channels of audio AJA recommends you leave all of these settings as set in the factory defaults You may wish to use a different Io Express output for final Print to tape from Final Cut You can sele...

Page 60: ...lick on it 4 Locate the Viewer window in Final Cut and click on the Filmstrip pulldown menu button it s a filmstrip icon with an A on it Select Bars and Tone NTSC or Bars and Tone PAL The viewer window will display bars after you do this 5 Click the mouse cursor on the Bars and Tone in the Viewer window and drag it to the beginning of the sequence window You ll see the bars and tone show up on the...

Page 61: ...ion Manual Easy Setups for Typical Uses Click and Drag Bars and Tone From Viewer Window To Sequence Click Filmstrip Button in Viewer Window Then select Bars and Tone Finally click in the viewer window and drag the bars to the Sequence window ...

Page 62: ...ce Window Showing Bars and Tone Clip Dragged from Viewer If everything works properly go ahead and try capturing audio and video media from your VTR Bars and Tone In Sequence Window Click Play to Test the System ...

Page 63: ...gradients like a ramp or sunset For example if a sky region is mostly the same color but varies by only a few digital numbers from one side of the picture to another you may see contour lines where the signal passes from one digital value to the next higher value Since each numerical value in a 10 bit system is only one fourth as large as an 8 bit system s these contours become invisible and the s...

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Page 65: ...ograms to tape The Machina application is part of the software package that came with your Io Express If you haven t already done so launch the latest Io Express Download Package from AJA s website or use the Install CD that came with your system Follow the prompts for installation and when finished click on the Machina short cut placed on the desktop to launch Machina This chapter addresses confi...

Page 66: ...nd play record controls function and interact Note The specific options available to you are determined by the currently active AJA capture device model installed in your workstation This section will describe all possible options for Machina and note any options exclusive to Io Express Shortcuts and Display Features Keyboard Shortcuts Space Bar Use it to start and stop playback of media Pressing ...

Page 67: ... options Activation Options Board Note The term Board in this case refers to the AJA capture device being controlled by an application In this section you will find the terms board card or capture device used interchangeably The Board window menu reports the current Type of AJA capture device Io Express or KONA card selected Note Using multiple AJA capture devices in the same workstation is possib...

Page 68: ... settings for your project During Io Express operation the PrimaryFormat is the format written to disk The Secondary Format is not available since Io Express does not support conversions The Primary Format menu allows you to select the video format for the current project Analog output is always available for component or composite monitor feeds Primary Secondary Video Formats Sup ported Note See ...

Page 69: ...n is transmitted in the ancillary data space as defined in ANSI SMPTE 291M Multiple codes can be transmitted within a single digital video data stream Other time information such as real time clock DTTR tape timer information and other user defined information may also be carried in the ancillary timecode packet instead of timecode The actual information transmitted through the interface is identi...

Page 70: ...ons set options for the RS 422 machine control interface on the Io Express card These functions support Print to Tape machine control Machina Device Control Options Timecode Format Use this pull down to select the timecode base supported by your VTR Base 24 Base 25 Base 25 50 frames per second Base 30 DF drop frame 30 frames per second Base 30 NDF non drop frame 30 frames per second Base 30 DF dro...

Page 71: ...ed However on certain types of RAID Controllers usually RAID5 SATA when reading writing to disc to from system memory memory alignment must be done on a 512 byte address alignment Enabling this option insures that reading writing is done to a 512 byte address in system memory But there is a performance cost Due to re alignment reading writing is not guaranteed to be in realtime Audio Files Setup T...

Page 72: ... File Options and Display Options and Overlay Options Machina Capture Window File Options In the File Options menu you will configure the capture file you will be creating by setting the following Type The Type pull down menu provides a choice of video audio file formats Note Because the Io Express is a YUV only device file types that require RGB colorspace cannot be used QuickTime Movie AVI Movie...

Page 73: ...r captured to separate mov files All other formats capture audio to Wave Files Video Subtype Video Capture Formats supported by Io Express cards varying according to file type include 8 bit YUV 4 2 2 2vuy 8 bit YUV 4 2 2 2Vuy 10 bit YUV 4 2 2 v210 Audio Subtype Audio Capture Formats supported by Io Express cards include 48 kHz 16 bit PCM Mono 48 kHz 16 bit PCM Stereo 48 kHz 24 bit PCM Mono 48 kHz ...

Page 74: ...en there may be a problem with the capture Display Options Display Options configure how the desktop display operates for capture Display Type The Display Type pull down menu provides a choice of display rendering formats OpenGL Texture or OpenGL DrawPixels This setting changes the way the PC s GPU handles video overlay on your desktop monitor OpenGL Texture should always be used whenever possible...

Page 75: ... use the hot text fields underneath Display Sizes to enter a specific percentage and X and Y origin points You can also zoom picture size by clicking on the Size hot text field and dragging to the left or right Zoom can also be done using the scroll wheel of your mouse especially helpful when viewing the display in Full screen mode see Shortcuts and Display Features To move the picture within the ...

Page 76: ...lly according to duration Note The in point out point field values are inclusive If both are set to the same value the capture duration will be 1 frame To load the current VTR timecode setting in either field in point or out point click on the hot text field and enter from your keyboard Note When a hot text field has a dotted underline you can left click and hold on the field and drag your curser ...

Page 77: ... right Format Colorspace and total number of frames in the file is reported below the path text You can preview the effects of a color Look Up Table by clicking on the LUT hot text or delete the selected LUT file by clicking on the trash icon You can edit the Audio Track list that is automatically loaded with audio files that have been generated with the same name as the selected video file QuickT...

Page 78: ...ayback Always display during playback and when idle Display Sizes The desktop monitor display will be sized according to this setting You can choose from select sizes 25 to 800 enter a custom size Custom or have Io Express fit the display size according to your Machina screen Fit If Custom is chosen use the hot text fields underneath Display Sizes to enter a specific percentage and or X and Y orig...

Page 79: ...Significant Frame to the left Clicking on the Go to Next button will move you to the first Most Significant Frame to the right The slider on the bottom is a variable speed forward reverse control Positions from left to right are Reverse 16x 8x 4x 2x 1 2 1 4 Still Forward 1 4 1 2 2x 4x 8x and 16x Play Modes Select a Play type by clicking the Play hot toggle buttons above the controls Choose between...

Page 80: ...insert by checking the desired content boxes at the left Then set an in point that the recording VTR will use to initiate recording of your segment Duration is determined by the length of the clip you are outputting Note The Preview Edit check box controls whether the insert edit is in Preview mode or not In preview mode the deck never goes into record but just simulates the edit without putting a...

Page 81: ...cation b Verify that the video cables and RS422 are connected correctly c In the lower left hand corner of the Play tab in Machina set the Edit Output toggle to Output Blacken Tape Mode d Next set the toggle button below to Blacken Tape e In the timecode clock to the immediate right of the toggle buttons enter your desired beginning timecode f Click the green Record button and allow the deck to bl...

Page 82: ... Io Express Board Status Play Status reports current state of activity play duration selected for the current playback total number of frames in and lastly the number of frames that may have been dropped Io Express Status reports Active Inactive status Primary Format setting Video Input type and Audio Input type ...

Page 83: ...Io Express for Mac installer See Io Express downloads at http www aja com support io io express php After you install the Io Express software on your workstation all you need to do to begin using it is to become familiar with the AJA plugins and how Adobe CS5 applications access Io Express options The manual you are reading does not provide operational information for Adobe CS5 except as related t...

Page 84: ...ame rates of the projects will play in realtime as long as they are in one of the supported colorspaces For HDV to playback in realtime it must be in a 1080 project and the frame rate or the file must match that of the project Beginning a Project with Io Express Presets Opening Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 you will select New Project from the Quick Start Screen and choose an AJA Capture Format from the ...

Page 85: ...ffer typical project settings The Description field summarizes the parameters for each preset including Frame raster size Timebase Frame rate Pixel Aspect Ratio Field order Audio sample rate Capture file format Video Rendering format Sequence settings You can adjust the preset Capture setting by going to Project Project Settings General to access the Custom Setting Panel ...

Page 86: ...r Capture Options select the appropriate formats and settings for your project In Io Express operation the Primary Format is the captured media format written to disk Secondary format is for other AJA devices that perform format conversion The Primary Format menu allows you to select the video format used in your current project The Secondary Video Format allows you to perform down conversion of i...

Page 87: ...s either directly from a P2 card or after being transferred from a P2 card to the local system They can be used in Io Express DVCProHD projects or in full raster uncompressed projects For more information on using DVCProHD for Compressed Online Editing Compressed Offline Editing Import Editing and Playing Multiple Media Types Cross Platform Workflow with KONA and DVCProHD See the whitepaper DVCPro...

Page 88: ...f timecode The actual information transmitted through the interface is identified by the coding of a distributed binary bit Equipment manufacturers can use the meta data for different purposes Desktop Display Options Display To Desktop Select one of four modes of desktop display Off Display while idle only this mode is suggested Display during capture only Display Always Display to Desktop uses sy...

Page 89: ...File Options select a video format subtype supported by Io Express When you select AJA Sequence Capture the File Options panel allows you to choose a Sequence Type TGA Sequence BMP Sequence TIF Sequence YUV Audio Formats 48 kHz 16 bit PCM Mono 48 kHz 16 bit PCM Stereo 48 kHz 24 bit PCM Mono 48 kHz 24 bit PCM Stereo 48 kHz 32 bit PCM Mono 48 kHz 32 bit PCM Stereo Audio Tracks Select the number of a...

Page 90: ...ings or access them from the flyout menu at the top right corner of your project window Player Settings Panel Note Primary Format SDI and HDMI Outputs are always the same as set in the Sequence Capture Options panel Refer to the Capture Options section Audio Device Select AJA Audio to output your project audio through the Io Express To complete audio setup refer to Options Set in Premiere Pro Pref...

Page 91: ... to apply an effect or insert a bug logo over the video content HDMI Output Options HDMI video output offers these options Protocol choose Auto Detect HDMI or DVI Color Space select Auto Detect or YCbCr 10bit Io Express does not support RGB Audio Channels choose 8 or 2 to be embedded Video Range select SMPTE or Full Range Options Set in Premiere Pro Preferences Some settings that determine both ca...

Page 92: ...machine before capture Timecode Offset 30 to 30 timecode adjustment in frames forward or back to compensate for discrepancies between the source s burned in timecode and that of the captured sequence Click on the Options button to pull up the AJA Device Control window Timecode Format Use this pull down to select the timecode base supported by your VTR Base 24 Base 25 Base 25 NDF 50 frames per seco...

Page 93: ...o Express software on your workstation all you need to do to begin using it is to become familiar with the Plugins and how Photoshop works with Io Express With Photoshop open you ll go to the File pull down menu and select Import AJA Capture to set up your workflow source device control and other Io Express options Then access Export AJA Preview Setup to configure the preview output to your monito...

Page 94: ...ll read about the various pull down options hot text entry fields and play record controls and how they interact Note The specific options available to you are determined by the AJA capture device that is installed in your workstation and you are currently controlling This section will describe all options for the Photoshop plugin when used with Io Express There are three functional areas in the C...

Page 95: ...trols are RS422 machine controls for running a VTR tape deck with timecode data The Configuration Options section contains tabbed menu selections that provide KONA Options Io Express workflow configuration options Image Options Image formatting colorspace frame and crop information If you don t see the Configuration Options section click on the Options triangle switch above the Status Display In n...

Page 96: ...te the board control and un check it to release control Upon startup of the Photoshop CS5 application if the launched plugin window is in Manual mode the window will NOT activate until the enable box is clicked again The Preview plugin does not need activation since it grabs only one frame the current working frame at a time for output to the monitor It grabs the data on a priority basis when it c...

Page 97: ...rge the thumbnail capture image to full screen by double clicking on the image To return double click again Colorspace Io Express does not support colorspace conversion Frame Scan Work with a Full Frame or capture Even or Odd fields only in single or double modes Set Alpha Channel The Alpha channel image applies only to RGBA scanned in images and then you can set it to 255 default which is zero tr...

Page 98: ...perations and Configuration Photoshop Capture Window Status Display The Status Display section of the Photoshop Capture plugin in the left column reports the settings that you have selected for the Io Express to use when you have control of it Primary Format Video Input type Selected Colorspace In the right column Capture Status reports the detected signal status of the Io Express input Off Line t...

Page 99: ...ing on either the left field or right field of eight digits in the bracketed fields above the In Out Duration field Since Photoshop capture is a single frame function the In and Out settings will always be the same and the frame duration will always be one frame Note The in point out point field values are inclusive When both are set to the same value the capture duration will be 1 frame To load t...

Page 100: ...nitor the current frame you are working on in Photoshop CS5 Go to File Export AJA Preview Setup to configure previews When you have Preview Setup the way you want it subsequent Previews are output by selecting AJA Preview below AJA Preview Setup AJA Export Plugins for Photoshop ...

Page 101: ...g Photoshop CS5 The pull down menu at the top allows you to select any AJA capture device you have installed in your workstation subject to Activation rules A check box is provided to enable disable the Preview function AJA Preview Setup Menu for Photoshop ...

Page 102: ...s plugin screens are accessed under the Window pulldown menu AJA Capture AJA Playback AJA Preview The Capture and Playback plugin screens allow you to see and edit how the Io Express workflow is currently configured for recording storage and playback of your video and audio data They provide you with standard tapedeck style play record functions status display and configuration options The Preview...

Page 103: ...hich fields are operational Note Capture Play controls are RS422 machine controls for running a VTR tape deck Playback controls are for Io Express playout functions The Configurations Options section contains tabbed menu selections that provide XENA Options Io Express workflow configuration options File Options File path and formatting information and General General options for machine control in...

Page 104: ...mes open the file in an After Effects CS5 player which can be previewed Some formats will result in the file opening in a third party viewer QuickTime for example but the file cannot be previewed in that viewer Shortcuts and Display Features Keyboard Shortcuts Space Bar Use it to start and stop playback of media Pressing the Space Bar starts playback from the location of the Edit Line I key press ...

Page 105: ... and Configuration Capture Options Under Capture Options you select the appropriate formats and settings for your After Effects CS5 workflow For details on the following refer to Capture Options described for Premiere Pro previously Primary and Secondary Format Options YUV RGB Range Video Input Audio Input SDI Output 1 Analog Output Audio Level Display to Desktop Timecode Input ...

Page 106: ...nd Location Options File Options Menu In the File Options pane you will select the capture file type capture content video audio video format audio format and the number of audio tracks included Type The Type pull down menu provides a choice of video audio file formats QuickTime Movie TGA Sequence AVI Movie not supported in Mac BMP Sequence TIF Sequence YUV Sequence 8 bit only ...

Page 107: ...r this project Clip Options Clip Name In the Clip Options menu click on the Clip Name hot text to name the file you will be creating Subsequent capture file numbers will increment from this one Reel Name Click on the hot text field to enter a source tape name the name of the tape on the VTR Only QuickTime and DPX files store this information Sequence Offset When capturing file per frame sequences ...

Page 108: ...d Base 30 DF drop frame 30 frames per second Base 30 NDF non drop frame 30 frames per second Base 30 DF drop frame 60 frames per second Base 30 NDF non drop frame 60 frames per second Timecode Source Choose between a separate channel Longitudinal Timecode LTC or Vertical Interval Timecode VITC transported in the video signal s vertical interval or include both LTC VITC Click on the Hot text items ...

Page 109: ...gnal status of the Io Express input Off Line the capture plugin does not control the Io Express Idle Ready the plugin has control and the proper input signal is present Video Input Not Detected no input present format of input detected if the input is not a match with the chosen input format the mismatched signal format will be displayed here Play Record Controls Standard tape deck icons provide h...

Page 110: ...the left field of eight digits in the bracketed fields above the In Out Duration field The out point can be set by clicking on the right field of eight digits Or you can specify a duration in the In Out Duration field and the in or out point whichever you have not entered will be entered automatically according to duration Note The in point out point field values are inclusive If both are set to t...

Page 111: ...as it will appear at the Io Express output A summary area at the top of the Preview window shows how the Io Express is currently configured If you wish to change it you can use the Preview Options below AJA Preview Plugin In Preview Options you can vary the Primary and Secondary signal formats Convert mode YUV to RGB range see earlier discussion under the AJA Capture Plugin SDI and Analog output t...

Page 112: ...n load a file one file only into your Playback window by simply dragging it from disk or the After Effects CS5 bin to the active Playback window File Options Select the File Options tab to see the file name and path currently pointing to the Video File used for playback Alternatively you can click on the path hot text to select a file delete it using the trash icon at the left or turn it on off us...

Page 113: ... the selected video file QuickTime embedded audio files are automatically appended with a number and will be loaded numerically into the track list Click on the trash icon to delete a track Click on the speaker icon check box on the right to enable disable a track To manually enter audio files simply double click on a track in the list Format Channel and number of frames in the sequence are report...

Page 114: ...ue for Preroll 0 to 15 the number of frames required to start the source machine before capture Timecode Offset 30 to 30 timecode adjustment in frames forward or back to compensate for discrepancies between the source s burned in timecode and that of the captured sequence Leader Trailer Options These options allow you to add colorbars test tone and black field in a leader to your clip and black fi...

Page 115: ...pture Plugin Playback Options Primary Format YUV RGB Range and Output type setting are all the same as those described for the Capture window for Premiere Pro previously Use the Timebase pull down menu to choose between Frames Timecode NDF non drop frame Timecode DF drop frame Audio Level Choose between 6 dB US monitor level and 0 dB EBU ...

Page 116: ...n made in XENA Options provides either editing or output functionality in the Play Controls pane and in Output mode you can choose between Print to Video or Insert Edit functionality Edit Mode The Edit mode display is shown below Edit Mode Play Controls and Scrub Bar Below the video display is a Scrub Bar that allows you to click and drag along the loaded sequence to view individual frames and mar...

Page 117: ...ol timecode hot text are provided for outputing your segment A pull down menu beneath VTR Status allows you to choose between two modes of output Insert Edit or Print To Video Print To Video and Insert Edit will output the loaded clip from its in out points if any exist or from the first to last frame if no in out points are set Insert Edit Mode In this mode you can select the Video Audio content ...

Page 118: ...perform the actual Insert Edit Print to Video Mode This mode allows you to manually put a clip to tape using the VTR s current position You have the option of adding Delay frames Io Express will wait this many frames after the tape machine start command before outputting the clip The Duration Field displays the total length of the clip that will go to tape Click on the green hot button to launch t...

Page 119: ...ugin reports the settings that you have selected for the Io Express you are controlling Primary Format Analog Output type In the right column you will also see current information for Playback Status Stop Still Playing Frames Dropped a live frame count display followed by a total count of any frames dropped from the sequence in parens ...

Page 120: ...110 ...

Page 121: ...ly Combustion Preferences Framebuffer Menu The Preview Plugin allows you to view on a monitor the current project you are working on in Combustion at the Io Express output With a Combustion project open go to File Preferences and select Host Framebuffer In the pull down window select AJA Preview and click on Options to configure previews Select AJA Preview Click Options ...

Page 122: ... devices in the same workstation is possible but not always practical due to motherboard and disk system bandwidth limitations The Summary section reports current configuration settings In Preview Options you can change the Primary and Secondary signal formats Convert mode YUV to RGB range SDI and Analog output type as applicable and select timing Reference mode Free Run External genlock or from t...

Page 123: ... be used in the current project in the Io Express framebuffer The current selection is reported in the display of the pull down menu Choices are always presented based on which AJA capture device you are using and what signal formats it supports Io Express supports video format down conversions Primary Video Formats Supported See About Primary Secondary Video Formats on page 2 for Primary Secondar...

Page 124: ...Express Fusion 5 plugin is a software application integrated into Fusion that allows you to preview your current Fusion project from the Io Express output Go to File Preferences to setup AJA Preview Selecting AJA Preview for Fusion ...

Page 125: ...han one AJA capture device installed in your system a pull down menu at the top allows you to select which device to control subject to Activation rules In Preview Options you can change the Primary and Secondary video signal formats and Analog output type as applicable and select timing Reference mode Free Run External genlock or from the video Input signal Finally for picture quality adjustment ...

Page 126: ...hina Adobe After Effects CS4 and Adobe Photoshop CS4 Primary Secondary Formats The Primary Format menu allows you to select the video format to be used in the current project in the Io Express framebuffer The current selection is reported in the display of the pull down menu Secondary Format allows you to perform down conversions Choices are always presented based on which AJA capture device you a...

Page 127: ...ained transfer rate Dropped frames during playback 1 Canvas Viewer zoom setting exceeds the fit to window setting Change to Fit to Window 2 RAID cannot sustain the data rate of the clip sequence 3 The sequence setting does not match the playback output setting found at FCP Audio Video Settings AV Output 4 Virus checking software running in the background disable it 5 Scratch drive not set to the R...

Page 128: ... the factory default state as it was when you installed it The easiest way to do this is to locate Final Cut s preference file and discard it To do so follow this procedure 1 Locate the file named Final Cut Pro x x Preferences Note path to file is Macintosh HD users username library preferences final cut user data 3 Click and drag that file to the Trash Can icon and drop it there When you next sta...

Page 129: ...t information online at their support website Information provided includes answers to top questions discussions on specific topics and software downloads for updates and utilities You may also enroll in AppleCare for extended support of hardware and software products Information is provided on the Apple Support website on how to enroll in AppleCare General Apple Support Website for information on...

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Page 131: ...59 292 296 424 1 BNC HDMI v1 3 30 bits pixel RGB or YUV 2 25 Gbps SD HD Analog SD Component SMPTE EBU N10 Betacam 525 line Betacam 525J RGB 12 bit D A 8x oversampling 2 db to 5 5 MHz Y Frequency Response 2 db to 2 5 MHz C Frequency Response 5 2T pulse response 1 ns Y C delay inequality Analog SD and HD Output 12 bits BNC HD YPbPr RGB SD YPbPr RGB component mode Composite YC composite mode Audio In...

Page 132: ...jack Reference Input Color Black or Tri level sync LTC Input on Reference input Machine Control RS 422 Sony style DE 9 connector The 9 pin DE 9 connector pinout is as follows 1 GND 2 RX 3 TX 4 GND 5 No Connection 6 GND 7 RX 8 TX 9 GND Shell GND ...

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