Visual Circuits Mantis MC User Manual Download

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External Control Commands

193

Chapter Number Request (?C)

Requests the position in the current playlist.

Syntax

?C<CR>

Response

Remarks

❏

This command can be global or channel specific.

❏

If received as a global command, the media player will
respond with the playlist position for all 4 channels in order
(1, 2, 3 and 4).

❏

If a channel is specified, only that channel’s playlist
position is returned:

Examples

Command

Response

1@?C <CR>

3 <CR>

?C <CR>

3 <CR>
1 <CR>
3 <CR>
7 <CR>

Summary of Contents for Mantis MC

Page 1: ...Mantis MC User Manual...

Page 2: ...ames by their respective companies Focus Enhancements 1999 2005 All rights reserved No portion of this manual may be copied by any means without the prior consent of Visual Circuits Focus Enhancements...

Page 3: ...maintain a minimum of 1 inch 2 5 cm clearance on the top and sides 4 Installation of the Mantis in a rack without sufficient airflow can be unsafe 5 If installed in a rack the rack should safely supp...

Page 4: ...verload the supply circuits and or wiring If using a power strip or similar supply make sure the power requirements of the chassis plus the cumulative power draw of any other equipment in the rack do...

Page 5: ...k supply circuit and or wiring 4 When installing consider the location of the Mantis in relation to other devices located in an adjacent rack Ensure that the Mantis air intake is not drawing directly...

Page 6: ...of explosion if the battery is incorrectly replaced A lithium battery on the product provides backup power for the device s timekeeping capability The battery has an estimated life expectancy of ten y...

Page 7: ...is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his or her own expense The Mantis complies with Part 15 EN61000 3 2 of the FCC rules Ope...

Page 8: ...ipment designed for use within certain voltage limits Each amended by Council Directive 93 68 EEC of 22 July 1993 on the harmonization of CE marking requirements Class A Warning EN55024 EN55022 In a d...

Page 9: ...gs 8 Front Panel and Display 10 Menu Control Buttons 10 Encoding Requirements and Recommendations 15 Standard Definition SD Encoding Requirements 15 SD Encoding Recommendations 16 High Definition HD E...

Page 10: ...User Name and Password 34 Using WebView 35 Transferring Media 36 Webview Software Update 38 Media Review 39 Using the Playlist Editor 42 Using the Schedule Editor 51 Using the Player Control Panel 61...

Page 11: ...121 Standard CD DVD Updating 121 Direct File Access Updating 122 Log File Reporting 125 Overview 125 Run Logs 126 Diagnostic Logs 127 Log Formats 128 Log Default Playlist 128 Maximum Log File Size 12...

Page 12: ...49 FireflyFtpUpdate 149 FireflyRestart 149 Callback 150 mpgCallback 150 Audio and Video 151 mpgSetVolumeLeftRight 151 mpgMute 152 mpgUnMute 152 On Screen Display 153 osdLoadBMP 153 osdShow 155 osdHide...

Page 13: ...yGetIpAddr 172 FireflyGetGateway 173 FireflyGetNetmask 173 FireflyGetNetworkType 174 FireflyGetWeb_Enable 174 LDV Control Commands 175 Introduction 175 COM Port Settings 175 Command Language Basics 17...

Page 14: ...On All Channels 200 Test File Does Not Display On One Channel 200 Stuttering Files During Playback 201 Latent Images or Flashing During Playback 203 Some Files in the Playlist Do Not Play 204 SMPTE Ti...

Page 15: ...209 Missing MPEG Overlay 209 No Directory 209 No IP Address 209 No Local FPL FSC 210 No Valid TAR FPL 210 Proxy Settings 210 Transfer Error 210 Returning Materials to Focus Enhancements Inc VAR Distr...

Page 16: ...xiv...

Page 17: ...Messenger and WebView software Mantis media players deliver scheduled live or interactive playback in almost any media format In addition Mantis media players support independent output whether in hig...

Page 18: ...r configuration and security Networking and Control 10 100 Mbps Ethernet Content updating via FTP or HTTP manual or automatic SNMP Satellite and terrestrial multicast support TCP IP or serial control...

Page 19: ...onnections guide on the following page 3 Connect the video and audio cables from the Mantis to the video and audio inputs on the video monitor s and audio components 4 Connect the Mantis to a network...

Page 20: ...is System Settings Video menu which is accessible from the front panel or WebView Video Settings on page 73 Video and Audio Connections Figure 1 Mantis MC Backplane Audio Video Connections CVBS Connec...

Page 21: ...nnel 1 or 2 connector Component RGB S video 1 DB connector end to either VGA 1 or 2 2 Connect the color coded cables to the appropriate connectors on the display device Cable Component RGB S video Red...

Page 22: ...dio Outputs Left 1 and Right 1 Repeat for Channel 2 To create a S PDIF digital audio connection for Channel 1 connect a RCA M phono ended audio cable to the corresponding Audio Output Left 1 Repeat fo...

Page 23: ...g a Laptop or PC Ethernet Connect the computer directly to the Mantis using an Ethernet crossover cable or Connect using standard Ethernet cables and a hub or switch Serial Use a null modem cable RS23...

Page 24: ...of the Mantis features and functions For information about the control buttons and display Front Panel on page 8 For information about changing TCP IP settings see Step 1 Connect to the Network on pa...

Page 25: ...computer has an ASCII generating control program such as Hyper Terminal The parameters are Serial port 1 9600 Bps Echo typed letters locally Use the following Visual Circuits commands to configure th...

Page 26: ...e 3 Front View Mantis MC Menu Control Buttons The Front Panel Buttons provide the standard type of controls found on many DVD and VCR devices Menu Control Buttons Control Display Smart Card Slot CD DV...

Page 27: ...ENU SELECT and you go up one menu level Changing System Settings The Front Panel Display menu interface provides two methods for changing system settings changing a menu option choice and changing a m...

Page 28: ...to locate the desired option Press the Down Arrow to proceed to the next level of selections Press Menu Select to set selection An asterisk star appears Use either the Exit or Up Arrow to return to a...

Page 29: ...n Arrows find the correct value 3 When done press Menu Select to set the entry Changing the Site ID 1 Use the Right and Left Arrows to place the cursor over the number to be changed 2 Using the Up and...

Page 30: ...14...

Page 31: ...nly e audio only 2 Use 4 2 0 encoding 3 With MPEG 2 both audio and video fields must be encoded This is the normal default 4 Audio only Dolby Digital or MPEG Layer 2 files cannot be mixed with files c...

Page 32: ...he test files using the original source tapes to confirm audio level This allows for calibration of the encoding system by obtaining a standard audio level 4 Program stream files should have one end c...

Page 33: ...ment compensates for some SMPTE information that may be lost during compression Sample testing should be done with all SMPTE tracks because not all encoders respond in the same way 10 For reference an...

Page 34: ...ill images or computer based graphics hardware based encoding systems are preferred However if a software encoder is needed we recommend encoders such as DVMPEG www darvision com Multiplexing a blank...

Page 35: ...hannel Layer II 3 Audio sampling rate of 48 kHz 4 Frequency response is 20 Hz 20 kHz 5 db 5 Audio output level up to 4v p p 6 Audio output impedance 620 Ohms 7 When creating a playlist of videos all f...

Page 36: ...there is no audio present on the source tape This will standardize all MPEG files and provide easy future management of video content 4 It is recommended that files be at least 30 seconds in length 5...

Page 37: ...the HD playback monitor is running vertically as opposed to standard horizontal positioning Focus Enhancements Focus Enhancements does not provide technical support for parties doing their own softwar...

Page 38: ...22...

Page 39: ...hancements and updates are released they are made available as upgrades to the Smart Card Saving and Loading System Setting Configurations The Smart Card facilitates easy setup and configuration of mu...

Page 40: ...th Smart Card Reader Inserting the Smart Card To insert the Smart Card 1 Orient the card so that the label is facing up and the arrow on the card points into Smart Card reader slot 2 Insert the card i...

Page 41: ...ve Config button The Mantis saves its system settings to the Smart Card Using the Front Panel To save the current configuration of system settings to the Smart Card 1 Press the MENU SELECT button 2 Us...

Page 42: ...onfig button The Mantis loads the configuration data from the Smart Card Using the Front Panel To load the system settings configuration from the Smart Card 1 Press the MENU SELECT button 2 Use the Le...

Page 43: ...Troubleshooting section for more information Storing the Smart Card The Smart Card is a digital medium storage device and as such should be handled and stored using common ESD procedures If the Smart...

Page 44: ...28...

Page 45: ...sts and schedules back and forth between the Mantis and the host computer 2 Media Review page 39 Use this file management application to review directory contents preview video and graphic content and...

Page 46: ...t frame timecode and file type h Playback Provides data flow information by channel such as interrupts last sync and disk and data underflows i Logging Mantis provides two types of logging Run and Dia...

Page 47: ...with the web browser must be on a common network For information specific to your network contact your Network Administrator Security Warning If using WebView over the Internet the user s network mus...

Page 48: ...P address use the Menu Control Buttons on the Mantis front panel 1 Press MENU SELECT to display the main menu 2 Press the Down arrow once to select Player Settings 3 Use the RIGHT arrow to find Networ...

Page 49: ...6 Press the Down arrow to go to mode level 7 Use the Right arrow to select DHCP 8 Press the Down arrow to display the dynamic IP address assigned to the Mantis 9 Record the IP address 10 Press EXIT r...

Page 50: ...30 characters All Mantis ship from the factory with the default user name of firefly and the default password 123456 If the defaults do not work contact your Network Administration for the correct use...

Page 51: ...ccess to WWW Main Menu Workspace changes according application in use Warning Only Use WebView Main Menu Buttons Do not use the Internet Explorer History function or its Backward Forward navigation bu...

Page 52: ...g fields Media 1 through 6 to locate and identify the files to transfer The WebView browse function provides the ability to search local and network hard drives for needed files Do Not Close or Change...

Page 53: ...portion of the page where the Visual Circuits logo normally appears The length of time required for the transfer depends on the size of the files and the transfer rate of the network Transfers can tak...

Page 54: ...necessary to edit the file and convert it to the 24 bit bmp prior to transferring it to the Mantis Webview Software Update 1 Download the Webview Update file upd from Visual Circuits web site and sav...

Page 55: ...e on the Mantis preview video and graphic overlay media and delete media from the Mantis By default the data displayed are video overlay playlist and schedule Figure 9 WebView Media Review Page If an...

Page 56: ...ently stored on the Mantis To review a file 1 Select the tab that represents the file type 2 Select the file from the list on the right The media review box on the left displays Maximum storage capaci...

Page 57: ...es at the same time use the standard Windows Shift Control method The media review box on the left displays the name of the file and its size in MBs In cases where several files are selected all of th...

Page 58: ...ated with specific videos Creating cross channel synchronized playback groups The graphic overlay feature provides an effective way to display a company logo sale sign or other static image bmp jpg gi...

Page 59: ...ed on the center buttons panel Removing Videos from a Playlist To remove video files from the playlist 1 Select the video s in the Video listbox 2 Click on the button located on the center buttons pan...

Page 60: ...ffle videos on a single or multiple channels Cross channel Synchronization Groups The Mantis provides the capability of cross channel synchronization i e the ability to coordinate the starting and sto...

Page 61: ...the button to add the graphic as an overlay The graphic overlay appears in the Overlay list on the same line as the video to which it is associated To modify a graphic overlay s properties select eit...

Page 62: ...rs an overlay image file to the Mantis it converts the file to a standard 24 bit format and automatically determines the correct image size for the selected output standard for example 720 x 480 for N...

Page 63: ...lay Filename drop down menu to locate and select the graphic overlay from the Mantis Media list 8 Select a level of transparency between 0 and 100 Transparency is the extent that the graphic overlay a...

Page 64: ...ure that all existing graphic overlays for a given playlist always appear in the lower right corner set the screen position attribute to right bottom and check the Apply to All box to the right of tha...

Page 65: ...check mark in the Load this playlist now check box found below the Mantis Media list the modified playlist begins playing as soon as it is saved The box is not check marked the playlist is saved but p...

Page 66: ...To play a playlist at once click the Play button located in the lower right portion of the Playlist Editor screen This overwrites the original playlist file using the same file name and begins designa...

Page 67: ...dule Editor Playlist Events Editor Page Use the Playlist Events Editor to create or update a schedule by defining which playlist or lists are in the schedule and setting the playlist s playback proper...

Page 68: ...tes time to start playing playlist Example I d like to have my playlist start playing at 9 00 Stop Time Designates time to stop playing playlist Example I d like to have my playlist stop playing at 18...

Page 69: ...elow a Playlist Name Choose a playlist from the Select a Playlist drop down menu b Start Time Set the specific start time for the playlist using the number keys on your keyboard c Stop Time Set the sp...

Page 70: ...se to have a playlist played back only once regardless of Start Stop time settings that would permit looping g Interval Use the number keys on the keyboard to enter a periodic time interval HH MM This...

Page 71: ...mples for using the Video Dates Editor Start Stop Description 03 01 05 Start date with no stop date Example I want my product demonstration video available to playlists the day the product is released...

Page 72: ...dates These dates must be in numerical format 5 Repeat steps 2 through 4 to add date rules to additional videos if desired 6 When the date rules are completed save using the instructions found in Sav...

Page 73: ...the event to delete 3 Manually clear all of the event s properties including any date rules set in the Video Dates Editor 4 In the Playlist Name drop down menu choose Select a Playlist When done this...

Page 74: ...the filename click OK to save the modified schedule and to return to the Schedule Editor main page If there is a check mark in the Load schedule now checkbox found below the Mantis Media list the mod...

Page 75: ...ng files to other Mantis players doing backing ups To perform a local save 1 Click on the Save Local button at the bottom of the Schedule Editor screen An XML page appears displaying the file to be sa...

Page 76: ...og box will appears Figure 19 WebView Load Local Browse Dialog Box 2 Click the Browse button and locate the schedule file fsc to be loaded 3 Select the file and click Open 4 The schedule loads to the...

Page 77: ...w These controls work on a channel by channel basis The controls Previous and Next provide for moving between playlists immediately before and after the list that is playing Figure 20 WebView Player C...

Page 78: ...ayback When an optional feature is installed a diagnostic page for that feature appears too By default clicking on the Diagnostics displays the Mantis Diagnostics General page This page provides basic...

Page 79: ...currently loaded video on this channel Video loaded on Chan 3 Displays the file name of the currently loaded video on this channel Video loaded on Chan 4 Displays the file name of the currently loade...

Page 80: ...number of the channel monitored Horizontal Size Width of image in pixels Vertical Size Height of image in pixels Video Bitrate Rate of video bits transfer Kbps at time of monitoring Audio Bitrate Rate...

Page 81: ...individual frames or images displayed per second Current Frame The frame ID number for frame currently displayed Time Code Date time stamp for frame identified in Current Frame File Type Format of fi...

Page 82: ...yback was interrupted during the play period AV Syncs Number of times the decoder has had to adjust the audio video synchronization during the playback period Last Sync Timecode for the last time an A...

Page 83: ...ion see Encoding Requirements and Recommendations on page 15 Data Underflow The flow of data to the decoder cache has slowed and the decoder may not be able to efficiently decode and transmit frames T...

Page 84: ...ed Auto Refresh instructs the system automatically to update the log file with current data at regular intervals Refer to Uploading Log Files on page 129 for information on setting up the Mantis logfi...

Page 85: ...log includes FTP DVD Updating data Tracks date time of connection disconnection errors yes no files sizes percent transferred and FTP permission errors Storage Cleanup data Records what media files h...

Page 86: ...Use the Prev or Next links to move to the previous or next pages To view diagnostic data for a specific time of day entering either hours minutes and or seconds in the time boxes and click the Go butt...

Page 87: ...ral Settings Figure 26 WebView System Settings General Site ID The Site ID uniquely identifies the Mantis as it updates via FTP or CD DVD ROM It is also used for Media Messenger software to enable aut...

Page 88: ...ct the appropriate time zone in which the Mantis operates The time zone is measured in hours and minutes plus or minus Greenwich Mean Time Version The current version of the Mantis software Uptime Thi...

Page 89: ...for the channel Video Standards NTSC PAL NTSC cropped PAL cropped Component Only RGB Only Modes 800 x 600 x 60 480p 640 x 480 x 50 1024 x 768 x 60 576p 800 x 600 x 50 1280 x 1024 x 60 720p 1024 x 768...

Page 90: ...the image Setting Video to a cropped option expands the image to fill the screen In the process top and bottom edges of the image is cut off and not displayed cropping Reboot Mantis MC After Changing...

Page 91: ...done on a channel by channel basis See the Mantis Audio Configurations table on the following page for A V type configurations WebView and External Control Command Audio Settings Audio level setting...

Page 92: ...s Config MPEG Audio Type Mantis Audio Setting Digital Output Stereo Analog 1 MPEG Layer 2 Stereo Audio Digital S PDIF PCM No 2 MPEG Layer 2 Stereo Audio Analog N A Yes 3 Dolby Digital Audio AC3 Digita...

Page 93: ...xternal Control Commands on page 131 Accept UDP Enable or disable the User Datagram Protocol As with Accept TCP IP caution is necessary in using this protocol For security reasons Accept TCP IP is fac...

Page 94: ...or the appropriate channel Baud Rate Select an identical value to your external controller The following options are available 1200 4800 9600 38400 115200 It is recommended starting with a baud rate o...

Page 95: ...nts address conflicts and helps conserve the use of client IP addresses on the network DHCP uses a client server model where the DHCP server maintains centralized management of IP addresses that are u...

Page 96: ...ated subnet will be larger than the range that you specified To avoid this specify a range that falls on subnet boundaries For example if you are using the 10 0 0 0 private network ID for your intrane...

Page 97: ...System Settings Network NTP Client Configuration Enable NTP Network Time Protocol NTP must be enabled and set At regular intervals the NTP synchronizes the internal clocks of all systems on a local n...

Page 98: ...machine to control the Mantis set to a specific IP address for example 192 168 0 100 To allow a group of machines to control the Mantis set the IP to a range 192 168 0 0 SNMP Netmask Designates the N...

Page 99: ...trols allows the Mantis to send diagnostic messages to a SNMP trap daemon operating on a client or a SNMP trap server Mantis does not require a trap server to use SNMP trapping see Engine ID for detai...

Page 100: ...information Priv Passphrase It provides authentication and encryption on SNMP information Software Watchdog Enabling permits the Mantis to send watchdog events for all channels Playlist Content Missi...

Page 101: ...with which graphic overlays if applicable starting at what dates times playing back what percentage of the video and for how long Diagnostic Log Turns On or Off the Diagnostic log which makes a record...

Page 102: ...mum size MB that a log file may become The default value is 10 MB Keep this value relatively small if maintaining a large amount of free space for videos and graphic overlays If there is not enough re...

Page 103: ...Mantis directly with an FTP client Username Enter at least 6 but no more than 15 alphanumeric characters here This field is case sensitive Password Enter at least 6 but no more than 15 alphanumeric c...

Page 104: ...ars this field Username Enter the FTP server username Leave this blank if no username is present Password Enter the FTP server password Leave this blank if no user password is present Directory Leave...

Page 105: ...it is necessary to update multiple players and it is necessary to use the Delete Content function there are two methods to consider a Because Delete Content does not touch files in other directories...

Page 106: ...Leave this blank Use the home directory of the HTTP account to place media playlists schedules and or updates folders In the case where multiple Mantis with different content are used directories may...

Page 107: ...it may be set to dial on demand and send data if required Enable Client Enable if dialup is required Auth Type Select the type of authentication protocol used Phone Number Number used for dialup Usern...

Page 108: ...me on the hour for connecting to the USB network i e 14 00 To activate this field first set the Connect Type field to Use Fixed Time Connect Now Pressing this button initiates an immediate dialup and...

Page 109: ...B server Password and Confirm Password User s password for accessing USB server Figure 41 System Settings USB Devices Configuration Network Node Enter node ID for the USB server IP Address Enter the U...

Page 110: ...AST UPDATING on page 117 Allow ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol Set to allow ICMP if using a gateway Channel Like presets you can assign a Channel number for each Listen configuration This allow...

Page 111: ...amount of the Mantis internal storage space for receiving a multicast update To determine this value estimate the largest multicast update likely to be received i e 1000 MBs Next double that amount t...

Page 112: ...ings and changes any necessary system settings according to the configuration stored on the Smart Card Save Config Permits saving the current Mantis configuration with all its system settings to the S...

Page 113: ...f the problem continues Merge Playlists The behavior of the Merge Playlists feature depends on which mode the Mantis is operating in Single Playlist vs Schedule When in Single Playlist mode the existi...

Page 114: ...rocedure appears to be lagging use this control to set the Mantis to a specific network media content combination The observed increase in update performance depends on actual network configuration Re...

Page 115: ...management and control of the media players from a central location To manage and control a Mantis network use the Visual Circuits Media Messenger software Media Messenger is a suite of tools for the...

Page 116: ...ntis media players and update method Bandwidth of communication to each media player Playback programming scripted show controller combined Creation of MPEG2 videos pre production post production Serv...

Page 117: ...lly via FTP Media Messenger CD DVD Creator for creating Media Update Discs for global or site specific content distribution Benefits Provides centralized management of a network of Mantis media player...

Page 118: ...102...

Page 119: ...discs using common CD DVD writing programs no special applications are required Once videos are copied to the Mantis playback begins automatically FTP HTTP Multicast Auto Update page 113 Use the netwo...

Page 120: ...not a valid update disc the Mantis ignores it and does nothing 2 Determines best method to process the update content see below 3 Uses the updating routine order to determine what type of file it must...

Page 121: ...to the playlist parsing routine see next page 2 If the Mantis does not detect an update packet with a name matching the site ID it searches for a generic package file with the filename of firefly tar...

Page 122: ...s the list to determine which MPEG video files it needs The Mantis then checks its own storage to determine if any of these videos are already present Any files that are not present already present an...

Page 123: ...he oldest and determines if they are used by any of the incoming playlists If the MPEG file is not used the Mantis deletes it 6 System Update Check After the Mantis finishes its content update routine...

Page 124: ...upd file is found Mantis takes no further action Content Log Once every 24 hours the media player creates a content log that lists all of the content files stored on the player This log is an ASCII d...

Page 125: ...uits Media Messenger application and CD DVD writer software Media Messenger generates an update packet file tar which can be copied to a CD DVD using any standard CD DVD writing program such as Nero o...

Page 126: ...s the disc automatically Conversion of Graphics Files to 24 bit Format When WebView makes a copy of a jpg gif tif tga or non 256 color bmp image file to the Mantis it converts the file to a standard 2...

Page 127: ...ed computer with a CD or DVD writer 1 A Drop Go disc must contain 4 root level directories with the names channel 1 channel 2 channel 3 and channel 4 These names are not case sensitive Moreover the na...

Page 128: ...back of the new content begins 6 Manually eject the Drop Go disc Mantis Cleanup Routine When writing MPEG files to its internal storage the Mantis runs a cleanup routine to insure that there is enough...

Page 129: ...om a LAN requires the use of a proxy server and fire wall permissions FTP Server FTP servers are programs that reside on a PC and may be Windows Unix or Linux based A FTP server monitors users that lo...

Page 130: ...ies for updating All media files are posted in the Login directory unless the Directory control in the FTP Auto Update settings is used see Directory on page 88 in which case the Mantis changes that d...

Page 131: ...ID of the Mantis is location1 the Mantis looks for a file location1 tar When the Mantis finds the file it copies it and then progresses to the playlist parsing routine see page 106 However if the Mant...

Page 132: ...le size does the Mantis copy it and overwrite the pre existing file see page 106 for file size criteria Once all of the required video files are copied from the FTP site the Mantis begins playing the...

Page 133: ...ved the licensing and all multicast functionality is disabled It is necessary for the Smart Card to be in the card reader for the application to work For more information about Smart Card see Smart Ca...

Page 134: ...y content by using the standardized site ID naming convention for the scripts used see Overview of the Update Process on page 104 for more information Script Last Mode 1 In Script Last Mode individual...

Page 135: ...the multicast client listens to The value must be a Class D multicast address which typically starts with 224 xxx xxx xxx Because some addresses may be reserved see below consult the network administr...

Page 136: ...ng a multicast update To determine this value you will need to estimate the largest multicast update you will ever receive example 1000 MBs Then double that amount example 1000 MBs x 2 2000 MBs to all...

Page 137: ...e used to manually update the media on your Mantis Use any standard CD DVD writing program and CD DVD writer to create a disc 1 Copy MPEG and graphic overlay files to a folder on the PC with the CD DV...

Page 138: ...ith the Mantis Using a program such as FlashFXP the local PC hard drive or computer network appears on the left pane with the Mantis appearing on the right Security Warning The File Access feature is...

Page 139: ...om the Mantis to a PC or network Uploading files from a PC or network drive to the Mantis Caution While using an FTP client keep in mind that you will be able to view and access special system file su...

Page 140: ...124...

Page 141: ...available are Run and Diagnostic They can be run singly or together The settings for log file reporting are in the System Settings menu which is accessible via WebView or the system front panel see Lo...

Page 142: ...k of any associated graphic overlays Channels on which playback occurred Starting dates and times Percentage of the video played back Duration of play Typical uses for Run Logs are to Verify playback...

Page 143: ...torage Cleanup This record notes what files have been deleted by the automatic storage cleanup routine and include their filenames sizes and dates Missing Elements This record lists all missing media...

Page 144: ...01 01 percent 100 Diagnostic Logs The format of a Diagnostic Log is in a time event per line format DTDs Document Type Definition To import data from a log file into a database use one of the DTDs av...

Page 145: ...rom the Mantis player Uploading Log Files The Mantis offers the ability to access its log files locally Upload to FTP Server On the WebView Settings Page chose Upload Logs and the Mantis automatically...

Page 146: ...130...

Page 147: ...ayback Any standard show control system or ASCII generating control program may be used For RS232 it is recommended to use a null modem cable For TCP IP connections consult the control device specific...

Page 148: ...anyone on the network to send commands to the Mantis if they know its network address The TCP IP ethernet connector is located on the back of the Mantis to the right of the RS232 connector 2 Configure...

Page 149: ...n and verify that COM 1 is enabled in the computer s BIOS Verify that no other application is using COM 1 f After establishing the connection select the File Properties Settings Tab ASCII Setup button...

Page 150: ...is not necessary to include the fpl extension once 0 loads the playlist endlessly default 1 loads the playlist once through and then stops Filename Conventions The Mantis provides three interfaces th...

Page 151: ...ands is that Playlistplay starts playback automatically whereas Playlistload only loads the playlist and then requires the mpgPlayall command to start playback Playlistload provides precise control of...

Page 152: ...re stored locally on the player no storage path designation is required Syntax mpgLoad 0 channel videoname Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 videoname The storage path and video n...

Page 153: ...l path and video name of the MPEG file to load See description for mpgLoad Return Values This command returns ACK to indicate that the file was loaded successfully or NAK to indicate that the file cou...

Page 154: ...e path designation is required This command loops the file indefinitely Syntax mpgLoaddef 0 channel videoname Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 videoname The storage path and vide...

Page 155: ...aylist Syntax mpgLoadNextdef 0 channel videoname Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 videoname The full path and video name of the MPEG file to load See description for mpgLoad Retu...

Page 156: ...defined by mpgLoadDef and mpgLoadNextDef and the playlist loaded by the media player at startup Syntax mpgClearDef 0 channel Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 Return Values This...

Page 157: ...oaded using the mpgLoad command Syntax mpgPlay 0 channel Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 Return Values This command returns ACK if playback was started successfully or NAK if pl...

Page 158: ...3 Return Values This command returns ACK if playback was stopped successfully or NAK if playback could not be stopped e g no file currently playing Remarks The MPEG must have been started with mpgPlay...

Page 159: ...ack on all channels on all installed cards Syntax mpgPlayAll Parameters None Return Values This command returns ACK to indicate that playback started successfully or NAK to indicate that playback did...

Page 160: ...arameters None Return Values This command returns ACK to indicate that all channels stopped successfully or NAK indicates that all channels did not stop Unlike other APIs from Visual Circuits once a f...

Page 161: ...playback is independent of whether the video is muted with mpgBlack or not The videos continue to play underneath the black audio is unaltered and callbacks continue being sent normally If a playlist...

Page 162: ...mand To cover the video again use the mpgBlack command Syntax mpgUnblack 0 channel Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 Return Values This command returns ACK if mpgUnblack started s...

Page 163: ...e a playlist that only plays once use the mpgLoad and mpgLoadNext commands as follows 1 call mpgClearDef to clear the old default playlist 2 call mpgLoad to specify the first file in the list 3 call m...

Page 164: ...list of files specified with these commands interrupts the default playlist and plays it once When the last specified file ends the default playlist resumes from the point where it was interrupted The...

Page 165: ...bles the media player to update video content playlists schedules and software via an FTP server See FTP Update Process on page 115 for more information FireflyRestart This command restarts the entire...

Page 166: ...d Syntax mpgCallback on Parameters on on 1 send callbacks default off Play Complete Callback Each time a file ends on a channel and another file is started a string is sent back to the controller over...

Page 167: ...olumes independently The default volume level is 124 the lower the number the softer the volume Syntax mpgSetVolumeLeftRight 0 channel leftVolume rightVolume Parameters channel 0 based index of the ch...

Page 168: ...s off the audio Syntax mpgMute 0 channel Parameters channel 0 based index of the channel on the media player 0 3 mpgUnMute The mpgUnMute command turns on the audio Syntax mpgUnMute 0 channel Parameter...

Page 169: ...on the media player 0 3 filename Path of BMP file XPos Position along x axis 1 to center horizontal 2 to align on the right edge YPos Position along y axis 1 to center vertical 2 to align on the botto...

Page 170: ...the transparent color is completely transparent When it is 255 the transparent color is not transparent at all When it is a number in between the transparency level is also somewhere in between Use th...

Page 171: ...dShow command will display a previously loaded on screen BMP Syntax osdShow 0 channel Parameters channel 0 based index of the channel on the media player 0 3 Remarks The channel must first have an ima...

Page 172: ...ge which is currently being shown on the specified channel Syntax osdHide 0 channel Parameters channel 0 based index of the channel on the media player 0 3 Remarks The channel must first have an image...

Page 173: ...of the channel on the media player 0 3 XPos Position along x axis 1 to center horizontal 2 to align on the right edge YPos Position along y axis 1 to center vertical 2 to align on the bottom edge Mix...

Page 174: ...es on the media player Syntax mpgDir mpgDelete The mpgDelete command permanently removes a media file from the media player Syntax mpgDelete name Parameters name The full name of the media file video...

Page 175: ...um of 2 channels or a maximum that is the total number of channels in in the system Cross channel synchronization has the following features Multiple synchronization groups The Mantis can support mult...

Page 176: ...the commands mpgPlay mpgPlayAll mpgStop and mpgStopAll are interchangeable with their cross channel counterparts Table 1 Comparable Playback and Cross Channel Sync Functions File Playback Cross chann...

Page 177: ...he channel number of the master 0 based slaveCardList Array of the cards of the slave channels 0 based slaveChannelList Array of the channels of the slaves 0 based slaveNum Number of slaves in the lis...

Page 178: ...el synchronization on a group of channels VCCCALL mpgUnSyncChannels short GroupNum Parameters GroupNum Index of the group to disable This is defined in mpgSyncChannels Visual Basic Call mpgUnSyncChann...

Page 179: ...k on all channels in a cross channel sync group VCCCALL mpgPlaySyncChannels short GroupNum Parameters GroupNum Index of the group to play This is defined in the mpgSyncChannels Visual Basic Call mpgPl...

Page 180: ...ck on all channels in a cross channel sync group VCCCALL mpgStopSyncChannels short GroupNum Parameters GroupNum Index of the group to stop This is defined in mpgSyncChannels Visual Basic Call mpgStopS...

Page 181: ...nfoGetFile command returns the file playing on the specified channel Syntax infoGetFile 0 channel Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 infoGetPlaylist The infoGetPlaylist command ret...

Page 182: ...mmands 166 infoGetSchedule The infoGetSchedule command returns the current schedule or None if no schedule is in use Syntax infoGetSchedule Parameters None Returned Values Current schedule None If no...

Page 183: ...te The infoGetState command returns the current playback state on the specified channel Syntax infoGetState 0 channel Parameters channel The channel on the media player 0 3 Return Values STATE_PLAY ST...

Page 184: ...ation tasks FireflySetDefault The FireflySetDefault command resets the media player network settings back to factory default state IP Address 10 0 1 1 Gateway 0 Netmask 255 255 255 0 Network Type Stat...

Page 185: ...mmands 169 FireflySetIpAddr Use the FireflySetIpAddr command to change the IP Address of the media player Syntax fireflysetipaddr IP Address Parameters IP Address 32 bit address used to identify a pla...

Page 186: ...network gateway of the media player Syntax fireflysetgateway gateway Parameters Gateway A service that allows media player to connect to other NetWare servers Creating a gateway also allows client co...

Page 187: ...ternal Control Commands 171 FireflySetNetmask The FireflySetNetmask changes the Netmask parameter for the media player Syntax fireflysetnetmask netmask Parameters Netmask Defines a subnet boundary ran...

Page 188: ...ysetnetworktype 1 Parameters networktype 1 DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol A TCP IP service protocol that offers dynamic leased configuration of host IP addresses and distributes other config...

Page 189: ...reflySetWeb_Enable command offers the option to turn On or Off network communication to WebView Syntax fireflysetweb_enable 0 Parameter enable 0 enable 1 disable FireflyGetIpAddr The FireflyGetIpAddr...

Page 190: ...ol Commands 174 FireflyGetGateway The FireflyGetGateway command retrieves current setting Syntax fireflysetgateway FireflyGetNetmask The FireflyGetNetmask command retrieves current setting Syntax fire...

Page 191: ...n the network There three methods None as when the media player stands alone with only its display devices and possibly a computer DHCP a dynamic system using a DHCP server to assign IP addresses auto...

Page 192: ...ramming the show controller COM Port Settings Any serial device can control the Mantis manufacturers of these controllers include Crestron AMX Triad Alcorn McBride and Sky Skan This list of controller...

Page 193: ...the control device and the Mantis COM port settings are the same Field Setting Baud Rate 9600 Parity None Stop Bit 1 Data Bit 8 Field Setting Baud Rate Either 4800 or 1200 Parity Odd or Even Stop Bit...

Page 194: ...erience problems the Mantis reports the specifics with an error code while the other healthy channels acknowledge command completion with R Error Codes The Mantis acknowledges a command by returning a...

Page 195: ...s optional it is shown as address Address Arguments Some commands permit or require address arguments These arguments can be used to specify a position frame or timecode address within a video or an a...

Page 196: ...tes a time code value using the format HHMMSSFF within the video H Hour M Minute S Second F Frame For example TM1263212 refers to the point at 1 hour 26 minutes 32 seconds and 12 frames in the video T...

Page 197: ...nd it defines the point at which playback automatically pauses When the media player receives a PL command with an address while playback is in progress playback continues uninterrupted and the pause...

Page 198: ...0 seconds 0 frames and then pause 1 CH5PL CR Play channel 1 from the current file position until the head of chapter 5 is reached and then pause PL CR Start all channels playing from their current fil...

Page 199: ...playback of the previous playlist schedule is halted and the new playlist schedule is loaded If Auto Play is enabled the Mantis automatically begins playing the most recently loaded playlist schedule...

Page 200: ...tops playback and resets the file pointer to the head of the playlist equivalent to a stop button on a DVD or CD player Syntax RJ CR Response R CR Examples RJ CR Stops playback on all four channels an...

Page 201: ...he disc without actually beginning playback By transitioning from Stop to Pause the media player will give the control system the expected response if a status request is made later In all cases PA re...

Page 202: ...t video frame is held on screen If an ST command is received after a PA the effect will simply be to unmute the video output for the target channel s Likewise if a PA is received after an ST the effec...

Page 203: ...transitions to Still Mode until another command is received In the event that a search command is received with an out of range address value i e chapter number higher than the number of files in the...

Page 204: ...n In the event that a JF command is received with an out of range address value i e chapter number greater than the remaining number of files in the playlist the JF command will not be processed and t...

Page 205: ...current file in the playlist the JR command will not be processed and the error code E12 will be returned Examples 2 CH1JR Jumps channel 2 to the head of the current file and then transitions to stil...

Page 206: ...les the graphic overlay display 1 enables the channel status display and disables the graphic overlay display Any other value is invalid and returns an error code of NAK without changing the state of...

Page 207: ...framenumber CR Remarks This command can be global or channel specific If received as a global command the media player responds with the file position for all 4 channels in order 1 2 3 and 4 If a cha...

Page 208: ...cific If received as a global command the media player responds with the file position for all 4 channels in order 1 2 3 and 4 If a channel is specified only that channel s time code position is retur...

Page 209: ...ber CR Remarks This command can be global or channel specific If received as a global command the media player will respond with the playlist position for all 4 channels in order 1 2 3 and 4 If a chan...

Page 210: ...layer will respond with the mode for all 4 channels in order 1 2 3 and 4 If a channel is specified only that channel s mode is returned Examples Response P01 indicates channel is stopped P04 indicates...

Page 211: ...n the Mantis and the software version Syntax X CR Response channels V softwarever CR Remarks This command is always global and therefore should never include a target channel Examples Command Response...

Page 212: ...sGetIPAddr MantisGetGateway MantisGetNetmask MantisGetNetworkType MantisGetWeb_Enable mpgCallback Play Complete Callback mpgSetVolumeLeftRight osdLoadBMP osdShow osdHide osdSetXYMix genSetVideo genSet...

Page 213: ...start the Mantis before video playback normally occurs approx 30 sec 2 Press and hold the Menu Select key on the front panel 3 After the front panel display shows the message Checking Content Please W...

Page 214: ...or CD DVD drive function 1 Confirm power outlets are live by plugging in another electrical device 2 Verify that power cord is fully seated both at the outlet and to the Mantis player 3 Verify that th...

Page 215: ...o stop the test file playback press any button on the front player For further instructions refer to Front Panel and Display on page 10 4 Wait to see if the Mantis player automatically initiates playb...

Page 216: ...able connections to ensure that they are firmly attached Be sure to tie down cables for proper strain relief Cables with no strain relief may disconnect or become damaged Inspect the labels to ensure...

Page 217: ...compatibility should MPEGs with audio video information be introduced at a later date 2 Use of Dolby Digital files Do not mix Dolby Digital files with any other type of file on the same channel All th...

Page 218: ...uneven tracks will result in poor performance Through digital editing MPEG 2 files can be de multiplexed i e separating the audio from video information The audio and video tracks can then be edited t...

Page 219: ...e encoding session was actually closed on the proper frame 2 Playing MPEG 1 and MPEG2 files back to back The resolution switch from MPEG1 files 342X240 to MPEG2 files 720X480 causes a latent image or...

Page 220: ...SMPTE Timecodes are Not Recognized Properly Some SMPTE tracks loose information during compression and may not initiate events as required It is recommended to encode these tracks hot adding approxim...

Page 221: ...Disk Space When a copy routine begins the system checks to see that there is sufficient internal storage available to write the files to disk and have an additional safety margin of 300MB If this con...

Page 222: ...ikely means either that The Visual Circuits Smart Card is inserted incorrectly The card in the slot is not a Visual Circuits Smart Card To force an ejection of the contents from the card reader press...

Page 223: ...ble For s video standard inexpensive cables allow operating distances of 5 7 meters Very little deterioration is apparent For component video RG 59 cables are suitable for up to 10 meters For longer d...

Page 224: ...Bad IP Address The FTP server at this address could not be located Verify the IP address and proxy settings with the network administrator Bad User Pass The FTP user name and password were not accepte...

Page 225: ...ddress is in the incorrect format Correct the IP address found in the FTP Auto Update Settings screen see FTP Auto Update Settings on page 88 Missing MPEG Overlay During CD DVD or FTP updating an MPEG...

Page 226: ...te a new TAR FPL and post it on the server following the naming and updating requirements found in FTP UPDATING on page 113 Proxy Settings The IP address of the proxy server is invalid Correct the pro...

Page 227: ...ers All materials shipped back to Focus Enhancements must be accompanied by a Return Materials Authorization RMA number Contact Focus Enhancements Technical Support to receive a RMA number Write the R...

Page 228: ...212...

Page 229: ...rch certified Visual Circuits and LDP protocol libraries Audio Stereo or Dolby Digital via S PDIF stereo analog MPEG Layers 1 2 3 Video MPEG 1 ISO 11172 MPEG 2 ISO 13818 2 Program transport and elemen...

Page 230: ...214 Power Supply In 100 240VAC 50 60Hz 37 watts average Supply Out 12VDC 18 watts average Temperature Range 0o 40o Celsius continuous operation 0o 65o C short term Certification Regulation FCC Part 1...

Page 231: ...ing 6 207 connection 6 digital 6 Dolby Digital 15 201 filter out noise 204 frequency 64 line level 3 off 152 on 152 output impedance 19 output level 19 output termination 6 playback data 66 S PDIF 6 s...

Page 232: ...175 media calls 158 networking 167 on screen display 153 video 151 commands 134 FireflyFtpUpdate 149 FireflyGetGateway 173 FireflyGetNetworkType 174 FireflyGetWeb_Enable 174 FireflyRestart 149 Firefl...

Page 233: ...10 create playlist using serial commands 147 creating a FTP update account 114 creating a new schedule 52 creating new playlist 43 cropping 47 cross channel synchronization 44 current video frame 65 C...

Page 234: ...l audio 6 direct file access updating 122 directories 88 directory HTTP auto update 90 disk underflow 67 display BMP 155 DNS 33 Dolby Digital 15 19 201 download logs 129 download fail 209 Drop Go 111...

Page 235: ...sion 38 46 110 formats 38 65 open MPEG file 136 playback stop 142 144 queue 139 reload 142 144 remove 158 return name 158 164 file playback message mpg_file_read_start 137 file creation date 108 filen...

Page 236: ...ne 72 GOP Group of Pictures 16 graphic file formats 38 graphic file transfer and conversion 38 graphic overlay 42 adding 45 background 48 empty channel 45 fade in rate 48 fade out rate 48 key color 47...

Page 237: ...tmap 153 load config 96 loading locally 60 local load 60 local save 59 log error summary 69 format 86 missing elements 69 serial commands 69 log default playlist 128 log files 125 content log 108 diag...

Page 238: ...istion MPEG1 to MPEG2 203 MPEG1 19 latent image 203 system stream 15 MPEG2 19 elementary stream 15 latent image 203 layer 2 15 program stream 15 transport stream 15 mpgCallback 150 mpgPlayall 135 mpgS...

Page 239: ...135 play a file 141 143 play button 50 playback a v sync 66 all channels 143 all channels resume 143 all channels start 143 all channels stop 144 all installed cards stop 144 audio data 66 files skip...

Page 240: ...0 PTS 15 Q quadrant display 203 queue file to play 139 R rate audio bit rate 64 frame 65 video bit rate 64 RCA M 6 read errors 67 reboot after changing video output type 3 recommendations encoding HD...

Page 241: ...ebView to save settings 25 SMPTE 17 time codes not recognized 204 SNMP auth passphrase 83 community 82 84 enable 82 engine ID 82 84 netmask 82 network 82 playlist content missing 84 priv passphrase 83...

Page 242: ...6 test file does not play 200 video 199 TGA 20 TIFF 20 time code 65 203 time code LDV 179 191 time zone 72 transcode 17 transfer error 210 transfer order 95 119 transition seamless 137 transparency l...

Page 243: ...ation 74 Video Clippro 21 video dates editor 51 55 video output type 74 changing 3 74 RGB 4 video settings supported standards 74 video card 74 video output type 74 video standard 73 video standard 73...

Page 244: ...i 14...

Page 245: ......

Page 246: ...813 0059c 2005 Focus Enhancements...

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