Visual Circuits Harmony 4E User manual

Harmony 4E

User Manual

Trademarks

The Visual Circuits logo is a registered trademark in the United States

and other countries. All other products, services or company names

mentioned herein are claimed as trademarks and trade names by their

respective companies.

No portion of this manual may be copied by any means without the prior

consent of Visual Circuits.

Visual Circuits Corporation

5155 East River Road, Suite 401

Minnea poli s, M N 554 21 US A

http://www.visualcircuits.com

Visual Circuits Publication Number: 813-0038C

All specifications, notices and warnings are subject to change without

notice.

Class A Statement

FCC Part 15 (EN61000-3-2)

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a

Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 (EN61000-3-2) of the FCC

Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against

harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial

environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio

frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with this

instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio

communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is

likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be

required to correct the interference at his or her own expense.

The Hamony 4E complies with Part 15 (EN61000-3-2) of the FCC rules.

Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference.

2. This device must accept any interference that may cause undesired

operation.

Industry Canada

This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian

Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numerique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du

Regulement sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.

EMC and Safety Directive Compliance

The CE mark is affixed to this Visual Circuits

Corporation product to confirm compliance with the

following European Community Directives:

WARNING

Changes or modifications to this unit not

expressly approved by the party responsible

for compliance could void the user’s authority

to operate the equipment.

Council Directive 89/336/EEC of 3 May 1989 on the approximation of

the laws of Member States relating to electromagnetic compatibility.

And

Council Directive 73/23/EEC of 19 February 1973 on the harmonization

of the laws of Member States relating to electrical equipment 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 domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in

which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

All specifications are subject to change without notice.

OVERVIEW

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Editing Driver Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Troubleshooting Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Troubleshooting Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Contacting Visual Circuits Corporation . . . . . . . . . 31

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Contents

i

CONTENTS

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Audio/Video Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Application Interface (API) for the Harmony 4E . . . .2

Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Card Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Cable Installation (A/V Breakout) . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Driver Installation (Windows 2000/NT 4.0) . . . . . .6

Starting Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Editing Driver Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Driver Editing Utility: Harmony VccReg.exe . . . . . .15

Common Driver Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

PAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

BufferSizePerChannel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

MaxDisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

MaxFileRead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

MinFileRead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

NoCache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

NonPagedPoolSize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

ii

Contents

NoReadBuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Audio/Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

DisableSync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

VideoTypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

InitOnOpen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

dontuseints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

LateLoadNext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

MaxCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Multiapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Dual-Card Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Multi-Threading and Drive Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Troubleshooting Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Server Setup Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Troubleshooting Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

BIOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Blue screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Message says '' Harmony Driver not found!'' when

Harmony Vidserve is started . . . . . . . . . . . .25

No video or audio output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Stuttering files during Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

"Latent Images" or "Flashing" during playback . .27

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Contents

SMPTE time codes are not recognized properly .27

Video blocks or stutters when starting playback. .28

Overall block or distorted playback . . . . . . . . . . .28

Problems using the API. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Mouse lags and overall poor system performance 29

MPEG will not play on mapped network drive. . .29

Harmony Vidserve does not work at all . . . . . . . .29

All channels pause when a new file is started on a

channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

No audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

More than one board will not play or make a few

horizontal lines on the screen. . . . . . . . . . . .30

Contacting Visual Circuits Corporation . . . . . . . . . 31

Contacting Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

What You Should Have Ready When You Call . . . . .31

What You Can Expect When You Call. . . . . . . . . . . .31

Technical Support Contact Information for the Value

Added Reseller (VAR) or Distributor Only . . . . .32

Returning Materials to Visual Circuits Corporation . .32

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Hardware Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Audio Video Breakout Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

iv

Contents

1

OVERVIEW

Introduction

The Visual Circuits Harmony 4E card is a PCI MPEG decoder card

supporting four independent outputs or “channels” of high-quality

video playback. The Harmony 4E has its own unique driver and

API structure designed to offer maximum compatibility with

Visual Circuits ReelTime series cards.

Figure 1. Harmony 4E Card

Harmony 4E simultaneously outputs composite and high-quality S-

video, along with either Dolby Digital audio or Stereo PCM audio

via S/PDIF. Alternately, Harmony 4E can also output RGB (sync

on green) or component video.

The Harmony 4E card also supports a dynamic On Screen Display

(OSD) of 256 colors with varying degrees of transparency. Since

all video decoding is performed through hardware, not only can a

single four-channel card run in four independent outputs, but two

cards are supported in the same server as well. The Windows 2000/

NT driver also includes a Software Developers Kit (SDK) with

libraries and a sample program allowing flexibility and

customization.

Overview

2

Audio/Video Distribution

There are two options for audio/video distribution. None of these

devices are powered and follow all standard audio/video cabling

procedures.

1. Universal Cable: This cable supports all board configurations

and comes as a 16-inch cable which attaches to each board’s

DB 25. All output connectors are RCA female type, requiring

appropriate adapters and patch cables.

2. Audio Cables: Cables with 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) stereo phone

plugs to two phono (RCA) plugs may be used to connect the

Harmony 4E digital audio outputs to an external audio

receiver/decoder. The output labeled “CH1/2” is designated for

channels 1 & 2 and the output labeled “CH3/4” is designated

for channels 3 & 4. (Note: Visual Circuits does not carry cable

adapters and accessories, see page 36 for details).

Application Interface (API) for the

Harmony 4E

The source code for the Harmony Vidserve demo program is

provided for developers as an example of how to access the driver.

The current version of the driver uses a proprietary C API interface

(instead of a standard interface like MCI or Direct Show).

Applications can use the driver by calling the dynamic link library

(4REELAPI.DLL). The files needed (4REELAPI.LIB and

4REELAPI.H) are provided in the Vidserve.ZIP file, along with

the source code and MS VC++ 6.0 project makefile for Harmony

Vidserve. 4REELAPI.H declares all of the functions available in

the driver library. (See the Harmony SDK manual for more info.).

3

INSTALLATION GUIDE

The Visual Circuits Harmony 4E decoder board is a 3/4 sized PCI

card. The card is secured using an IO mounting bracket secured to

the chassis. This bracket is affixed to the 25-pin female D-Sub

output of the board.

CAUTION

If a card is not seated securely in the PCI slot

when the system power is applied, damage to

the Harmony 4E board may occur.

CAUTION

It is possible to damage system components,

primarily the system's mainboard, if power is

applied to an improperly seated card.

CAUTION

Whenever installing a board, never force the

board into position. During the installation if

pressure or tension is noted, stop immediately

and refer to the chassis manufacturer's

specifications for card installation and

placement.

Installation Guide

4

Card Installation

To install the card, carefully slide the board into the selected PCI

slot of the mainboard. Ensure that the bracket is aligned with the

IO opening of the chassis and that the outer edge of the card rests

securely according to the chassis’ design. Consult with the chassis

manufacturer for specific guidelines

Figure 2. Installation of Harmony 4E Card.

CAUTION

Follow all necessary precautions when

handling electrical circuit boards. Damage can

occur due to frictional contact with board

circuitry or due to electrostatic discharge

(ESD).

Installation Guide

5

Cable Installation (A/V Breakout)

1. Back the set-screws off fully before attaching the cable. Do not

use the attaching screws to “pull” the cable onto the female D-

Sub connector of the board.

2. Orient the D-Sub on the cable properly and apply slight even

pressure while connecting the D-Subs.

3. Secure the Universal Cable in place with the two screws.

4. Attach the patch cables to the Universal Cable as per the

installation.

5. If desired, connect Y-adapter audio cables, (1/8 inch/3.5 mm

stereo phone plug to two RCA plugs), from the Harmony 4E

card’s digital audio output jacks to the proper inputs on an

external audio receiver/decoder. Note that the audio output jack

labeled “CH1/2” is designated for channels 1 & 2 and the

second audio output jack labeled “CH3/4” is designated for

channels 3 & 4.

Figure 3. Cable Installation

Installation Guide

6

Driver Installation (Windows 2000/NT 4.0)

For use under Windows 2000, complete both Parts 1 and 2 of the

driver software installation instructions.

For use under Windows NT 4.0, complete only Part 2 of the driver

software installation instructions.

Installation Instructions - Part 1: For Use Under

Windows 2000

(NT 4.0 users skip ahead to Part 2)

NOTE

Apply strain relief as required when attaching patch

cables. The set-screws will easily support the Universal

Cable strain, but will not take into account the weight and

strain of any connected cables.

IMPORTANT

If you have previously installed a different type of Visual

Circuits decoder card, or a different version for the

Harmony decoder series, it is recommended that you

uninstall that driver before proceeding.

WARNING

For installation for use under Windows 2000, Windows

2000 Service Pack 2 or higher is required.

Installation Guide

7

Under Windows 2000, to complete this installation you must point

the system to the driver installation disc when prompted by

Windows.

The harmony.inf file (included on the driver installation disc)

should be installed for each of the video channels.

Important: Each board appears as 4 devices to the system.

Therefore, you will be prompted by Windows to install a driver

for each individual video channel.

1. Install the decoder card(s) according to the board’s user

manual. Power up the computer and log in to Windows.

The Windows 2000 Hardware Manager will recognize that

new hardware has been added to the system. A message box

will appear stating that Windows has found new hardware.

Click “Next” to continue.

Figure 4. Welcome to Found New Hardware Wizard Screen

Installation Guide

8

2. Select the first option, “Search for a suitable driver for my

device”, and click “Next”.

Figure 5. Search For Suitable Driver For My Device Screen

3. Windows will ask where to look for the location of the driver

file for this device. Select the location of the supplied driver

disc and then click “Next”.

Figure 6. Search For Driver Locations Screen

Installation Guide

9

4. A dialog box will appear informing you that this device does

not have a digital signature and will ask you if you still want to

install it, click “Yes”.

Figure 7. Digital Signature Not Found Screen

5. Now that the driver is installed for this channel, select

“Finish”. You may be asked to reboot your system. Do NOT

reboot your system. Click “No” and continue the procedure

for installing additional channels and cards.

6. The “Welcome to Found New Hardware Wizard Screen will be

displayed again indicating that new hardware has been found.

Click the “Next” button to continue.

Figure 8. Welcome to Found New Hardware Wizard Screen

Installation Guide

10

7. Because a driver has already been installed on your system

previously, you should select the second option, “Display a list

of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a

specific driver”, and then click “Next”.

Figure 9. Display List of Known Drivers Screen

8. The Hardware Wizard will have already found the Harmony

4E device driver and will have it listed under “Models”. Click

“Next” to continue.

Figure 10. Select a Device Driver Screen

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Visual Circuits Harmony 4E User manual

Visual Circuits Harmony 4E User manual

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