Page 1 VBrick 9000 Encoder Encoder v4.3 Admin Guide August 2015...
Page 2 Inquiries should be made directly to those companies. This document may also have links to third-party Web pages that are beyond the control of VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or recommends the content of any third-party Web pages.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Link the Encoder to VBrick Rev........
Page 4 Restore System Configuration ..........27 Auto Configuration .
Page 5 Monitor Decoder Status........... . 157 VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 6 Monitor Receivers/Video/Audio ......... 157 8.
Page 7: Vbrick 9000 Encoder V4.3 Admin Guide
VBrick 9000 Encoder v4.3 Admin Guide Welcome This document explains how to configure a VBrick 9000 Encoder. It provides detailed information about all configurable encoder options and parameters. The VBAdmin management application is used for all configuration tasks. VBAdmin is a browser-based application that makes it easy to configure your encoder and to optimize performance and get the best video.
Page 8 Troubleshoot This page explains how to use standard troubleshooting tools to run network, device, and traceroute tests. Key Length Value (KLV) Explains how to insert global positioning or telemetry metadata Metadata into video feeds for specialized applications. Advanced Transport Explains how to use advanced settings when configuring Stream Settings transport streams for Mode and Forward Error Correction.
Page 9: Introduction
The VBrick 9000 Encoder supports high definition video resolutions up to 1080p for incredible quality video at bandwidths of 1 Mbps and up. VBrick encoders also support a wide variety of standard definition resolutions for lower bandwidth applications, such as streaming to wireless and mobile devices.
Page 10: Login
31.0 or higher Safari 6.1 (mac) or higher † For best results VBrick recommends using the latest version of a supported browser. You must have session cookies and active scripting enabled in your browser to use VBAdmin. Login To login to an encoder: ...
Page 11: Home Page
Read from the System Configuration > General page. System Up Time Read from the Monitor > Monitor the System page. Refreshed every 60 seconds. Total System Up Time Read from the Monitor > Monitor the System page. Refreshed every 60 seconds. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 12: Home Page Leds
Application Code Revision Read from the Monitor > Monitor the System page. System Serial Number Read from the Monitor > Monitor the System page. Current Operational Mode Indicates the current operational mode of the VBrick. The following modes are supported. See the troubleshooting topic on Operational Modes for more information.
Page 13: Configuration Menu
It has hyperlinks that let you quickly navigate to the configuration pages for each major component (e.g. a server or transmitter) associated with a slot and channel. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 14: Edit Mode
Presenter Mode status on the Dashboard. See the Presenter Encoder Dashboard topic if you need more information. Edit Mode In order to change configuration settings in the VBrick encoder, you must click the Edit button to become the active editor so that multiple users cannot be changing parameters at the same time.
Page 15 After an hour of inactivity, Edit mode times out, whether the browser is open on the desktop or closed without ending the Edit session. In VBAdmin, the button on the Logout left side of the menu bar ends editing and logs you out of the application. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 16: Apply, Revert, Default, And Clone Buttons
If a page has several fields or areas of interest that may not fit on one page, the topics will be linked at the bottom of the page. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 17: Install Online Help To A Local Web Server
Install Online Help to a Local Web Server The Online help system points to a VBrick Web server and requires an Internet connection. In some cases it may be preferable (and faster) to put the help files on your local Web server.
Page 18: Step-By-Step Initial Set Up Overview
As a general rule, use the lowest video rate that best suits the application. When configuring VBrick devices, pay close attention to the total bit rate of all streams exiting the unit. The sum of all streaming traffic should be closely monitored and kept to a minimum whenever possible.
Page 19: Video/Audio Rates
(on the Encoder Configuration > Global page) and another section (on the Encoder Configuration > Transmitters page) which configures each individual destination. See Transmitters more for information. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 20: Servers
Decoders VBrick decoders deliver high-quality, low latency video with exceptional performance, ease- of-use, and flexibility. The decoder is fully compatible with 7000/9000 Series encoders and supports video resolutions up to 1080p. The VBrick decoder is designed to deliver the highest video quality with low latency. The embedded operating system and the dedicated decoding hardware provide the highest reliability for mission-critical applications.
Page 21: System Configuration
The LCD screen on the front of the encoder will indicate a DHCP failed message. Note: The VBrick encoder requires a minimum DHCP lease length of 8 minutes to work, however it is recommended to extend the lease time to what is maximally available via the network to avoid disruptions.
Page 22 The encoder Host Name identifies the encoder to various network applications including DHCP, SNMP and VBrick application tools. The Host Name can be a maximum of 18 characters; the first character must be a letter and the rest can be letters, numbers, or hyphens.
Page 23 A higher MTU brings higher bandwidth efficiency and VBrick recommends using the default. However you may wish to reduce MTU size to meet the requirements of some networks with VPN or other security tunnels that cannot tolerate 1500-byte packets.
Page 24: Domain Name Server Settings
If enabled, and the NTP time is four minutes greater than or less than the current system time, the unit will reboot twice. Field Description Network Time Protocol Check to enable network time synchronization. Default = Disabled. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 25: External Ftp Server Settings
Network field above is checked. DHCP Secondary Server IP Address Secondary host name (VBrick Host Name or DNS Host Name) or IP address of valid SNTP server providing time synchronization. A blank field indicates the server address will be acquired via the DHCP server only if the Network field above is checked.
Page 26: General
System Description Read-only. Company name, encoder model number, and serial number. System Name User-defined. System name, for example Biology Dept. System Location User-defined. System location, for example West Campus. System Contact User-defined. Contact person, for example Jane Doe. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 27: System Time Settings
System Configuration General Page Topics:  System Identification Settings System Time Settings Additional System Settings System Reset Front Panel Settings Link the Encoder to VBrick Rev System Time Settings To access the fields:  System Time 1. Navigate to >...
Page 28: Additional System Settings
System page. The following modes are supported. See Operational Modes on page 166 for more information. • Run – Normal operation. • Diagnostics – User selected mode for running certain VBrick diagnostics. Presenter Mode Not displayed if presentation features have already been enabled.
Page 29: System Reset
System Configuration Link the Encoder to VBrick Rev System Reset To access the button:  Reset 1. Navigate to > > section. System Configuration General System Reset Field Description Reset Resets (i.e. reboots) the encoder. A reset does not change, save, or reset any configuration parameters.
Page 30: Link The Encoder To Vbrick Rev
System Configuration General VBrick Rev Interface Before you may link an encoder with VBrick Rev so that it may be used as a video source, you must enable and configure it to recognize Rev in the menu. If you do...
Page 31: Usernames & Passwords
System Configuration General Page Topics:  System Identification Settings System Time Settings Additional System Settings System Reset Front Panel Settings Link the Encoder to VBrick Rev Usernames & Passwords To access the fields:  Usernames & Passwords 1. Navigate to >...
Page 32: Manage Configuration
Reset System Configuration To access the fields:  Reset System Configuration 1. Navigate to > > System Configuration Manage Configuration Reset System Configuration section. This menu lets you default some or all encoder configuration parameters. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 33: Read System Configuration
Read the page. After clicking on the button, follow the browser’s instruction on saving the file to your PC. The configuration is saved as cfgdata.xml but can be renamed. See the image below VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 34 Notes: • XML configuration files from 6000 and 7000 Series encoders are not compatible with 9000 Series models. Do not try to run 6000 or 7000 Series configuration files on 9000 Series encoders. • When restoring a 9000 Series configuration, be sure that the encoder/decoder model (i.e.
Page 35: Restore System Configuration
Configuration This function lets you write configuration parameters from an .xml file to the VBrick encoder. On a successful restore, all parameters will be saved to flash and the encoder will reboot. Only administrator-level users and above have "write" privileges. Note that the VBrick encoder that the configuration file is read from, and VBrick encoder that the configuration file is written to should be running the same version of code.
Page 36 (or more likely a set of parameters) you simply point the URL to a server with an .xml configuration file. This is useful, for example, to set the audio and video rates when the VBrick encoder is behind a firewall and cannot be accessed remotely.
Page 37: Feature License
System Configuration Manage Configuration Feature License Starting with v4.1 and beyond, 9000 encoders can be augmented through the purchase of additional feature license keys. These keys will unlock features and capabilities within the 9000. Use the section to install additional features you have purchased by...
Page 38: Advanced Configurations
Note: Some features of the Presenter encoder may vary or be limited in scope based upon the encoder hardware. Not all 9000 encoders can support Presenter Mode and will not accept a Presenter Feature License. Also, the Presenter feature is not supported by any 9000 model that includes a decoder and on some older encoder units.
Page 39: Management Sap
Management SAP These parameters define information used in the management SAPs (session announcements) emitted by the VBrick encoder. These SAP announcements are received by the VBDirectory management tool and the VEMS Portal Server. See the VBDirectory User Guide for more information.
Page 40: Security
VBrick encoder. External FTP Server Default = Enabled. Disabled will prevent FTP sessions to the VBrick encoder. Note that this feature must be enabled to upgrade the encoder firmware using VBDownload. External VBAdmin • Enabled – Default. Lets you manage the encoder from a web browser using the VBAdmin management application.
Page 41 This will not reboot the encoder. Remote Support Polling enables a unique built-in mechanism that allows VBrick Support Services to help configure or troubleshoot an encoder—even if it's behind a firewall. When this feature is enabled (and you provide the user name and password), Support Services can establish a secure, tunneled connection to the VBAdmin interface of the encoder.
Page 42 PC-based systems like Microsoft, Linux, and others. However, you can still take additional steps to minimize risk. VBrick tries to make installation as simple and quick installation and many features are automatically enabled by default even though you may not need them.
Page 43: Encryption
Used to set the number of encryption keys you want to create. Up to 64 keys and associated may be configured on each Key IDs device. The key number. Created by the system and automatically applied. Not editable. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 44 As noted, once you have created your encryption keys, you must enable encryption on a stream and choose a Key ID. This also takes place in the encoder. Note: At this time, only RTP transport types may be encrypted. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 45 • Encryption is not currently supported by VEMS Mystro, StreamPlayer, 7000 series Decoders, or VBrick Set Top Boxes. Only the 9000 series Decoder is able to play encrypted streams. Newer versions of Mystro and StreamPlayer will not show programs (SAPs) for encrypted streams but older version may show the programs even though they will not play.
Page 46: Logging
Advanced Configurations Logging Logging of certain events can be stored both locally (within the VBrick device) or externally (for example on a server). Local logs are stored in volatile memory. For preservation of information, it is recommended that remote logging be utilized. Remote servers generally offer ample storage and offer the additional benefit of collecting log information from several VBricks simultaneously.
Page 47: Event Triggering
You can use the iPhone application (the last two options are explained in the Getting Started Guide.) The VBrick encoder can be set up to use serial (COM) Pins 7 and 8 as input events to trigger the encoder to run scripts. The script files execute a subset of the CLI commands ( SVAR ) in order to activate specific functions on the VBrick encoder.
Page 48 Event Script Status Displays current status information for each event script. Event Script Control The Run Script buttons lets you run each script without needing the input event. Use this method to test the script. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 49: Passthrough
Run Scripts Using the iPhone App VBrick provides an iPhone app which you can use to monitor the status of 7000/9000 Series H.264 devices. This app lets you perform basic configuration tasks by running predefined scripts. You cannot modify configuration parameters except by running a script. See "VBrick iPhone App"...
Page 50 Responder – In this case the encoder will accept a connection request (up to 64 connection requests). Port Read-only. COM2 Passthrough will accept connections on port 4439. COM1 uses port 4414. These values cannot be edited. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 51 Passthrough is active. Under no conditions are RTS or DTR controls passed through end-to-end. All control handling is local. When using a VBrick VCC-3 or VCC-4 camera, set this control to Automatic; when using a VBrick VCC-50i camera, set this control to Force On.
Page 52: Snmpv3 Passwords
CoT (Cursor on Target) metadata. For more about this topic, see Key Length Value (KLV) Metadata on page 169. Dedicated Destination Shown if Dedicated is selected above. The VBrick encoder (whose serial port is the destination of this COM port) can be configured and identified using either an IP address or a Host Name.
Page 53: Snmp Traps
Advanced Configurations SNMP Traps VBrick supports SNMP v2 and SNMP v3 traps. SNMP traps are a subset of the SNMP management component of the encoder. Use of any element of the SNMP management system requires use of an SNMP browser or SNMP manager application (not supplied). The...
Page 54 Authentication Protocol Select protocol: MD5 or SHA to validate the transaction between a given host and client Privacy Password Required. Hides traffic using DES encryption. Security Level • No Authentication, No Privacy (default). • No Privacy. • Authentication and Privacy. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 55 IntHddLowSpaceAlarmClear above 15%. Free space on the external hard drive has fallen ExtHddLowSpaceAlarmActive below 15%. Free space on the external hard drive has risen ExtHddLowSpaceAlarmClear above 15%. There is no free space in memory. MemoryLowSpaceAlarmActive VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 56 Input #3 has a loss of digital audio. Audio3InputAlarmActive The loss of digital audio on input #3 is recovered. Audio3InputAlarmClear Input #4 has a loss of digital audio. Audio4InputAlarmActive The loss of digital audio on input #4 is recovered. Audio4InputAlarmClear © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 57: Encoder Configuration
. To avoid intermittent disruptions Apply on units with multiple slots and channels, wait until you have configured changes on all slots and channels, and then click Apply Encoder Configuration Topics:  Global Video Audio Programs Streams Transmitters Servers VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 58: Global
Field Description Number of Programs Read-only. 1, 2, or 4. VBrick 9000 Series encoders currently Available include models with 1, 2, or 4 channels. There will be one program available for each channel. Presenter Mode only has 1 program available regardless of the number of inputs.
Page 59 Correction (FEC) on a Stream. It enables calculation of checksums for all transmitted UDP packets—but can also consume network bandwidth. Any change to this parameter will reset the encoder. Default = disabled. Global Page Topics:  Global Announce Settings Transmitter Settings Server Settings VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 60: Announce Settings
Default = 9875. Transmit Interval 1–9999. Default = 10. Determines how often the announcement is transmitted. IP Multicast Time to Live 1–255. Default = 64. (TTL) IP Unicast Time to Live 1–255. Default = 64. (TTL) © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 61: Transmitter Settings
QOS scheme on any network. The VBrick setting is a decimal value from 0 (where all bits of the header byte are 0) to 255 (all bits of the byte are 1). You...
Page 62 Settings. Join Own Multicast Some network equipment requires that a Multicast source (such as a VBrick encoder) join its own Multicast group. This feature is enabled by default and has no adverse affect on equipment that is fully Multicast-compliant. Unicast Ping...
Page 63: Server Settings
MPEG-2 at half of the bit rate or less, especially in high bit rate and high resolution environments. For more information about 9000 Series encoders and decoders, go to the www.VBrick.com\products page on the VBrick website.
Page 64 > pages. On all other Encoder Configuration Video Audio pages you must click before you exit the page. Apply Figure 2. Quad Channel Encoder (no SDI) Figure 3. Dual Channel Encoder (with SDI) © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 65 The connector on the unit is used with the VBrick-supplied "breakout" cable which has both Composite and Component video inputs. Select the option from the dropdown that matches your video input. • Composite – one connector (labeled COMP IN) on breakout cable.
Page 66 • \c# or \C# – Set Color (where # = the number corresponding to color). 0 = White, 1 = Green, 2 = Blue, 3 = Cyan, 4 = Red, 5 = Yellow, 6 = Magenta © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 67 PTS. Defaults = System Time. • LDS Time – Uses the timestamp extracted from the LDS packets to generate the metadata stream PTS. KLV Multicast Used with Network LDS Passthrough or Network CoT to LDS. Source VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 68 This option blacks out an area near the top of player window—not a specific number of lines. Be sure to test your results when using this option. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 69: Video Rate Settings
Note: There are five video rates available per input channel and a maximum of 16 video rates can be configured per unit. Be sure to review the MBR rules and constraints in the 9000 Series Encoder Release Notes. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 70 This read-only field shows the template (if any) that is currently applied. The templates provide an optimized combination of settings that have been configured and tested at VBrick. The templates available when you click will vary Load Template depending on your encoder model (1, 2, or 4 channels).
Page 71 Resolution Sets the video encoding resolution (the width and height respectively) of the compressed video stream. The VBrick encoder has high quality video up/downscaling built-in to let you choose from a wide range of standard encode resolutions regardless of the Video Format of your source video.
Page 72 Lower values create more access points but with less compression efficiency. Zero means all frames are IDR frames. VBrick recommends you do not set to zero because video quality is not generally acceptable and stream bandwidth may be excessive.
Page 73 It is one of the primary advantages of the H.264/ AVC encoding scheme. CABAC is only supported in Main and higher profiles and is CPU-intensive. As a result, CAVLC (a lower efficiency method) is used to increase performance on slower playback devices. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 74 . See Encoder Configuration the Presenter Encoder Video Input topic if you need more information on the differences. Video Page Topics:  Video Rate Settings Video Template Settings Clone Video Input © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 75: Video Template Settings
Choose a template based on motion and bandwidth. is the default 750Kbps, SDp60/50 template for a single or dual unit. Quad is . To read the following table, 750Kbps, SDp30/25 start in left column and read from left to right. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 76: Clone Video Input
Simply click on the slot and channel you wish to copy from, then use the dropdown to select the individual slot and channel you wish to copy to (or select © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 77: Audio
Encoder Configuration Audio The audio circuit on the VBrick 9000 encoder uses mixed signal technology (a combination of analog and digital signals). The encoder has two audio input connectors for each channel (left and right). The input signals are unbalanced and have a usable voltage range up to 10 dbU.
Page 78 HDMI or SDI video input. For most common HDMI and SDI sources the audio will be available on Digital L+R 1. When using digital audio, the Advanced Settings (Gain/Attenuation, Input Range, Automatic Volume Control, and Noise Gate) are not displayed. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 79 32 dB and check for distortion. • Mic Boost 32 dB – High preamplifier. Sets microphone preamplifier to 32 dB. If distorted after performing a sound check, set to 16 dB and check sound quality. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 80 (i.e. being amplified). Noise Gate Level Displayed only if Noise Gate is enabled. Range: -34 to -82 dB. Audio Page Topics:  Audio Rate Settings Clone Audio Input © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 81: Audio Rate Settings
AAC-HE AAC-HE is a highly-efficient audio compression technology that uses spectral bandwidth replication (SBR). AAC-HE is optimized for better quality at lower bit rates. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 82 HDMI/SDI. Indicates the measured Sampling Frequency (see Frequency above) when an HDMI or SDI source with digital audio is connected to the encoder and the audio connection is configured for a Digital L+R selection. This is useful for determining configuration mismatches. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 83: Clone Audio Input
(or select all) and click . Note that the cloning will not take effect until you click on the Audio Apply Input page. Audio Page Topics:  Audio Rate Settings VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 84: Programs
Both Program Name and Session Information allow special character strings to be inserted automatically into these fields. – Host Name of VBrick encoder. When the default entry is used, the program is identified by the default VBrick Host Name. Author A string in the announcement that can be used to identify the author.
Page 85 Each category keyword represents a tag associated with the encoder's video stream. VBrick VEMS and players can be configured to display in their Program and Conferencing guides only video streams tagged by specific category keywords or those containing no keyword.
Page 86: Add A Program Override
Disable servers only on this Program. Streams To access the fields:  Streams 1. Navigate to > Encoder Configuration Streams A "stream" is a bundled group of resources that describes the characteristics of the output bit stream. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 87 Configuration > Programs page. Used By Read-only. Shows which Transmitters, Servers, and Archivers (future) are configured to use this stream. Enable Stream Enable the selected stream. Stream Name Enter a user-friendly name for the selected stream. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 88 Field Description Transport Type • RTP – Real Time Protocol. RTP is supported by the VBrick 9000 Series decoder. • MPEG2TS – MPEG-2 Transport Stream. Used with KLV and FEC. • RTMP – Real Time Messaging Protocol. This is the multimedia streaming protocol used in Adobe Flash.
Page 89 This results in less burstiness, and can help to prevent packet loss on some networks, but it can also increase jitter and latency. VBrick recommends the use of metering only on bandwidth-constrained networks. When you enable metering, Metering Aggressiveness (see below) defaults to Medium.
Page 90: Transport Stream Settings
Encoder Configuration > Video Input page. Enable MISB Insert timestamps that meet MISB (Motion Imagery Standards Board) Timestamp requirements. Timestamps help accurately align metadata with collected motion imagery for further analysis. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 91 Enable FEC Enable Forward Error Correction. For a detailed description of FEC parameters see Enable Forward Error Correction (FEC) on a Stream. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 92 When switching to Custom mode, the current settings for Transport Stream Bitrate Mode, Overhead, and Gap are shown as starting points. Bitrate Mode Read-only unless "Custom" Transport Stream Mode defined above. Variable or Constant. Default = Variable. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 93: Enable Forward Error Correction (Fec) On A Stream
For detailed information about VBrick's implementation of FEC see the Forward Error Correction (FEC) Theory of Operation topic. Note: If using FEC you may choose to...
Page 94 256. If the stream is configured for a Constant bit rate Mode the product of FEC Rows * FEC Columns must be less than or equal to 100. FEC Arrangement Specifies when the FEC Stream 1 packets are transmitted. Default = Block Aligned Enabled. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 95: Transport Stream Pids
PID embedded in the stream that tells the receiver what to do with the packet. Transport Stream packets from the VBrick encoder have the PIDs shown in Table 1 as defaults.
Page 96: Transmitters
Table 1. Transport Stream PIDs (VBrick H.264 Encoder) Value Description Video Video stream. Audio Audio stream. Metadata Metadata stream. Program Clock Reference. RTP files may also be converted to transport stream files. As part of that conversion process, these transport stream files stored on the VOD-W will have the PIDs shown in Table 2.
Page 97: Announcements
In some cases an H.264 stream may be sent to a third-party reflecting server which is not capable of emitting its own SDP announcements. Transmitters and servers can be configured to provide announcements advertising the URL of the reflected stream and/or required SDP information. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 98 Stream Select Select a configured stream. Transport Type (read-only) • RTP – Default. RTP is supported by the VBrick 9000 Series decoder. • MPEG2TS – Multiplexes the digital video and audio into one bit stream. Supported by most hardware decoders.
Page 99 RTP Encapsulation if desired. Default = Disabled. RTCP Transmit RTP and MPEG2TS. Allows RTCP sender reports (containing transmission and reception statistics for all RTP packets) to be sent from the VBrick encoder. Default = Enable. RTCP Transmit Interval RTP and MPEG2TS. When RTP Encapsulation is enabled, this parameter tells the encoder how often (in seconds) to send RTCP reports.
Page 100: Rtmp Transmitter
(FMS). Use any combination of up to 255 alphanumeric and special characters (no spaces) RTMP Stream RTMP stream name to transmit to the FMS. Use any combination of up to 500 alphanumeric and special characters (no spaces) © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 101 DVR when the stream starts or restarts. RTMP ID VBrick | FMLE. Default = VBrick. This setting identifies the type of sender to the server and it changes the way RTMP timestamps are created. The VBrick setting uses absolute frame capture time for RTMP timestamps and it should be used most of the time, including when streaming to an Akamai CDN or VBoss.
Page 102: Auto Unicast Transmitter Mode
Quicktime or Darwin. The stream is pushed to a configured publishing point location on an external server to which external clients can connect to retrieve the stream. For example, you can place a VBrick encoder inside a private network and configure it to...
Page 103: Enable Forward Error Correction (Fec) On A Transmitter
Encoder Configuration Table 1. Auto Unicast – Supported Features Supported Feature Description Streaming Servers • VBrick Distributed Media Engine (DME) • Apple Darwin Streaming Media Server • Wowza Media Server Pro • QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) Transport Types RTP only.
Page 104: Smooth Streaming Transport Type
"adaptive" in that multiple video rates are delivered in one stream and the IIS server decides which stream to serve to the client. This means that viewers with high-bandwidth connections can view high definition quality streaming while viewers with lower bandwidth © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 105 IIS HTTP web server. VBrick Smooth Streaming supports up to three Video Rates and one Audio Rate. VBrick Smooth Streaming does not support serving, archiving, closed captions, or multicast.
Page 106: Transmitter Announce Settings
VBrick encoders and VBrick applications such as the VEMS Portal Server or StreamPlayer. An announce is also required if you will be streaming to a VBrick 9000 Series decoder. They are used to identify VBrick streams present in the network.
Page 107: Transmitter External Announce Settings
Encoder Configuration Transmitters External Announce Settings These settings configure an external announcement that can be used when the stream is reflected to a third-party server or a VBrick reflector. Field Description External Announce This section is used to announce RTSP streams to a network device outside of the broadcast domain.
Page 108: Servers
Encoder Configuration Servers The VBrick 9000 encoder is also a streaming server and can be controlled by a remote decoder client via RTSP and RTCP protocols. In server mode, a served stream does not become active on the network until requested by a client. The client may be a software player like StreamPlayer, or a QuickTime player on a PC or a Macintosh.
Page 109 Use this URL in the decoder to view the stream via RTSP. RTCP Transmit RTP only. Enable allows RTCP sender reports to be sent from the VBrick encoder. Default = Enable. RTCP Transmit Interval RTP only. If RTCP Transmit is enabled, this setting tells the encoder how often (in seconds) to send the reports.
Page 110: Servers Announce Settings
This section contains parameters that are used to modify announcements from the encoder. Announcements are advertisement packets that are transmitted by VBrick encoders to other VBrick encoders and VBrick applications such as the VEMS Portal Server and StreamPlayer. They are used to identify streams present in the network.
Page 111: Archivers
The encoder supports a variety of internal and external storage devices. If the encoder is configured with a storage device, you can create an archive of any transport stream. MPEG2TS Once the archiving is complete, the file can be moved or FTPed to a VOD server, a file VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 112: Enable Batch Mode And Archive A Batch File
When batch mode is enabled, controls the total time recorded (adding up all Archive Duration the files in the batch) and controls the amount of time recorded into each file Batch Duration © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 113: Use An External (Usb) Device To Archive A Stream
Note: Versions of 9000 Series hardware prior to 3.0 do not reliably support USB hard drives that are powered from the USB port (and do not have their own power supply.) Board Assemblies 6106-0000-0200 and higher do support USB-powered hard drives.
Page 114 Total Space total Free Space • Internal Drive (D:) • External USB (E:) – Any user-provided USB drive not exceeding 2 TB. Table 1 shows recommended devices. Storage Location Status Ready | Not Ready © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 115 Range 0–43200 (12 hours) or . The default (0) implies a Continuous manual Start/Stop and will auto-select . For best Continuous results and usable video, set the archive duration to 10 seconds or more. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 116 Note: Use the Monitor > Monitor the System page (seen below) to format, reset, or safely remove a USB drive. Use the Monitor > Monitor Archivers page to check the current status of the archiver(s). © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 117 Encoder Configuration Archivers Page Topics:  Enable Batch Mode and Archive a Batch File Use an External (USB) Device to Archive a Stream VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 119: Receiver Configuration
Chapter 4 Receiver Configuration Receivers If you are working with a Presenter or a 9000 with a Presenter Feature key, v4.3 introduces “Stream to Presenter”. This capability allows users to incorporate network RTSP/UDP streams into their presentation. When you enable...
Page 120 Available Programs key if applicable. The program is not actually selected until you click . Note: When changing programs, there may be a delay Apply of up to 20 seconds on the output device. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 121: Announce Receive Settings
Time so you can choose the right balance between handling jitter and achieving low latency. The default setting of 200 ms works well when the decoder is playing streams from VBrick 9000 Series encoders over a good network and will result in low end-to-end latency of approximately 300 ms.
Page 122: Configure A New Rtsp Url
The data transport type; UDP is only available at this time. The RTSP URL. If your RTSP requires authentication, the syntax to enter a user name and password is: testing:test@IP This is the only format that VBrick supports at this time. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 123 Add URL encoder. You must also click to complete the Apply Save configuration. Clear Fields Click the button to erase all entered information and Clear Fields start over. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 125: Presentation Features
Presenter Mode User Guide. Note: The presentation features discussed in this topic are applicable to the Presenter encoders (number p/n 9311-1612-100) and any 9000 that has the Presenter Encoder Feature License (7100-3000) applied (See the System Configuration > Manage Configuration >...
Page 126: Disable Presenter Mode Access From The Login Screen
Allow Presenter Control Without Login 4. Click > Apply Finish Edit 5. The button will no longer appear on the Login screen. Presenter Manage Presentation Mode will now have to be accessed after logging in. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 127: Presentation Features Interface
Audio is muted. This is different from “Not Broadcasting” which is used when the stream may not be watched at all. (See Below) : Status when Presenter Mode has been started and is Broadcasting currently broadcasting to a live audience. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 128: Access Presenter Mode And Controls
Presenter encoder while all audio and Video Encode video channels that are not assigned to the presentation are shown below the others instead of next to the box as normally seen on a standard encoder Dashboard. Program © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 129: Presenter Encoder Video Input
Both input and encoding are handled on the menu. Video The Presenter encoder has separated these two functions. Video inputs are configured under the Encoder Configuration > Video Input menu on a Presenter encoder as seen in the image below. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 130: Presenter Encoder Video Encode
Video configuration menu. Both input and encoding are handled on the menu. Video The Presenter encoder has separated these two functions. Video encoding rates are configured under the > menu on a Presenter encoder as Encoder Configuration Video Encode seen in the image below. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 131: Presenter Encoder Video Encoder Status Video Monitoring
Video Encode these two functions. Encoder rates are separated from the video input on a Presenter encoder. Note: See Monitor Encoder Status topic for complete information on how to use the page fields. Video Encode VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 132: Customize Presenter Mode Layouts
Choose Layout Layout Scroll Layout Preview box to select a layout to customize. 4. Click the button to customize the currently selected layout displayed in the Edit Layout box. Preview © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 133 Functions the same as the Choose Layout dropdown and selects a layout to enable and set default values for when in Presenter Mode. If a layout is selected here, it is also selected in the Choose Layout dropdown. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 134 Margins Margins are useful when inserting branding. Margins are different from borders in that borders are applied to all video source areas whereas the margins define the layout area itself. Margins are specified in pixels. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 135 You may still change audio channels with different settings, but this will cause a reset of the stream and attendees/viewers may need to reset their players as a result. Note: Changing audio channels during a presentation is not supported for streams with encryption. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 136: Manage Layout Images
This means any time you pause the Pause Image stream, the selected image will be displayed. The screenshot below has multiple images within the dropdown as an example. Your list will vary. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 137 Mapping). As a result, consider a best practice of making border values, margin values, pause images, and so forth consistent between layouts so you do not have any odd jumps or glitches in the event a presenter switches between layouts during a presentation. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 139: Decoder Configuration
Chapter 6 Decoder Configuration The VBrick 9000 Series encoder is available in a single channel model or an encoder/decoder (EnDec) model. It works seamlessly with 7000 or 9000 Series encoders and is designed to provide the highest video quality and reliability with low latency.
Page 140 The program is not actually selected until you click Apply Note: When changing programs, there may be a delay of up to 20 seconds on the output device. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 141: Announce Receive Settings
The VBrick 9000 Series decoder has an adjustable Jitter Queue Time so you can choose the right balance between handling jitter and achieving low latency. The default setting of 200 ms works well when...
Page 142 The 9000 Series decoder includes very high quality video scaling and several configuration options to allow you to control the format of the output video and how it relates to the format of the network video stream being decoded. By default the decoder is configured to automatically choose the optimum output resolution, frame rate, and aspect ratio based on the resolution, frame rate, and aspect ratio of the network stream.
Page 143: Audio Output
> Decoder Configuration Audio Output The 9000 Series Decoder supports both analog stereo audio outputs via left and right BNC connectors on the breakout cable, and digital stereo audio outputs via HDMI and SDI. All VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 144: Latency And Quality Tuning
Audio Output Latency and Quality Tuning VBrick 7000 Series and 9000 Series encoders offer a wide range of high quality and low latency steaming capabilities to VBrick 9000 Series decoders. This section describes how to choose the right combination of systems and configure them to meet your streaming needs.
Page 145 9000 Series Decoders but they are not designed for ultra-low latency applications. When streaming High Definition video and audio from a 7000 Series encoder you should configure on the 9000 Series decoder to at least 600 ms to avoid potential issues Jitter Queue Time with audio/video sync.
Page 147: Monitor
Refresh Monitor Topics:  Monitor the System Monitor the Network Monitor the System Logs Monitor Encoder Status Monitor Decoder Status Monitor the System To monitor the  System 1. Navigate to > Monitor System VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 148: Monitor System Information
 System Information 1. Navigate to > > section. Monitor System System Information Field Description System Model Displays the hardware model number of the encoder. Hardware Revision = Hardware Revision. = CPU Revision. XX-YY. XX © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 149 VBrick diagnostics. See Device Tests for information. • Maintenance – Not selectable. Automatically launched when the software on the VBrick encoder does not load. • Limited Run – Not selectable. Normally occurs if a hardware problem exists within the encoder but it can still partially operate.
Page 150: Monitor Storage Information
USB device. Check Performs a check of the drive and file system. The Operational (See: Additional System Settings) must be set to Mode Diagnostics to run this test. Monitor System Page Topics:  Monitor System Information © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 151: Monitor Manufacturing Information
Use this table to find specific information about the add-on Information Table boards in the encoder assembly. Shelf data, if shown, is read from Slot 1 on an H.264 blade server. Monitor System Page Topics:  Monitor System Information VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 152: Monitor System Restarts
This table tracks the date, time, and restart type (power or reset) of all system restarts. Monitor System Page Topics:  Monitor System Information Monitor Storage Information Monitor Manufacturing Information Monitor System Restarts Monitor the Network To monitor the  Network 1. Navigate to > Monitor Network © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 153 Displays the encoder's Media Access Control (MAC) address. Network Port Status Status of the Ethernet network interface. Network Port Speed Speed of transmission for the Ethernet network interface. Network Port Mode The mode of transmission for the Ethernet network interface. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 154: Monitor The Network Time Synchronization Fields
System logs can give you more information about the status of your encoder. Each log can hold up to 40 of the latest informational messages. All logs are emptied when the encoder is powered down or reset. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 155: Monitor Encoder Status
Monitor Hyperlink Description Configuration Log This log contains a list of the latest VBrick configuration changes. To avoid flooding the log, consecutive login passes or failures from the same IP address overwrite the previous log entry. SNMP Traps This log contains all of the SNMP traps generated by the box whether or not the traps have been emitted.
Page 156: Monitor Video Rate
Actual Frames per Measured rate in frames per second of the encoded video Second stream being created by the encoder. This rate is rounded down and may indicate 0 for frame rates less than 1 per second. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 157: Monitor Audio Input Fields
The header for each Slot and Channel on this page shows from the How is Audio Connected Encoder Configuration > Audio page. For example, depending on the audio input, it will be either (Analog) (Digital L+R 1/2) VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 158: Monitor Audio Rate
Total audio frames received from connected audio source. Frames Processed Total audio frames encoded and streamed by the encoder. Monitor Global & Streams To monitor information:  Global & Stream 1. Navigate to > > Monitor Encoder Status Global & Streams © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 159 Monitor VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 160: Monitor Transmitters
Transmitters page displays the program status of all defined transmitters. Note Monitor Transmitters that when more than 5 transmitters are configured, auto-refresh is disabled and you must use button to manually refresh the page. Refresh © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 161 Configured Negotiated port. Negotiated Configured port. Transport port. port. Stream port. Audio Port Configured Negotiated port. port. Bytes Transferred Use Reset Counters to reset to zero. IP Packets Sent Use Reset Counters to reset to zero. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 162: Monitor Servers
You must also be in mode. Edit Tip: When CPU usage on the selected server is extremely high, auto-refresh is disabled but you can still use the button to manually refresh the page. Refresh © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 163: Monitor Archivers
UDP, RTSP Interleave, Http Tunneled, Transport Stream. Video Packets Dropped Video packets dropped since session start. Audio Packets Dropped Audio packets dropped since session start. Monitor Archivers To monitor  Archivers 1. Navigate to > > Monitor Encoder Status Archivers VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 164 Target Bit Rate or reducing the number of Archivers. Use to zero Refresh Counters out the buffer. File in Progress File <name> currently in progress. Last Completed File File <name> of last completed archive. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 165: Monitor Decoder Status
Status (including errors) of transfer to FTP Status server. FTP Read Status Status of read (i.e. "get") from file system. Monitor Decoder Status Monitor Receivers/Video/Audio To monitor  Receivers/Video/Audio 1. Navigate to > > Monitor Decoder Status Receivers/Video/Audio VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 166 The Statistics automatically reset when you start or change the connection or you can manually reset with the button at the bottom of the page (in edit Reset Counters mode). Click on the button to show or hide extra details. Advanced Statistics © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 167 Frames Dropped Aggregate sum of frames dropped by Jittter, Age, and Rx Buffer Overflow. Note that the 9000 Series decoder is designed to minimize the negative effects of video and audio frame drops so your video/audio quality may still be acceptable even if challenging networks or aggressive low latency configurations cause frame drops.
Page 168 Jitter Queue Time may be too small given the network conditions and encoder configuration. The 9000 Series decoder is designed to minimize the effects of video and audio frame drops, so for aggressive low latency applications, you may decide to set the Jitter Queue Time so low as to cause some frames to be dropped but keeping your video/audio quality still acceptable.
Page 169 Audio Source Target Bit Rate As configured on Encoder Configuration > Audio page of the source encoder. Sampling Frequency Detected audio sampling frequency. Output Compatible Outputs Compatible outputs for the selected audio source. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 171: Troubleshoot
Chapter 8 Troubleshoot The options in the menu are used by system administrators to test connections Troubleshoot and data from the VBrick 9000 encoder to other devices. Troubleshoot Topics:  Ping Test TraceRoute Test Device Tests Operational Modes Ping Test To conduct a ...
Page 172: Ping Test Result
Internet host. This test utilizes the Time To Live (TTL) field in the IP header to allow intermediate nodes to be "discovered" via Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). Intermediate hops are discovered by launching probe packets with a small TTL and then © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 173: Trace Route Test Result
Device Tests The encoder automatically performs a full POST (Power On Self Test) hardware test whenever the unit is powered-on or reset. The Device Test runs the POST and displays the results. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 174: Operational Modes
30 minutes or more. VBrick Debug Information Click button to generate a debug file. When requested by File VBrick Support Services, you will need to fetch multiple files via FTP. Operational Modes The encoder has five operational modes that reflect differing conditions.
Page 175 Maintenance Mode Maintenance mode is automatically launched when the software on the VBrick encoder does not load. A message on the front panel will indicate the encoder is in Maintenance mode. Maintenance mode runs from a reduced functioning kernel that provides limited access to the encoder via the Command Line Interface only.
Page 176: Avoiding Overload Conditions
Avoiding Overload Conditions The VBrick 9000 series H.264 encoder has numerous configuration options and under some configurations may overload the host processor. This is indicated by the Operational Mode reporting an "overload" on the Monitor > System page. Transport Streams and TCP clients are more CPU intensive than RTP and UDP clients.
Page 177: Key Length Value (Klv) Metadata
Key Length Value (KLV) Metadata Inserting KLV Metadata VBrick supports Key Length Value (KLV) and Local Data Sets (LDS) metadata insertion in accordance with Motion Imagery Standards Board (MISB) standards. KLV is a data encoding standard often used to embed information in video feeds. Items are encoded into key-length- value triplets where key identifies the data, length specifies the data's length, and value is the data itself.
Page 178: Local Data Sets (Lds) Passthrough
KLV metadata per MISB standard 601.3 and MISB Standard 0604 Section 6.2. The metadata PTS (timestamp) source is configurable as the LDS packet's capture time or the timestamp in the LDS packet. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 179: Cursor On Target (Cot) To Local Data Set (Lds)
In this method Cursor on Target (CoT) metadata input via the standard RS232/422 interface on the encoder. It is then converted to LDS per MISB EG 0805, MISB Standard 0601.3, and VBrick extensions, and is embedded in the transport stream as KLV metadata per MISB Standard 0604 Section 6.2.
Page 180: Misb Timestamps
In this method Cursor on Target (CoT) metadata is provided to the encoder via IP packets. It is then converted to LDS per MISB EG 0805, MISB Standard 0601.3, and VBrick extensions, and is embedded in the transport stream as KLV metadata per MISB Standard 0604 Section 6.2.
Page 181: Advanced Transport Stream Settings
In variable mode, empty packets are not sent, but in VBrick’s implementation, the peak bit rate is still as tightly constrained as it would be in constant mode. Variable medium delay has precisely the same constraint on peak bit...
Page 182: Custom Mode
The disadvantage of using this setting is that if the content changes dramatically, it may take some time for the algorithm to respond to the change. © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 183: Forward Error Correction (Fec) Theory Of Operation
RFC 2733 to enable error correction of realtime media. This standard allows the use of traditional error correcting codes. A major advantage of this scheme is that it can be used with any video format standards (MPEG, SDI, SDTI, etc.) as long as it is encapsulated in VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 184 When determining the FEC configuration, potential limitations of the FEC receiver need to be understood. In the specific case of the VBrick VB7000 Series decoder, the limitations are: L*D <= 100; 1<=L<=20; 4<=D<=20. In addition, since in order to recover a packet, both the row and column FEC packet must be received, an additional end-to-end latency equal to the time to receive LXD packets will be incurred.
Page 185 In general, once you understand the various trade-offs involved, you may wish to experiment with different FEC settings until you get the best possible results. The following image, from a VBrick H.264 decoder, shows FEC packet correction statistics from an H.264 transport stream. In this case you will note that the number of...
Page 187: Advanced Mbr Configuration
The settings in this table are enforced by VBAdmin. That means the user interface will not allow you to configure a non-supported combination of inputs and/or outputs. For more about configuring video input and outputs, see the Video topic. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 188 2 + [1] 2 + [1] 2 + [1] R1, R2, R8 2 + (1) 2 + (1) 2 + (1) 2 + (1) 720/30 1080p 720/30 1080i 720/30 1080i 1080i 720/30 720/30 720/30 720/30 720/30 © 2015 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Page 189 Double 720 case, but max 4 rates per input. Requires field reduction for 1080i case. 9 rates total, max 3 per input, max 5 per slot. Only 1 rate per input is 1080p. Same as full 720. VBrick 9000 Encoder Admin Guide...
Page 192 VBrick Systems, Inc. 2121 Cooperative Way, Suite 100 Herndon, Virginia 20171...

VBrick 9000 Admin Manual

Vbrick 9000 Encoder V4.3 Admin Guide

1 Introduction

2 System Configuration

3 Encoder Configuration

4 Receiver Configuration

5 Presentation Features

6 Decoder Configuration

7 Monitor

8 Troubleshoot

9 Key Length Value (KLV) Metadata

10 Advanced Transport Stream Settings

11 Advanced MBR Configuration

Quick Links

Related Manuals for VBrick 9000

Summary of Contents for VBrick 9000

Table of Contents