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megapixel Helios User Manual

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HELIOS®
LED Processing Platform
User Guide
HELIOS v.21.08.0
2021-08-19

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  • Page 1 HELIOS® LED Processing Platform User Guide HELIOS v.21.08.0 2021-08-19...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Network Switch Overview Display Tiles System Planning Overview Video Input Custom Input Bandwidth Calculations Creating a Raster Map Dual Input Cards Data Distribution Connections Overview System Latency Processor Connections Networking Overview IP Addressing HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 3 GhostFrame Pane (Advanced) Camera (Advanced) Devices Pane Processing Tab Display Devices Tab Health Pane Alerts Settings Pane Security (Advanced) Saved Configurations Update Center Software upgrade steps Shortcuts About Preview Pane Seams Pane Adjustments Pane HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 4 HELIOS Processor - Specifications Table HELIOS Processor - Shipping Info. HELIOS Processor Dimensions HELIOS Processor - Input Capability Matrix HELIOS Processor - Supported SDI Input Formats HELIOS Processor - Output Port Capacity (Pixels) Fiber Out / Data to Tiles Network Ports...
  • Page 5 H2VR HoldCo, Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to products by other entities. Megapixel VR claims no proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names owned by others.
  • Page 6 Signal may become disconnected when electrostatic is induced externally. Installation Environment The HELIOS Processor is designed to be rack mounted in a central control room for fixed installations or flight cased for rental / temporary applications. The unit has been qualified to operate in a dry environment within a temperature range of 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F).
  • Page 7 WARNING: Below is a set of environmental conditions that must be met prior to installing Megapixel VR products. The installation and/or use of products in these environments not meeting these conditions may void all warranties. Installation locations must be free of moisture.
  • Page 8 Carrying and Handling the Equipment Before you handle the HELIOS LED Processing Platform equipment, disconnect all cables and cords. Do not operate the HELIOS LED Processing Platform equipment in areas with significant amounts of airborne dust or smoke, or near a humidifier.
  • Page 9 Storing the Equipment If you are going to store the HELIOS LED Processing Platform equipment for an extended period of time, keep it in a cool and dry location (ideally, 71° F or 22° C).
  • Page 10 Cleaning the Equipment When cleaning the outside of the HELIOS LED Processing Platform equipment and its components, first shut down the equipment, then unplug all cords and cables. Use canned air such as ‘Turbo Blast’ by ACL Staticide Inc. or a clean, soft, lint-free cloth to wipe the equipment exterior. Avoid getting moisture in any openings. Do not spray liquid on the equipment.

  • Page 11: System Components

    The HELIOS system consists of a Processor unit and one or more network switches. The HELIOS Processor is designed to be located near the video source. The HELIOS Processor ingests the source video and converts it into a fiber signal. The HELIOS Processor is also responsible for serving the web based user interface (web UI) that is the user interface of the system.

  • Page 12: Processor Overview

    Processor Overview The HELIOS Processor is a one RU (1.75”) tall rack mount unit that can receive video in resolutions up to 8K and outputs that video as a proprietary stream to compatible video panels (Figure 2). The HELIOS Processor is capable of receiving HDMI, DisplayPort, and SDI signals. The HDMI and DisplayPort inputs are designed to be modular.

  • Page 13: Processor Front Panel

    Figure 3: HELIOS Processor front. Configuration Interface - on the front of the HELIOS Processor is an LCD display and a turn/push knob interface. Air Inlets - slots to the left and right of the LCD display are filtered vents for chassis airflow.
  • Page 14 Connected to tiles Blue 5 - External Sync - The BNC connector to the right of the fiber outputs allows the HELIOS Processor to receive genlock timing signals. An external sync is required when using multiple processors for data redundancy.

  • Page 15: Network Switch Overview

    The HELIOS system leverages network switches, like the GSM4210P, for data distribution to the tiles. The network switch connects to the HELIOS processor via 10Gb fiber SFP+ uplink and has eight 1 / 2.5Gb copper Ethernet ports that serve as outputs to the display.

  • Page 16: Display Tiles

    Cyan Booted into safe mode Green Ready (No network connection) Blue Single Flash No HELIOS connection (1 tile link active) Blue Double Flash No HELIOS connection (2 tile links active) Blue Solid Connected to HELIOS (Normal operation) Internal Pattern (press and hold center button 4 seconds to enter and Yellow leave this mode).

  • Page 17: System Planning

    (Pixel Width * Pixel Height) * Frame Rate * (Bits/Pixel * 3) = Maximum Bandwidth As an example, the largest standard aspect ratio DisplayPort signal HELIOS supports is 5K (5120x2880) @60 Hz 8bit. Bits per pixel is multiplied by 3 since each pixel gets a red, green, and blue signal.

  • Page 18: Creating A Raster Map

    (A, B, C etc.). Content can be created in segments or the segmentation can be accomplished with media processing equipment prior to the HELIOS Processor.

  • Page 19: Dual Input Cards

    HELIOS Processor with the necessary hardware (dual DisplayPort or dual HDMI cards) can receive dual video signals of the same type of signal. When HELIOS is outfitted with two of the same card type (DisplayPort or HDMI) it will stitch the two rasters together into one continuous output to tiles.
  • Page 20 • Where will the video source device reside? • Is the HELIOS Processor close enough to the video source device to be within the specification of the video protocol being used (e.g. HDMI, DisplayPort, and SDI). • Is there power for the HELIOS Processor at the location? •...

  • Page 21: Connections

    System Latency The task of receiving a video signal, processing it for tiles and sending it through the network to the tiles takes the HELIOS system one (1) frame. Tile latency will vary between tile types. However, tiles typically need one (1) frame to read the HELIOS data and another one (1) frame to send the data to LED driver chips.
  • Page 22 Processor Connections (continued) Output Signal to Displays - The output ports of the HELIOS Processor broadcast HELIOS video and control data over LC- LC, 9/125 Single mode (SMF) OS1 (<=1000m) or OS2 fiber to network switches, which in turn send the data on to the display devices via copper cables.

  • Page 23: Networking

    Overview In order to provide access to control the HELIOS system, a LAN port is provided on the rear of the unit. This port provides access to the web UI. Once the client device (tech laptop) is on the same network as the HELIOS, open a web browser and enter the IP address displayed on the front LCD of the HELIOS Processor.

  • Page 24: Ip Addressing

    UI host device must also be set to DHCP in order to join the same network. The HELIOS Processor can be configured to a fixed IP as well. If this is the desired mode, ensure both the IP and the subnet mask for the web UI host have been set to the correct range.
  • Page 25 The IP address of the HELIOS can also be set using the web UI interface under Settings > Processors Settings > Networking. Figure 14: Web UI network settings. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 26: Configuration

    The HELIOS Processor should be connected to at least one network switch and the switch should have panels connected. The HELIOS Processor has two user interfaces; a front panel rotary encoder / push button interface with LCD display, and a web UI.
  • Page 27 UI host. Having configured these settings correctly is a prerequisite. The web UI will not be accessible if this has not been done. The HELIOS web UI runs remotely on any device capable of supporting Chrome or Safari web browsers.

  • Page 28: Feedback

    Use the Send(remote) to submit the form. An active internet connection is required for the client device that is accessing the HELIOS interface (the laptop or tablet the user is on). If no internet connection is available use the Save(local) option to store the feedback on the tech laptop.
  • Page 29 1. Lock Controls - Enable this to prevent accidentally triggering any of the controls below it. 2. Image settings - contains the Brightness, Gamma, and Color temperature controls. 3. Video Patterns - a variety of onboard HELIOS test patterns that over-ride the video inputs. Figure 21: Test Patterns.
  • Page 30 Blackout - is a black generator that ensures all LEDs are completely off. This feature is ideal to use for situations when panels need to be placed on stand-by with power use at a minimum. HELIOS compatible tiles all have a low power mode that enables after five (5) minutes of blackout.
  • Page 31 Always available with the press of ‘?’ on the keyboard, the shortcuts menu provides a list of functions that have been assigned to key combinations. This pane is also available on the Settings pane → Shortcuts tab. Figure 24: Keyboard Shortcuts HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 32: Creating Maps

    Creating Maps The HELIOS Processor uses a map to determine which segments of the incoming raster to consider as an ‘active pixel region’. Areas of the incoming raster that are not associated with display fixtures, are never transmitted to the system. If only two fixtures are mapped, only two fixtures worth of panel data is transmitted.

  • Page 33: Mapping Pane

    The Show Indicators toggle on the Settings → Processor Settings pane, enables/disables the rear tile run time indicators (i.e solid blue, red, etc.). The Identify function operates independently, it will be available even when this setting is disabled. Figure 27: Tile Identify behavior HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 34 ) action selects all tiles that the drag boundary touches. Regardless of how CAD style selection is set, dragging from left to right always ( ) selects everything that is touched by the selection box. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 35 This is different from the Video Patterns located above Pause and Blackout that send a video signal from the HELIOS to the entire array of tiles. Theater mode - A special low light level calibration configuration. If a tile has been calibrated for special low light situations, the tile will utilize full bit-depth at the selected lower luminance.
  • Page 36 Figure 30: Tile maintenance. Reboot tile(s) - HELIOS can send soft reboot commands to selected tiles. Select tiles to reboot and press the Reboot Tiles(s) button. Caution using this feature in a show environment! The tile(s) will go black as they reboot.

  • Page 37: Input Pane

    Sync offset - shows how far away that input's sync is from the system's sync. If HELIOS is locked to input it should be close to zero. For external genlock it should be a fixed value (non-changing). The key thing to look for is a stable value. If sync offset is incrementing or decrementing, the source is shifting relative to the sync.
  • Page 38 2,125,000 pixels). 720P and 1080P are the best suited input resolutions for 120Hz operation. HELIOS supports 2x2 SDI inputs. The quadrants match the physical port layout on the HELIOS unit; the top left input (input #1) is the top left quadrant, the bottom right input (input #4) is the bottom right quadrant.
  • Page 39 Sync HELIOS can sync frames to either the frame rate of the inbound signal or to an external genlock. When an external genlock signal is required (as is the case with redundant systems), use the Allow external sync toggle to enable it.
  • Page 40 No Input signal frequency (Hz) - (Advanced) If the inbound signal is ever lost, HELIOS will continue to output test patterns at the frame rate of the last valid input. There are some cases where it is useful to toggle Auto off in order to set the output frequency manually so that test patterns are generated at the frequency of a future valid signal before it arrives.
  • Page 41 To display only a portion of an input signal, use the crop function by enabling Advanced Mode under Settings → Processor settings → Advanced. Toggle the Enable Cropping function ON and enter the size and position coordinates for the crop box. Figure 36: Crop region controls HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 42 235 standard for video. In the limited range, 16 and below is treated as pure black and 235 - 255 is treated as pure white. Full range video content uses the full 0-255 range (pure black is 0 and pure white is 255). The way that HELIOS interprets the video must match how it was encoded.
  • Page 43 HDR is more than just brightness, it also includes a wider range of colors. As such, the system must use, at minimum, 10 bit color. HELIOS should ideally be set to 12 bits if possible.
  • Page 44 Figure 40: EOTF adjustments When HELIOS is operating in default mode the override controls; Display max L, Content max L, and Content min L are read only values (left example below). With Advanced mode ON (see the...
  • Page 45 EOTF Adjustments (continued) The PQ curve is defined in nits. As such, PQ content reports a max L (luminance) to HELIOS. In other words, PQ content needs to be displayed at the brightness level at which it is mastered. The graph below the drop down is provided to help explain the relationship between the content max L and display max L.
  • Page 46 EOTF. An image settings popup will notify when the Limit brightness to content or the Limit to lowest tile max is being applied. In a scenario where HELIOS is receiving a PQ signal, with content max L set to 100 nits, and the tile max L is 500 nits, the Image Settings adds the words (Limited by content) below the nits value report.

  • Page 47: Output Pane

    The user can choose a standard preset from a drop down list (Rec. 2020 in the example below) or set custom targets to match the display being driven by the HELIOS processor to other devices, such as a projector.
  • Page 48 Figure 47: Targets out of bounds Each tile type has its own color capabilities. When a system is made up of mixed tile types HELIOS is set to widest gamut. Widest will determine the widest possible gamut from all connected tiles. This can result in a lowest common denominator color target selection;...
  • Page 49 The Tile Calibration Report (shown below) is useful for content creators and colorists who need to know the color capabilities of the system. Figure 49: Tile Calibration Report Custom Gamut (Advanced) HELIOS supports custom gamut settings. Enable Advanced Mode under Settings → Processor settings → Advanced. Figure 50: Custom gamut settings HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 50 HELIOS can improve the visual appearance of these dark regions by expanding the bit depth in the video signal. HELIOS normally uses 10 or 12 bits per color, but with Light science enabled, it will increase the bits per color to 22 (default) or as high as 32 effectively smoothing low light level banding.

  • Page 51: Output Pane (Advanced)

    Figure 53: HELIOS color processing pipeline Color grading tools - Curves HELIOS offers curve control for luminance (Y) and the primary colors (Red, Green, and Blue). Select which curve to control from the YRGB radio buttons at the bottom of the curve graph.
  • Page 52 Click on the middle of the curve to create a control point and drag up to make the whole image lighter, drag down to make the whole image darker. Right click a control point to remove. Place control points at the boundaries of regions to isolate tonalities. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 53 (shadows, mid-tones, and highlights). When the position of the point on the color wheel is adjusted, HELIOS shifts the hue of the tones towards the selected color. Use the grey slider next to the color wheel to adjust the color brightness.
  • Page 54 Latency (Advanced) HELIOS Ultra Low Latency (ULL) allows for as low as one (1) frame of delay through the entire system chain without the need for custom EDIDs or high frame rates from the source. Figure 58: Latency settings HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 55 • There are no capacity limitations or reductions when tiles are cabled as a single column high. Therefore, tile quantity per daisy chain is no different than normal (see the HELIOS Output Port Capacity section in Appendix G) for data daisy chain limits).
  • Page 56 1. Tiles are put into Ultra Low Latency mode with the Tile low latency toggle. The only restriction here is the tile firmware must support ULL. 2. The HELIOS processor is put into Ultra low latency with the Processor low latency toggle. Stacked column restrictions apply.
  • Page 57 Below are test results of Ultra Low Latency (ULL) with each mode off and then on. Using the SDI output of an ImagePro-II* connected to the HELIOS system, the yellow line measures a phototransistor reading the tile's light output. The green line measures, the HD-15 (VGA) output of the same ImagePro connected directly to the scope.
  • Page 58 Limit to lowest tile max - helps in situations where mixed tile types form a contiguous display. HELIOS can restrict the brightness of all tile types to the limit of the tile with lowest max brightness. HELIOS calculates this in two stages. First stage sets the tile target L to the lowest tile when the Limit to lowest tile max is set.

  • Page 59: Ghostframe Pane (Advanced)

    With content usually delivered at 60Hz there is plenty of time for HELIOS to add several sub-frames (up to the tile limit) to the primary video signal. These sub-frames can be solid colors, still images and even secondary video feeds to support digital production tools like chroma key or motion tracking.
  • Page 60 While all of this is happening behind the scenes, the performer will see a normal video output on the LED wall. Figure 65: GhostFrame controls HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 61 Chroma frames. Consult your GhostFrame integration partner for configuring and aligning camera capture for use with appropriate GhostFrame sub-frame slices Figure 66: GhostFrame configuration (example 1) Figure 67: GhostFrame configuration (example 2) HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 62 (grey background). When the number of video streams is set to 3. HELIOS offsets the V2 stream by a third of the canvas size, and the V3 stream by two thirds of the canvas size. So, V1 will show the top section, V2 will show the middle section, and V3 the bottom section.
  • Page 63 Below is shown what happens when HELIOS is given two inputs and GhostFrame is set to two (2) streams. The second stream is offset half way down the canvas, and the second input is also placed in the second half of the canvas. This results in V1 showing content from the first input and V2 showing content from the second.

  • Page 64: Camera (Advanced)

    Camera (Advanced) Without a GhostFrame license, HELIOS will display the Camera pane. The Camera pane is a limited subset of the full GhostFrame tools. As such, all of the rules and methodology discussed in the previous section of GhostFrame apply to Camera.

  • Page 65: Devices Pane

    Display Devices tab. This pane is usually the first place a system technician will check to discover the status of a system. Processing Tab Divided starting at the top with information for the HELIOS Processor(s) followed by Network Switches. Figure 71: Devices pane HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 66 When this icon is a blue square with white text (input 1 in the example below) the unit is receiving video through the SFP+. When the HELIOS recognizes the SFP+ but there is no video, the icon will be a dark green (input 3 in the example below).
  • Page 67 The shape and the color of the port indicators relate to the port connection. Links connecting to a processor are square. So all the processor ports are square. The port on the switch connecting to HELIOS will be square (as it's connected to a processor).
  • Page 68 Switch port IDs use slot/port nomenclature. On standard size switches, all ports are considered slot 0; port IDs are numbered 0/1 - 0/9 as shown in the example below. HELIOS also works with larger switches with up to 96 ports. These switches are divided into 12 slots of 8 ports each.

  • Page 69: Display Devices Tab

    The Display Devices section contains a list of connected tiles with detailed parameters and status for each. The list can be sorted by any of the column headers. The Alerts column can be especially useful to identify all devices with active alerts. Figure 77: Devices pane - Display Devices HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 70: Health Pane

    Health Pane The health pane contains comprehensive network status information about all parts of a connected HELIOS system. This pane contains three tabs; Alerts, Heat map and Reports. Alerts To help prioritize alerts, the HELIOS color codes alert badges based on the severity of the condition.
  • Page 71 The heat map is not just useful for recognizing panels that are excessively hot. It is good practice to warm LED panels up prior to being used at full brightness. Use the heat map to monitor progress and to confirm when panels are ready for use. Figure 81: Heat map HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 72 Device Serial Numbers - Centralized view of all SNs, useful for inventory tracking. Device Versions - Active device versions. Tile counters - Total run time along with various diagnostic counters to help with troubleshooting cable issues. Figure 82: Reports tab HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 73: Settings Pane

    Description - Enter the name of the processor, changes are updated live. Operating Mode - • Standard license - HELIOS can use both 10GbE fiber SFP+ modules or 1GbE copper SFP modules. • Junior license - HELIOS can only use 1GbE copper SFP modules.
  • Page 74 • Interface - Select between a dark or a light colored theme. Figure 86: Theme selection • Tiles - Show / Hide tile indicators. (See Tile details for more information). Figure 87: Tile Indicator controls HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 75 Figure 88: Networking • sACN (ANSI E1.31) - Use the sACN or E1.31 protocols to control the HELIOS Processor. When sACN is active, GUI controls are locked out. Figure 89: sACN The table below shows how HELIOS will behave when it receives the listed values.
  • Page 76 • Licensing - HELIOS units require a license to operate. There are two main types of licenses, HELIOS Standard and HELIOS Junior, other specialized licenses such as the GhostFrame license are also available. Shown below is a HELIOS Standard license. To enter a license use the Activate license button. This button allows license activation via an activation key.
  • Page 77 • Reset - Returns a unit to factory defaults. It removes all mapping, saved configurations, and saved software/firmware. Creating a saved configuration prior to resetting is recommended. Figure 93: Reset to Factory defaults HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 78: Security (Advanced)

    Security (Advanced) In the Security tab, HELIOS can be configured to require a user and password for access. Press the Create User button to enter the user info. It is good practice to create an Admin account first. Once security is enabled when standard users are logged in the security tab will only show who is logged in.
  • Page 79 Use the Enable user authentication toggle to turn on security. Be certain of the user and password prior to enabling security! If credentials are lost, only a factory default rest will unlock the HELIOS. (See the Unknown User / Password...
  • Page 80 When logged on, the user name will appear on the top right. Figure 99: User list Select the user name button to find the Sign out button or to change the password. Figure 100: Sign out button HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 81 If a user has been blocked, an amber notification will appear next to the user name in the user list. Blocked user are not allowed to login. Figure 102: Blocked user Figure 103: Access denied HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 82: Saved Configurations

    Rather than manually entering the same input color adjustments to all processors, create a New Saved Configuration with specific input settings enabled and upload to each processor. Figure 105: Default configuration name HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 83 Update - overwrite the existing configuration with recent changes Rename - change the name of the file Clone - duplicate the file Delete - remove the file Figure 106: Blank ‘Saved Configurations’ pane HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 84 New button to select Download from the options. 2. Connect to the target processor, navigate back to the Saved Configurations tab and Upload the configuration file. Apply Configuration to activate the file. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 85: Update Center

    The Update Center is used to send Firmware and Software updates to the HELIOS system components. All software or firmware packages must be uploaded to the HELIOS Processor in order for the system to be able to make use of them.

  • Page 86: Software Upgrade Steps

    2. Browse to the current software .mvrp file on your computer and upload it. A progress bar will appear under the package name showing the upload. 3. After the package has uploaded, select the new .mvrp package from the drop down list, then click Start. The upgrade process will show a progress bar. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 87 Software upgrade steps (continued) 4. During the upgrade, a Connection lost. message is shown as HELIOS extracts and installs the package. 5. Once the upgrade is complete, the current software and firmware versions are displayed in the table below. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 88: Shortcuts

    Shortcuts The shortcuts menu provides a list of functions that have been assigned to hotkeys. The information here is also available with the press of ‘?’ key. Figure 108: Shortcuts tab HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 89: About

    The About tab displays the current HELIOS version number along with some important links for contacting support. Press the Download support archive button to save a zip file containing HELIOS system information files that are essential to obtaining new system licenses and are helpful for troubleshooting.

  • Page 90: Preview Pane

    In the example below the HELIOS unit is receiving a quad SDI signal, but the unit has HDMI selected as the current input. Four active SDI feeds are visible below a black HDMI preview.
  • Page 91 Preview Pane (continued) With either of the Quad SDI (SDI 1x4 or SDI 2x2) input options selected, the Preview pane stitches the four SDI feeds together. Figure 112: Preview pane - Quad SDI HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 92: Seams Pane

    When using the LDM Seams tab each selectable regions is an LDM (LED module) boundary. We have found that video game controllers are well suited for the seam correction workflow. The HELIOS UI supports Xbox and Playstation* controllers. The game controller connects via USB or Bluetooth to the laptop or mobile device that is running the HELIOS web UI.
  • Page 93 This change was defined by the W3C who are concerned with protecting the privacy & security of users on the internet. We are actively exploring options, but for now a user has to connect to HELIOS using the https:// protocol to be able to use gamepads on Firefox, and soon the other major browsers If a warning such as the one below appears when connecting to HELIOS via https://, press the Advanced…...
  • Page 94 Tips: • Start on one side and work across the screen systematically. • If multiple users are working, assign regions to each user. • Check the screen from several view points and distances. HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 95: Adjustments Pane

    Adjustments Pane The HELIOS Processor can adjust the RGB gains on individual LED modules (there is no full tile option). Gain adjustments at the LDM level are available if supported by the tile manufacturer and firmware. Select tiles and use the sliders to make the adjustments.

  • Page 96: Maintenance & Accessories

    Processor Filter Maintenance The front filter on the air intake ducts of the HELIOS Processor should be periodically cleaned. Gently pry the foam filter out and clean or replace the filters. Figure 118: Remove air intake fan filters for service.

  • Page 97: Processor Fuse Replacement

    Processor Fuse Replacement The HELIOS Processor has two 3A fuses at the power inlet. To replace these, use a small flat head screwdriver to gently pry loose the fuse tray. Slide the tray out to the limit. Examine and replace fuses as necessary. If blown fuses are a persistent issue, return the unit to Megapixel VR for repair.

  • Page 98: Unknown User / Password

    When user authentication is enabled, the web UI requires a user name and password for access. If the user name and password are lost, the only way to regain access is to restore the HELIOS to factory defaults. All current show information will be deleted! Figure 120: HELIOS ‘Access Denied’.

  • Page 99: Restoring To Factory Default

    Restoring to Factory Default 1. Press the encoder on the front of the HELIOS unit to access the HELIOS menu. 2. Turn the encoder to select Settings. 3. Select Factory Default. 4. Confirm the selection reset to factory defaults. The HELIOS will reboot.

  • Page 100: Troubleshooting Fiber

    SFP+ group. If there is activity on these indicators, the fiber is connected. 2. Check the HELIOS UI for reported signal loss. The SFP TX value must be greater than -9 dbm. The example below shows a -11.8 dBm transmit signal. This is below the minimum -9 dbm required. Also check for any network related error messages on the Health pane.
  • Page 101 The issue is likely related to the fiber cable itself. 3. Remove a blue SFP+ from a HELIOS output slot and move it to an available SFP slot on a network switch. Connect a known good, short fiber cable between the two SFP+ units and check for link. If the SFP+ units link successfully, the issue is likely related to the fiber cable itself.

  • Page 102: Incompatible Sfp Alert

    Incompatible SFP Alert HELIOS units must be properly licensed for the SFP modules in use. The standard license allows 1G copper if set to junior operating mode OR 10G fiber if set to standard operating mode. Whereas the junior license only allows 1G copper, and will have standard mode grayed out in the selection drop down.
  • Page 103 2. Check the operating mode in system settings. A HELIOS Junior license will only operate Junior mode. Figure 124: Operating mode HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 104 3. Check the type of SFP modules and in which ports they are installed in the Devices pane. The image below shows the error a HELIOS Standard system will generate in Standard mode with a copper SFP installed in port 7. Copper SFP modules are only compatible with a HELIOS in Junior mode.

  • Page 105: Low Level Noise Reduction

    (the errors in black have been exaggerated for illustrative purposes). The black region to the left of the person shows several blocks of different degrees of black. After the adjustments in HELIOS, the image on the right shows fewer irregularities in the black region next to the person.

  • Page 106: Low Level Noise Reduction Steps

    Black clipping - raises the floor for the value to be considered black. This causes a loss of detail in shadows and other dark content regions as values below the threshold are not displayed. Figure 128: Output adjustments HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...
  • Page 107 Low Level Noise Reduction Steps (continued) 4. Navigate to the Input adjustments pane, Black Level control to reduce the noise coming in by raising the black level. Figure 129: Input Black Level HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 108: Content To Panel Luminance Curves

    PQ encoded HDR content reports a luminance range for the content in the metadata of the HDMI or SDI signal. This section covers how HELIOS handles this luminance data to maximize the capabilities of panels. The various colored dots on the chart below represent scenarios where panels of different luminance capabilities are matched with content mastered to narrow, medium, and wide range luminance.
  • Page 109 The image below is a graph of a scenario where 500 nit content is not being displayed correctly on a 100 nit display. As HELIOS has been configured to expect content mastered at 100 nits, while the incoming signal actually has a max content level of 500 nits.
  • Page 110 In the second image, the Content MaxL has been overridden to 1000 nits to match how the actual content file was mastered. Notice the significant increase in detail in the buildings outside the window. Figure 133: Detail retained HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 111: Data Redundancy

    The HELIOS system supports multiple high availability redundancy modes. This is accomplished by sending video data from two HELIOS Processors to the same string of tiles at once using bidirectional data flow from each end of the tile string simultaneously. Illustrated below, are two HELIOS processors and associated switches sending data into strings of tiles from two directions (top down and bottom up).

  • Page 112: Redundancy Settings

    Figure 135: Redundancy settings Processor Role The role selection lets the system know how the particular processor should be prioritized in the system. HELIOS has three options for role: Main (default) - Selecting this role identifies the processor as the primary processor in the system.
  • Page 113 None - HELIOS will not be expecting a backup processor. If the backup processor goes away HELIOS will not throw any errors. If HELIOS detects a backup processor on the network it will still be able to make use of it.
  • Page 114 Displays will show black until incoming frames are restored to the processor. Figure 139: ‘Take processor offline…’ toggle NOTE: When Take processor offline on input failure is toggled ON HELIOS will not allow the user to Go Main a processor with no input.

  • Page 115: Stacking Settings

    If another processor is found with the same group name, a blue dot icon shows up in the list next to the IP address indicating that the processor has joined the group. Click the IP address to open the HELIOS UI of that processor.

  • Page 116: Upgrade Process

    When upgrading a redundant system to a version of HELIOS and tile firmware that supports redundancy it is important to follow a specific sequence: 1.

  • Page 117: Technical Specifications

    1 full box 8K Kit - 8 switches 3 boxes (2 full + 1 partial) Full box (3 switches) 12.2 kg | 27 lb Partial box (2 switches) 8.5 kg | 19 lb HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 118: Helios Processor - Specifications Table

    Maximum / port: 425,000 pixels (12-bit, 60Hz) = 918Mb per output SFP * Input to eyeball including network switches. ** Square Division is supported, but it can not be scaled. *** Tested to work with: Evertz MSC5601, AJA GEN-10, BlackMagic Design CONVMSYNC HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 119: Helios Processor - Shipping Info

    • Ethernet cable (5ft) • Rack mount screws • Quick start guide HELIOS Processor Dimensions Front View 44mm 482mm Top View 436mm 20mm 393mm 415mm 23mm 11mm 11mm 482mm Figure 143: HELIOS dimensions HELIOS LED Processing Platform - USER GUIDE...

  • Page 120: Helios Processor - Input Capability Matrix

    HELIOS Processor - Input Capability Matrix The charts below show three common refresh rates. HELIOS supports any frequency between 15Hz and 120Hz. When capacity planning, use the rate in the table that is closest to the actual frequency that will be used.

  • Page 121: Helios Processor - Supported Sdi Input Formats

    Inputs can be combined using 2SI or square division. Square division is only supported across separate physical inputs (not within a single 12G link). • HELIOS does not support interlaced or progressive segmented frame (PsF) signals. HELIOS Processor - Output Port Capacity (Pixels) Bit Depth...

  • Page 122: Fiber Out / Data To Tiles

    3 x 10Gb 5 x 10Gb 5 x 10Gb 444 10-bit Network Ports The HELIOS Processor is running a Linux build based on Alpine Linux. The following network ports and services are used by the system: Network Ports Notes 443 (TCP)

  • Page 123: Thermal Sensor Alert Levels

    Thermal Sensor Alert Levels The table below provides the operating ranges for several internal sensors. This is not related to ambient temperatures of the HELIOS environment. It is important to note the even Critical alerts will not shut down a HELIOS processor. Sensor...

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