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Sync-One2 is an easy to use hand held tool suitable for professional and amateur users to quickly and
To obtain the best results the use of supplied test files is recommended. These files
consist of very brief flashes of light and sound beeps. As these flashes are brief and
intense they may be perceived as similar to stroboscopic lights. Accordingly persons
with photosensitive epilepsy or similar condition that can be triggered by flashing images
should take suitable precautions when using these test files and do so at their own risk.
Sync-One2
User Manual
easily analyse audio/visual synchronisation problems.
®
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for Harkwood Services Sync-One2
Summary of Contents for Harkwood Services Sync-One2
- Page 1 ® Sync-One2 User Manual Sync-One2 is an easy to use hand held tool suitable for professional and amateur users to quickly and easily analyse audio/visual synchronisation problems. To obtain the best results the use of supplied test files is recommended. These files consist of very brief flashes of light and sound beeps. As these flashes are brief and intense they may be perceived as similar to stroboscopic lights. Accordingly persons with photosensitive epilepsy or similar condition that can be triggered by flashing images should take suitable precautions when using these test files and do so at their own risk.
- Page 2 The measurement results are available in various formats, depending on the user requirement and combined with statistical analysis of readings help give a real indication as to what is going on in any audio-visual system. Sensors The system sensors are located at the top of the unit, so when holding Sync-One2 the sensors are naturally pointed toward the screen. The microphone is on the left, with the light sensor on the right. Do not cover the sensors, if covered readings may not be taken or will be inaccurate Do not insert anything into the sensor apertures, doing so may damage Sync-One2 and prevent...
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Page 3: Operating Modes
Power Sync-One2 uses 2 AA batteries (including rechargeable), a low battery indication is shown when new batteries are required. Should the batteries get really low, a warning is displayed and Sync-One2 will switch itself off to avoid incorrect operation. Buttons Press once to turn on, again to turn off. Is used to move between Measurement mode and Menu mode (with Menu additional functionality available in some specific menus as given below) Used to navigate up and down the Main Menu, and to alter values within ↓ ↑ menus Used to enter a specific menu item and return back to the Main menu Operating Modes Sync-One2 runs in two distinct modes;... - Page 4 Should the audio be behind the video then the readings are negative. times +ve times -ve Sound Light Sound Readings are given in milliseconds (ms), and also frames ( ) if a frame rate has been entered. For example in a home cinema environment, if the synchronisation error were detected as +100ms then introducing that delay within the AV Receiver/Pre-Amplifier would bring things back into sync. The results vary a lot, what’s going on? This is, surprisingly, normal. With all the digital processing that goes on in modern equipment it is rare to get a set of readings that all exactly match one another. That is why Sync-One2 calculates various statistics to help with the analysis, details on these are given later within the guide. What is all this Calibration business? Whenever Sync-One2 goes into Measurement mode it will calibrate itself. It is measuring the current ambient levels of light and background noise, and then automatically adjusting to be able to filter these out for more accurate readings and fewer false readings. Ideally, always have Sync-One2 in the measuring position (i.e. pointed at the light/sound sources) when turning on, or going back to the Measurement mode, to obtain optimal results. Page 4 Sync-One2 User Guide...
- Page 5 The 60 most recent measurements are kept in memory and are available via the ‘Show Stats’ menu option. When the memory becomes full, the oldest readings are dropped so it always contains the most recent 60 readings. This memory is erased when Sync-One2 is turned off and can be cleared via the ‘Clear All Stats’ menu option. In stable systems it may be unclear if readings are being taken, to indicate a reading has been taken a heart symbol is flashed in the top left hand corner or bottom right hand corner of the display, for small or large font mode respectively.
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Page 6: Basic Operation
Basic operation When powered on, Sync-One2 will start up and display its serial number then go into Measurement Mode, following a brief self-calibration. For best results, hold the unit in the measuring position in relation to the display equipment during the calibration sequence, as this will give the best results. The measurement position is the when the unit is held fairly close to the display, with the light sensor pointing at the display, or if a projector is in use within the light beam of the projector. Typically as in the picture below: A basic use, for example, is to check or help to set-up a home cinema environment. The typical... - Page 7 Play Test File Take Measurements Analyse Results Adjust the Audio Delay within the system Acceptable? under test System OK This uses both modes of Sync-One2, Measurement Mode and Menu Mode. Measurement Mode takes the readings and stores the 60 most recent in a memory buffer. Always take a number of readings to determine the error, to smooth out the variances in signal processing. Once a number of readings have been taken, enter Menu Mode and choose the first Menu Item {Show Stats}. This displays the average and span of the readings and gives the best indication of the situation in any given system. The span is the difference between the two most extreme readings in the buffer. A low span means the system is stable in its operation, a span of 10ms or lower is ideal. The average, calculated from all the readings in the buffer, gives an indication as to the delay of the system. Naturally an average of 0ms / 0.00 frames would be perfect but in the real world anything under 10ms will be hard for anyone to detect.
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Page 8: Advanced Operation
Advanced Operation A more advanced use of Sync-One2 is within the Professional AV and Post Production editing environments, where some of the additional features come into play. Within post production or video editing, workflow is based around whole video frames, rather than time in milliseconds. Within Sync-One2 you can set a frame rate between 1 and 99 frames/sec. Whilst some frame rates are fractional, for example 29.97, Sync-One2 uses whole frames, which is accurate enough. Simply pick the closest whole frame rate to the actual one of the system you are working with. - Page 9 However, by setting a speaker distance of 5m the measurements taken and statistics calculated are automatically adjusted to take account of the time for sound to travel the 5m to the seating position. When a distance is input (via the ‘Speaker Dist’ Menu Item), all readings are tagged with a to indicate the setting is active. Other Adjustments The default setting is to have the Audio and Visual sensors running at their maximum sensitivity, which should be fine in most environments as the unit self calibrates to account for ambient conditions. However, should false readings continue to be taken, then a lower trigger levels is probably required. Five levels are available, independently set for the audio and visual sensor, follow the instructions on these items as shown on page 13. Sync-One2 User Guide Page 9...
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Page 10: Menu Mode
If values are required to be input, use the and keys to increase/decrease the value, and to confirm the value. For some menu items, holding the arrow key will step up or down in multiple units. * The state/value of these options is stored in flash memory, so are retained if Sync-One2 is switched off. Page 10 Sync-One2 User Guide... -
Page 11: Show Stats
People speaking during a measurement session, for example, can cause such errors. Details of why these stats are gathered are given in the Stats Analysis section later in the guide, which gives the details for how to best understand the readings. If no frame rate has been set, the display simply gives all the readings and statistics in milliseconds. If a frame rate has been selected, then all the readings alternate between milliseconds and frames, based on the selected frame rate after memory position has been displayed for a couple of seconds. A+0.80 M01 S 00.1 25 +0.84 So for the memory position shown above with a frame rate of 25 frames/sec set, the same information is displayed but showing the readings calculated in frames at the selected rate rather than milliseconds. Two flags ( and ) may also be shown, if the specific reading was taken with either a manual offset or speaker distance set. Details on these settings are further on in the guide. Clear all Stats Used to wipe the entire memory of readings taken, without the need to delete them individually or to turn Sync-One2 on and off. Confirmation is required. Sync-One2 User Guide Page 11... -
Page 12: Frame Rate
30 F/Sec User ms Offset A manual offset can be input, when an offset is set the readings are tagged with a symbol to indicate he setting is active. The offset entered is taken into account during readings and statistics calculations. Menu Holding an arrow key will step up/down in 10’s and pressing the key will quickly reset the value to zero. In the screen below, an offset of 45 milliseconds has been input, with a frame rate of 25 frames/sec having previously already been set. User ms Offset +45ms 1.12 @ 25 Page 12 Sync-One2 User Guide... - Page 13 The time it takes sound to travel from the speaker to the “target” point is automatically calculated by Sync-One2 based on the distance value entered. This delay is taken into account during readings and statistics calculations. Distances between 0m and 20m can be input, in 0.5m increments.
- Page 14 Ideally perform tests in a darkened room with low ambient noise, doing so makes the distinction of the light flash and sound easier to detect and so measurements will be more accurate and reliable. When turning the unit on or going back into Measurement Mode Sync-One2 will calibrate to take account for ambient light and noise. It is best to hold the unit in the measuring position when turning on, or going back into measurement mode such that the calibration can be optimally set for the current measurement conditions and unit position. In any given installation there will be a variance between all the readings taken. This is because when digital processing is involved there will be slight differences in how the signals are processed, this is where the use of statistics is the most useful to determine any given error.
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Page 15: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Unit does not power on? Check the batteries are installed the right way round and that they are not discharged (i.e. flat). I don’t seem to be able to detect anything? Often just turning up the brightness or volume is enough to restore things to normal. Otherwise turn the unit on in the measurement position, so it calibrates to the measurement environment. Then go into the menus and select “Detection Test” and run the test sequence. This will indicate when audio and/or video triggers are detected. Should there still be no detection, check the trigger levels have not been lowered or simply reset the settings and try again. Specifications The specifications of Sync-One2 are below: • Operates on 2 x AA batteries, either normal or rechargeable batteries may be used. • Power consumption is low, so a standard set of AA batteries should last for around 50 hours of continuous use. Whilst off, Sync-One2 does draw a tiny amount of battery power (less than 0.1 micro amps), however if not being used for some time, it is always best to remove the batteries. • Dimensions (H x W x D) 144mm x 90mm x 30mm (5.6" x 3.5" x 1.2”) • 165g (5.8oz) excluding batteries • 16x2 OLED display for easy viewing and low power consumption • 2 x AA (LR6) batteries, rechargeable AA batteries are fine too • Reverse battery protection • Low battery indication and auto shutdown when batteries too low to sustain operation • Measurement of audio visual delay up to ±750 milliseconds • Internal minimum delay measurement accuracy of 0.05 milliseconds, display rounded to the nearest millisecond •... -
Page 16: Standards Compliance
Standards compliance EN 55103-1:2009 Part 1 (EMC Emissions) EN 55103-2:2009 Part 2 (EMC Immunity) EN 55103-2:2009 (Magnetic Immunity) IEC 61000-4-2 (ESD) Sync-One2 is RoHS compliant and lead free Sync-One2 is a registered trademark of Harkwood Services Ltd For additional support or information please visit the website, or e-mail sync-one2@harkwood.co.uk Sync-One2 is designed and manufactured in Cambridge, UK, by Harkwood Services Ltd. © Harkwood Services Ltd Page 16 Sync-One2 User Guide...
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