Introduction; Manual Conventions; Video Mode And Audio Mode - Sound Devices PIX 260i User Manual And Technical Information

PIX 260i User Guide and Technical Information

Introduction

The PIX 260i is a rack-mountable, production video recorder with extensive audio and video pro-
cessing capabilities. The foundation of the PIX 260i is hardware-based, 10-bit video up/down/cross
conversion, and hardware-based encoding to Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD codecs (both at up
to 12 bit 4:4:4). These features allow for fast, reliable acquisition of video (at any standard HD or
SD resolution and frame rate) and audio (up to 32 tracks from Analog, AES, HDMI, SDI, or Dante
sources) to ready-for-edit, industry standard Quicktime .mov files.
Files are recorded simultaneously on (up to) 4 separate, 2.5" SSD storage devices via two front panel
PIX-CADDY slots and two rear panel eSATAp connections. This redundancy in local, removable
storage devices, coupled with standard, Ethernet-based file transfer features further reduces steps in
the production workflow. Gigabit Ethernet network ports enable remote access to recorded files and
the ability to transfer them quickly into a post-production environment.
Full-featured precision timecode and sync reference I/O using Ambient Lockit core technology is
provided to allow tight synchronization with external equipment in complex multi-machine configu-
rations. The PIX 260i supports various external control options: RS422, GPIO, SDI flags, Timecode
triggering, and an embedded web server for network-based remote control.
This User Guide details installation and operation of the PIX 260i. This User Guide corresponds to
PIX 260i firmware version 1.040. User Guide revisions are released at the same time as firmware
updates and available online:

Manual Conventions

Several formatting features have been included to make navigating the guide easier.
• Setup Menu items are indicated with this text: [Menu Category - Parameter], where the menu
category is one of the items in the list displayed when the Menu button is pushed, and the
parameter is an item in the list displayed when that category is selected (by pushing in on the
Control Knob).
• Terms that refer to specific controls or functions (such as Control Knob, Menu Button, Setup
Menu, etc) are capitalized. These terms are described elsewhere in this user guide (see the Panel
Descriptions section).
Blue italicized
•
information.

Video Mode and Audio Mode

Throughout this User Guide, the terms Video Mode and Audio Mode will be used. The PIX 260i is
capable of recording video and audio together into a Quicktime .mov file (Video Mode) or record-
ing audio only to a .wav file (Audio Only Mode). The mode is determined by the Setup Menu option
[Video/Audio Mode - Video/Audio Mode]. When set to [Video + Audio (Quicktime), the PIX 260i is
in Video Mode. When set to Audio Only Poly (Wave) or Audio Only Mono (Wave) the PIX 260i is in
Audio Mode.
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v . 1 .04 Features and specifications are subject to change . Visit www .sounddevices .com for the latest documentation .
http://www.sounddevices.com/products/pix260i/downloads/
text references sections of the user guide containing contextually relevant