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OPTIMOD-PC
Only one client can be logged into a given card at one time; the card will return "in
use" if another client attempts to log into the same card. However, more than one
client can be logged onto a given host computer at once, provided that each client is
logged onto a different card within that host.
It is it is unsafe to send commands to the API of a card within a given
computer while the Control Application is connected to that card via the
Control Application's "Local" connection. This can create conflicts within
the OPTIMOD-PC software that could cause system instability. Moreover,
it is unsafe to simultaneously connect a local and remote instance of the
OPTIMOD-PC Control Application to a given OPTIMOD-PC card.
To resolve this issue safely and without any performance compromise, do
not use the Local connection. Instead, connect the Control Application to
a local card via a "localhost" TCP/IP connection. To do this, create a new
profile, following the instructions in step 10 on page 2-10. Use IP address
127.0.0.1 (localhost). Then connect the Control Application to the local
card as you would to any card residing in a remote computer (step 11on
page 2-12).
If you are not using the 1101's API, it is OK to use the Local connection.
Section 2 of this manual provides detailed, systematic instructions for setting up a
network of OPTIMOD-PC cards.
Location of OPTIMOD-PC for Netcasting
It is usually best to locate OPTIMOD-PC cards in the same machine that runs the en-
coding software, like Orban OPTICODEC-PC, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder or
Real Networks HELIX Producer. This is because the output of the encoder is at a
much lower data rate than the audio used to drive the OPTIMOD-PC input(s), so it is
less expensive to transport encoded audio than unencoded audio. In Windows in-
stallations, the encoder receives the processed output of OPTIMOD-PC through the
standard Windows' WAVE signal handling mechanism. You control mixing and rout-
ing through the OPTIMOD-PC I/O Mixer application, which you call from the
menu item in the OPTIMOD-PC Control application.
T
>I/O M
OOL
IXER
OPTIMOD-PC's digital inputs accept stereo pairs of uncompressed PCM-format digi-
tal audio. OPTIMOD-PC's AES3 digital inputs will not accept "bitstream" inputs en-
coded with formats like Dolby Digital® or DTS®. Inputs must be two-channel "PCM"
(Pulse-Code Modulation) format with sample rates from 32 to 96 kHz and 8 to 24 bit
word length, following standard AES3 or SPDIF protocols. Because both digital in-
puts have sample rate converters, both inputs can be mixed (even if asynchronous
with each other) and neither need be synchronous with the output.
If the netcasting servers are located remotely, then there is a particular advantage
to transporting the compressed stream instead of the raw PCM. If the data rate of
the compressed stream is less than 128kbps, it can be transported on an ISDN line. If
the rate is greater, or if more than one stream is being transported, a fractional T1
line is often suitable. In general, IP connection via the Internet is insufficiently reli-
able for "broadcast contribution quality" connections, introducing a risk of gaps and
1-21
INTRODUCTION
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