MOTU V4HD User's Guide

™ MOTU V4HD User’s Guide for Mac OS X 1280 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138Business voice: (617) 576-2760Business fax: (617) 576-3609Web site:

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FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING100Navigating CueMix parameters in the LCDThe CueMix mixer has the following layout in the LCD display:Figure 12-5: Navigat

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING101Bus levelThe bus level is the overall volume for the bus output pair. To access bus level, press the left/right PAGE bu

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING102V4HD SETUP MENUPress the MENU button repeatedly to access the V4HD Setup menu. This menu gives you access to several imp

Part 5 Appendices

APPENDIX105A TroubleshootingI see the following error message in Final Cut Pro: Unable to locate external device. Why?If you see the error message bel

APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING106My reference monitor(s) connected to the V4HD does not output any video.Make sure the Final Cut Pro MOTU RT Enabler is p

APPENDIX107B Video FormatsVIDEO INPUT AND OUTPUT FORMATSThe V4HD supports the following video input and output formats:SD 480i29.97 (NTSC) 486i29.97

APPENDIX B: VIDEO FORMATS108

APPENDIX109C V4HD SpecificationsVIDEO I/O 1 x HD-SDI in and out (4:2:2 10-bit) on independent BNC connectors 1 x SD-SDI in and out (4:2:2 10-bit) on

CHAPTER 11 Quick Reference: MOTU Audio SetupThis menu lets you choose what you will hear from the headphone jack.If the video features of the V4HD ar

APPENDIX C: V4HD SPECIFICATIONS110 Audio delay compensation — both fully automated and programmable controls ensure that audio always remains perfect

APPENDIX111D DB25 to XLR Pin OutsDB25 TO 8 FEMALE (IN) OR MALE (OUT) XLRFor balanced V4HD analog input or outputPanasonic/Tascam standardDB25 TO 4 FEM

APPENDIX D: DB25 TO XLR PIN OUTS112DB25 TO 8 FEMALE (IN) OR MALE (OUT) XLRFor balanced V4HD analog input or outputPanasonic/Tascam standardDB25 TO 4 F

INDEX113÷ 2 75÷ 4 75, 761080playback settings 421080i29.97 481080i50 67, 1071080i60 67, 1071080PsF29.97 491394 connector 8, 19, 20, 2114:9 letterbox

INDEX114Copy/Paste 84CueMixadjusting bus levels 7delay compensation 76menu (LCD display) 99CueMix FX 79-86Application follows control surface 85Config

INDEX115HD14:9 pillar box format 46anamorphic format 46camera 23component connectors 8Component Output Color Mode settings 22, 51, 98destinations 42,

INDEX116example 23Playback 37, 3829.97 fps Timecode option 54audio from Final Cut Pro 66clock source 53Clock Source menu 53Final Cut Pro 62frame rate

INDEX117lock LED 7LTC connectors 8Non-drop 54offset 54output format options 49, 102Source menu 49, 102sync 87Toggle Talkback/Listenback 85Tri-level s

INDEX118

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CHAPTER 13 1 About the V4HD OVERVIEW The V4HD is a FireWire video interface that can operate in two modes: as a video capture and playback device for

ABOUT THE V4HD 14 The V4HD is housed in a rugged aluminum alloy chassis with a standard 19-inch, two-space, rack-mountable form factor. Included rack

ABOUT THE V4HD 15 1 x HDMI output (4:2:2 10-bit, YCbCr or RGB) Support for DVI output with HDMI-to-DVI adapter (sold separately) 1 x HD compon

ABOUT THE V4HD 16 Audio delay compensation — both fully automated and programmable controls ensure that audio always remains perfectly in sync with

CHAPTER 17 2 Packing List and Mac System Requirements PACKING LIST The V4HD ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not present

PACKING LIST AND MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS18

CHAPTER193 Installing the V4HD HardwareOVERVIEWHere’s an overview for installing the V4HD:SD and HD video over FireWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS CAUTION! READ THIS SAFETY GUIDE BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION OR OPERATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SAF

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE20case, all ports (both A and B) share the same internal FireWire bus. So plan accordingly for your FireWire resources. In

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE21CONNECT VIDEO INPUTS AND OUTPUTSThe V4HD provides a wealth of video input and output connectivity, from consumer analog

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE22YPbPr or RGBThe V4HD SD and HD component input and output sections support YPbPr or RGB operation, as shown by the color

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE23EXAMPLE V4HD VIDEO CONNECTIONSHere is an example of the types of video devices that you can connect to the V4HD. You ca

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE24CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTSThe V4HD provides 32 channels of simultaneous audio input and output (Figure 3-5), group

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE25AES/EBU digital audio I/OThe V4HD provides eight channels of 24-bit AES/EBU digital audio input and output at standard

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE26When operating the optical ports at a 2x sample rate, be sure to choose either Type I or Type II operation, as explained

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE27VIDEO SYNC CONNECTIONSConnect a video sync source, such as blackburst, to the VIDEO REF IN jack (Figure 3-9). This inpu

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE28To resolve another device to the V4HD (even when video is enabled), connect the V4HD’s WORD OUT jack to the word clock i

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE29SYNCING DIGITAL AUDIO DEVICESIf you would like to transfer audio digitally between the V4HD and another device that has

III Contents Part 1: Getting Started 7 Quick Reference: V4HD Front Panel 8 Quick Reference: V4HD Rear Panel 9 Quick Reference: MOTU Video Setup 11 Qu

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE30Figure 3-16: When capturing digital audio from the current videosource, the V4HD genlocks to the source input, which kee

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE31If you choose the other device, such as a digital mixer, as the clock master, resolve the V4HD to it via word clock in,

INSTALLING THE V4HD HARDWARE32Figure 3-20: Clock relationships when sending audio from the V4HDto a video deck using sample rate conversion. The video

CHAPTER334 Installing the V4HD Mac OS X SoftwareSOFTWARE INSTALLATION FOR MAC OS XInstall the V4HD software as follows:1 Insert the V4HD Installer CD

INSTALLING THE V4HD MAC OS X SOFTWARE34

Part 2 Video Operation

CHAPTER375 V4HD BasicsONE INPUT TO ALL OUTPUTSThe basic design concept of the V4HD is that you choose a video input and the V4HD sends the signal to a

V4HD BASICS38CaptureThe V4HD is in Capture mode when it is connected to the computer and video software has actively taken control of the V4HD hardwar

V4HD BASICS39The Playback Only (disable inputs) option in the MOTU Video Setup software Setup tab (Figure 6-19 on page 48) lets you force the V4HD to

About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and Limited Warranty on Software TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all the

V4HD BASICS40

CHAPTER416 MOTU Video SetupMOTU Video Setup (Figure 6-1) is installed in your Mac’s Applications folder and provides convenient access to all V4HD set

MOTU VIDEO SETUP42SIGNAL PATH DIAGRAMThe Signal Path Diagram (Figure 6-2, Figure 6-3) lets you view and control the V4HD’s hardware-based video conver

MOTU VIDEO SETUP43Playback settings menuThe Playback Settings menu (Figure 6-2) lets you choose one of four sets of playback settings to view in the

MOTU VIDEO SETUP44Video Source menuThe Video Source menu (Figure 6-3) is important because this is where you choose the video input from which the V4H

MOTU VIDEO SETUP45Full Screen (HD to SD)The Full Screen option (Figure 6-6) also preserves the aspect ratio of the HD image but scales it proportiona

MOTU VIDEO SETUP46fill the unused portion of the frame on either side (Figure 6-13). No cropping occurs and the full image is preserved.14:9 Pillar Box

MOTU VIDEO SETUP47The V4HD’s HDMI/DVI output can send either the SD or HD video signal. Use the “HDMI Output Source” setting (page 51) in the Output

MOTU VIDEO SETUP48TABBED SETTINGSUse the tabs (Figure 6-1) to view settings for each tab in the lower right area of the window. Each tab is discussed

MOTU VIDEO SETUP491080PsF29.97 input. The signals are identical but will be interpreted differently by the V4HD’s down converter, so in a case like t

Part 1 Getting Started

MOTU VIDEO SETUP50480i SetupThe 480i Setup option (Figure 6-19) lets you choose between USA (7.5%) and Japan (0.0%) for NTSC composite and S-video inp

MOTU VIDEO SETUP51OUTPUTThe Output tab (Figure 6-22) provides settings for the V4HD video outputs.480i Broadcast LegalizerVideo with highly saturated

MOTU VIDEO SETUP52PREVIEWThe Preview tab (Figure 6-26) lets you preview the video signal being received from the currently selected input in the Video

MOTU VIDEO SETUP53PLAYBACKThe Playback tab (Figure 6-27) provides settings that apply to video playback from Final Cut Pro (as opposed to capturing).

MOTU VIDEO SETUP54Playback 29.97 fps TimecodeIf your Final Cut Pro time line is currently set to the 29.97 drop-frame format, choose Drop Frame from t

MOTU VIDEO SETUP55None/WeaveThe None/Weave option (Figure 6-30) is the simplest algorithm, with no processing or advanced frame/field detection. Inste

MOTU VIDEO SETUP56

CHAPTER577 Final Cut ProOVERVIEWThe V4HD serves as a powerful video capture and playback device for Apple Final Cut Pro. Operation is straightforward

FINAL CUT PRO58EASY SETUPSThere are five settings in Final Cut Pro that directly impact V4HD operation: Sequence preset Capture preset Device Contro

FINAL CUT PRO59CHOOSING A WORKFLOWThe V4HD supports a range of SD and HD workflows, summarized in Figure 7-3 below. The V4HD supports every workflow vi

FINAL CUT PRO60Other codecsThe V4HD provides hardware-assisted capture and playback over FireWire 400 or 800 for any HD codec supported by Final Cut P

FINAL CUT PRO61your sequence. When Final Cut Pro is running, this menu cannot be changed, as the playback format is specified by your settings in Fina

FINAL CUT PRO62When you are capturing Apple ProRes 422, Final Cut Pro performs the encoding in real time during capture. Given today’s Intel processor

FINAL CUT PRO63codec you have chosen, core processor speeds, etc. If you have a four- or eight-core machine, however, you should be able to play back

FINAL CUT PRO64Conversions that are not supportedIf the menus in the Playback Signal Path and Capture Signal Path diagrams don’t provide the format yo

FINAL CUT PRO65This is the order in which the banks appear in MOTU Audio Setup:Figure 7-8: The top to bottom order of the audio banks listed in MOTUA

FINAL CUT PRO66 Chapter 9, “CueMix FX” (page 79) for complete information about controlling CueMix monitoring “Sync CueMix audio with video output”

FINAL CUT PRO674 Back in Final Cut Pro, choose the device control preset that best suits your project and device. This setting can be accessed in the

FINAL CUT PRO68

Part 3 Audio Operation

Quick Reference: V4HD Front Panel 1 5 1. These 10-segment level meters are dedicated to the V4HD’s eight analog audio inputs. The top red ‘over’ LED

CHAPTER718 MOTU Audio SetupOVERVIEWMOTU Audio Setup gives you access to basic V4HD audio settings, such as sample rate, clock source, optical format a

MOTU AUDIO SETUP72V4HD tab settingsThe V4HD tab (Figure 8-1) provides settings that apply to a specific V4HD interface. If you have MOTU audio interfac

MOTU AUDIO SETUP73V4HD TAB SETTINGSSample RateChoose the desired Sample Rate for recording and playback. The V4HD can operate at 44.1 (the standard r

MOTU AUDIO SETUP74V4HD to slave to an external word clock source, such as the word clock output from a digital mixer or a digital audio interface.AES/

MOTU AUDIO SETUP75The Default Stereo Input and Default Stereo Output settings in MOTU Audio Setup (Figure 8-1 on page 72) let you specify the stereo

MOTU AUDIO SETUP76x 4 / ÷ 4Choose one of these sample rate conversion options when the rate for the chosen digital I/O bank needs to be four times the

MOTU AUDIO SETUP77connected to the V4HD’s analog audio outputs. Even though audio and video depart the V4HD outputs completely in sync with one anoth

MOTU AUDIO SETUP78Figure 8-4: The Edit Channel Names window.

CHAPTER799 CueMix FXOVERVIEWCueMix FX provides access to the flexible audio mixing and monitoring features of the V4HD, which are fully functional unde

Quick Reference: V4HD Rear Panel 1 1. The analog video I/O section of the V4HD is equipped with 12-bit converters that deliver 10-bit capture and pla

CUEMIX FX80CUEMIX MONITORING BENEFITSCueMix FX provides several major benefits to your video post-production workflow: CueMix has no buffer latency. Th

CUEMIX FX81Master muteThe master mute button (Figure 9-1) temporarily disables (silences) the mix.Output level meterThe Output level meter (Figure 9-

CUEMIX FX82MESSAGE CENTERThe Message Center displays fly-over help for items in the CueMix FX window.SOLO LIGHTThe Solo light (Figure 9-1) illuminates

CUEMIX FX83Figure 9-4: Routing the Talkback and Listenback mics to outputs.Engaging/disengaging Talkback and ListenbackTo engage Talkback or Listenba

CUEMIX FX84Copying & pasting (duplicating) entire mixesTo copy and paste the settings from one mix to another:1 Select the source mix (Figure 9-1)

CUEMIX FX853 Type in a name, choose a preset slot and click OK.Saving a hardware preset as a CueMix FX configurationTo save a hardware preset as a Cue

CUEMIX FX86EnabledCheck this menu item to turn on control surface operation of CueMix FX. Uncheck it to turn off control surface support.Configure…Choo

CHAPTER8710 MOTU SMPTE SetupOVERVIEWMOTU SMPTE Setup gives you access to the V4HD’s time code synchronization and generation features when it is opera

MOTU SMPTE SETUP88MOTU SMPTE SETUPThe included MOTU SMPTE Setup™ software provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping, regeneratin

MOTU SMPTE SETUP89AddressThe Address light glows continuously when the V4HD has successfully achieved lockup to SMPTE time code.FreewheelThe Freewhee

CHAPTER 9 Quick Reference: MOTU Video SetupIndicates when the V4HD has successfully achieved lockup to the currently selected input or, in Playback m

MOTU SMPTE SETUP90StripeClick this button to start or stop time code. To set the start time, click directly on the SMPTE time code display in the Gene

Part 4 Standalone Operation

CHAPTER9311 Standalone OperationThe V4HD can operate as a standalone video and audio distributor and converter. It can also operate as a standalone di

STANDALONE OPERATION94STANDALONE VIDEO CONVERSIONThe V4HD provides hardware-based conversion features, which you can employ during standalone operatio

CHAPTER9512 Front Panel LCD ProgrammingOVERVIEWThe V4HD is the first FireWire video interface to offer complete front-panel programming via a 2x16 back

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING96VIDEO STATUSThe VIDEO STATUS section (Figure 12-1) provides quick feedback regarding the V4HD’s current video operation.

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING97RATEThe LEDs in the RATE bank (Figure 12-2) indicate the frame rate for the currently selected signal in the SIGNAL bank

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING98value chosen will flash. Push the VALUE knob to confirm your choice; the newly chosen value will stop flashing.The PHONES kn

FRONT PANEL LCD PROGRAMMING99AUDIO MENUPress the MENU button repeatedly to access the Audio menu. The Audio menu gives you access to the many audio-r