InfiniteReality™ Video Format Combiner User’s Guide Document Number 007-3279-001 CONTRIBUTORS Written by Carolyn Curtis Illustrated by Carolyn Curtis Production by Laura Cooper Engineering contributions by Gregory Eitzmann, David Naegle, Chase Garfinkle, Ashok Yerneni, Rob Wheeler, Ben Garlick, Mark Schwenden, and Ed Hutchins Cover design and illustration by Rob Aguilar, Rikk Carey, Dean Hodgkinson, Erik Lindholm, and Kay Maitz © 1996, Silicon Graphics, Inc.— All Rights Reserved The contents of this document may not be copied or duplicated in any form, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Silicon Graphics, Inc. RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND Use, duplication, or disclosure of the technical data contained in this document by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 52.227-7013 and/or in similar or successor clauses in the FAR, or in the DOD or NASA FAR Supplement. Unpublished rights reserved under the Copyright Laws of the United States. Contractor/manufacturer is Silicon Graphics, Inc., 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043-1389. Silicon Graphics, the Silicon Graphics logo, Onyx, and IRIS are registered trademarks and IRIX, Sirius Video, POWER Onyx, and InfiniteReality are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. X Window System is a trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. InfiniteReality™ Video Format Combiner User’s Guide Document Number 007-3279-001 Contents List of Figures vii List of Tables ix About This Guide xi Audience xi Structure of This Guide xi Conventions xii 1. InfiniteReality Graphics and the Video Format Combiner Utility 1 Channel Input and Output 2 Video Format Combinations 2 Video Format Combiner Utility and the Sirius Video Option 2 Programmable Querying of Video Format Combinations 3 2. Creating and Setting Video Format Combinations 5 Loading the Video Format Combiner GUI 5 Bandwidth Used Scale 7 Reduced Fill Scale 7 Error Indicator 7 Downloading a Video Format Combination 8 Specifying Channels 8 Selecting a Video Format for a Channel 9 Resizing and Repositioning a Channel 12 Copying a Channel 12 Aligning Channels 13 Associating a Video Channel With an X Window 13 Modifying Channel Attributes 14 Field Layout 15 Format 16 iii Contents Origin and Size 16 Pixel Format 16 Dither 17 Setup 17 Tri-Level Sync 17 Cursor Priority 18 Channel Placement in the Framebuffer 18 Horizontal and Vertical Phase 19 Sync 20 Gamma 20 Alpha Channel 20 Gain 21 Selecting Channels for a Combination 22 Changing Global Attributes for Combinations 23 Setting Pixel Depth 24 Setting Sync Source and Format 26 Saving a Video Format Combination 26 Using the Target Hardware Facility 27 3. Using the Encoder Channel 29 Setting Up the Encoder Channel 30 Independent Mode 30 Dependent Mode 30 Modifying Encoder Channel Attributes 31 Specifying the Filter Width 32 4. Using the Combiner With Sirius Video 33 Setting Up the Sirius Video Channel 33 Independent Mode 33 Dependent Mode 34 Modifying Sirius Video Channel Attributes 35 iv Contents 5. Combination Considerations 37 Trading Off Format Parameters in a Combination 37 Swap Rate 37 Transmission Bandwidth 38 DAC Output Bandwidth 39 Framebuffer Memory and Read/Write Bandwidth 39 Emergency Backup Combination 40 A. Error Messages 41 Index 69 v List of Figures Figure 2-1 Video Format Combiner Main Window 6 Figure 2-2 Select Format Window 9 Figure 2-3 Video Format Specified for Channel 0 11 Figure 2-4 Channel Attributes Window 14 Figure 2-5 Stacked Field Layout 15 Figure 2-6 Framebuffer 18 Figure 2-7 Run-Time Panning and Tile Boundaries 19 Figure 2-8 Combination Attributes Window 23 Figure 2-9 Framebuffer and Pixel Depth 25 Figure 2-10 Target Hardware Window 27 Figure 3-1 Encoder, Roaming in Channel 2 29 Figure 3-2 Encoder Channel Attributes Window 31 Figure 3-3 Varying the Width of the Filter 32 Figure 4-1 Sirius Video Channel Attributes Window 35 Figure Gl-1 Color Burst and Chrominance Signal 51 Figure Gl-2 Component Video Signals 53 Figure Gl-3 Horizontal Blanking 57 Figure Gl-4 Horizontal Blanking Interval 58 Figure Gl-5 Waveform Monitor Readings With and Without Setup 62 Figure Gl-6 Red or Blue Signal 64 Figure Gl-7 Y or Green Plus Sync Signal 64 Figure Gl-8 Video Waveform: Composite Video Signal With Setup (Typical NTSC) 65 Figure Gl-9 Video Waveform: Composite Video Signal (Typical PAL) 66 ix List of Tables Table 2-1 Resizing and Repositioning 12 ix About This Guide The Video Format Combiner is a utility for the InfiniteReality™ video display subsystem for the Silicon Graphics® ONYX® or POWER Onyx™ deskside or rackmount graphics workstation running IRIX™ 6.2 or later. The display subsystem supports programmable pixel timings to allow the system to drive displays with a wide variety of resolutions, refresh rates, and interlace/non-interlace characteristics. Each InfiniteReality pipe includes either two or eight video output channels. The Video Format Combiner is the utility that you use to select video output formats for the channels and to group the formats of the individual channels into a combination. You also use the Combiner to define the per-channel and global parameters of the combination. Audience This guide is written for the sophisticated graphics and video user who wishes to develop arrangements of video formats for InfiniteReality capabilities. Structure of This Guide This guide contains the following chapters: • Chapter 1, “InfiniteReality Graphics and the Video Format Combiner Utility,” introduces the main features of InfiniteReality and of the Combiner graphical user interface. • Chapter 2, “Creating and Setting Video Format Combinations,” explains how to use Combiner features to design video format combinations by selecting channels and specifying attributes. • Chapter 3, “Using the Encoder Channel,” describes how to use the Combiner Encoder channel, which encodes its own or another channel’s pixels to NTSC or PAL for industrial-quality video. xi About This Guide • Chapter 4, “Using the Combiner With Sirius Video,” explains how to configure the Sirius Video™ channel that interfaces with an installed Sirius Video option. • Chapter 5, “Combination Considerations,” gives tips for creating viable video format combinations and explains the Emergency Backup Combination and setting up an analog alpha out channel. • Appendix A, “Error Messages,” presents Video Format Combiner error messages, which appear near the bottom of the Combiner main window, and suggests solutions. A glossary and an index complete this guide. Conventions In command syntax descriptions and examples, square brackets ( [ ] ) surrounding an argument indicate an optional argument. Variable parameters are in italics. Replace these variables with the appropriate string or value. In text descriptions, IRIX filenames are in italics. The names of keyboard keys are printed in typewriter font and enclosed in angle brackets, such as <Enter> or <Esc>. Messages and prompts that appear on-screen are shown in fixed-width type. Entries that are to be typed exactly as shown are in boldface fixed-width type. xii Chapter 1 1. InfiniteReality Graphics and the Video Format Combiner Utility The InfiniteReality video display subsystem takes rendered images from the raster subsystem digital framebuffer and processes the pixels through digital-to-analog converters (DACs) to generate an analog pixel stream suitable for display on a high-resolution RGB video monitor. The display subsystem supports programmable pixel timings so that the system can drive displays with a wide variety of resolutions, refresh rates, and interlace/non-interlace characteristics. The InfiniteReality hardware includes either two or eight independent video channels in the standard configuration. The second video channel serves a dual role as a standard RGB video channel or as a composite or S-Video encoder. For the InfiniteReality video graphics display subsystem, Silicon Graphics provides a configuration utility, the Video Format Combiner, ircombine(1G). The Combiner groups video output formats into a video format combination—descriptions of raster sizes and timing to be used on video outputs— to validate that they operate correctly on the InfiniteReality video display subsystem hardware. The Combiner also configures the underlying graphics framebuffer and instructs the video subsystem to convert digital information stored there into a variety of video signals, or channels, ranging from high-resolution to low-resolution outputs. The output can then be displayed on additional monitors or projection devices, or stored on videotape, in any combination. Output can be genlocked to an external reference signal. This chapter discusses • channel input and output • video output combinations • Video Format Combiner utility and the Sirius Video option • programmable querying of video format combinations Note: For more information on ircombine(1G), consult its reference page. 1 Chapter 1: InfiniteReality Graphics and the Video Format Combiner Utility Channel Input and Output All channels derive their pixels from areas on the raster (framebuffer area). You can use the Combiner to select any area of the screen, or the contents of any window on the screen, as channel input; channels can overlap. A convenience feature allows you to click a specific window on the screen for channel input. You can also copy one channel’s format to another. InfiniteReality’s multichannel feature takes the digital, ordered pixel output from the framebuffer and allows you to specify two to eight separate rectangular areas to be sent from the rectangular framebuffer area managed by the X Window System™ to independent component RGB video outputs. Each video channel can have its own video timing. This capability is particularly useful for applications such as visual simulation, virtual reality, or entertainment. Video Format Combinations After you set up the channels, you can save them as a video format combination. You can download a video format combination into the hardware as the current video configuration, store it as the default configuration to be used at system power-on or graphics initialization, or save it in a video format combination file.