# Epiphan Knowledge — full corpus Verbatim; each page delimited by an H2 with id + source. --- ## AV.io HD+ Config Tool id: avio-hd-plus/avio-hd-config-tool · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # AV.io HD+ Config Tool The AV.io HD+ Config tool allows you to change several settings to make changes to your video capture experience if necessary. The main utility of the AV.io HD+ Config tool is to update the AV.io HD+ firmware. All applied settings persist after disconnection and between different computers and systems. These options include: - **Audio selector for audio inputs** - Select which audio to be embedded in USB output; 3.5mm or HDMI or both - **Select preferred EDID, or upload a custom EDID** - Specify a specific EDID from a list of preloaded EDID files or upload a custom EDID file. Choose Custom from the Preferred EDID drop down then click the file button to upload an EDID - **Modify Transfer Pipe** - The AV.io HD+ supports Bulk or Isochronous transfer pipe. The default option is Bulk, but if needed can be switched to Isochronous mode, if, for example, the PC to which your AV.io HD+ is connected has lower performance or USB bandwidth availability. - **Change the name of the device as it's seen by programs and operating system** - Specify a custom device name. This is the name that will be shown in the Device Manager, as well as various third-party applications. - To see name change on the computer the change was applied on, navigate to the Device Manager in Windows and find the AV.io HD+ with its previous name listed under Cameras, and Sound, video, and game controllers. Right-click each entry and choose Uninstall device. Once the devices have been uninstalled unplug the AV.io HD+'s USB cable from the computer and then plug it back in. - **Set a custom UVC mode** - Specify a custom UVC output resolution and framerate. This will now be the only resolution that will output via the AV.io HD+ --- ## AV.io HD+ overview id: avio-hd-plus/avio-hd-overview · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # AV.io HD+ overview # AV.io HD+ Overview The AV.io HD+ is a rugged UVC plug and play HDMI to USB capture card with 3.5mm analog audio input that supports input and output of resolutions up to 1080p at 60 frames per second. No installation of drivers is required for any modern OS and advanced settings can be applied to the AV.io HD+ that persist between workstations. AV.io HD+ USB output is an uncompressed, chroma subsampled signal with almost zero latency. The 3.5mm analog audio input supports mic and line level analog audio and can be utilized in the USB output with or without embedded HDMI audio. The AV.io HD+ does not support multi-channel HDMI audio, only the first two channels. Windows, Mac, and Linux are supported, and in theory any OS with UVC drivers but only a Windows can run the AV.io HD+ config tool. All firmware updates and configuration changes to the AV.io HD+ must be made with a Windows computer first. The AV.io HD+ supports renaming of the AV.io HD+ and this naming persists between computers and systems. --- ## How AV.io HD+ works id: avio-hd-plus/how-avio-hd-works · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # How AV.io HD+ works 1. Connect your AV.io HD+ device to your video source, ideally directly to the source if possible 2. Connect your AV.io HD+ device to your desktop computer, laptop, or notebook 3. Select AV.io HD+ from the list of available input sources in your application of choice The AV.io HD+ is compatible with most third-party application that support webcams or UVC devices to capture video and audio The third-party application communicates with AV.io HD+ and negotiates a frame rate (frequency at which frames in a video sequence are displayed) and frame resolution (size of a single video frame in pixels). A higher frame rate means smoother video capture while the frame resolution determines the aspect ratio of the video output as well as its dimensions and degree of definition; generally overall quality. AV.io HD+ does not enforce a direct relationship between the input and output signals. If a third-party application requests a video format that is different than your video source, AV.io HD+ automatically scales the video. If the input and output formats are the same, the signal can pass through without scaling. For consistent and widely compatible output, audio is automatically resampled to 16-bit 48 kHz stereo audio. AV.io HD+ by default outputs resolutions in commonly supported aspects ratios if the custom UVC mode is not enabled --- ## Identifying the input resolution id: avio-hd-plus/identifying-the-input-resolution · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # Identifying the input resolution The AV.io Config tool can help you figure out exactly what information your video source is sending. Plug in the source and select your device. The UI detects information about the source and presents it at the bottom of the window. The line shows the exact resolution of the source and the frame rate the source is outputting. ### AV.io HD+ troubleshooting | **Symptom(s)** | **Action(s) to resolve** | | --- | --- | | Device not detected after interrupted firmware update | (Windows only) When in the config tool press F12 to enter firmware recovery mode, then select a firmware file and click update to forcibly reflash the capture card. | | Applications cannot open the capture card when a custom UVC mode is set | Please make sure that the card is connected via USB 3.0 for all modes to be valid; only low frame rate modes are valid when connecting via USB 2.0 | | Device does not appear in the Epiphan Capture Tool | The Epiphan Capture Tool works only with the DVI2USB and DVI2PCIe capture cards; it is not compatible with AV.io HD+ or any other card. Use the AV.io HD+ Config tool for configuration and any UVC-compatible application to capture. | **Limitations and known issues** #### Affecting Asmedia USB 3.0 controller ASM3142 - There is an issue that presents as an audio problem when using this USB 3.0 controller - **Workaround:** Update the driver for the USB controller #### Affecting systems with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU - There is an issue that presents as an audio problem when using older drivers - **Workaround: **Update the chipset drivers for your CPU **Purchasing** AV.io HD+ can be purchased directly from the Epiphan website at [epiphan.com](https://www.epiphan.com/). --- ## Indicator LED details id: avio-hd-plus/indicator-led-details · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # Indicator LED details The color and action of the indicator LED depends on whether you are connected by USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. For maximum performance, always use a USB 3.0 port and the included USB 3.0 cable. Note that frame capture rate will be reduced when connected via USB 2.0. From the operating system's UVC drivers, the application will receive the AV.io HD+ supported color space, resolution and frame rates. | **Connection type/LED color** | **USB 3.0 connection** | **USB 2.0 connection** | | --- | --- | --- | | Solid red | No video input detected | No video input detected | | Solid white | Active video input detected | Active video input detected | --- ## Install the AV.io HD+ Config tool id: avio-hd-plus/install-the-avio-hd-config-tool · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # Install the AV.io HD+ Config tool You may install AV.io Config on the same computer(s) where you use AV.io HD+, or only on one computer for configuration. All firmware updates and settings changes are saved to the device and work without any software installed on the computer. For settings to persist after power cycling, please allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting device. Only Windows supports the configuration tool. If you are using any other OS and want to use the configuration tool, you will need to do so using a windows computer. To install the AV.io HD+ Config tool, follow the directions below for your computer's operating system. **Windows** - Download the AV.io HD+ Config package under the **Windows** heading on the AV.io HD+ Downloads page on Epiphan’s web site. - Extract all the files from the zip file (remember the location you're unzipping to). - Browse to the folder you unzipped to and open the AV.io HD+ Config tool by double-clicking on **EpiphanCaptureConfig.exe**. (Depending on your local security settings, you may need to right-click and choose to run the file as an administrator). - AV.io HD+ Config starts! If your AV.io HD+ is connected to the computer by USB, it should be detected. --- ## System requirements id: avio-hd-plus/system-requirements · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # System requirements System requirements to use AV.io HD+ include: | **Video source** | Any VESA-compatible HDMI source. | | --- | --- | | **Video capture workstation** | Any computer (laptop/desktop/other format) with: a compatible USB 3.0 host controller for SuperSpeed operation; or, a USB 2.0 host controller (will limit maximum frame rate and resolution support) | | **Video capture workstation operating system** | Windows 10, and up Mac OS X 10.10 and up Linux distribution with kernel 3.5.0 or higher | | **Processor frequency** | Minimum recommended value: 2.4 GHz | | **RAM** | Minimum recommended value: 4 GB | --- ## Technical specifications id: avio-hd-plus/technical-specifications · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # Technical specifications | **Connectors** | USB standard B type | | --- | --- | | **Input** | HDMI (including audio) | | Audio Input | 3.5mm analog audio 16-bit and 24-bit PCM encoded audio at 48 kHz | | **Audio (UAC) output** | 16-bit 48 kHz stereo audio | | **Capture latency** | Near-zero latency, although certain third-party applications may contribute delay | | **HDCP Compliance** | High-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) protected content cannot be captured | | LED | LED indicates the status of AV.io HD+ | | **OS support** **(32-bit and 64-bit)** | Windows 10 and up Mac OS X 10.10 and up Linux distribution with kernel 3.5.0 or higher | | **USB support** | USB 3.0 and 2.0 | | Input Resolution | Up to 1920×1200 | | **Supported output resolutions** **(up to 60 fps)** | 320×240 640×360 640×480 720×480 720×576 768×576 800×600 856×480 960×540 1024×576 1024×768 1152×864 1280×800 1280×960 1360×768 1366×768 1440×900 1440×900 1600×900 1600×1200 1680×1050 1920×1080 1920×1200 | --- ## Update firmware using the AV.io HD+ Config tool id: avio-hd-plus/update-firmware-using-the-avio-hd-config-tool · product: avio-hd-plus · source: avio-hd-plus-userguide.md # Update firmware using the AV.io HD+ Config tool Attempting to update firmware while running virtual machines will result in firmware upgrade failure. For updates to persist after power cycling, please allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting device. To update firmware using the AV.io HD+ Config tool: - Install and/or run the AV.io HD+ Config tool. - Download the firmware update file from the Epiphan website Support page and extract the files. - Connect your AV.io HD+ device to your computer, laptop, or notebook. - Open the AV.io HD+ Config tool. - Click the magnifying glass to the right of the AV.io HD+ config tool and select theAV.io HD+ from the list under the Device list - You can see the current version of the firmware in parenthesis next to the name of your device in the Config Tool. - Click the **folder icon** and navigate to the extracted firmware files. There will be two files and they can be applied in any order. Click update, wait for the progress bar to turn green and display “Update Completed”, press the magnifying glass and repeat for the second file. - Press the magnifying glass after both files are updated, then disconnect the AV.io HD+ for 5 seconds before reconnecting to finish --- ## AV.io SDI+ Config Tool id: avio-sdi-plus/avio-sdi-config-tool · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # AV.io SDI+ Config Tool The AV.io SDI+ Config tool allows you to change several settings to make changes to your video capture experience if necessary. The main utility of the AV.io SDI+ Config tool is to update the AV.io SDI+ firmware. All applied settings persist after disconnection and between different computers and systems. These options include: - **Audio selector for audio inputs** - Select which audio to be embedded in USB output; 3.5mm or SDI or both - **Modify Transfer Pipe** - The AV.io SDI+ supports Bulk or Isochronous transfer pipe. The default option is Bulk, but if needed can be switched to Isochronous mode, if, for example, the PC to which your AV.io SDI+ is connected has lower performance or USB bandwidth availability. - **Change the name of the device as it's seen by programs and operating system** - Specify a custom device name. This is the name that will be shown in the Device Manager, as well as various third-party applications. - To see name change on the computer the change was applied on, navigate to the Device Manager in Windows and find the AV.io SDI+ with its previous name listed under Cameras, and Sound, video, and game controllers. Right-click each entry and choose Uninstall device. Once the devices have been uninstalled unplug the AV.io SDI+'s USB cable from the computer and then plug it back in. - **Set a custom UVC mode** - Specify a custom UVC output resolution and framerate. This will now be the only resolution that will output via the AV.io SDI+ Firmware updates and changes to default capture settings can be applied to your AV.io SDI+ using Epiphan’s AV.io Config tool. For settings to persist after power cycling, please allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting device --- ## AV.io SDI+ overview id: avio-sdi-plus/avio-sdi-overview · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # AV.io SDI+ overview # AV.io SDI+ Overview The AV.io SDI+ is a rugged UVC plug and play SDI to USB capture card with 3.5mm analog audio input that supports input and output of resolutions up to 1080p at 60 frames per second. No installation of drivers is required for any modern OS and advanced settings can be applied to the AV.io SDI+ that persist between workstations. AV.io SDI+ USB output is an uncompressed, chroma subsampled signal with almost zero latency. The 3.5mm analog audio input supports mic and line level analog audio and can be utilized in the USB output with or without embedded SDI audio. The AV.io SDI+ does not support multi-channel SDI audio, only the first two channels. Windows, Mac, and Linux are supported, and in theory any OS with UVC drivers but only a Windows can run the AV.io SDI+ config tool. All firmware updates and configuration changes to the AV.io SDI+ must be made with a Windows computer first. The AV.io SDI+ supports renaming of the AV.io SDI+ and this naming persists between computers and systems. --- ## How AV.io SDI+ works id: avio-sdi-plus/how-avio-sdi-works · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # How AV.io SDI+ works 1. Connect your AV.io SDI+ device to your video source, ideally directly to the source if possible 2. Connect your AV.io SDI+ device to your desktop computer, laptop, or notebook 3. Select AV.io SDI+ from the list of available input sources in your application of choice The AV.io SDI+ is compatible with most third-party application that support webcams or UVC devices to capture video and audio The third-party application communicates with AV.io SDI+ and negotiates a frame rate (frequency at which frames in a video sequence are displayed) and frame resolution (size of a single video frame in pixels). A higher frame rate means smoother video capture while the frame resolution determines the aspect ratio of the video output as well as its dimensions and degree of definition; generally overall quality. AV.io SDI+ does not enforce a direct relationship between the input and output signals. If a third-party application requests a video format that is different than your video source, AV.io SDI+ automatically scales the video. If the input and output formats are the same, the signal can pass through without scaling. For consistent and widely compatible output, audio is automatically resampled to 16-bit 48 kHz stereo audio. AV.io SDI+ by default outputs resolutions in commonly supported aspects ratios if the custom UVC mode is not enabled --- ## Identifying the input resolution id: avio-sdi-plus/identifying-the-input-resolution · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # Identifying the input resolution The AV.io Config tool can help you figure out exactly what information your video source is sending. Plug in the source and select your device. The UI detects information about the source and presents it at the bottom of the window. The line shows the exact resolution of the source and the frame rate the source is outputting. ### AV.io SDI+ troubleshooting | **Symptom(s)** | **Action(s) to resolve** | | --- | --- | | Device not detected after interrupted firmware update | (Windows only) When in the config tool press F12 to enter firmware recovery mode, then select a firmware file and click update to forcibly reflash the capture card. | | Applications cannot open the capture card when a custom UVC mode is set | Please make sure that the card is connected via USB 3.0 for all modes to be valid; only low frame rate modes are valid when connecting via USB 2.0 | | Device does not appear in the Epiphan Capture Tool | The Epiphan Capture Tool works only with the DVI2USB and DVI2PCIe capture cards; it is not compatible with AV.io SDI+ or any other card. Use the AV.io SDI+ Config tool for configuration and any UVC-compatible application to capture. | **Limitations and known issues** #### Affecting Asmedia USB 3.0 controller ASM3142 - There is an issue that presents as an audio problem when using this USB 3.0 controller - **Workaround:** Update the driver for the USB controller #### Affecting systems with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU - There is an issue that presents as an audio problem when using older drivers - **Workaround: **Update the chipset drivers for your CPU **Purchasing** AV.io SDI+ can be purchased directly from the Epiphan website at [epiphan.com](https://www.epiphan.com/). --- ## Indicator LED details id: avio-sdi-plus/indicator-led-details · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # Indicator LED details The color and action of the indicator LED depends on whether you are connected by USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. For maximum performance, always use a USB 3.0 port and the included USB 3.0 cable. Note that frame capture rate will be reduced when connected via USB 2.0. From the operating system's UVC drivers, the application will receive the AV.io SDI+ supported color space, resolution and frame rates. | **Connection type/LED color** | **USB 3.0 connection** | **USB 2.0 connection** | | --- | --- | --- | | Solid red | No video input detected | No video input detected | | Solid white | Active video input detected | Active video input detected | --- ## Install the AV.io SDI+ Config tool id: avio-sdi-plus/install-the-avio-sdi-config-tool · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # Install the AV.io SDI+ Config tool You may install AV.io Config on the same computer(s) where you use AV.io SDI+, or only on one computer for configuration. All firmware updates and settings changes are saved to the device and work without any software installed on the computer. For settings to persist after power cycling, please allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting device. Only Windows supports the configuration tool. If you are using any other OS and want to use the configuration tool, you will need to do so using a windows computer. To install the AV.io SDI+ Config tool, follow the directions below for your computer's operating system. **Windows** - Download the AV.io SDI+ Config package under the **Windows** heading on the AV.io SDI+ Downloads page on Epiphan’s web site. - Extract all the files from the zip file (remember the location you're unzipping to). - Browse to the folder you unzipped to and open the AV.io SDI+ Config tool by double-clicking on **EpiphanCaptureConfig.exe**. (Depending on your local security settings, you may need to right-click and choose to run the file as an administrator). - AV.io SDI+ Config starts! If your AV.io SDI+ is connected to the computer by USB, it should be detected. --- ## System requirements id: avio-sdi-plus/system-requirements · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # System requirements System requirements to use AV.io SDI+ include: | **Video source** | A 3G-SDI, HD-SDI or SD-SDI video source. | | --- | --- | | **Video capture workstation** | Any computer (laptop/desktop/other format) with: a compatible USB 3.0 host controller for SuperSpeed operation; or, a USB 2.0 host controller (will limit maximum frame rate and resolution support) | | **Video capture workstation operating system** | Windows 7, Windows 10, and up Mac OS X 10.10 and up Linux distribution with kernel 3.5.0 or higher | | **Processor frequency** | Minimum recommended value: 2.4 GHz | | **RAM** | Minimum recommended value: 4 GB | --- ## Technical specifications id: avio-sdi-plus/technical-specifications · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # Technical specifications Technical specifications for AV.io SDI+ are included in the table below. | **Connectors** | BNC style SDI connector USB standard B type | | --- | --- | | **Input** | SDI (3G-SDI, HD-SDI, SD-SDI) with BNC-style connector | | Audio Input | 3.5mm analog audio 16-bit and 24-bit PCM encoded audio at 48 kHz | | **Audio (UAC) output** | 16-bit 48 kHz stereo audio | | **Capture latency** | Near-zero latency, although certain third-party applications may contribute delay | | **LED** | LED indicates the status of AV.io SDI+ | | OS support (32-bit and 64-bit) | Windows 10 and up Mac OS X 10.10 and up Linux distribution with kernel 3.5.0 or higher | | **USB support ** | USB 3.0 and 2.0 | | **Input Resolution** | Up to 1920×1080 | | Input resolutions above 1920×1080 | Not supported | | Supported output resolutions (up to 60 fps) | 320×240 640×360 640×480 720×480 720×576 768×576 800×600 856×480 960×540 1024×576 1024×768 1152×864 1280×800 1280×960 1360×768 1366×768 1440×900 1440×900 1600×900 1600×1200 1680×1050 1920×1080 1920×1200 | | **Dimensions** | 3.54″ × 2.36″ × 0.91″ (90 mm × 60 mm × 23 mm) | AV.io SDI+ does not capture input resolutions above 1920×1080. The maximum capture input resolution is 1920×1080 at up to 60 frames per second. The 1920×1200 entry in the supported output resolutions list is a scaled USB output resolution only; it is not a supported capture input resolution. --- ## Update firmware using the AV.io SDI+ Config tool id: avio-sdi-plus/update-firmware-using-the-avio-sdi-config-tool · product: avio-sdi-plus · source: avio-sdi-plus-userguide.md # Update firmware using the AV.io SDI+ Config tool Attempting to update firmware while running virtual machines will result in firmware upgrade failure. For updates to persist after power cycling, please allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting device. To update firmware using the AV.io SDI+ Config tool: - Install and/or run the AV.io SDI+ Config tool. - Download the firmware update file from the Epiphan website Support page and extract the files. - Connect your AV.io SDI+ device to your computer, laptop, or notebook. - Open the AV.io SDI+ Config tool. - Click the magnifying glass to the right of the AV.io SDI+ config tool and select theAV.io SDI+ from the list under the Device list - You can see the current version of the firmware in parenthesis next to the name of your device in the Config Tool. - Click the **folder icon** and navigate to the extracted firmware files. There will be two files and they can be applied in any order. Click update, wait for the progress bar to turn green and display “Update Completed”, press the magnifying glass and repeat for the second file. - Press the magnifying glass after both files are updated, then disconnect the AV.io SDI+ for 5 seconds before reconnecting to finish --- ## Access events id: cloud-edge/access-events · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Access events There are two ways to access events in Epiphan Edge: - **Globally**: Access events from all Pearl devices that are part of your Epiphan Edge team by clicking **Edge > Schedule** in the side navigation panel. From here, you can quickly access details such as the event time, title, associated device, and device channels. Clicking on a device name will take you to the respective device's event schedule. Expanding the small arrow to the right of the event will allow you to click on the Channel(s) used in that event which will take you to that channel's preview page. - **Individually:** Access events from a single device by clicking **All Devices** in the side navigation panel > choose your device > click the **Events **tab --- ## Admin login id: cloud-edge/admin-login · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Admin login Full administrative access to your Pearl device for setup and rescue troubleshooting over the Internet is fast and convenient with the cloud version of the Admin panel. And anyone on your team can access Epiphan Live to remotely control live switching, recording, and streaming for your Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini. You just need to pair your Pearl device to a team that has an Epiphan Edge Premium plan to access Admin login. You can also remotely access a paired EC20's web interface through Epiphan Edge with an Epiphan Edge Premium plan. Epiphan Live remote control of live switching, recording, and streaming applies to Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini only, not the EC20. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to remotely login to your Pearl devices. | | --- | Cloud versions of the Admin panel and Epiphan Live use the same login credentials as the locally accessed web versions. The URL of the local web versions of the Admin panel and Epiphan Live are not the same as the URL of the cloud versions. **Before you begin** Before you can remotely log in to your Pearl device using Epiphan Edge, you'll need: - Epiphan Edge that's upgraded with a Premium plan. - An admin computer with Internet access. - A Pearl device that has Internet access and is paired to your Epiphan Edge team. **Remotely log in to the Admin panel from Epiphan Edge** ### Remotely login to the Admin panel from the Devices Dashboard - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - In the row for the Pearl device, click the **Admin login button**. A new tab with a login screen opens. | The **Admin Login** option appears only if the team has an Epiphan Edge Premium plan applied. | | --- | - Enter your Admin panel login credentials to log in to the cloud version of the Admin panel for that device. The default administrator username is **admin**. ### Remotely log in to the Admin panel from the Device Details page - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - From the Device Details page, click **Admin login**. A new tab with a login screen opens. | **Admin Login** only works if the team has an Epiphan Edge Premium plan applied. | | --- | - Enter your Admin panel login credentials to log in to the cloud version of the Admin panel for that device. The default administrator username is **admin**. **Remotely log in to Epiphan Live from Epiphan Edge** ### Remotely log in to Epiphan Live from the Devices Dashboard - Remotely log in to the Admin panel. - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - In the row for the Pearl device, click the **Switcher button**. A new tab with a login screen opens. | The **Admin Login** option only works if the team has an Epiphan Edge Premium plan applied. | | --- | - Enter your Admin panel login credentials to log in to the cloud version of the Admin panel for that device. The default administrator username is **admin**. - In the Admin panel, click **Epiphan Live**. The cloud version of Epiphan Live opens in a new tab in your browser. --- ## Before you begin pairing Pearl devices to Epiphan Edge id: cloud-edge/before-you-begin-pairing-pearl-devices-to-epiphan-edge · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Before you begin pairing Pearl devices to Epiphan Edge Before you can pair a Pearl device to your Epiphan Edge team and start using it, you'll need: - An Epiphan Edge account. - A Pearl device connected to the Internet. - An admin computer connected to the same network as your Pearl device. - Access to the screen of your of Pearl device if it has one. - At least one channel setup on your Pearl device that has a custom layout with a video and audio source configured. - Internet access. **Pair, unpair, and delete a device** A device pairing code is used to pair a device to your Epiphan Edge account. ### Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge Epiphan Cloud is Epiphan's cloud portal for cloud services. Epiphan Edge is Epiphan's fleet management service for Pearl devices, and it is accessed through the Epiphan Cloud portal. ### Minimum firmware for pairing Pairing requires a minimum Pearl firmware version, and the minimum depends on which regional Epiphan Cloud server you pair to: | Epiphan Cloud server | Region | Minimum Pearl firmware | | --- | --- | --- | | go.epiphan.cloud | North America | 4.21.0 | | eu.epiphan.cloud | Europe | 4.24.1 | | au.epiphan.cloud | Australia | 4.24.4 | A Pearl device running firmware older than the minimum for its regional server cannot complete pairing. Upgrade the firmware first. The EC20 PTZ camera can also be paired to, unpaired from, and deleted in Epiphan Edge. An EC20 is paired from the camera's own web interface (see the Epiphan EC20 user guide), not from a Pearl Admin panel or touchscreen. Once paired, it can be unpaired or deleted from Epiphan Edge in the same way as a Pearl device. The EC20 PTZ camera requires firmware 3.4.40 or higher to pair with Epiphan Edge on all three regional servers (go.epiphan.cloud, eu.epiphan.cloud, and au.epiphan.cloud). - **Pearl devices**: Get the pairing code from the touch screen or front screen depending on the model, or use the Admin panel. Pearl Nexus is headless and has no touch screen or front screen — use the Admin panel, or read the pairing code from the Device Info screen on a display connected to the Pearl Nexus HDMI output. | You won't see a pairing code if the device is already paired to Epiphan Edge. | | --- | **TIP**: All team members can operate, pair, and unpair Pearl devices. With the Free or Premium plan, you can pair as many Pearl devices as you want to your team, but you can only pair a device to one team at a time. Your default Epiphan Edge team is chosen by default when you pair a device. The Epiphan Edge plan and services associated with the team determines which Epiphan Edge features are available while the device is paired. A device can only be paired to one team at a time. Unpairing a device makes the device instance permanently go offline in Epiphan Edge. You cannot access any Epiphan Edge-generated content associated with a device that is permanently offline. Deleting a device instance completely removes Epiphan Edge access to the device and deletes any Epiphan Edge-generated content associated with that device instance. If you pair the device again, a new device instance is created that has no association with any previous instances or the associated content. | If you unpair a Pearl device using the Admin panel, the device status only changes to the Offline state in Epiphan Edge. You must unpair the device again using Epiphan Edge to fully unpair the device so that a new pairing code is generated for your Pearl. | | --- | --- ## Billing and vouchers id: cloud-edge/billing-and-vouchers · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Billing and vouchers Epiphan Edge offers billing based on the number of Edge Seats used. To set up monthly billing, click **Settings** > **Billing and Usage** > **Go Premium**. If you have already set up per-Edge Seat monthly billing and are looking to increase the number of Edge Seats, click **Settings** > **Billing and Usage** > **Manage Subscriptions** ### Edge Seats An Edge Seat is a single Epiphan device, such as a Pearl device or an EC20 camera. #### Vouchers There is a discount available for Epiphan Edge users when you sign up for annual billing. To sign up for annual billing, contact your Epiphan dealer or contact Epiphan directly at [https://www.epiphan.com/cloud/](https://www.epiphan.com/cloud/). You will be billed directly and provided with a voucher code. You will also need to provide billing information. The voucher code will apply a credit to your account based on the amount you paid for your annual billing. That credit amount will pay for your Edge Seats, and will decrease over time. To add more money to your voucher credit, contact Epiphan, or your dealer. #### Applying a Voucher - Once logged into your Epiphan Edge account, ensuring the Team you'd like to convert to Premium is seen in the top left of your page, and then navigate to **Settings -> Billing and Usage -> Click "enter a voucher code".** - In the pop-up window, enter your billing information and voucher code, then press validate. Once validated, press confirm billing. If billing information is already entered and confirmed, you will simply be prompted to enter a voucher code. - You should now see "Epiphan Credits" on your billing page. - All that is needed now is adding the number of premium Pearl devices (Edge seats) you intend this Team to use. - And that should be it! Once your Pearl devices are paired to your Epiphan Edge Team, you should now be able to navigate and click on "Devices" from the left sidebar of Epiphan Edge, viewing any and all paired Pearl devices! At each new billing period, the subscription fee will simply reduce the voucher (credit) amount until empty. At that point, you may decide to purchase another voucher or continue monthly on a pay-as-you-go option. --- ## Buttons and selectors for batch operations id: cloud-edge/buttons-and-selectors-for-batch-operations · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Buttons and selectors for batch operations Quick-action control buttons can start/stop streaming and recording of individual channels for Pearl devices. Buttons change colour to show when a particular state is active. Hovering over a button in the active state reveals new actions. For example, hovering over an active **Recording** button reveals **Stop Recording**. Click the button when the label changes to select that action. You can select multiple channels or multiple Pearl devices on the Devices Dashboard for convenient batch operations for Pearl devices paired to a premium team. Click the box beside an item to select the item. For example, select several channels for a Pearl device and a banner appears for easy, Single Touch start/stop streaming and recording of all selected channels. Select the box beside the name of the Pearl device to select all channels for that device. For Pearl devices paired to a premium team, you can also group Pearl devices to make it easier to apply actions to all or just some of the Pearl devices in the group. Select the box beside the group name to select all Pearl devices or select individual Pearl devices. You can even expand the device entry to select individual channels for group actions. An Epiphan Edge Premium team is required for batch operations. **Device Details and Settings pages** From the Devices Dashboard, you can open a Pearl's Device Details page. Simply click the device name or click the three dots at the end of the row and select **Settings**. Clicking on a channel name or icon opens the Channel Details page. Easily change the device name from the Device Details page for Pearl devices Click a tab to view different settings. **Alerts** You can click the alert bell icon in the header bar when there are alert notifications to open the Alerts page or click the Alert icon in the left navigation panel to open the Alerts page and see a recent history of alerts for all Pearl devices. To see the alerts for a specific Pearl device, select the Alerts tab on the Device Details page for a Pearl device. --- ## Calendar View id: cloud-edge/calendar-view · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Calendar View Click the calendar icon in the top right of the **Events** page to view the Events calendar view. The Calendar view provides a list of all scheduled events over a selected time and date range. Use the following features to customize and improve your calendar view: - **Filters** - Click the **Filters** dropdown to filter by **Event type**, **Event status**, **Device model**, **Group**, or **specific Device**. - **X ongoing** - if there are any ongoing events, click to highlight the ongoing events in the calendar. - **X scheduled** - if there are any scheduled events, click to highlight the scheduled events in the calendar. - **X completed** - if there are any completed events, click to highlight the completed events in the calendar. - **Refresh schedule** - click to refresh. - **Left** and **right** arrows - click to move to previous or next week or day in the calendar, depending on your current view. - **Hours to view** - select between the range of hours that contain events or all hours in a 24 hour period. - **Calendar date** - click a date in the calendar to display all events on that date. Click the X next to the date in the calendar to return to weekly view. ### Monitor events on a specific device There are two ways to access events on a specific device in Epiphan Edge: - Click **Edge > All Devices**, select the device, then click **Events** - Click **Events**, then click on the device in the list or calendar of events. Note that you can only access your device this way if there are ongoing, upcoming, or recently completed events on this device. **Note**: If you create an event on a Pearl device and it is not immediately visible in Epiphan Edge, refresh the page. --- ## Change a device name id: cloud-edge/change-a-device-name · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Change a device name You can change the Pearl device name that appears in Epiphan Edge from the Device Details page. You can also rename a paired EC20 camera from its Device Details page in the same way. Alphanumerical characters and spaces are accepted; however, we recommend using underscores to separate words instead of spaces. Common character sets for Western and Central European languages, Nordic languages, and Russian should display correctly. Names should not include the following special characters: ^ < > / \ ? * : " | | Changes made using Epiphan Edge take some time to update on the device and to be reflected in other interfaces so please be patient. | | --- | ### Change a device or channel name using Epiphan Edge ### Change the Pearl device name - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name that appears in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - To change the device name, click the pencil icon or anywhere inside the name field and type the new name. - Click anywhere outside the field when you're done or press **Enter** on your keyboard. --- ## Connect an AI assistant to Epiphan Cloud using MCP id: cloud-edge/connect-an-ai-assistant-to-epiphan-cloud-using-mcp · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Connect an AI assistant to Epiphan Cloud using MCP Epiphan Cloud exposes an **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** endpoint. Connect a supported AI assistant and you can ask about your devices in plain language instead of clicking through the dashboard. Epiphan MCP is reached through a supported AI assistant rather than by direct programmatic calls. **Examples** - "List all devices in my team and flag anything offline." - "Is Pearl-2 in Studio B recording right now?" - "Show me storage free space across every device." - "What's scheduled to record tomorrow?" **Server URLs** | Region | URL | |---|---| | North America | `https://go.epiphan.cloud/mcp` | | Europe | `https://eu.epiphan.cloud/mcp` | | Australia | `https://au.epiphan.cloud/mcp` | Initial authentication happens in your browser using OAuth, the same as logging into Epiphan Cloud. During authentication you choose **which team** to grant access to. The assistant sees only what your account can already see in that team. In theory, any application or CLI that supports OAuth should be compatible with Epiphan MCP. Only Claude and GPT are tested. Grok and Microsoft Copilot are not currently supported. This may be expanded later. Gemini does not support MCP connectors in the web interface or the app, and does not support them in the CLI for individual accounts. Enterprise Gemini CLI MCP connectors have not been tested. --- ## Connect ChatGPT to Epiphan MCP id: cloud-edge/connect-chatgpt-to-epiphan-mcp · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Connect ChatGPT to Epiphan MCP Works with free and paid plans. 1. Go to **Settings → Security and login** and turn on **Developer mode**. 2. Go to **Settings → Plugins**. 3. Click **+** in the upper right to create a new plugin. 4. Fill in the left panel: **Name** → Epiphan MCP This is the suggested name, however, you can name it whatever you'd like **Connection** → **Server URL** **Authentication** → **OAuth** Server URL → paste your region URL: North American Servers → Europe Servers → Australia Servers → 5. Expand **Advanced OAuth settings** and set: **Registration method** → **User-Defined OAuth Client** **OAuth Client ID** → https://chatgpt.com This URL field is case sensitive **OAuth Client Secret** → leave blank **Token endpoint auth method** → `none` **Default scopes** → tick `mcp` 6. Tick **I understand and want to continue**, then click **Create**. 7. Click **Sign in with Epiphan MCP**. 8. Sign in to Epiphan Cloud, select the team you want to grant access to, then click **Authorize**. 9. In a chat, press **+** and select Epiphan MCP. Once per chat is enough. **Business/Enterprise:** an admin must enable Developer mode at the workspace level first. Members cannot enable it themselves. --- ## Connect Claude to Epiphan MCP id: cloud-edge/connect-claude-to-epiphan-mcp · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Connect Claude to Epiphan MCP Works on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. Free plans allow one custom connector. 1. Go to **Settings → Connectors**. 2. Click **Add** → **Add custom connector**. 3. Name it `Epiphan MCP` and paste your region URL: North American Servers → Europe Servers → Australia Servers → 4. Click **Add**, then **Connect** and sign in via OAuth. 5. In a chat, click **+** in the lower left → **Connectors** → toggle on Epiphan MCP **Team/Enterprise:** an Owner must add it first under **Settings → Organization settings → Connectors**. --- ## Create a group of Pearl devices id: cloud-edge/create-a-group-of-pearl-devices · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Create a group of Pearl devices ### Create a group of Pearl devices from the left navigation panel - From the left navigation panel, select **Edge > + New group**. A Create new group pop up window appears. - Enter a name for the group and click **Create Group**. The group appears on the Devices Dashboard. **TIP**: You can click the chevron at the end of a row to collapse the details for each device. - Move Pearl devices into the new group. From the Devices Dashboard, click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Move to group**. - In the **Move to group** pop-up window, select the target group and click **Move**. ### Create a group of Pearl devices from the Groups section on the Devices Dashboard As long as there is at least one group already created, a section called **Groups** appears on the Devices Dashboard. A button to create new groups appears at the bottom of the Groups section. - Select **+ New group** at the bottom of the Groups section on the Devices Dashboard. A Create new group pop-up window appears. - Enter a name for the group and click **Create Group**. The group appears on the Devices Dashboard. - Move Pearl devices into the new group. From the Devices Dashboard, click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Move to group**. - In the **Move to group** pop-up window, select the target group and click **Move**. --- ## Create a streaming destination using Epiphan Edge id: cloud-edge/create-a-streaming-destination-using-epiphan-edge · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Create a streaming destination using Epiphan Edge You can create custom RTMP streaming destinations for your Pearl devices directly from the Channel Details page using Epiphan Edge. Stream destinations that you create in Epiphan Edge are added to a common list that is accessible to all Pearl devices that are paired with your team. Common streams that are created using Epiphan Edge are listed below the channel streams that are created locally on your Pearl devices. You can select only one common Epiphan Edge streaming destination at a time when streaming. **Before you begin** Before you create common streaming destinations using Epiphan Edge, you'll need: - A Pearl device that is set up with Internet access and has the Epiphan Edge feature enabled. - For a custom RTMP stream, you need the destination server URL and the stream key. **Create and delete common streaming destinations from the Channel Details page** ### Create a custom RTMP streaming destination from the Channel Details page - Go to the Channel Details page to add a new destination, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click **Streaming destinations** in the row for the channel and select **Add and edit destinations**. - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the channel name. - From the Channels list, click **Streaming destinations** in the row for the channel and select **Add and edit destinations**. - From the Channel Details page, click **+ New destination** in the lower right corner of the page and select **RTMP**. - In the pop up menu, enter a unique name for the stream, the destination server URL, and enter a stream key if needed. When you're done, click **Save.** ### Delete a common streaming destination from the Channel Details page - Go to the Channel Details page to add a new destination, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click **Streaming destinations** in the row for the channel and select **Add and edit destinations**. - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the three dots at the end of the channel's row and select **Settings**. - From the Channels list, click **Streaming destinations** in the row for the channel and select **Add and edit destinations**. - From the Channel Details page, click **+ New destination** in the lower right corner of the page and select **RTMP**. - In the pop up menu, enter a unique name for the stream, the destination server URL, and the stream key. When you're done, click **Save.** **Common streaming destinations on the Streaming destinations page** ### View the Streaming destinations page from the Settings Click the Settings icon in the side navigation panel and select **Streaming destinations**. The Streaming destinations page opens. If common streaming destinations are configured, they are listed on the Streaming destinations page. ### Create a common streaming destination from the Streaming destinations page Creating a common streaming destination from the Settings in Epiphan Edge involve the same steps you perform when creating a common streaming destination from the Channel Details page. - Click the Settings icon in the side navigation panel and select **Streaming destinations**. The Streaming destinations page opens. - Click the custom RTMP icon and then enter a unique name for the stream, the destination server URL, and the stream key in the pop up window. - New streaming destinations appear on the Streaming destinations page. **TIP**: The new streaming destination also appears on the Channel Details page, as well as the channel streaming page in Pearl's Admin panel. ### Delete a common streaming destination from the Streaming destinations page - Click the Settings icon in the side navigation panel and select **Streaming destinations**. The Streaming destinations page opens. - Click the custom RTMP icon and then enter a unique name for the stream, the destination server URL, and the stream key in the pop up window. - New streaming destinations appear on the Streaming destinations page. **TIP**: The new streaming destination also appears on the Channel Details page, as well as the channel streaming page in Pearl's Admin panel. --- ## Devices Dashboard id: cloud-edge/devices-dashboard · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Devices Dashboard The Devices Dashboard lists all Pearl devices paired with the current Epiphan Edge team and is where you can quickly check the health of all your paired Pearl devices. The number of online and offline Pearl devices is shown at the top of the page. All offline Pearl devices and Pearl devices that are unpaired appear grayed out. Unpaired Pearl devices move to the Unpaired Pearl devices section of the dashboard. You can filter the dashboard by device status, model, health, and more and choose which dashboard statistics to display. Drag and drop dashboard statistics by the label to rearrange them the way you like. The three dots at the end of a row reveals options like **Reboot**, **Unpair**, **Move to Group**, and **Delete**. Additional options depend on the device selected. Grayed out options are unavailable. The chevron reveals details like the configured channels and can hide them too. --- ## Epiphan Edge Overview id: cloud-edge/epiphan-edge-overview · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Epiphan Edge Overview # Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge Information Epiphan Edge, a service under the Epiphan Cloud umbrella, is a cloud-based remote fleet management and monitoring platform where team members can operate and manage Pearl devices and EC20 cameras from one convenient interface and from anywhere in the world, allowing users to access their Pearl devices 24/7 and be confident that everything is under control. Epiphan Edge also supports the EC20 PTZ camera. A paired EC20 appears in Epiphan Edge alongside your Pearl devices, where you can monitor its health, update its firmware, remotely access its web interface (with an Epiphan Edge Premium plan), rename it, and unpair or delete it. Channel recording and streaming, the Switcher, custom layouts, configuration presets, Epiphan Live, and event scheduling apply to Pearl devices only and are not available for the EC20. AI tools can call Epiphan MCP for monitoring of paired Edge devices directly from their respective interfaces. There are two variants of Epiphan Edge: “Epiphan Edge Free” and “Epiphan Edge Premium” Epiphan Edge Free supports: - Device management dashboard - Diagnostic dashboard with real-time health status and alert history - Control of streaming and recording - Channel and input monitoring - Unlimited pairing of Pearl and EC20 devices - Epiphan MCP Read Usage Epiphan Edge Premium supports - Device monitoring and control - Diagnostic dashboard with real-time health status and alert history - Choice of customized email alerts - Remote team access and management - Grouping of Pearl devices for easier access and control - Batch operations to start and stop streaming, recording, and transcription on multiple Pearl devices at the same time - Configuration preset support for your Pearl devices - Remote login to your Pearl devices and more - Pairing is limited by the number of premium Pearl and EC20 devices authorized for a team - Epiphan MCP Read/Write Usage **About the interface** Epiphan Edge provides remote device management and control for your Pearl devices. The cloud-based platform can be accessed using your favorite web browser from a computer, tablet, or mobile device from just about anywhere there's an Internet connection. **Main navigation panel** Hovering over an icon in the side navigation panel reveals its label. Just click the icon to select it. To expand the panel, resize your web-browser window. --- ## Epiphan MCP capabilities id: cloud-edge/epiphan-mcp-capabilities · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Epiphan MCP capabilities Epiphan MCP gives your assistant two kinds of access: read (ask about your team and devices) and write (change device or team state). Your assistant should ask you to approve each write action before it runs. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed for write MCP calls. | | --- | **What you can ask about (read)** | Context | Examples | |---|---| | Fleet | List all devices in the team; device details, model, firmware, online status, warnings | | Recording | Recording state per channel (recording, stopped, paused) | | Storage | Total and free space per device; storage state (mounted, missing, read-only, error) | | System health | CPU load, CPU temperature, uptime | | Channels | Channel encoder/audio/recorder settings; a live preview frame; current audio levels | | Inputs | Input sources (HDMI, SDI, USB, network audio) and their status | | Streaming | Team RTMP stream destinations | | Scheduling | Which CMS each device is connected to; scheduled events in a time window; the current or next event | | Presets | Configuration presets saved to the team | | Documentation | Epiphan product documentation for any Pearl, EC20, Edge, Connect or Unify question | **What you can change (write)** | Context | Actions | |---|---| | Recording | Start, stop, pause, resume recording on one or many channels (pause/resume requires Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or higher) | | Streaming | Create, edit, delete team RTMP destinations; start or stop a channel streaming to a destination | | Scheduling | Create, edit, delete scheduled events (Epiphan CMS only); start, stop, extend, pause, resume an event; confirm an event on a device; switch a device to a different CMS | | Configuration | Apply a team preset to one or many devices | | Maintenance | Reboot devices; update firmware | **Before you send write requests** - Reboot and firmware update interrupt any recording or stream in progress and take the device offline for a few minutes. - Deleting a scheduled event is permanent. There is no undo. - Recording actions target channels, not devices. "Start recording on Pearl-2 Studio B" starts every channel the assistant can see; name the channel if you want only one on a particular device. **Epiphan encoders vs. EC20** Pearl encoders (Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus) support the full read and write capabilities described above. The EC20 is more limited: | Capability | Pearl | EC20 | |---|---|---| | Device list, details, storage, system health, recording state | ✅ | ✅ | | Channel settings, preview frame | ✅ | ✅ | | Audio levels | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Input sources | ✅ | ⚠️ Audio inputs only | | Start / stop / pause / resume recording | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Create / edit / delete stream destinations | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Start / stop streaming to a destination | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Pause / resume a scheduled event | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Create / edit a scheduled event | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Delete a scheduled event | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Confirm an event on the device | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Switch device to a different CMS | ✅ | ❌ Not supported | | Apply a team preset | ✅ | ❌ No EC20 presets | | Reboot, firmware update | ✅ | ✅ | --- ## Event list view id: cloud-edge/event-list-view · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Event list view Epiphan Edge provides you with a great deal of information about events. By default, when you click **Edge > Schedule** in the navigation pane, the list view appears. Alternatively, you can view this information for a single device by clicking **Edge > All Devices** > your device > **Events**. - **Event time** - The scheduled time for the event. - **Name** - The name of the event. If there are any warnings about the event, click the warning icon for more information. - **Type** - VOD, Live stream, or both. - **Status** - The recording and/or streaming icon appears when the event is in progress. - **Device** - The Pearl device running the event. Click on the listed device to view the device page for more information on the Pearl device. - **End in** - The amount of time remaining for an ongoing event. Only provided for **Ongoing events**. - Click Stop to stop an ongoing event. You cannot restart a stopped event. - Click **+5 mins** to add time to an ongoing event. - Click pause to pause an ongoing event. You can also resume a paused event. Pause and resume work for all CMS platforms. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or newer. - **Starting in** - The time remaining before an event begins. Only provided for **Scheduled events** that haven't started yet. - Click **Start** to start the event early. Epiphan Edge cannot start ad hoc events for any CMS platform. If you cannot see the channel preview from the event list view, open the channel by clicking **Devices** > **{Device name}** > **{Channel name}**. --- ## Event management functionality id: cloud-edge/event-management-functionality · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Event management functionality Epiphan Edge shows events from any CMS platform in its calendar. For events from any CMS platform, you can use Epiphan Edge to: - View events. - Start a scheduled event early, stop an ongoing event, and extend an ongoing event. - Pause and resume an ongoing event. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or newer. **Epiphan Edge cannot start ad hoc events for any CMS platform.** To create an ad hoc event through Epiphan Edge, use **Admin login** (Epiphan Edge Premium plan required; see "Admin login") to open the Pearl device's Admin panel remotely, then create the event on the Admin panel's Events page, on CMS platforms that support ad hoc events. This is the same process as when you connect to the Admin panel locally using the device's IP address; see "Create ad hoc events using the Admin panel" in the CMS features common to all Pearl integrations guide. Subscription to an Epiphan Edge Premium plan is required to use the events management features of Epiphan Edge. For Panopto, Kaltura, and YuJa, events management and monitoring requires Pearl firmware 4.15 or higher. Scheduling new recording and streaming events from Epiphan Edge works only when Epiphan Edge is the Pearl device's selected CMS, and requires Pearl firmware 4.21.0 or higher. Events for a third-party CMS platform are scheduled in that CMS platform. Event management and monitoring functionality in Epiphan Edge is updated regularly, so check back for updates. --- ## Get started using Epiphan Edge with Pearl and the EC20 id: cloud-edge/get-started-using-epiphan-edge-with-pearl-and-the-ec20 · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Get started using Epiphan Edge with Pearl and the EC20 Epiphan Edge lets you remotely manage and control all your Pearl devices over the Internet using your favorite web browser. Simply pair your Pearl devices to your free Epiphan Edge account to get started. Access to Epiphan Edge is enabled by default and you're assigned a default team when you first sign up. You can pair your Pearl devices to your Epiphan Edge team using a link in the Admin panel or manually enter the pairing code in Epiphan Edge. If your Pearl device has a screen you can find the pairing code on it. Using the Admin panel link to pair the device has fewer steps. To pair an EC20 to Epiphan Edge, use the camera's own web interface rather than a Pearl Admin panel or touchscreen: in the EC20 web interface select Epiphan Edge, make sure it is Enabled and the camera is connected to the Internet, choose your Epiphan Edge Region, click Apply, then click Pair Device. Once paired, the EC20 is managed from Epiphan Edge alongside your Pearl devices for health monitoring, firmware updates, and remote web-interface access. For full EC20 pairing steps, see the Epiphan EC20 user guide. After you pair your device to your Epiphan Edge team, you can use Epiphan Edge to monitor channels, start/stop recording and streaming, perform off-site rescue troubleshooting, and more. Recordings are saved locally on your Pearl. If you have Automatic File Upload configured on your Pearl device, the recordings upload to your destination server as soon as recording stops. --- ## Known issues id: cloud-edge/known-issues · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Known issues - When downloading a configuration preset from Epiphan Edge, the preset is saved to your admin computer with a random system-generated file name instead of the original name of the configuration preset. - Deleting a team deletes Pearl devices paired to that team, but the team isn't deleted. - After clicking the firmware update button, the label changes to **Up-to-date** before the firmware update is complete and the old firmware version continues to display. Refresh your browser window often to see the firmware version number change to the new firmware version after the update is complete. The update process takes time and Pearl needs to reboot, so please be patient. - If you upload a configuration preset from a Pearl device to Epiphan Edge that contains "+" or "#" in the name, the user will be automatically logged out of Epiphan Edge. - If you try to view the full frame preview of a stream that is being encoded with H.265 the Epiphan Edge interface will become unresponsive. **Workaround:** Only use full frame preview with H.264 encoded streams. --- ## Login and account information id: cloud-edge/login-and-account-information · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Login and account information | The first time you log in to Epiphan Edge at [go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/), you can choose to authenticate using either a Google account or using an email and password. Your free Epiphan Edge account is associated with your login method, so make sure you log in using the same method each time. A new Epiphan Edge account gets created if you authenticate using a different login method. For your security, we don't record or use your personal password information. | | --- | When you first log in to your Epiphan Edge account, you're automatically assigned a default team with a free Epiphan Edge plan. You can create multiple teams and purchase an Epiphan Edge Premium plan for each. To see the billing information and associated plan for a team, choose a team and then select **Billing and Usage** under the Settings. To activate a subscription a valid credit card or yearly paid voucher (provided by Epiphan) is required. Only the Epiphan Edge account owner can add plans, modify billing information, and change ownership of Epiphan Edge teams. --- ## Managing your account and changing your plan id: cloud-edge/managing-your-account-and-changing-your-plan · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Managing your account and changing your plan When you first sign up for an Epiphan Edge account, you're automatically assigned a default team with a free plan. To get the most out of Epiphan Edge and access features like batch operations for convenient fleet management, you must upgrade to the Premium plan. ### Team plans, services, and billing Added plans and services like Epiphan Edge, Epiphan Unify, and Epiphan Connect are associated with a specific team. Account owners can create multiple teams and assign them different plans and services. Each team is billed separately. A valid credit card or yearly paid voucher is required to add a Premium or subscription plan. Charges are applied monthly to the credit card information that was provided when the service or plan was set up for the team. It can take up to 24 hours for a charge to be processed and appear in your team's usage and billing. Enter your billing and credit card information for automatic monthly billing for an Epiphan Edge plan or services used. Alternatively, you can submit a request for the annual billing or invoicing option. Credit information is required for annual billing and invoicing, which is processed by an Epiphan Video account representative. #### Changing account and billing information Only the account owner can add or modify billing information, upgrade plans, change ownership of the account, and change ownership of a team. You can see the plan that's associated with your team on the team's Billing page. Plans and services are set up for individual teams by the owner of that team. The Epiphan Edge account owner is the default team owner. When you transfer ownership of a team to another team member, you have the option to transfer the billing information as well. However, the current billing information will continue to be used until such time as the new team owner accepts the transfer of the team and provides new billing information. #### Important considerations - The first time you log in to Epiphan Edge, you can choose to authenticate using either a Google account, or using an email and password. Your Epiphan Edge account is associated with your login method, so make sure you log in using the same method each time. A new Epiphan Edge account gets created if you authenticate using a different login method. - An Edge Seat (Pearl device) that is paired to the team but is currently offline still count towards your total number of paired Edge Seats for your team. - Deleting a team cancels the plan or service assigned to that team. When a team is deleted, a final charge is made to the credit card specified in the billing information for that team if there happens to be any outstanding charges. --- ## Managing your account, team plans, and services using Epiphan Edge id: cloud-edge/managing-your-account-team-plans-and-services-using-epiphan-edge · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Managing your account, team plans, and services using Epiphan Edge ### View billing, usage, and the plan or service assigned to a team With the team already selected, click **Settings > Billing and Usage** in the left navigation panel. The Billing and Usage page opens where the status of your team's services and charges are shown. ### Set up monthly billing for a team You can provide your billing information for a team without subscribing to any of the premium services offered by Epiphan Edge. That way, you can change tiers at your convenience without the hassle of entering your billing information later when you switch plans. Billing must be set up before you can switch plans for a team. - With the team already selected, click **Settings > Billing and Usage** in the left navigation panel, then select the **Add button** within the Payment information card on the Billing and Usage page. - Enter your billing and credit card information in the pop-up window. When you're done, select **Confirm billing**. ### Set up invoicing for a team If you choose the option to invoice billing for a team, you are asked to provide your contact information. An Epiphan Video account representative will contact you to help you process your credit information. - With the team already selected, click **Settings > Billing and Usage** in the left navigation panel, then select the **Add button** within the Payment information card on the Billing and Usage page. - In the pop-up window, enter your billing information and select the **Pay by invoices** radio button and click **Confirm billing**. - The work email you provide should match the email address of your Epiphan Edge account. ### Change plans for a team When you set up billing information for a team, you can easily change plans at your convenience without the hassle of entering your billing information each time you switch from a Free plan to a Premium plan, or from a Premium plan back to the Free plan. As soon as a Premium plan is enabled, the full monthly amount is charged to the team's account. | Billing information must already be setup for the team before you can change the plan. | | --- | - With the team already selected, click **Settings > Billing and Usage** in the left navigation panel, then select **Go Premium** or **Manage** depending on whether or not you are currently using a Free plan or already subscribed to an Epiphan Edge Premium Plan. - On the pop-up menu, select or modify your current subscription you want to apply to Epiphan Edge. ### Change billing information for a team You can easily change the billing information for your team. Only the team owner can change the billing information for the team. - With the team already selected, click **Settings > Billing and Usage** in the left navigation panel, then select **Add billing information** on the Billing and Usage page. - Enter the new billing and credit card information in the pop-up window. When you're done, select **Confirm billing**. **Support** --- ## Monitor channels and inputs id: cloud-edge/monitor-channels-and-inputs · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Monitor channels and inputs Channel preview thumbnails are a quick way to confirm that your video sources are working. And audio meters actively respond when there is an audio signal present. You can see those on numerous pages in Epiphan Edge, including the Devices Dashboard and Pearl's Device Details page when you select the Channels or Inputs tab. **Note**: A high bitrate sent from a Pearl device may cause the channel preview to appear choppy. For Pearl devices, details about video and audio input sources are found on the Channel Details page and the Inputs page. The Channel Details page provides a near real-time video monitoring experience with the option to view video in high definition. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to monitor video in high definition. | | --- | ### Monitoring channels and input sources for Pearl devices ### Monitor video and audio from the Channel Details page - Open the Channel Details page, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the channel name. - From the Devices Details page, select the **Channels** tab to open the channels list, then click the channel preview icon. Video and audio sources configured for the channel are displayed for you to monitor. ### Monitor HD video from the Channel Details page - Open the Channel Details page, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the channel name. - From the Devices Details page, select the **Channels** tab to open the channels list, then click the channel preview icon. - From the Channel Details page, toggle the Frame Rate from Low to High using the switch in the bottom left corner of the preview window. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to monitor video in high definition. | | --- | ### Monitor video and audio sources from the Inputs page - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. - From the Device Details page, click the **Inputs** tab to see the Inputs page. --- ## Open the Devices Dashboard id: cloud-edge/open-the-devices-dashboard · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Open the Devices Dashboard ### Open the Devices Dashboard from the left navigation panel or breadcrumbs From the left navigation panel, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard or you can use the breadcrumbs at the top of a page when available. **Customize health status categories and filter Pearl devices** ### Choose which attributes to display on the Devices Dashboard In the top right corner of the dashboard, select **Filters** and choose which filters to apply. ### Rearrange the attributes on the Devices Dashboard Drag and drop health status labels to rearrange them the way you like. ### Filter Pearl devices by device status, model, and health statistics In the top right corner of the dashboard, select **Filters** and choose which filters to apply. **Search for Pearl devices or groups** ### Search for Pearl devices or groups by name using the Search bar Enter the name of the device or group in the search bar and press the Enter key on your keyboard to search. --- ## Pair a Pearl device to Epiphan Edge id: cloud-edge/pair-a-pearl-device-to-epiphan-edge · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Pair a Pearl device to Epiphan Edge A Pearl device is paired to an Epiphan Edge team using a pairing code, or automatically using a pairing file on a USB stick. Choose the method that suits the model and how you have access to the device. ### Pair a Pearl device using the Admin panel - Log in to the Admin panel on Pearl and click **Epiphan Edge** from the Configuration menu. On older firmware this may say **Epiphan Cloud**. The pairing code for your Pearl system is shown, as well as a link. - Select **Click to pair**. The Epiphan Edge login page opens on a new tab in your web browser. - As soon as you log in to your Epiphan Edge account, the device automatically pairs to your default team and the Device Settings page opens. - Select different tabs to see more information about your Pearl device. For example, select the Channels tab to see all channels configured on the device. **TIP**: While the Pearl device is paired, you can use the Admin panel to configure channels. The changes you make update automatically in Epiphan Edge. ### Pair Pearl-2 or Pearl Mini using the touch screen pairing code - Using the touch screen on Pearl, tap the **gear** icon to open the Settings screen. Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner and select **Epiphan Edge. ** On older firmware this may say **Epiphan Cloud**. - **If the Pearl-2 or Pearl Mini device is not currently paired to Epiphan Edge, the pairing code displays on screen. If the Pearl-2 or Pearl Mini is paired to Epiphan Edge, the screen shows the team it is paired to. - Using a web browser on your admin computer, login to Epiphan Edge at go.epiphan.cloud, eu.epiphan.cloud, or au.epiphan.cloud - In the far-right corner of the website, click **Pair device** to pair your Pearl device to the currently selected team. To pair the device to a different team, select a different team from the left navigation bar before you click **Pair device**. - Enter the pairing code and a name for the device. - Select **Pair device**. - Select different tabs to see more information about your Pearl device. For example, select the Channels tab to see a list of all channels configured on the device. **TIP**: When you're logged into Epiphan Edge, you can manually pair a device at any time using the device's pairing code when you click **Pair device** in the header. ### Pair Pearl Nexus using the Admin panel or Device Info over HDMI Pearl Nexus does not have a built-in touch screen or display, so the touch screen pairing method does not apply. Pair Pearl Nexus using either of the following: - Use the Admin panel pairing method described above. - Connect a display to the Pearl Nexus HDMI output and read the pairing code from the Device Info screen, then enter that code in Epiphan Edge. ### Pair Pearl Nano using the front screen menu pairing code - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the front screen menu displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System, **then** **select **Settings** - From the Settings screen, select **Epiphan Edge**. On older firmware this may say **Epiphan Cloud**. - **If Pearl Nano is not currently paired to Epiphan Edge, the pairing code displays on screen. If Pearl Nano is paired to Epiphan Edge, the screen changes and displays the option to **Unpair** instead of the pairing code. - Using a web browser on your admin computer, log in to Epiphan Edge at go.epiphan.cloud, eu.epiphan.cloud, or au.epiphan.cloud - In the far-right corner of the website, click **Pair device** to pair your Pearl device to the currently selected team. To pair the device to a different team, select a different team from the left navigation bar before you click **Pair device**. - Enter the pairing code and a name for the device. - Select **Pair device**. - Select different tabs to see more information about Pearl Nano. For example, select the Channel tab to see the configured channel. **TIP**: When you're logged into Epiphan Edge, you can manually pair a device at any time using the device's pairing code when you click **Pair device** in the header. ### Pair a Pearl device using a pairing USB stick A pairing file downloaded from Epiphan Cloud pairs a Pearl device automatically when the USB stick is inserted. This method works on Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, and Pearl Nexus. **Prepare the USB stick** - Make sure the USB drive is formatted with either FAT, exFAT, ext2 or ext4. - Connect the USB drive to a computer and change the USB drive label to **EPIPHAN**. - Create a folder called **EPIPHAN** as a top level folder. **Get the pairing file from Epiphan Cloud** - Go to your Epiphan Cloud account and choose the team you want to pair the Pearl device to. - Click **Pair device** at the top right. - Click **Get pairing file** at the bottom. The pairing file downloads automatically. - Copy the downloaded file into the **EPIPHAN** folder on the USB stick. Failing to place the pairing file in the EPIPHAN folder causes pairing to fail. - Safely eject the USB stick from your computer. **Pair the Pearl device** - Insert the USB stick into the front of the Pearl device. On Pearl Nano, use the rear USB port instead. - The Pearl device pairs automatically. **Confirm whether pairing succeeded** | Pearl model | Successful pairing | Unsuccessful pairing | | --- | --- | --- | | Pearl-2 | Epiphan Edge settings on the display or in the Pearl Admin panel show the paired team name | The display or the Admin panel show a pairing code | | Pearl Mini | Epiphan Edge settings on the display or in the Pearl Admin panel show the paired team name | The display or the Admin panel show a pairing code | | Pearl Nano | Epiphan Edge settings on the display or in the Pearl Admin panel show the paired team name | The display or the Admin panel show a pairing code | | Pearl Nexus | A steady blue light on the front LED indicators for some seconds | A flashing red light on the front LED indicators for some seconds | If you think the network is causing a problem, use the Pearl network diagnostic tools from the device display or the Admin panel. On Pearl Nexus, network status is available over the HDMI output by default. After pairing, log in to Epiphan Cloud and click **All devices** under Epiphan Edge in the left sidebar to see the paired device. Enable **Detailed view** near the top of Epiphan Edge for more information. To rename the device, click the device name, change it, and press Enter. --- ## Reboot or delete Pearl devices id: cloud-edge/reboot-or-delete-pearl-devices · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Reboot or delete Pearl devices You can reboot your Pearl devices remotely from Epiphan Edge and delete a device from your Epiphan Edge team. With an Epiphan Edge Premium plan, you can reboot or delete multiple Pearl devices at the same time. The device must be paired to a team to perform this procedure. A paired EC20 camera can be deleted from your Epiphan Edge team in the same way. Remote reboot from Epiphan Edge applies to Pearl devices. Deleting a device instance completely removes cloud access to the device and deletes any cloud-generated content associated with that device instance. If you pair the device again, a new device instance is created that has no association with any previous instances or the associated content. | Rebooting causes a service disruption for the length of time it takes for the device to recover. It can take some time for the device to fully recover so please be patient. | | --- | ### Reboot or delete Pearl devices using Epiphan Edge ### Reboot a single device - From the Devices Dashboard, click the three dots at the end of a device's row and select **Reboot**. Confirm your selection when prompted. - Follow the prompts to reboot the device. | Rebooting causes a service disruption for the length of time it takes for the device to recover and come back online. It can take some time for the device to fully recover so please be patient. If you reboot a device from the **Device info** tab, close the **Reboot your device** window manually because it may appear to load indefinitely. | | --- | ### Delete a single device - From the Devices Dashboard, click the three dots at the end of a device's row and select **Delete**. Confirm your selection when prompted. - Follow the prompts to confirm that you want to delete the device from the team. | Deleting a device instance completely removes cloud access to the device and deletes any cloud-generated content associated with that device instance. | | --- | ### Reboot or delete multiple Pearl devices - From the Devices Dashboard, select multiple Pearl devices. Then, click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select either **Reboot** or **Delete**. Confirm your selection. - Follow the prompts to reboot the Pearl devices or confirm that you want to delete the Pearl devices from the team. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | ### Reboot or delete multiple Pearl devices in groups - From the Devices Dashboard, choose the group of Pearl devices or select individual Pearl devices in the group. Then, click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select either **Reboot** or **Delete**. Confirm your selection. - Follow the prompts to reboot the Pearl devices or confirm that you want to delete the Pearl devices from the team. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | --- ## Schedule events id: cloud-edge/schedule-events · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Schedule events Starting with Pearl devices running firmware version 4.21.0 and newer, you can use Epiphan Edge to schedule recording and/or live stream events for your Pearl devices. Your Pearl device must first be paired with an Epiphan Edge account which is subscribed to the Premium plan. Secondly, Epiphan Edge scheduling must be enabled on the device. To enable Epiphan Edge and schedule an event for your paired device: - Click **Edge > All Devices**, select the device, then click **Events** Epiphan Edge scheduling can also be enabled from the Pearl device itself instead of from Epiphan Edge. In the Admin panel, go to **Configuration**, then **CMS**, select **Epiphan Edge** from the **Choose CMS** drop down, and click **Apply**. Either method enables the same feature; use whichever you have access to. - Click **Enable Epiphan Edge scheduling on your device**. - Click on the **Enable** button to confirm. - Click **+ Add event**. - Provide: - The **Event name**. - **Start date and time**. - **End date and time**. - Select the appropriate **Timezone**. - If this is a recurring event, select **Repeat event** and configure the recurring schedule. - Select which channels will be recorded and/or select where your device will stream to. - Click the **Create** button to send this schedule to for this Pearl device. --- ## Set up alert notifications and emails id: cloud-edge/set-up-alert-notifications-and-emails · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Set up alert notifications and emails Take immediate action to resolve issues with your paired Pearl devices. You can select specific alert conditions that trigger an alert email and visible alert notifications in Epiphan Edge. Email alerts go to the email address associated with your Epiphan Edge account. Health alert conditions, alert emails, and alert notifications also apply to paired EC20 cameras. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed for this feature. | | --- | Alerts are device specific. When managing alerts and selecting which alerts trigger a notification, you can filter and sort the Pearl devices that are listed on the Manage Alerts page. When an alert condition occurs, an email is sent and a persistent alert notification appears beside the bell icon in the header bar. At the same time, a temporary alert notification message appears. Click the alert notification message for details about that alert. Clicking the link in the alert email takes you to Epiphan Edge and opens the Device Details page for the affected Pearl device. For more details about the alert and suggested actions to resolve the issue, click the Alerts tab to open the Device Alerts page. **TIP**: If the device status is offline, you cannot return to Pearl's Device Details. Go to the general Alerts list for details about alerts for offline Pearl devices. You can also investigate alerts generated for all Pearl devices from the Alerts page when you click the alert bell icon in the left navigation bar or click the alert bell icon in the header. ### Alert descriptions and remedies | **Alert** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | **Offline Status** | Epiphan Edge has lost the connection to the device and the device appears offline. Check that your device has power and if the device has connection to the Internet. | | **Storage Limit** | The storage capacity on the device is low or unavailable. Check the available free storage space on the device and consider backing up old recordings before they're automatically deleted. | | **No Signal (inputs)** | No video signal is detected for a video input that's used in a custom layout configured for a channel on Pearl. The layout does not have to be active to generate this no signal alert. Check the following: Check that the video source is powered on. Verify that the video cable between the source and the device is properly connected. If you can, turn off HDCP on the source if it is enabled. For IP sources, verify that the network settings have not changed and confirm if the time stamps on the device and the IP source are synchronized. | | **No Signal (channels)** | No video signal is detected for a video input that's used in the active layout of a channel configured on Pearl. The layout containing the video source with no signal has to be selected as the active layout to generate this no signal alert. Check the following: Does the channel have a layout with a video source configured? Check that the video source is powered on. Verify that the video cable between the source and the device is properly connected. If you can, turn off HDCP on the source if it is enabled. For IP sources, verify that the network settings have not changed and confirm if the time stamps on the device and the IP source are synchronized. **TIP**: No Signal alerts can be generated when changing the encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel if the Pearl device's CPU usage is high. | | **Device health** | A warning or critical condition was reported on the device that should be investigated. Also indicates when the device is actively recording, streaming, or transcribing. Check the health status for your device on the Devices Dashboard. | | **Frame Rate** | The frame rate of a channel is lower than the configured frame rate. Consider reducing the number of encoded channels. Consider reducing the frame rate on channels that have relatively static content, like a slide presentation. Consider lowering the resolution and/or bitrate for some or all of the channels on the Pearl device. | | **Uplink Bandwidth** | Low bandwidth is detected when streaming a channel. Consider reducing the bitrate of channels being streamed. Reduce the number of channels that are being streamed. Consider scheduling Automatic File Upload (AFU) to network locations to start when the stream ends. | | **AFU** | The Pearl device is reporting an Automatic File Upload (AFU) error. Check the AFU configuration settings of the device. For AFU to a network destination, verify the configuration of the target server. For AFU to an attached USB storage device, verify that the USB drive is properly formatted and connected to one of the device's USB ports. | | **System Load** | System load exceeds the optimal performance threshold. Consider reducing the total number of encoded channels on your Pearl device. Consider reducing the frame rate on channels that have relatively static content, like a slide presentation. Consider lowering the resolution and/or bitrate for some or all of the channels. | | **Stream Issues** | The livestream from the Pearl device keeps trying to reconnect to the destination server. Verify the stream's configuration on the device. Verify that the streaming destination is configured correctly. Run the network Connectivity Status diagnostic test tool on the device to verify that the device is connected to the network and is not being blocked by a firewall, captive portal, or proxy. | | **No Storage Device** | This alert is generated if no storage device is found or detected. For SD card storage media, check the following: Is an SD card inserted? Is the SD card properly formatted? Ensure the SD card is not write protected. | ### Select which alerts trigger notifications using the Manage Alerts page - Open the page to manage alert notifications, do one of the following: - From the left navigation panel, click Settings and select **Manage Alerts**. - From the left navigation panel, click the Devices icon and select **Alerts** to open the Alerts page. Then click the **Manage alerts** link at the top of the page. - From the Manage Alerts page, select one or more alerts for each device. Hover over the top of a column to select all Pearl devices in a column. --- ## Set up and manage teams id: cloud-edge/set-up-and-manage-teams · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Set up and manage teams A team is a group of Epiphan Edge users that can be managed as a group within Epiphan Edge. You're assigned a default team when you sign up for a free Epiphan Edge account. As the account owner, you can create and manage multiple teams. Plans and services are set up for individual teams by the owner of that team and each team is billed separately. When you transfer ownership of a team to another team member, you have the option to transfer the billing information as well. However, the current billing information will continue to be used until such time as the new team owner accepts the transfer of the team and provides new billing information. Deleting a team cancels the service assigned to that team. When a team is deleted, a final charge is made to the credit card specified in the billing information for that team if there happens to be any outstanding charges. The team owner can invite people to join the team and assign them Admin or Operator roles. All team members and the account owner can pair, manage, and operate Pearl devices for their teams. When inviting a new member and assigning them the **Operator** role, admins and owners can configure their specific access level. The **Limited access** option restricts the Operator so they can view only specific groups, as opposed to having full access to all groups and devices. This specific access restriction is designated as a **Premium** feature. If the account is not on the Premium plan, the Limited access feature is unavailable, and a message prompts the user to contact their administrator to enable it. Operators, including Operators with Limited access, can pair Pearl devices and EC20 cameras. Owners and admins have some additional functions. - **Team/account owner**: Same as Admin plus can add a service, upgrade the team plan, delete unused teams, and assign a new team owner. - **Admin**: Same as Operator plus can add, manage access (operator or admin) remove team members. If an Admin or Owner on a Team, logging into a Pearl or EC20 logs in as Admin. - **Operator**: Can only pair, manage, and operate Pearl devices for their teams. If an Operator on a Team, logging into a Pearl or EC20 logs in as Operator. --- ## Set up and manage teams using Epiphan Edge id: cloud-edge/set-up-and-manage-teams-using-epiphan-edge · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Set up and manage teams using Epiphan Edge ### Select an existing team From the left navigation bar, click the **teams** icon and select an existing team from the menu. ### Create a new team and invite team members - From the top left navigation menu, click on your email address or the **teams icon** and then click **+Add new team**. A new team is created. - (Optional) Rename the team. Click in the name field in the left corner of the header bar and start typing. Press **Enter** on the keyboard or click outside the name field when you're done. - Click on your account name in the upper left of the page, and then **My team** to open the Team Members page, . - In the invite section of the Team Members page, enter the email address of the new team member and choose their role. Then click **Send invitation**. **TIP**: The invitation expires in 7 days. ### Change team member role or remove a team member - With the team already selected, click **My team**. - To change the team member's role, click the team member's current role and choose a different one in the drop-down menu. - To delete a team member, click the **x** beside that team member and confirm when prompted. ### Change team ownership and billing Only the current team owner can change ownership and billing for a team. - With the team already selected, click **My team**. - Click the current role of the team member you want to make the owner and choose **Owner **in the drop-down menu. Confirm when prompted. | If you choose to transfer the billing for the team to the new owner, the existing credit card information continues to be used until the new owner accepts ownership of the team and provides new billing information. | | --- | ### Delete a team - With the team already selected, click **My team** in the left navigation bar to open the Team members page. - Click **Delete team** and confirm when prompted. --- ## Start and stop recording channels id: cloud-edge/start-and-stop-recording-channels · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Start and stop recording channels Using Epiphan Edge, team members can remotely start, pause, resume, and stop recording channels on a Pearl device that is paired to the team. Pausing and resuming a recording requires Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or higher. You can even preview live video and audio from the Channel Details page before you record, see **Monitor channels and inputs**. You can start and stop recording your Pearl device using a combination of control interfaces, including: - Epiphan Edge - Admin panel - Control keys on Pearl Nano's front panel and the front screen menu - The touchscreen on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini - Epiphan Live - Third-party control (REST API) - Epiphan MCP (write actions require an Epiphan Edge Premium plan) It can take a few moments for the results to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. **Before you begin** Before you can start recording using Epiphan Edge, you'll need: - An Epiphan Edge account. - An admin computer with Internet access. - A Pearl device that is set up with Internet access and has the Epiphan Edge feature enabled. - A camera with audio connected to your Pearl device and channel layouts created. For full instructions to set up your Pearl device, see the product user guide for Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, or Pearl Nano. | For a recording session that you start in Epiphan Edge, the record timer continues to count if the Pearl device is powered down during the active recording session. The Pearl device resumes recording when the device powers back on. Stop the recording in Epiphan Edge if you don’t want to continue recording the session. | | --- | **Start and stop recording Pearl channels using Epiphan Edge** While a recording is in progress, click **Pause** to pause it. Click **Resume** to continue recording to the same file. Pausing does not stop the recording or create a new recording file. Pause and resume require Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or higher. ### Record a channel from the Devices Dashboard - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - In the row for the channel you want to record, click **Start Recording**. - When you're done, hover over the active recording button and click when the label changes to **Stop Recording** **TIP**: You can start and stop recording your Pearl device using a combination of control interfaces, like the Admin panel or the touch screen on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini. It can take a few seconds for the results to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. ### Record multiple channels from the Devices Dashboard - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - Select the rows for all the channels you want to record for a device, then click **Record** on the banner that appears below the channels. **TIP**: If groups are configured, you can select a group and control all channels for all Pearl devices in the group at the same time. You can also select a combination of Pearl devices and channels in the group. - When you're done, hover over the active recording button and click when the label changes to **Stop Recording**. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | ### Record a channel from the Channels list on the Device Details page - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name that appears in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - Select the Channels tab, then click **Start recording** in the row for the channel you want to record. - When you're done, hover over the active recording button and click when the label changes to **Stop Recording**. **TIP**: You can start and stop recording your Pearl device using a combination of control interfaces, like the Admin panel or the touch screen on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini. It can take a few seconds for the results to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. ### Record a channel from the Channel Details page - Open the Channel Details page, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the three dots at the end of the channel's row and select **Settings**. - From the Devices Details page, select the **Channels** tab to open the channels list, then click the channel preview icon. - From the Channel Details page, click **Start recording**. - When you're done, hover over the active recording button and click when the label changes to **Stop Recording**. **TIP**: You can start and stop recording your Pearl device using a combination of control interfaces, like the Admin panel or the touch screen on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini. It can take a few seconds for the results to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. --- ## Start or stop streaming channels id: cloud-edge/start-or-stop-streaming-channels · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Start or stop streaming channels Team members can start and stop streams from multiple places in Epiphan Edge, including the Devices Dashboard, the Channels list for a specific Pearl device, and from the Channel Details page. To easily stream a channel to one or multiple destinations, simply select the streaming destinations you want from the list of available destinations. Streaming destinations that are created on Pearl using the Admin panel appear at the top of the list. Select multiple of these locally created streams to livestream the channel to multiple destinations. Streams created on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini must have the Single Touch control feature enabled. Streams that are created using Epiphan Edge are listed below the locally created channel streams. These Epiphan Edge generated streaming destinations are available to all Pearl devices that are paired to your team. However, you can select only one common Epiphan Edge streaming destination at a time. | It can take a few moments for the results of selecting a common streaming destination to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. | | --- | You can use a combination of control interfaces to start and stop streaming your Pearl device, as well as start and stop common streaming destinations for a channel. Control interfaces include: - Epiphan Edge - Admin panel - Control keys on Pearl Nano's front panel and the front screen menu - The touchscreen on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini - Epiphan Live **Before you begin** Before you can use Epiphan Edge to start streaming a channel for your Pearl device, you'll need: - An Epiphan Edge Account. - An admin computer with Internet access. - A Pearl device that is set up with Internet access and has the Epiphan Edge feature enabled. - A camera with audio connected to your Pearl device and channel layouts created. - At least one streaming destination configured for the channel you want to stream. For Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, the stream must have Single Touch control enabled to be able to start and stop the stream using Epiphan Edge. **Start or stop streaming channels using Epiphan Edge** ### Stream a channel to one or multiple destinations from the Devices Dashboard - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - In the row for the channel you want to stream, click **Streaming destinations**. All available streams are listed. Streams that are created using Pearl's Admin panel are selected by default. **TIP**: The number of selected streaming destinations is shown on the Streaming destinations button. - Select one or more streaming destinations in the list, then click outside the pop up menu to close the menu. - (Optional) If you want to select a common streaming destination that isn't listed, click **Add and edit destinations** and select the common streaming destination you want included. - Click **Start streaming** to stream the channel to the selected destinations. - When you're done, hover over the active streaming button and click when the label changes to **Stop Streaming**. | You can use a combination of control interfaces to start and stop streaming, including common streaming destinations when configured for a channel. It can take a few moments for the results of selecting a common streaming destination to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. | | --- | ### Stream multiple channels from the Devices Dashboard - From the left navigation bar, select **Edge > All Devices** to open the Devices Dashboard. - In the row for the channel you want to stream, click **Streaming destinations** and select one or more stream destinations in the list. Repeat this step for all channels on all Pearl devices you want to stream. To select a common streaming destination, click **Add or edit destinations**. **TIP**: The number of selected streaming destinations is shown on the Streaming destinations button. - Select one or more stream destinations in the list, then click outside the pop up menu to close the menu. - Select the rows for all the channels you want to stream, then click **Stream** on the banner that appears below the channels. **TIP**: If groups are configured, you can select a group and control all channels for all Pearl devices in the group at the same time. You can also select a combination of Pearl devices and channels in the group. - When you're done, hover over the active recording button and click when the label changes to **Stop Streaming**. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | ### Stream a channel to one or multiple destinations from the Channels list - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name that appears in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - Select the **Channels** tab to display the Channels list. - In the row for the channel you want to stream, click **Streaming destinations**. All streams that are configured for the channel are listed and selected by default. **TIP**: The number of selected streaming destinations is shown on the Streaming destinations button. - Select one or more streaming destinations in the list, then click outside the pop-up menu to close the menu. - Click **Start streaming** to stream the channel to the selected destinations. - When you're done, hover over the active streaming button and click when the label changes to **Stop Streaming**. | You can use a combination of control interfaces to start and stop streaming, including common streaming destinations when configured for a channel. It can take a few moments for the results of selecting a common streaming destination to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. | | --- | ### Stream a channel to one or multiple destinations from the Channel Details page - Open the Channel Details page, do one of the following: - From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel preview icon or click the three dots at the end of the channel's row and select **Settings**. - From the Devices Details page, select the **Channels** tab to open the channels list, then click the channel preview icon. - At the bottom of the Channel Details page, the list of all streams that are configured for the channel using the Admin panel appears. - Start streaming! Do one of the following: - Click **Start** beside the stream to start streaming. When you're done, hover over the active streaming button and click when the label changes to **Stop streaming**. - If the channel has multiple streams configured, click **Start streams **below the channels to start all selected streams at the same time. When you're done, click **Stop all ** or click **Stop** beside the individual streams. | You can use a combination of control interfaces to start and stop streaming, including common streaming destinations when configured for a channel. It can take a few moments for the results of selecting a common streaming destination to appear in Epiphan Edge - so please be patient. | | --- | --- ## The Devices Dashboard id: cloud-edge/the-devices-dashboard · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # The Devices Dashboard The Devices Dashboard lists all Pearl devices and EC20 cameras associated with Epiphan Edge and is where you can quickly check the health of all your paired Pearl devices. See the status of your device in the status bar. A device can be Online or Offline, actively recording, streaming, or transcribing. The three dots at the end of a row reveals options like **Reboot**, **Unpair**, **Move to Group**, and **Delete**. Additional options depend on the device type that's selected. Grayed out options are unavailable. Batch operations such as start/stop streaming, recording, and transcription are available from the Devices Dashboard when you select multiple Pearl devices or channels. An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed for batch operations. You can also group Pearl devices to make it easier to apply actions to all or just some of the Pearl devices and channels in the group. An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed for batch operations. --- ## Unpair or delete a device id: cloud-edge/unpair-or-delete-a-device · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Unpair or delete a device ### Unpair or delete Pearl devices from the Devices Dashboard To unpair or delete Pearl devices from the Devices Dashboard, do one of the following: - Click the three dots at the end of a device's row and select either **Unpair** or **Delete**. Confirm your selection when prompted. - Select multiple Pearl devices. Then, click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select either **Unpair** or **Delete**. Confirm your selection when prompted. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to batch unpair or delete multiple Pearl devices. | | --- | - Select a group, then click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select either **Unpair** or **Delete**. Confirm your selection when prompted. Alternatively, you can select grouped Pearl devices individually. ### Unpair a Pearl device using the Admin panel - Log in to the Admin panel on your Pearl device and click **Epiphan Edge** from the Configuration menu. - Select **Unpair** and confirm your selection when prompted. | If you unpair a Pearl device using the Admin panel, the device status only changes to the Offline state in Epiphan Edge. You must unpair the device again using Epiphan Edge to properly unpair the device so that you a new pairing code is generated for your Pearl. | | --- | ### Unpair multiple Pearl devices - From the Devices Dashboard, select multiple Pearl devices. Then, click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select **Unpair**. Confirm your selection. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | ### Unpair multiple Pearl devices in a group From the Devices Dashboard, choose the group of Pearl devices or select individual Pearl devices in the group. Then, click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select **Unpair**. Confirm your selection. | An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed to perform batch operations. | | --- | --- ## Update firmware id: cloud-edge/update-firmware · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Update firmware When a firmware update is available for a device, an alert appears on the Devices Dashboard. Firmware updates also apply to a paired EC20 camera. When an update is available, update it from Epiphan Edge in the same way as a Pearl device. To update the firmware, click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Update Firmware**. If the Update Firmware option is grayed out, the device's firmware is up to date. During the firmware update, the device status may temporarily go offline until the firmware update is complete. | Firmware updates require you to reboot the device. This can take time so please be patient and do not turn off your Pearl while the firmware is updating. Refresh your browser window often to see the version number update. | | --- | Firmware can also be updated from the Device Info tab on Pearl's Device Details page. A firmware update button appears beside the firmware version when an update is available. Click the button to start the update process. Update the device firmware using Epiphan Edge ### Update firmware for a single device - From the Devices Dashboard, click the three dots at the end of a device's row and select **Firmware Update**. - Follow the prompts and reboot the device. --- ## Upload and create a configuration preset id: cloud-edge/upload-and-create-a-configuration-preset · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Upload and create a configuration preset Instantly reconfigure your Pearl devices at the same time without hassle. Create a configuration preset using Epiphan Edge or upload a configuration preset that's already created on Pearl and apply it to one or more paired Pearl devices. An Epiphan Edge Premium account is needed for this feature. Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to your Pearl system, leaving other important settings intact. You can see a list of available configuration presets for your Epiphan Edge team on the **Settings > Configuration presets** page. From Pearl's Device Details page, the Preset tab lists configuration presets that are available to all Pearl devices under **Team presets**. Configuration presets that are created locally on Pearl are also shown. The Presets tab is also where you create new configuration presets for your team and upload local presets from Pearl to Epiphan Edge. Presets you create are based on the settings of the currently selected Pearl device and are saved to the local device. Create presets using a unique name. A preset you create with the same name as an existing preset on Pearl will overwrite the configuration preset on Pearl. You can upload a configuration preset only once. Changing the preset file name does not enable you to upload the same preset file twice. However, it is possible to upload two completely different presets that have the same file name, but that is not recommended. The presets you create in Epiphan Edge can be downloaded to your admin computer, then from there be imported to a Pearl device using the Admin panel. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models. Only apply a preset to the same Pearl model for which the preset was originally created. Configuration preset file names cannot have # or + characters in them. | Make backups and download important recordings before applying a configuration preset to your Pearl system. Unintentional deletions can occur. Consult the user guide for your Pearl device for more information and recording recovery procedures after applying a configuration preset. | | --- | If the System and Network groups of settings are included in the configuration preset, a reboot is required. The device status will temporarily go offline until the reboot is complete. You can apply a configuration preset to Pearl devices of the same type in a group or to individually selected Pearl devices. **View and apply configuration presets** ### View available configuration presets for the team from the left navigation bar From the left navigation bar, select **Settings** and click **Configuration presets** to open the Configuration presets page. ### Apply configuration presets from the Device Details page - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - From the Device Details page, click the **Presets** tab to see the Configuration presets page for the device with a list of available configuration presets. - Click **Apply** beside the configuration preset you want to apply to this Pearl. ### Apply a configuration preset to multiple Pearl devices from the Devices Dashboard From the Devices Dashboard, you can apply a configuration preset to multiple Pearl devices in a group or to multiple ungrouped Pearl devices of the same model. - For a group of Pearl devices, select the group or some of the Pearl devices in the group, then click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select **Apply preset**. - For ungrouped Pearl devices, select multiple Pearl devices of the same model, then click the three dots that appears in the banner at the bottom of the page and select **Apply preset**. | If the **Apply preset** option is grayed out, check that you've chosen only the same Pearl models. | | --- | ### Create a configuration preset using Epiphan Edge You can create a new configuration preset based on the settings of the currently selected Pearl device. Configuration presets you create using Epiphan Edge are saved to the local device. Configuration preset file names cannot have # or + characters in them and should be unique. A preset you create with the same name as an existing preset on Pearl will overwrite the configuration preset on Pearl. - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - From the Device Details page, click the **Presets** tab to see the Configuration presets page for the device. - Click **Create a Configuration preset** and select the configuration groups you want to add to the new configuration preset. - Enter a unique name for the configuration preset and optionally add a description, then click **Create**. The configuration preset appears under **Local presets on the device**. ### Upload a local configuration preset from Pearl - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - From the Device Details page, click the **Presets** tab to see the Configuration presets page for the device. - Click **Upload** beside the local configuration preset you want to upload from Pearl. The configuration preset appears under **Team presets** when the upload is complete. ### Upload a configuration preset from your admin computer - Open the Configuration presets page by clicking **Settings > Configuration** in the left navigation bar or open the Preset tab for a device. Do one of the following: - To open the Configuration presets page from the left navigation bar, select **Settings** and click **Configuration presets**. - To open the device Configuration presets page from the Device Details page, click the **Presets** tab. - Drag and drop the configuration preset from your desktop to the file upload drop zone or click **+ Add new preset** and navigate to select the configuration preset file to upload. ### Download a team configuration preset to your admin computer To download a configuration preset from the list of available Configuration presets in Epiphan Edge, click the three dots at the end of the configuration preset's row and select **Download**. ### Delete a configuration preset in Epiphan Edge Deleting a configuration preset from your Epiphan Edge team doesn't delete the configuration preset from the Pearl device. To delete a configuration preset from the list of available Configuration presets in Epiphan Edge, click the three dots at the end of the configuration preset's row and select **Delete**. --- ## Verify and troubleshoot the Epiphan MCP connection id: cloud-edge/verify-and-troubleshoot-the-epiphan-mcp-connection · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # Verify and troubleshoot the Epiphan MCP connection To confirm the connection works, ask your assistant: > List my Epiphan devices and their status. A list of your paired devices means you're connected. If your team has write access, also try: > Start recording on Pearl Mini Classroom 504. Recording starting confirms write actions are working too. | Symptom | Cause | |---|---| | Sign-in fails, or no devices listed | Wrong region URL, or wrong team selected during sign-in | | Connects, but the assistant ignores it | Not enabled for that conversation | | Assistant answers from memory instead | Name Epiphan MCP explicitly in your prompt | | Worked yesterday, not today | Sign-in expired — reconnect | | Assistant appears stuck | Waiting for you to approve a tool call | | Option missing entirely | Free or unsupported plan, or an admin hasn't enabled it | --- ## View alert history and suggested actions id: cloud-edge/view-alert-history-and-suggested-actions · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # View alert history and suggested actions A recent history of alerts for all Pearl devices is shown on the Alerts page, which you access from the Alert bell icon in the left navigation panel. From the Alerts page, you can view alert details and suggested actions or causes. You can also view alerts for a specific Pearl device from the Device Details page when you select the **Alerts** tab. | If no alerts are listed, confirm that alerts are set up for your Pearl devices. An Epiphan Edge Premium plan is needed for this feature. | | --- | When an alert condition occurs, a persistent alert notification appears beside the bell icon in the header bar. At the same time, a temporary alert notification message pops up. Click the alert notification message before it disappears for details about that alert. ### View alert history for all Pearl devices From the left navigation panel, click the Alert bell icon. The Alerts page with a recent history of alerts for all Pearl devices opens. **TIP**: You can click the alert bell icon in the header bar when there are alert notifications to open the Alerts page. ### View alert history for a specific Pearl device - From the Devices Dashboard, click on the name of the device to open the Device Details. - From the Device Details page, select the Alerts tab. The Device Alerts page with a recent history of alerts for that device opens. ### View suggested actions to help troubleshoot alert conditions From the Alerts page, click the chevron that appears beside the alert message for suggested actions. **TIP**: When an alert condition occurs, a temporary alert notification message pops up. Click the alert notification message before it disappears for details about that alert. --- ## View channels list and channel details id: cloud-edge/view-channels-list-and-channel-details · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # View channels list and channel details The Devices Dashboard lists all channels that are configured for a paired Pearl device. Simply select the channel icon to open the Channel Details page. The Channel Details page is where you can preview video in full HD, start/stop streaming and recording, create common streaming destinations, and more. You can also pause and resume a recording in progress (Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or higher required). For details about specific settings for your Epiphan device see that device's user guide on our support pages: https://www.epiphan.com/support/. **TIP**: You can also see the list of channels from Pearl's Device Details page when you select the Channels tab. ### View channel list and channel details using Epiphan Edge ### View the Channel Details from the Devices Dashboard From the Devices Dashboard, click the channel icon or click the three dots at the end of the channel's row and select **Settings**. The Channel Details page opens. ### View the list of channels from the Device Details page and open the Channel Details - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name that appears in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - From the Devices Details page, select the Channels tab to open the channels list. - Click a channel icon to open the Channel Details page. --- ## View device details and system information id: cloud-edge/view-device-details-and-system-information · product: cloud-edge · source: epiphan-cloud-edge-userguide.md # View device details and system information From the Devices Dashboard, you can access the Device Details page for your Pearl devices. Find system information such as the IP address and device serial number under the Device Info tab. Device details and system information, such as the IP address and serial number, are also available for a paired EC20 camera on its Device Details page. ### View system information using Epiphan Edge ### View Pearl device information on the Device Details page - From the Devices Dashboard, click the device name that appears in the list or click the three dots at the end of the device's row and select **Settings**. The Device Details page opens. - Select the Device Info tab. - Click another tab to view different information about your Pearl device. --- ## Best-practice channel and audio setup for CMS events id: cms/best-practice-channel-and-audio-setup-for-cms-events · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Best-practice channel and audio setup for CMS events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* This guidance applies to every CMS integration on Pearl devices — Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and EchoVideo (Echo360). Typically, events are predominantly isolated recordings and streams of audio and video in separate channels. For example, three video sources connected to a Pearl device, each being its own dedicated recording. Each channel is delivered to the CMS as a separate source, so adding channels adds views of the same event. We recommend always associating the audio of the person speaking in the event to the primary video source when configuring your channel(s) in the Pearl Admin panel. For example: - Primary video channel: **Camera** - Secondary video channels: **Content**, **Document Cam** - Primary video source: **HDMI A** - Primary audio source: **XLR/TRS Audio** Keep the audio consistent across the layouts within a channel. A channel that mixes audio sources between layouts produces recordings whose audio changes when the layout switches. Use the same audio sources for every channel in a multi-view event. If the channels in one event carry different audio, the recordings the CMS receives will not match each other. Audio in the local recordings held on Pearl storage follows the channel, not the event. A secondary channel records audio if an audio source is selected in that channel's active layout, so a secondary channel with no audio source in its active layout produces a silent local recording. **Panopto** is the exception to watch. By default, Panopto secondary channel recordings contain no audio. To include it, check **Enable embedded audio for all local channel recordings** under **Settings** on the CMS page of the Pearl Admin panel. The Panopto guide documents this. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano supports a single channel, so a Pearl Nano event delivers one source to the CMS. The primary/secondary channel model above does not apply. The maximum number of video sources and channels available to a CMS event varies by Pearl model and by CMS platform. See the guide for your CMS platform for its specific limits. Once one device is configured the way you want it, save the configuration as a Configuration Preset and apply it to other devices of the same model rather than repeating the setup by hand. --- ## Change the events schedule refresh interval id: cms/change-the-events-schedule-refresh-interval · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Change the events schedule refresh interval *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Using the Admin panel, you can change how frequently to poll Kaltura for the latest event information to refresh the events listed on the Events page. The default interval is once every 3600 seconds (1 hour). Requesting updated information too frequently can impact performance. We recommend setting an interval of no less than 120 seconds (once every 2 minutes). The longest interval supported is 604800 seconds (once a week). **Change how often Pearl device polls Kaltura for the latest event information** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Advanced**, enter the Schedule refresh interval in seconds or choose a value from the drop down list. Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. --- ## Change the resource name used for Kaltura id: cms/change-the-resource-name-used-for-kaltura · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Change the resource name used for Kaltura *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Using the Admin panel, you can change the resource name that's assigned to Pearl device while it's registered with Kaltura. Each Pearl device is assigned a unique resource name that includes the serial number of the device by default. You can transfer scheduled VOD and scheduled webcasting events from one resource to another by assigning Pearl device the same resource name as another resource. When a resource with the same name is already registered in Kaltura, a warning message appears when you try to apply the new resource name to Pearl device. - If there's only one other registered resource with that name, you're prompted to choose whether or not to take over the events for that other resource. If you do take them over, Kaltura transfers all scheduled events from that other device over to Pearl device. - If more than two other resources are already registered with the same resource name in Kaltura, the name change fails. You're prompted to choose a different resource name and try again. **Change Pearl device resource name using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Change the **Resource name** and click **Apply**. --- ## CMS event controls using the touch screen id: cms/cms-event-controls-using-the-touch-screen · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # CMS event controls using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini.* Pearl devices start recording scheduled events automatically; however, you can use the touch screen to start and stop scheduled events sooner. The touch screen can also be used to authenticate with your Content Management System (CMS) to create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. **Table 10 Events screens for scheduled Kaltura, Echo360, Panopto, and YuJa events** | **Events screens** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | | The Calendar icon appears on the touch screen when CMS is setup using the Admin panel. | | | Tap the calendar icon to display the Events screen. For example: From the Channel view, the calendar icon appears along the bottom of the screen. | | | This Events screen displays when no scheduled events are configured. To create an ad hoc recording or webcast, tap **Create event** and authenticate using your CMS credentials (not required for Echo360, Opencast, or Panopto when using Default Folder). **Note:** The Pearl device must be registered with the CMS to create ad hoc events. | | | This Events screen displays when a scheduled event is configured and it's 30 minutes or more before the event start time. Notice that this is a recurring event with the date appended to the event name. To create an ad hoc recording or webcast, tap **Create event** and authenticate using your CMS credentials (not required for Echo360, Opencast, or Panopto when using Default Folder). Tap the channel thumbnail to go to the Channel view and see a live preview of that channel with an audio VU meter for confidence monitoring. | | | This Events screen displays when a scheduled event is set to start within 30 minutes. To start the scheduled event early, tap **Start event**. To create an ad hoc recording or webcast, tap **Create event** and authenticate using your CMS credentials (not required for Echo360, Opencast, or Panopto when using Default Folder). Echo360 scheduled events can be started early only in the last five minutes before the start time, when ad hoc events cannot be created. **Note:** Scheduled events override ad hoc events. The Pearl device stops the ad hoc event and starts the scheduled event when it's time for the scheduled event to start. | | | This Events screen displays when a scheduled event is set to start in five minutes or less. To start the scheduled event early, tap **Start event**. **Note:** For Panopto, the video quality you select for the session overrides the channel encoding settings in the Pearl device. Notice the lower resolution of HDMI-B for the slides with the inserted black bars. Video quality encoding settings applied to the channel by Panopto persist for that channel after the scheduled event ends. | | | This Events screen displays while a scheduled or an ad hoc session is in progress. An additional pause button lets you pause and resume active event recordings (Kaltura and EchoVideo: firmware 4.24.6 or newer). To stop the event early, tap the **square** stop button. To extend the event, tap **+5 minutes**. The extend event button can be setup to add 5, 10, or 15 minutes each time it is selected. See your Pearl device administrator. | | | If configured, the Pearl device mutes the audio and displays an event paused image when a Panopto CMS recording or webcasting event is paused. If **mute on pause** and the on-screen **pause illustration** are not enabled on the Pearl device, your viewers watching the stream can see and hear the live webcast while the event is paused, as well as in the recording in Panopto. | Authenticating using the touch screen lets you create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. **Table 11 Unscheduled ad hoc event screens** | **Unscheduled ad hoc event screens** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | | **Panopto login screen**: When Pearl device is registered with Panopto, this authentication screen appears when you tap **Create event** from the Events screen. Tap in a field and enter your credentials, then tap **Sign in**. **TIP: **To check the **Keep me signed in** check box using the built-in keyboard or an externally connected keyboard, press the space bar. | | | **Kaltura login screen**: When Pearl device is registered with Kaltura, this authentication screen appears when you tap **Create event** from the Events screen. Tap in the Event owner field and enter your Kaltura user ID or a valid Kaltura email address as your login credentials, then tap **Next**. | | | This screen displays after a successful authentication. To create an ad hoc event, tap **Next** to go to the next screen and set the event title and details. Tapping **Logout **logs you out of your CMS session and you return to the Events screen. | | | Now enter your event details. For **Panopto**, you can change the ad hoc session title, duration, choose the type of event (VOD or Live Stream), and select the folder in Panopto to upload the file. **My Folder** is the default. Swipe to scroll down the list. Double tap and use the Back button to navigate nested folders. Tap **Start** when you're ready to start the ad hoc event. | | | For **Kaltura,** you can change the ad hoc session title, duration, choose the type of event (VOD, Live Stream, or VOD + Live Stream), and add a description. Swipe to scroll down to add Kaltura categories and tags. Tap **Start** when you're ready to start the ad hoc event. | | | This Events screen displays after you have started the ad hoc event. To stop the ad hoc event, tap the **square** stop button. To extend the event, tap **+5 minutes**. The extend event button can be setup to add 5, 10, or 15 minutes each time it is selected. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. An additional pause button lets you pause and resume active event recordings (Kaltura and EchoVideo: firmware 4.24.6 or newer). **Note:** To log out after stopping an ad hoc event, tap **Create event** from the Events screen and re-enter your User ID to return to this logout screen. | --- ## CMS recording and webcasting control id: cms/cms-recording-and-webcasting-control · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # CMS recording and webcasting control *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl device appears as an available recorder as soon as the device is registered with your CMS and records scheduled events, recurring events, and unscheduled ad hoc events for the CMS the Pearl is registered with. Connect multiple audio and video sources directly to Pearl device and record content from HD cameras, document cameras, HDMI output from computers, and even digital microscope cameras. Scheduled events start and end automatically. No manual intervention is required. After the event ends, recorded files automatically upload to the CMS. If the network connection or the CMS goes down during an event, it records locally on Pearl device and uploads automatically when network connectivity resumes. You can manually control recording and webcasting using the Admin panel. For EchoVideo, Kaltura, Opencast, Panopto, and YuJa events, you can also pause and resume the recording during an event (Kaltura and EchoVideo: firmware 4.24.6 or newer); see "Extend, pause, and resume CMS recordings and webcasts." Back up recordings are easily recovered using the Admin panel. Do not schedule recordings that are longer than the capacity of Pearl device to store the recording on it's local drive. Do not remove your storage device from the Pearl device during a recording. ### Create ad hoc events using the Admin panel You can create and start an ad hoc recording or webcast using the Admin panel or third-party control. Your Pearl device must be registered with your CMS to create ad hoc events; see "What each CMS needs to register a Pearl device." You must authenticate using your CMS login credentials before you can enter the ad hoc event details and start the event. Contact your CMS administrator if authentication fails and login is denied. For EchoVideo (Echo360) and Opencast, no CMS login is needed. For EchoVideo, see "Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo" in the EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration guide. User accounts must be defined on the CMS itself and not a subsidiary system such as an LMS. **Kaltura event details** **Table 64 Kaltura ad hoc event details** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | **Event owner** | The event owner will be the email connected to your Kaltura account. | | **Full name** | The full name associated with the Kaltura account. | | **Admin owner** | Select a Kaltura user group from the drop down list. The groups listed here are groups that the event creator is a member of. Kaltura groups must be enabled from the Kaltura settings page. | | **Session title** | Enter a unique name for the ad hoc event. If no name is entered, a default event consisting of the current date and time is applied. For example: 2019-07-04 13:22 | | **Description** | Enter a description of the event. | | **Tags** | Add Kaltura search tags separated by commas. For example: tag1, tag2, tag3. | | **Category** | Add a Kaltura category. | | **Duration** | Select the event duration in minutes from the drop down list or enter a value using your keyboard. Select a value from 5 to 240 minutes or enter a value using your keyboard. | | **Event type** | Choose either VOD (Video on Demand), Live-stream, or VOD + Live-stream as the ad hoc event type. | **Panopto event details** **Table 65 Panopto ad hoc event details** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | **Session title** | Enter a unique name for the ad hoc event. If no name is entered, a default event consisting of the current date and time is applied. For example: 2021-07-04 13:22 | | **Folder** | Select the folder in Panopto where you want the recorded file to upload. Your Panopto MyFolder is the default folder. For ad hoc events, the Pearl device ignores a user's presets that are set in Panopto. As a result, ad hoc recordings automatically upload to the user's default folder as originally assigned by Panopto. | | **Duration** | Select the event duration in minutes from the drop down list or enter a value using your keyboard. Select a value from 5 to 240 minutes or enter a value using your keyboard. | | **Event type** | Choose either VOD or Live-stream as the ad hoc event type. | **Table 66 Opencast ad hoc event details** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | **Session title** | Enter a unique name for the ad hoc event. If no name is entered, a default event consisting of the current date and time is applied. For example: 2021-07-04 13:22 | | **Duration** | Select the event duration in minutes from the drop down list or enter a value using your keyboard. Select a value from 5 to 240 minutes or enter a value using your keyboard. | | **Subject** | Provide a subject for the event. | | **Description** | Enter a description for this Opencast event | ** ** **Create an ad hoc event using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Events menu, click **Events**. The Events page opens. - Click **Create new event**. A pop-up window appears. - For Kaltura: In the Event owner field, enter your Kaltura user ID as your CMS login credentials, then click **Login**. After you're authenticated, your user name appears in the **Full name** field and you can enter the ad hoc event details. - For Panopto: Enter your Panopto CMS user name and password in the login window, then click **Sign in**. In the events details pop up, your user name appears in the **Full name** field and you can enter the ad hoc event details. If you get the login error that your account is not active, your CMS has blocked your account. If login to the CMS is denied, the account you entered may not exist or may not have access rights to create an ad hoc event using Pearl device. Contact your CMS administrator for CMS related login and account issues. - Click **Start event now** when you're ready to start recording or Live-streaming. Or click **Cancel**. When you're done creating ad hoc events, it's good practice to log out of the CMS so that nobody can use your CMS account to create events using the Admin panel ### Upload the local Panopto webcast recording By default, the Pearl device always records a Panopto webcasting event locally and uploads that recording when the webcast ends. Once uploaded, the Panopto server uses the local recording from the Pearl device instead of the original webcast. You can disable this feature using the Admin panel. If an upload schedule is set, the webcast recording uploads during the scheduled upload time period **Enable or disable uploading the local webcast recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - Under **Settings**, check **Upload the webcast recording** and click **Apply** at the bottom of the page to always upload the local recording of webcasting events or uncheck **Upload the webcast recording** to disable the feature. ### Recover channel backup recordings Recordings automatically upload to the CMS platform after the event ends. If for some reason the recordings are not available in the CMS, administrators can manually download backup recordings for a channel on the Pearl device. Your Pearl device saves a local backup of recordings automatically in a round-robin fashion. When the record drive is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest ones. Pearl administrators and operators can use the Admin panel to manually download and delete channel recordings. **Download recordings for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - From the Events menu, click the arrow icon beside the event to see which channels were included for that event. - From the Channels menu, click **Recording**. The Recordings page for that channel opens with a list of recorded files. - Click the name of the recording to download the file or select multiple files and click **Download Selected**. **Delete recordings for a channel using the Admin panel** To delete recordings for a channel, do one of the following: - To delete a single recording, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To delete multiple recordings, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete and click **OK** when prompted. - To delete all recordings for the selected channel, click **Delete Selected** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the recorder settings page (for recorders). **Status and monitoring** Pearl device lets you monitor audio and check the status of your channels, live streams, and recordings. A large capacity (256 GB or more recommended) storage is required to record CMS events. Do not remove any storage while files are uploading. **Device differences** **Pearl Nano cannot start ad hoc events from the device display, except for Panopto events when the Upload destination is the Default Folder and Enable user-customizable ad hoc events is disabled on the CMS page of the Admin panel.** Otherwise, ad hoc events on Pearl Nano are created using the Admin panel, on CMS platforms that support ad hoc events. For Kaltura, Opencast, and YuJa, Pearl Nano cannot create ad hoc events from the front screen at all. --- ## Configure your Pearl device and the EchoVideo integration id: cms/configure-your-pearl-device-and-the-echovideo-integration · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Configure your Pearl device and the EchoVideo integration Configuring a Pearl device for EchoVideo (Echo360) covers best practices and typical setup, registering the Pearl with Epiphan servers, and installing the Echo360 application to register with EchoVideo: - Best practices and typical setup - How to register a Pearl device with Epiphan servers - How to install the Echo360 application and register the Pearl device with EchoVideo ### EchoVideo (Echo360) channel capacity In a typical setup, the events operated by a Pearl device can deliver up to three recordings to EchoVideo. On a Pearl-2, EchoVideo supports up to four channels. For the channel and audio layout we recommend for any CMS event, including which audio source to associate with the primary video source, see the best-practice channel and audio setup guidance for CMS events. See the [Pearl Basics video series for more help](https://fast.wistia.com/embed/channel/vlqoggnt7d). --- ## Connect a USB control button to control CMS events id: cms/connect-a-usb-control-button-to-control-cms-events · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Connect a USB control button to control CMS events # CMS features common to all Pearl integrations *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus, except where a section states otherwise. Device-specific behavior and limitations are noted in each section.* *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl device supports connection of an external USB control button to send an individual command. A button can be configured to send a single command: **Confirm/Stop an Event**, **Pause/Resume an Event**, or **Start/Stop/Pause/Resume an Event**. You can connect a USB control button directly to a USB port. The following USB control buttons are supported: - [Delcom USB HID Programmable Single Button Switch, part number 706501](https://www.delcomproducts.com/productdetails.asp?PartNumber=706501) - Delcom USB HID Visual Signal Indicator with switch, part numbers 904023-S and 904025-S Starting in firmware version 4.24.0, you can program one of these buttons to send a **single** command to a Pearl device. You cannot configure a single button to send multiple commands. Programming the Delcom USB HID Programmable Single Button Switch - Download, install and start the Delcom Software utility on a Windows computer. - Connect the Delcom USB Single Button switch to a USB port on the computer. - Within the Delcom setup utility, click the **Read Device** button. - Verify that the Delcom setup utility is able to successfully detect and read data from the attached USB button. - In the Button setup section of the setup utility, program BUTTON 1 of the switch with the following settings: - **TYPE**: KEYBOARD - **ACTION**: Momentary - if configuring the button for **Pause/Resume** or **Confirm/Stop Event**; Hold/Repeat - if configuring the button for **Start/Stop/Pause/Resume** - **CODE**: 19 - Keyboard p and P - If configuring the button for **Pause/Unpause** or **Start/Stop/Pause/Resume** **OR** - **CODE**: 22 - Keyboard s and S - If configuring the button for **Confirm/Stop Event** - **LED**: Off - **Init**: selected - Click **Program Device**. - Click **Yes**, when prompted to program the device. - Verify that the programming was successful. - Within the Delcom setup utility, click the **Read Device** button to verify the settings match those programmed. **To pause and resume a Panopto, Echo360, Kaltura, Opencast, or YuJa event that is in progress:** - Attach the control button to one the USB ports at the back of the Pearl. - When CMS event is in progress, the LED light on the Delcom button is turned on. - Press the button to pause the recording. - The LED light pulses to indicate that the CMS event is paused. - Press the button again to resume event. **To Confirm and stop a previously confirmed Panopto, Kaltura, Opencast, or YuJa event:** - Attach the control button to one of the USB ports at the back of the Pearl. - Before the CMS event begins, the LED light on the Delcom button is turned on. - Press the button to confirm the event. - The Event will begin as scheduled. - If needed you can press the button again to stop a previously confirmed event early. **When configured for Confirm/Stop, the USB control button can stop only events that were previously confirmed using the button. This applies only when Scheduled event opt-in (event confirmation) is enabled; it is disabled by default.** **To start, stop, pause, or resume a Panopto, Echo360, Kaltura, Opencast, or YuJa event using a single button:** Pause is supported for all CMS platforms using this mode. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. Follow the instructions below to use the USB button to start, stop, pause, or resume a CMS event: | If Pearl... | Then pressing the button will cause the Pearl to... | | --- | --- | | Does not have an event in progress and has an event scheduled to start within 30 minutes (5 minutes for Echo360) | No action needed — recording starts at the scheduled time. Press and hold for 5 seconds or more to start the scheduled recording immediately. | | Does not have an event in progress and does not have an event scheduled to start within 30 minutes | Press and hold for 5 seconds or more to start a 60-minute ad hoc recording to the remote recorder's default folder. This is supported for Panopto and Opencast only; YuJa does not support ad hoc events. EchoVideo (Echo360) ad hoc events cannot be started with a USB control button. | | Has an event that is currently recording | Press and release to pause recording. Press and hold for 5 seconds or more to stop recording. | | Has an event that is currently paused | Press and release to resume recording. Press and hold for 5 seconds or more to stop recording. | --- ## Connect a USB status light id: cms/connect-a-usb-status-light · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Connect a USB status light *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl device support connection of an external USB status light to visually indicate the status of recording and streaming. You can connect a USB status light directly to a USB port on the Pearl device. The following USB status lights are supported: - Kuando BusyLight models: UC Alpha and UC Omega - Delcom Products USB HID single color and multicolor signal indicators The status light is activated as soon as it is connected to a USB port on the Pearl device and flashes once. **Table 24 Status light indicator** **Table 25 The default behavior of status lights is shown in the table below.** | **Light** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Solid off | The Pearl device is not currently recording or streaming. | | Solid on | Recording or streaming is in progress. | | Flashing | Rapid flashing (approximately five blinks per second) commences five minutes before a scheduled event begins. Slow flashing (approximately two blinks per second) indicates that an error occurred during recording or live streaming. | Starting in firmware version 4.23.1, for each state of Pearl, you will be able to select the color and status of light according to following table. | **Pearl state** | **Selectable color** | **selectable light status** | | --- | --- | --- | | Idle | Red, green, yellow, or blue | Disable (default), solid, slow pulse, or fast pulse | | Recording | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid (default), slow pulse, fast pulse, or disabled | | Streaming | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid (default), slow pulse, fast pulse, or disabled | | CMS event is about to start | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid, slow pulse (default), fast pulse, or disabled | | CMS event is running | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid (default), slow pulse, fast pulse, or disabled | | CMS event is paused | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid, slow pulse (default), fast pulse, or disabled | | CMS event is about to end | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid (default), slow pulse, fast pulse, or disabled | | Error | Red (default), green, yellow, or blue | Solid (default), slow pulse, fast pulse, or disabled | **Select color for on-air light status** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Configuration** menu, select USB Lights. - Select the color and light status for each state of your Pearl --- ## Create ad hoc events using the touch screen id: cms/create-ad-hoc-events-using-the-touch-screen · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Create ad hoc events using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini.* You can create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts directly from the Pearl device's touch screen using the Events screen. To manually display the Events screen, just tap the Calendar icon that appears along the bottom of the Channel view. Tapping a thumbnail takes you back to the Channel view where you can monitor a live preview of the video source and check the audio VU meters. In this example, the scheduled event **Math 200** starts in about 13 minutes. To create an ad hoc event, tap **Create event** and log in using your CMS login credentials. For EchoVideo (Echo360) and Opencast, no login is needed; for EchoVideo, see "Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo" in the EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration guide. If you get the login error that your account is not active, your CMS has blocked your account. If login to the CMS is denied, the account you entered may not exist or may not have access rights to create an ad hoc event using the Pearl device. Contact your CMS administrator for CMS related login and account issues. Once you're logged in, you can choose to either log out and return to the Events screen or continue. Tap **Next** to continue. On the next screen, tap in any field to change the title and event details. The current date and time is the default session title. Depending on which CMS you use, different fields are visible. Swipe the screen to see more event details. | **Kaltura event details screen** | **Panopto event details screen** | | --- | --- | | | | Tap **Start** when you're ready to start the event. When you're done, tap the **square** stop even button and confirm your selection when prompted. The recording automatically uploads to your CMS. After your event ends, you remain logged in for one hour. To prevent someone else from starting an ad hoc event using your account, you should manually logout using the touch screen. Tap **Create event** from the Events screen to return to the Logout screen. **Important considerations** - Authentication credentials must be set up by your CMS administrator before you can log in to your CMS and create ad hoc events from the touch screen on Pearl device. No login is needed for EchoVideo (Echo360) or Opencast ad hoc events. - For Kaltura, you can use your Kaltura user ID or a valid Kaltura email address to authenticate and create ad hoc events from the touch screen on Pearl device. - You cannot start an ad hoc event if it's within five minutes of a scheduled event's start time. The Create event button does not display. - Scheduled events have priority over ad hoc events. If an ad hoc event is still in progress when it's time to start a scheduled event, the Pearl device gracefully stops the ad hoc event and automatically starts the scheduled event. The ad hoc recording automatically uploads to the CMS. - For ad hoc events to work, the user must have an account with their Content Management System (CMS) so they can log in using the Pearl device's touch screen (not required for EchoVideo or Opencast). CMS must also be set up on the Pearl device and the Pearl device must be registered with the CMS. If you don't see a calendar icon in the Channel view of the touch screen, contact your CMS administrator responsible for setting up hardware encoders to confirm that the Pearl device is properly registered as a remote recorder resource. - For Kaltura, only Pearl administrators can configure channels for ad hoc events using the Admin panel. - For Panopto, each channel that is configure on Pearl device is treated as a separate video source for multi-source ad hoc events. - For Panopto ad hoc events, the Pearl device ignores a user's presets that are set in Panopto. As a result, ad hoc recordings automatically upload to the user's default folder as originally assigned by Panopto. - The maximum event duration using the touch screen is 600 minutes (10 hours); however, do not enter a duration that produces a recording that's larger than the capacity of the local storage available on the Pearl device. - Separate back up recordings of each channel are automatically saved on Pearl device. Contact your Pearl administrator for the availability of back up recordings. **Pearl Nano cannot start ad hoc events from the device display, except for Panopto events when the Upload destination is the Default Folder and Enable user-customizable ad hoc events is disabled on the CMS page of the Admin panel.** Otherwise, ad hoc events on Pearl Nano are created using the Admin panel, on CMS platforms that support ad hoc events. For Kaltura, Opencast, and YuJa, Pearl Nano cannot create ad hoc events from the front screen at all. --- ## Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo id: cms/create-ad-hoc-events-with-echovideo · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* With firmware 4.24.6 or newer, you can create and start an unscheduled ad hoc EchoVideo event from the Pearl device in three ways: the device's built-in touch screen (Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini), the Admin panel, or third-party control devices and the Pearl REST API. **EchoVideo ad hoc events cannot be started with Delcom USB buttons.** **Epiphan Edge cannot start EchoVideo ad hoc events**; Edge can start scheduled EchoVideo events early. An impromptu event can also be started from the Echo360 web interface. The touch screen and the Admin panel offer the same ad hoc event settings: | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | **Event Name** | The name of the ad hoc event. | | **EchoVideo Profile** | The profile to use for the event. Profiles are created in EchoVideo. | | **Duration** | How long the event lasts. | | **Recording Quality** | The quality of the event recording. | | **Primary Audio** | The channel used as the primary audio source. | ### Create an ad hoc EchoVideo event using the touch screen On Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini: 1. Tap the calendar icon on the touch screen to go to the Events screen. If **Start screen locked mode** (sometimes called kiosk mode) is on, the Events screen may already be locked in place; see "Set up a CMS start screen." 2. Tap **Create event**. The **Create event** button appears only when the next scheduled event is more than five minutes away. 3. Set the ad hoc event settings, then tap **Next**. 4. Check your settings on the confirmation screen, then tap **Create event**. For more about the touch-screen Events screens, see "CMS event controls using the touch screen." ### Create an ad hoc EchoVideo event using the Admin panel 1. In the Admin panel, go to the **Events** page under **Events**. 2. Click **Create new event**. 3. Set the ad hoc event settings, then click **Next**. 4. Check your settings on the confirmation page, then click **Create event**. ### Start an ad hoc EchoVideo event using third-party control or the REST API Ad hoc EchoVideo events can be started from third-party control systems such as Crestron and Q-SYS. Download the latest control modules from the Control Modules tab of your Pearl device's support page (see Device differences). For custom implementations, use the Events commands of the Pearl REST API. Do not use the Recorder or Publisher REST API commands for EchoVideo events. They do not associate recordings with CMS events; only Events commands do. Only three parameters are available when you start an ad hoc event through third-party control or the REST API: title, duration, and event type. These ad hoc events use the Default profile set in EchoVideo for the device running the event. **Ad hoc webcasts started through the REST API or third-party control are not supported by EchoVideo.** A live (webcast or streamed) ad hoc event created this way is forced to be a VOD event. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Control modules: https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-2-software-documentation/#control-modules - **Pearl Mini:** Control modules: https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-mini-software-documentation/#control-modules - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no touch screen. Create ad hoc EchoVideo events using the Admin panel, third-party control, or the REST API. Control modules: https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nexus-software-documentation/#control-modules --- ## Creating, modifying, and deleting YuJa events id: cms/creating-modifying-and-deleting-yuja-events · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # Creating, modifying, and deleting YuJa events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Once a Pearl device is registered with YuJa, scheduled events can be created, modified, and deleted. All creation, modification, and deletion of YuJa events must be done from the YuJa interface. To learn more about creating, modifying, and deleting events in YuJa, contact your YuJa administrator. Once an event has been created in YuJa, view the event in the Pearl Admin panel by clicking **Events** in the navigation pane. Once an event is scheduled in YuJa, click **Refresh schedule** in the Pearl Admin panel and the event will appear. Alternatively, wait five minutes for the Pearl device to automatically refresh and pull scheduled events from YuJa. Do not restart your Pearl device during a YuJa scheduled event. --- ## Delete your EchoVideo (Echo360) integration id: cms/delete-your-echovideo-echo360-integration · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Delete your EchoVideo (Echo360) integration - Log in to the Pearl Admin panel (via Epiphan Edge or locally). - Navigate to **Configuration**, then **CMS**. - In the Echo360 panel, click **Delete Configuration**. This disconnects the Pearl from EchoVideo. - Navigate to the **Apps** page. - In the **Installed** section, click the **Delete** button to remove the Echo360 integration. **⚠️ Warning** If you delete the integration, it must be downloaded again before you can connect the Pearl with EchoVideo. Once disconnected, the Pearl can no longer record or stream as part of EchoVideo events. Third-party apps are saved to the Pearl device's SSD or SD card. If the storage medium is removed, the Echo360 app disappears from the Admin panel and the device is offline in EchoVideo. Reinsert the storage medium to restore functionality. --- ## Disable CMS and disconnect from Opencast id: cms/disable-cms-and-disconnect-from-opencast · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Disable CMS and disconnect from Opencast *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* When you use the Admin panel to disable CMS on Pearl device, the remote recorder disconnects from Opencast. As long as Pearl device is still registered, you can create new scheduled sessions in Opencast for this remote recorder, but the events schedule won't synchronize until CMS is re-enabled. If CMS is re-enabled on Pearl device before a VOD session is scheduled to end, recording starts automatically on Pearl device when the connection to Opencast is re-established. **Important considerations** - You cannot start unscheduled ad hoc events when CMS is disabled on Pearl device. - Sessions that are scheduled to start while CMS is disabled on Pearl device do not start on Pearl device. - Deleting Pearl device in Opencast permanently deletes future scheduled and recurring sessions associated with that remote recorder. - Do not disable CMS while an event is in progress. **Disconnect Pearl device from Opencast using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - To disconnect Pearl device, select **none** from the **Choose CMS** drop down and then click **Apply**. --- ## Disable CMS and disconnect from Panopto id: cms/disable-cms-and-disconnect-from-panopto · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Disable CMS and disconnect from Panopto *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* When you use the Admin panel to disable CMS on Pearl device, the remote recorder disconnects from Panopto. As long as Pearl device is still registered, you can create new scheduled sessions in Panopto for this remote recorder, but the events schedule won't synchronize until CMS is re-enabled. If CMS is re-enabled on Pearl device before a VOD session is scheduled to end, recording starts automatically on Pearl device when the connection to Panopto is re-established. However, when the start of a scheduled webcasting event is missed, the stream does not automatically start when the connection is re-established. A new webcasting event should be created. Revoking the registration key and deleting Pearl device as a remote recorder is performed in Panopto, see Panopto's documentation for instructions. If you delete Pearl device in Panopto, all scheduled and recurring events that were associated with Pearl device are permanently deleted. Content Management Systems (CMSs) can change channel settings automatically. After disabling CMS on Pearl device, it's good practice to check your channel settings or apply a configuration preset to restore your channel to known values. **Important considerations** - You cannot start unscheduled ad hoc events when CMS is disabled on Pearl device. - Sessions that are scheduled to start while CMS is disabled on Pearl device do not start on Pearl device. - Scheduled webcasting events do not start if the Pearl device's connection to Panopto is not available. - Deleting Pearl device in Panopto permanently deletes future scheduled and recurring sessions associated with that remote recorder. - Do not disable CMS while an event is in progress. **Disconnect Pearl device from Panopto using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - To disconnect Pearl device, select **none** from the **Choose CMS** drop down and then click **Apply**. **Device differences** - There are no specific device differences when disabling CMS or disconnecting a Pearl device from Panopto. --- ## Disable low disk space Panopto alerts id: cms/disable-low-disk-space-panopto-alerts · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Disable low disk space Panopto alerts *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl device sends a low disk space alert to Panopto when the amount of internal storage space on the device is low. You can disable the low disk space alerts that Pearl device sends to Panopto using the Admin panel, and enable them again at any time. Generally, this setting is not needed as Pearl devices will record over the oldest recodings when it runs out of space. There is no need to **Disable low disk space Panopto alerts using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - Under **Settings**, uncheck **Low disk space alert** and click **Apply** at the bottom of the page to disable sending these alerts to Panopto. - To enable this feature again, simply check **Low disk space alert** and click **Apply**. --- ## Disable or deregister from Kaltura id: cms/disable-or-deregister-from-kaltura · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Disable or deregister from Kaltura *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* You can disable CMS using the Admin panel and still select Pearl device as a resource using Kaltura MediaSpace. However, the events schedule won't synchronize on Pearl device and any events that are scheduled to start while CMS is disabled do not start on Pearl device. If CMS is re-enabled on Pearl device before the event is scheduled to end, that event will start automatically after the events schedule is refreshed on Pearl device. Existing events that are already associated with the device do not lose their association when CMS is disabled. As soon as you re-enable Kaltura CMS on Pearl device, you can record and stream events as usual. CMS is disabled by default. Deregistering removes Pearl device from Kaltura's list of resources and any existing events that were associated with that resource lose their association. You must select a new resource for those events using MediaSpace. Content Management Systems (CMSs) can change channel settings automatically. After disabling CMS on Pearl device, check your channel settings or apply a configuration preset to restore your channel to known values. **Important considerations** - You cannot start ad hoc (manual) Kaltura events when CMS is disabled or when Pearl device has been deregistered. - When CMS is disabled or Pearl device is deregistered, existing scheduled events that are associated with the device do not record or stream. - If Pearl device is deregistered, existing events associated with that device lose the association. You must select a new resource for those events. - Ensure the deregistered Pearl device entry in the list of encoder devices on Kaltura disappears before registering again if using the same device name. - Do not disable CMS while an event is in progress. After disabling or deregistering from Kaltura, the recording file size limit for the channels reset to 64 GB. Check to ensure this value does not exceed the maximum recording space allowed for the installed SD card and change the value to avoid unintentionally overwrite existing recordings. **Disable Pearl device as a resource or deregister from Kaltura using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - To disable CMS, select **none** from the **Choose CMS** drop down and then click **Apply**. - To deregister Pearl device, click **Deregister device**. The calendar icon disappears from the Pearl device's touchscreen when CMS is disabled or deregistered. --- ## EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration id: cms/echovideo-echo360-cms-integration · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360). Pearl Nano does not support application containers, so the Echo360 application required for the integration cannot be installed on it. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus do support the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration. All Pearl devices support other CMS integrations, including Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, and Opencast. For the full procedure, requirements, recording and webcasting behavior, and event controls, see the EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration guide. --- ## EchoVideo (Echo360) integration overview id: cms/echovideo-echo360-integration-overview · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # EchoVideo (Echo360) integration overview # EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration for Pearl devices **ℹ️ Note on naming** EchoVideo is the current name of the content management system (CMS) still referred to in the Pearl Admin panel as Echo360. In the Pearl Admin panel, the application container and the **Choose CMS** option are labelled **Echo360**; the service, credentials, and web environment are **EchoVideo**. This guide uses both names to match what you see on screen. The Epiphan Pearl integration with EchoVideo (Echo360) provides a seamless multisource recording and streaming experience. The web-based Admin panel interface lets you set up Pearl devices to the exact specifications required and register the Pearl device as a room device in EchoVideo. Once registered, the Pearl device automatically synchronizes with EchoVideo to streamline your lecture capture and event workflows. The device will automatically: - Receive schedules directly from EchoVideo - Start and stop recordings based on scheduled times and automatically upload files to EchoVideo - Start and stop live streaming based on scheduled times **ℹ️ Note** At scale, it is recommended to use Epiphan Edge to monitor and manage Epiphan devices. For some features a premium Edge team is required. See the [Epiphan Edge Product page](https://www.epiphan.com/edge/). ### Prerequisites for the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration - Pearl device is registered to Epiphan servers - Pearl device firmware is version **4.24.5** or newer - Reach out to your EchoVideo (Echo360) representative to obtain the required Pearl firmware - Admin access to your EchoVideo instance - Pearl device has storage installed (required for the Echo360 application) - Admin access to a Pearl device - Admin computer with a web browser connected to the same network as at least one Pearl device in your fleet - A network with internet access - **Preferred:** network that uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) --- ## EchoVideo recording and webcasting setup id: cms/echovideo-recording-and-webcasting-setup · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # EchoVideo recording and webcasting setup A Pearl device appears as an available room device in EchoVideo as soon as the device is registered. Video sources must be connected to the Pearl device and assigned to a channel. Each channel configured on the Pearl device is treated as a separate video source for multiple source events in EchoVideo. The Pearl device supports scheduled events, recurring events, and unscheduled ad hoc events for EchoVideo. Ad hoc events require firmware 4.24.6 or newer; see "Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo." An impromptu event can also be started from the Echo360 web interface. Scheduled events start and end automatically — no manual intervention is required. After the event ends, recorded files automatically upload to the EchoVideo environment. Backup recordings are also saved locally on the Pearl device. If the network connection or the CMS goes down during an event, the Pearl device continues to record locally and uploads the recording when network connectivity resumes. **ℹ️ Storage** A large capacity (256 GB or more recommended) storage is required to record CMS events. Do not remove any storage while files are uploading. Administrators can: - Create ad hoc events (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). See "Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo." - View the Events page to see all upcoming scheduled sessions and completed sessions. See "View scheduled CMS events and history." - Download local recordings for a channel. See "Recover channel backup recordings" in "CMS recording and webcasting control." - Start and stop scheduled events before the scheduled time. See "Start, stop, pause, resume, and extend EchoVideo events." - Pause and resume scheduled events (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). See "Start, stop, pause, resume, and extend EchoVideo events." - Extend scheduled events. See "Start, stop, pause, resume, and extend EchoVideo events." - Re-upload recordings associated with a previous EchoVideo event (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). See "View scheduled CMS events and history." ### General information - Starting or stopping a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled start or stop time does not change the event into an ad hoc event. - The Pearl device must be registered with EchoVideo to record and stream EchoVideo events. - It's possible to connect a USB status light to indicate the current status of an event. - Delcom USB buttons and button/light combos can be used to start, pause, resume, and stop a scheduled EchoVideo event (pausing and resuming requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer). **EchoVideo ad hoc events cannot be started with Delcom USB buttons.** See "Connect a USB control button to control CMS events." - The maximum allowed bitrate for webcasts in EchoVideo is 2.5 Mbps, regardless of the bitrate set for the target resolution of the remote recorder in EchoVideo. For example, if you set the target resolution to 1920×1080 60 fps with a bitrate of 4000 kbps, the Pearl device streams the event at the maximum bitrate of 2500 kbps. - Scheduled VOD events automatically start recording locally on the Pearl device even if the network is down or EchoVideo is unavailable. After the session ends, the locally recorded files upload automatically to your folder in EchoVideo when the network link is re-established. - Scheduled webcasting events do not start if the Pearl device's connection to the CMS is not available. - It is not possible to use AFU (Automatic File Upload) or to configure recording file size, type, and other channel recording settings when CMS is enabled on the Pearl device. - Channel encoding settings you make on the Pearl device are overridden by the default encoding settings the system uses to record to EchoVideo. **⚠️ Important — VOD events stopped early without connectivity** For EchoVideo VOD events, if you manually stop a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled end time when the Pearl device doesn't have network connectivity, the Pearl device uploads the completed event's recording when connectivity resumes. However, EchoVideo does not recognize that the event has ended. The event remains in the In Progress state in EchoVideo, and you must wait until the original event's scheduled end time before creating a new event using that Pearl device. ### Encoding settings Default EchoVideo encoding settings are applied automatically to the channel when EchoVideo is enabled, which overrides the existing encoding settings. If you manually change the encoding settings using the Admin panel after EchoVideo is enabled, the settings revert to the default EchoVideo settings when an event starts. You can change the channel resolution in EchoVideo when creating a new scheduled or recurring session. The Pearl device also supports EchoVideo device profiles so you can quickly set up your remote recorder when you create a new event. ### Further considerations - Each Pearl device channel is treated as a separate video source that EchoVideo users can select when scheduling an event in EchoVideo. - You can start and stop events earlier than the scheduled time using the Admin panel. - Use multiple channels to get multiple views for an EchoVideo event. Each channel is treated as a separate video source. Using the Admin panel, administrators can configure channels for multiple source recordings and separate channels for webcasts. These channels can then be selected in EchoVideo profiles for use with EchoVideo events. - **Pearl-2** — configure up to four channels - **Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus** — configure up to three channels - For example, if you have a main camera and a presentation laptop that you want to capture as a multiple source recording, you'd create two channels: one for the main camera and another for the presentation laptop. - During an event you can monitor channels using the Admin panel. You can also see a preview of the channels from the relevant page in EchoVideo. - For multisource EchoVideo events that are manually stopped or have ended, if you use the Admin panel to delete a locally saved recording for any channel that hasn't yet uploaded to EchoVideo as part of the multisource event, that event remains in an in-progress state indefinitely in EchoVideo. --- ## Enable audio in Panopto local channel recordings id: cms/enable-audio-in-panopto-local-channel-recordings · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Enable audio in Panopto local channel recordings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* By default, the local recordings that Panopto secondary channels produce on Pearl storage contain no audio. Audio in a local recording follows the channel rather than the event. A channel records audio if an audio source is selected in that channel's active layout, so a secondary channel with no audio source in its active layout produces a silent local recording. To include audio in the local recordings for every channel, enable the setting below. **Enable embedded audio for local channel recordings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - Under **Settings**, check **Enable embedded audio for all local channel recordings**. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has a single channel, so it produces no secondary channel recordings. --- ## Enable CMS and register with Kaltura id: cms/enable-cms-and-register-with-kaltura · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Enable CMS and register with Kaltura # Kaltura CMS integration for Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus, except where a section states otherwise. Device-specific behavior and limitations are noted in each section.* *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* The Pearl device is fully integrated with Kaltura Content Management Systems (CMSs) for a seamless video recording and webcasting experience. After it is registered, it appears as a resource in Kaltura's MediaSpace and can be selected for scheduled recordings and webcasts, as well as be used for unscheduled ad hoc events that you can create using the Admin panel (or from the Pearl device's touch screen). Registering it as a resource with the Kaltura Content Management System (CMS) only needs to be done once. When CMS is enabled, use the Admin panel to register Pearl device as an encoder resource for Kaltura. After Pearl device is registered, you can assign it a unique name that appears in the list of resources when creating an event in Kaltura's MediaSpace. The default name includes the serial number of Pearl device to ensure the name is unique. If more than two other resources are already registered with the same name, you're prompted to choose a different name and try to register Pearl device again. If only one resource is registered with the same name, you're prompted to take over the events for that other resource. If you do, Kaltura transfers all scheduled events from that other device over to Pearl device. It may take some time for Kaltura to display a newly registered resource, depending on how busy the Kaltura system is when you register. There are two methods to register your Pearl device: - Using your Kaltura partner ID and administrator secret - Using an application token and the token ID A [Kaltura application token](https://developer.kaltura.com/api-docs/VPaaS-API-Getting-Started/application-tokens.html) can be created from the Kaltura developer website: [www.developer.kaltura.com](https://developer.kaltura.com/api-docs/service/appToken) There are two types of Kaltura application tokens you can use with Pearl device: an administrative session type and a user session type. With an administrative session token, Pearl device uploads event recordings to the respective event owner's account in Kaltura as expected. A user session token requires the following permissions: KMC_ACCESS,KMC_READ_ONLY,BASE_USER_SESSION_PERMISSION,WIDGET_SESSION_PERMISSION,CONTENT_INGEST_BASE,CONTENT_INGEST_UPLOAD,CONTENT_MANAGE_BASE,cuePoint.MANAGE,CONTENT_MANAGE_SCHEDULE,CAPTURE_DEVICE_PERMISSION,CONTENT_INGEST_REFERENCE_MODIFY,disableentitlement **Important considerations for user session application tokens** - Pearl device uploads all events (scheduled and ad hoc) to the user account ID associated with the user token. - All event recordings (scheduled and ad hoc) upload to the Kaltura account of the user who created the event if there is no user ID associated with the token. - Do not include a creation date for the user session token. A creation date in the token causes Pearl device to upload events only to the token creator. It also restricts login using the Pearl device's touch screen to only the token creator. Before you begin, you should already have: - A Kaltura instance created - Either of the following: - Your Kaltura partner ID and administrator secret - Your application token ID and token value **Enable Pearl device as a resource and register with Kaltura using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - From the **Choose CMS** drop down, select **Kaltura** and then click **Apply**. - In the Authorization method field, select the authorization method and do one of the following: - If you select **Administrator secret**, enter your Kaltura **Partner ID** and **Administrator secret** that you got from Kaltura. - If you select **Application token**, enter the application **Token ID** and **Token value **. Ensure the **Token hash type** matches the hash type set in the application token. The default is **SHA1**. - (Optional) Change the **Resource name** that appears for this device in Kaltura. The default resource name includes the serial number of Pearl device. - Click **Register device**. **Pearl device** - A calendar icon appears on the touch screen of Pearl device to show that Pearl is in CMS mode. **What's next** Choose which Pearl device channels you want this resource to record, assign the channel to use for webcasting, setup authentication for ad hoc events, and specify default ad hoc event parameters. After Kaltura is registered, proceed to check the VOD and webcasting event settings and set up authentication for ad hoc events. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus:** Do not include a creation date for the user session token. A creation date in the token causes Pearl device to upload events only to the token creator. - **Pearl Nano:** An Events screen is added to the Pearl device's front screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen, so no calendar icon is shown; CMS status can be seen using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. --- ## Enable CMS and register with Opencast id: cms/enable-cms-and-register-with-opencast · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Enable CMS and register with Opencast # Opencast CMS integration for Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus, except where a section states otherwise. Device-specific behavior and limitations are noted in each section.* *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl device is fully integrated with Opencast Content Management Systems (CMSs) for a seamless video recording experience. After a simple registration process, Pearl device is available for your CMS users to select as an Opencast capture agent for scheduled, recurring, and ad hoc events. Completed recordings automatically upload to the Opencast. Registering Pearl device as a capture agent for Opencast only needs to be done once. Use the Admin panel to register Pearl device as an Opencast Capture Agent (CA) for scheduled, recurring, and ad hoc recordings. When you register Pearl device, a default name is assigned that includes the serial number of Pearl device. This name appears in the list of capture agents in Opencast. You can change the CA name using the Admin panel. Before you begin, you need: - Your Opencast service URL, for example: https://stable.opencast.org// - Opencast user name and password for your capture agent **Important considerations** - The Opencast user name of type either opencast or system may be used by Pearl device to register with Opencast. - If Pearl device is going to use an Opencast user name that was created using the Opencast Admin UI, then this user name must have the following minimum Opencast roles: **ROLE_API_EVENTS_CREATE, ROLE_API_EVENTS_EDIT, ROLE_API_WORKFLOW_DEFINITION_VIEW, ROLE_API_EVENTS_SCHEDULING_EDIT, ROLE_CAPTURE_AGENT** - If Pearl device is going to be used to create ad hoc or unscheduled events and opencast user name of type opencast was used by Pearl device make sure that this user has the opencast **ROLE_ADMIN**. **Enable Pearl device as a capture agent and register with Opencast using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - From the **Choose CMS** drop down, select **Opencast** and then click **Apply**. - Enter the Opencast **Service URL**, **username** and **password**. - Optionally enter a **Device name **you want to appear in Opencast for this device, then click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. The Status updates to Connected. **What's next?** Proceed to select which Pearl device Channel will be advertised to Opencast server and settings for ad hoc events, and select default settings. --- ## Enable CMS and register with Panopto id: cms/enable-cms-and-register-with-panopto · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Enable CMS and register with Panopto # Panopto CMS integration for Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus, except where a section states otherwise. Device-specific behavior and limitations are noted in each section.* *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Use the Admin panel to register Pearl device as a remote recorder for scheduled, recurring, and ad hoc recordings and webcasts. When you register Pearl device, a default name is assigned that includes the serial number of Pearl device. This name appears in the list of remote recorders in Panopto. You can change the remote recorder name using the Admin panel. Pearl device appears as an available resource as soon as the device is registered with Panopto. Before you begin, you need: - Your Panopto service URL, for example: https://*<**myorg**>*.hosted.panopto.com/ - A Panopto-generated registration key for the remote recorder. - The Epiphan API key from Panopto is required for on-premise versions of Panopto version 6 or earlier. Contact Panopto support for assistance to install the Epiphan API key. **Important considerations** - You create a registration key in Panopto from ** System > Remote Recorders** when you click **Manage registration keys**. Record the key somewhere safe before closing the screen in Panopto. The key cannot be retrieved after the screen is closed. If you lose the registration key, you must create a new one to register the Pearl device as a remote recorder. - Scheduled recordings are associated to a remote recorder using the registration key and not the device name. - If you disconnect a Pearl device and register again using a different registration key, the scheduled sessions previously associated with the original key do not migrate over. - If you're using the on-premise version of Panopto version 6 or earlier, you must manually add the API key for a Pearl device. Contact Panopto support for assistance. - If you are unable to register a Pearl device, contact your Panopto administrator or Epiphan support. **Enable a Pearl device as a remote recorder and register with Panopto using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Pearl device's Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - From the **Choose CMS** drop down menu, select **Panopto** and then click **Apply**. - Enter the Panopto **Service URL**, **Registration key**, and optionally enter a **Device name **you want to appear in Panopto for this device, then click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. The Status updates to Connected. - Changing Panopto's device name for a Pearl device does not change the name that is assigned to the Pearl device in the Pearl device's Device info fields **Device differences** - There are no specific device differences when registering a Pearl device with Panopto. --- ## Enable CMS and register with YuJa id: cms/enable-cms-and-register-with-yuja · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # Enable CMS and register with YuJa # YuJa CMS integration for Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus, except where a section states otherwise. Device-specific behavior and limitations are noted in each section.* *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl device hardware encoders integrate directly with YuJa. Once paired, Pearl can access your YuJa calendar to automatically start and stop recordings or streams at scheduled times. Pearl device automatically pushes event recordings to YuJa, minimizing administration time and ensuring your content makes it to the right place. Pearl devices are fully integrated with YuJa for a seamless video recording and webcasting experience. After your Pearl device is registered, it appears as a third-party device in YuJa's device list and can be selected for scheduled recordings and webcasts. Registering a Pearl device with YuJa only needs to be done once. To register your Pearl device with YuJa: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. Click **CMS** in the **Configuration** panel. - Select **YuJa** in the **Choose CMS** dropdown. Click **Apply**. - When integrating YuJa with Pearl device you'll need an authentication token. In YuJa this is also called an API Token. For information on finding the API Token in YuJa, contact your YuJa administrator. - When generating an API token, ensure that it has at least the permissions listed below under **Minimum YuJa API token permissions**, or the integration will not work correctly. - Enter the following information into the **YuJa settings** section of the page: - **YuJa Service URL**: This is your organization's unique URL for YuJa. It will look like this: https://your-organization.yuja.com/ For more information on your YuJa Service URL, contact your YuJa administrator. - **Authentication token**: This is a randomly generated series of numbers and letters provided by YuJa that is mentioned in the previous step. In YuJa it is called an API Token. Copy and paste an API Token in here. - **User ID Type**: Select **Username** - **User ID**: Enter your YuJa user name. - **Device name**: Label your Pearl device something that will make sense when you (and others) read it in YuJa. For example, "Biology Lab 1" or "Classroom 237". - Click **Apply**. If the information was entered successfully, the **Status** will update to **Registered**. Once your Pearl device is registered with YuJa, YuJa will recognize your Pearl device and it will appear in the YuJa list of devices. To deregister your Pearl device from YuJa, click **Deregister device** in the **YuJa settings** section. **Minimum YuJa API token permissions** The API token used for the Pearl integration needs at least the permissions below. If the integration reports permission issues, grant all permissions. - **User Object Model**: Retrieve All Users / Add a User; Retrieve / Update / Delete a Single User; Retrieve all Groups a User is Enrolled in; Retrieve Group Names By User. - **Group Object Model**: Retrieve / Create a Group for the Organization; Update / Delete / Retrieve a Single Group; Retrieve Group Details; Add Group Members. - **Analytic Object Report Model**: no permissions required. - **Course Object Model**: Retrieve Course Details. - **Device Object Model**: Retrieve / Update Devices; Register / Delete Device; Retrieve All Schedules for a Device; Create / Delete / Update Sessions; Create / Retrieve Capture Profiles; Start / Stop Recording Sessions; Update / Delete a Hub Profile; Play / Pause Recording Sessions; Retrieve Audio / Image and URLs; Pause / Resume Live Stream Playback; Extend / Stop Third-Party Device Session; Get / Delete Schedules; Update / Delete Third-Party Profiles; Return YuJa Profile ID Based on External ID; Other. - **Audit Log Object Model**: no permissions required. - **User Group Object Model**: no permissions required. - **Media Object Model**: Upload Video Details; Generate Link to Upload Recordings; Start Video Processing for S3 URLs; Add Multi-Stream Video. --- ## Enable mute and display image on pause for Panopto and YuJa id: cms/enable-mute-and-display-image-on-pause-for-panopto-and-yuja · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Enable mute and display image on pause for Panopto and YuJa *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Using the Admin panel, you can set up Pearl device to automatically mute the audio and display an event paused image while a CMS event is paused. For Panopto and YuJa, the Pearl device records and uploads the full event for processing. After the event is uploaded, the CMS platform removes the paused segments from the final recording. However, Panopto and YuJa do not remove paused segments from webcasts. The complete webcast recording including the time the event was paused is retained. This setting applies to Panopto and YuJa. Opencast and EchoVideo mute the audio and show a pause image by default, and this cannot be changed. For what each CMS platform does with paused time, see "Extend, pause, and resume CMS recordings and webcasts." **Enable mute and display image on pause using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Settings**, check **Display "Event paused" image and mute on pause**, then click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. --- ## Enable Scheduled Opt-in for CMS events id: cms/enable-scheduled-opt-in-for-cms-events · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Enable Scheduled Opt-in for CMS events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl device will by default start executing scheduled events at their scheduled start time. However, sometimes it may be required for a user to give confirmation that a previously scheduled to start as scheduled. For example to avoid Pearl device recording and uploading an empty classroom, the device can be configured for a scheduled recording to proceed only when the faculty is present. This can be helpful in lowering compute and storage costs. When enabled by Pearl device administrator, every scheduled event must be confirmed by a user for the event to proceed. This confirmation can be given using the following methods: - Pearl device touch screen - [Delcom USB HID Programmable Single Button Switch, part number 706501](https://www.delcomproducts.com/productdetails.asp?PartNumber=706501) - Pearl device REST API - On the events page of Pearl device Admin Panel **Enable Schedule Opt-in Admin panel** - Log into the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - Under **Settings**, select **Scheduled event opt-in** and click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. - To disable this feature again, simply check **Schedule event opt-in** and click **Apply**. --- ## Event behavior during network and power interruptions id: cms/event-behavior-during-network-and-power-interruptions · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Event behavior during network and power interruptions *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl devices download the event schedule from the CMS in advance. Once the schedule has been downloaded, a network connection is not required for events to start and stop. - If a Webcast/streaming event is disrupted all channel recordings of the event upload once the network issue is resolved. Note for Panopto, Upload the Webcast recording needs to be enabled (is by default). Note for Kaltura, Live events will not record, only vod or vod+live events will record. Note for rest, Recording is mandatory. - If the network connection is lost during a file upload, the transfer automatically restarts when the network connection re-establishes. - If Pearl device powered down and misses a scheduled event, the status of that event appears as **Skipped** on the Events page in the Admin panel. - If the Pearl device loses power, the previous activity is restored when the device reboots. - If Pearl device loses power while a scheduled event is being recorded or streamed, the recording/stream stops. If Pearl device is powered back on before the scheduled end time for the event, recording and stream, if applicable, of the scheduled event restarts automatically and a second set of files are created. When the event ends, the files are uploaded. The status of upload can be checked in the Admin panel, through API calls, or on the device screen. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen, so use the Admin panel to monitor status of uploads. --- ## Extend, pause, and resume CMS recordings and webcasts id: cms/extend-pause-and-resume-cms-recordings-and-webcasts · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Extend, pause, and resume CMS recordings and webcasts *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You can extend an active scheduled or ad hoc event using the Pearl device's front screen or the Admin panel. The extend event button can be configured to add 5, 10, or 15 minutes to the event each time it is selected, or 6, 10, or 15 in the case of YuJa. The option to extend the event appears on the Events screen while the event is in progress. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. On Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, tap the button on the touch screen to add the specified amount of time to the current event. You can also pause and resume active event recordings on every CMS platform: EchoVideo, Kaltura, Opencast, Panopto, and YuJa. Pause from the Pearl device screen, the Admin panel, a programmable USB button, or Epiphan Edge. An extra pause button appears on the Events screen. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. Panopto, Opencast, and YuJa pause and resume were available before 4.24.6. **What happens to paused time depends on the CMS platform:** - **Panopto and YuJa:** The Pearl device records and uploads the full event for processing. After the event is uploaded, the CMS platform removes the paused segments from the final recording. However, Panopto and YuJa do not remove paused segments from webcasts. The complete webcast recording, including the time the event was paused, is kept. You can set up the Pearl device to mute the audio and display an event paused image while the event is paused. If audio doesn't mute and an event paused screen doesn't appear, you must enable that feature using the Admin panel; see "Enable mute and display image on pause for Panopto and YuJa." If **mute on pause** and the on-screen **pause illustration** are not enabled, viewers watching the stream can see and hear the live webcast while the event is paused, as well as in the Panopto webcast recording. - **Kaltura:** The Pearl device removes the paused section of the event before uploading. - **Opencast:** Audio is muted and an event paused image is displayed to let viewers know that the event is paused. The duration for which the recording was paused is not edited out of the video. - **EchoVideo (Echo360):** Nothing is recorded while the event is paused. For a live (webcast) event, the stream keeps sending while the event is paused: viewers see an event paused image with no audio until the event is resumed or ends. Opencast and EchoVideo mute the audio and show a pause image by default, and this cannot be changed. **Pause an event using a programmable USB attached button** A CMS event recording in progress on the Pearl device can be paused and then resumed using a programmable USB attached button; see "Connect a USB control button to control CMS events." The following Delcom USB buttons are supported: - Delcom USB HID Programmable Single Button Switch, part number 706501 - Delcom Products USB HID single color and multicolor signal indicators with button functionality **Extend, pause, or resume an event using the Admin panel** - From the Admin panel, select the Events menu and then click the button to extend the current event. In this example, the button adds **+5 minutes** each time it is pressed. - Select **Pause** to pause the current event. When paused, the button changes to **Resume**. When you're ready to continue, select **Resume**. **Extend, pause, or resume an event using the touch screen** - From the touch screen, tap the calendar icon to display the Events screen. - Tap the button to extend the current event. In this example, the button adds **+5 minutes** each time it is tapped. - Tap **Pause** to pause the current event. When paused, the button changes to **Resume**. When you're ready to continue, tap **Resume**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** To extend the current event, use the arrow and check mark keys on the front panel control key interface to select the extend button. In this example, the button adds **+5 minutes** each time it is selected. - **Pearl Nano:** To pause the current event, use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Pause**. When paused, the button changes to **Resume**. When you're ready to continue, select **Resume**. Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360). - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no touch screen; use the Admin panel to extend, pause, or resume events. Epiphan Edge can also extend, pause, and resume events. --- ## Install the Echo360 application and register with EchoVideo id: cms/install-the-echo360-application-and-register-with-echovideo · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Install the Echo360 application and register with EchoVideo 1. Log in to the Pearl Admin panel via Epiphan Edge, clicking the **Admin login** button, or log in to the Pearl locally. 2. Navigate down to **Apps**. 3. On the **Apps** page click **Install** next to **Echo360**. The Echo360 application is listed as a CMS app (for example, "Echo360 application for Pearl devices", approximately 83 MB). 4. After the Echo360 container finishes installing, navigate to **Configuration**, then **CMS**. 5. In **Choose CMS** select **Echo360** and click **Apply**. 6. After selecting Echo360 the app loads and you are presented with an EchoVideo box where you can enter your EchoVideo **Client ID** and **Client Secret**. 7. Once you've entered the correct information and clicked **Save**, your Pearl should now be paired with EchoVideo. When registration succeeds, the panel shows **Configuration validated — This device is successfully registered**. You may see the Echo360 application update after installation. --- ## Kaltura recording and webcasting setup id: cms/kaltura-recording-and-webcasting-setup · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Kaltura recording and webcasting setup *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Your Pearl device appears as an available resource as soon as the device is registered with Kaltura. Connect multiple audio and video sources directly to the Pearl device and assign them to separate channels. Each channel you configure on the Pearl device is treated as a separate video source. ### About Kaltura recording and webcasting Pearl devices support scheduled events, recurring events, and unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. After the Pearl device is registered, Kaltura users can simply assign the Pearl device as a resource when setting up an event using MediaSpace. Scheduled events start and end automatically. No manual intervention is required. After the event ends, the recording automatically uploads. Back up recordings for each channel are also saved locally on the Pearl device. A large capacity (256 GB or more recommended) storage is required to record CMS events. Do not remove any storage while files are uploading. If the network connection or the CMS goes down during an event, the Pearl device continues to record locally and uploads the recording when network connectivity resumes. Depending on how busy the Kaltura CMS system is when the files upload, it may take some time for the files to appear in Kaltura's media lists. You can start and stop events earlier than the scheduled time using the Admin panel or the device screen. With firmware 4.24.6 or newer, you can also pause and resume the recording during a Kaltura event. The Pearl device removes the paused section of the event before uploading. Starting or stopping a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled start or stop time does not change the event in to an ad hoc event. Pearl administrators can: - Create ad hoc events. - Set ad hoc event parameters. - View the Events page to see all upcoming scheduled sessions and completed sessions. - Change how often Pearl device polls Kaltura for an updated list of Events. - Download local recordings for each channel. - Start and stop scheduled events before the scheduled time. - Extend, pause, and resume scheduled events. For details, see "Extend, pause, and resume CMS recordings and webcasts." - Change the extend event button time allotment in 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals. **General information** - The Pearl device must be registered with Kaltura to record and stream Kaltura events. - Scheduled events have priority over ad hoc events. If an ad hoc event is still in progress when it's time to start a scheduled event, the ad hoc event is stopped and the scheduled event starts. - Scheduled events automatically start recording locally on the Pearl device even If the network is down or Kaltura is unavailable. After the session ends, the locally recorded files upload automatically to your Kaltura media list when the network link to Kaltura is re-established. - After the event ends, it may take a while for content to show up in Kaltura's media lists, depending on how busy the Kaltura CMS system is at that time. - The recorded event must be a minimum of 2 minutes long for Kaltura to process the video. - The Kaltura Editor does not open recorded events that are less than a minute long. - If the time and zone settings of the Pearl device are out of synchronization with Kaltura's scheduling server, an error appears on the Events page and you're prompted to reconfigure the time settings on the Pearl device. - Do not use Single Touch recording control, AFU or configure recording file size, type and other channel recording settings when CMS is enabled on Pearl device. - If you modify a particular recurring lecture capture plus live webcasting event (e.g. a VOD + Live Stream event in a recurring series), Kaltura excludes that event from the recurring series and the webcast doesn't stream. That's because the RMTP URLs for the modified event looses it's mandatory tokens. However, the recurring Kaltura event does record as scheduled and other events in the series are not affected. **Workarounds**: To regenerate the RTMP tokens for a live event, go to MediaSpace, find the modified live event entry and uncheck the Live event checkbox - and save. Then re-check it and save the event again. Alternatively, you can go to the Kaltura Management Console (KMC), find the modified live event entry and then, in the Live stream tab, click **Re-generate Stream Token**. - Do not schedule recordings that are longer than the capacity of Pearl device to store the recording on the local drive. Default Kaltura encoding settings are applied automatically to the channel when Kaltura is enabled, which override the existing encoding settings. If you manually change the encoding settings using the Admin panel after Kaltura is enabled, the settings revert back to the default Kaltura settings when a scheduled or ad hoc event starts. **Pearl device information** For events with multiple sources, the recording for each source is uploaded to Kaltura and appears as a single, multi-view entry in the Kaltura media list with each source (i.e. view) listed as a separate "child" sub-entry. The name of each file includes the name of the channel plus the date and time the file was recorded. For example: **Channel 1_May23_10-12-05** We recommend that you configure the channel that is selected as the main entry as well as the other channels in a multi-view scheduled VOD event to include all audio sources. Audio is taken from the channel configured as the main entry in the Kaltura CMS. With Pearl device you can: - Use multiple channels to get multiple views for a Kaltura event. Each channel is treated as a separate video source. Using the Admin panel, Pearl administrators can choose channels on Pearl device for multiple source recordings. For webcasting, you can select only one channel at a time. - For example, if you have a main camera and a presentation laptop that you want to capture as a multiple source recording, you'd create two channels on Pearl device: one for the main camera and another one for the presentation laptop. - Set the video source that is used as the default main entry. The channel selected as the main entry becomes the default view that people see when watching the VOD, as well as the main view (i.e. the large screen) for PiP. - Set which Pearl device channels are used for scheduled and ad hoc recordings and webcasts. - Set the channel used for scheduled and ad hoc webcasts. - Display the Channel view on the Pearl device's touch screen or monitor channels using the Admin panel. You can also monitor channels directly on the Events screen using the touch screen. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano cannot display the Channel preview on the Events screen. You can still display the Channel view on Pearl Nano's front screen Channel view, or monitor the channel using the Admin panel. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen. Create ad hoc events using the Admin panel or third-party control. Start, stop, and extend scheduled events using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. --- ## Kaltura settings id: cms/kaltura-settings · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Kaltura settings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* The following list of features is available once your Pearl device has been registered with Kaltura. **VOD event channels** - **Channel** - Select a channel for VOD. - **Enabled** - Select to enable the channel. - **Main entry** - Select which channel will be the main entry (only one can be selected). **Live-stream event channel** - **Channel** - Select a channel to be live-streamed. - **Secure streaming** - Select to send an RTMPS (instead of RTMP) stream. - **Backup stream** - Select to enable a backup stream, the select the **Ad hoc event backup stream** from the dropdown list. - **Ad hoc event primary stream** - Select a primary stream. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. - **Ad hoc event backup stream** - Once Backup stream has been enabled, select a backup stream. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. **Unscheduled ad hoc event details** - **Session title** - Assign a default title for ad hoc events. Default variables specify the current date and time as the title using the format **yyy-mm-dd hh:mm**. This default title can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Event owner** - Assign an owner to ad hoc events created using the Pearl device. - **Owner suffix** - Enter a suffix to be automatically applied to the Event owner field when users authenticate with Kaltura from the Pearl device. For example, if the owner account is *wilson@myorg.com*, enter the suffix *@myorg.com* here so that the user only needs to enter *wilson* to authenticate. - **Description** - The description of the uploaded media that appears in Kaltura. - **Tags** - Assign tags to the uploaded media for use by Kaltura. To assign multiple tages, separate the tags with a ",". - **Categories** - Assign Kaltura categories to the uploaded media. To assign a nested category to the uploaded media, use the ">" symbol (with no spaces) between categories. To assign multiple categories, separate the categories with a ",". For example: Recordings>Tutorials>Biology1000, Recordings>Tutorials>Chemistry1000 - **Duration** - Assign a default duration for ad hoc events. This value can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Automatically logout** - Automatically logs out the ad hoc event creator when the ad hoc event ends. This is disabled by default. - For the Pearl device, automatic logout only works if the touch screen was used to create the ad hoc event. **Upload schedule** These settings are optional - they are not required for deployment. - **File upload schedule** - Select the check box to enable scheduled file uploads. - **Start upload** - Select a start time for file uploads - **Stop upload** - Select a finish time for file uploads. Click **Apply** when you have configured your upload settings. **Advanced** These settings are optional - they are not required for deployment. - **Kaltura groups** -Provide Kaltura admin owner privileges to members of a Kaltura group for any Kaltura events created on this device. Now when you create a new event, you can select a Kaltura Group as an Admin owner, so the group will have Kaltura admin owner privileges to the uploaded file. Pearl admin will only display groups created prior to this login session. If groups were created during the login session, log out and log in again to refresh the groups. - **Kaltura monitoring dashboard** - Select to allow Pearl devices to be visible in Kaltura's **My Dashboard**. For more information on Kaltura's **My Dashboard** feature, contact your Kaltura administrator. --- ## Log out of an ad hoc session id: cms/log-out-of-an-ad-hoc-session · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Log out of an ad hoc session *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* If you start an unscheduled ad hoc event from the touch screen of Pearl device, you're automatically logged out after the ad hoc event ends. If your Pearl administrator has not enabled the automatic logout feature, then your login session stays active for one hour after the event ends. For Panopto ad hoc events that you start using the web-based Admin panel, Panopto preserves your login credentials after the ad hoc event ends. To avoid someone else from using your account to create ad hoc Panopto events from the Admin panel, you must manually logout after you're ad hoc event ends and close your session with the Panopto server. Alternatively, you can use an incognito/private browser session with the Admin panel. Then when you manually log out of your Panopto session using the Admin panel and close the incognito/private browser, your Panopto session closes and you are fully logged out. Before you begin, you need your Panopto server URL, for example: https://.hosted.panopto.com/ **Manually logout of an ad hoc session with Panopto using the Admin panel** - From the Events menu, click **Events**. The Events page opens. - Click **Logout** beside your login user name. - To close the authentication session with the Panopto server, open a new tab in the same browser that you used to log in and go to: https://<*PanoptoServerURL*>/Panopto/Pages/Auth/Logout.aspx Closing the authentication session with the Panopto server may not close the authentication session with a third-party LMS. - Return to the Admin panel and click **Create new event** on the Events page to confirm that you're logged out of Panopto. A blank login page should appear. --- ## Opencast recording setup id: cms/opencast-recording-setup · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Opencast recording setup *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Pearl device appears as an available capture agent as soon as the device is registered with Opencast. After a successful registration, you're ready to select video sources for multiple source recordings. Video sources must be connected to Pearl device and assigned to a channel. Each channel configure on Pearl device is treated as a separate video source for multiple source events in Opencast. ### About Opencast recording The Pearl supports scheduled events, recurring events, and unscheduled ad hoc recordings. Scheduled events start and end automatically. No manual intervention is required. After the event ends, recorded files automatically upload to Opencast. Backup recordings are also saved locally on Pearl. If the network connection or the CMS goes down during an event, Pearl continues to record locally and uploads the recording when network connectivity resumes. You can pause and resume the recording during an Opencast event. A large capacity (256 GB or more recommended) storage is required to record CMS events. Do not remove any storage while files are uploading. Administrators can: - Set Opencast ad hoc event parameters. - Change the extend event button time allotment in 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals. - Create ad hoc events. - View the Events page to see all upcoming scheduled sessions and completed sessions. - Download local recordings for a channel. - Start and stop scheduled events before the scheduled time. - Extend, pause, and resume scheduled events. **General Information** - Starting or stopping a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled start or stop time does not change the event into an ad hoc event. - Pearl device must be registered with Opencast to record and stream Opencast events. - Scheduled events have priority over ad hoc events. If an ad hoc event is still in progress when it's time to start a scheduled event, the ad hoc event is stopped and the scheduled event starts. - Scheduled VOD events automatically start recording locally on Pearl device even If the network is down or Opencast is unavailable. After the session ends, the locally recorded files upload automatically to Opencast when the network link to Opencast is re-established. - Do not use AFU or configure recording file size, type and other channel recording settings when CMS is enabled on Pearl device. **Pearl device information** - Each Pearl device channel is treated as a separate video source that Opencast users can select when scheduling an event in Opencast. - Do not use the Single Touch recording control when CMS is enabled. This starts the channel recorder without CMS metadata and it will not be uploaded to Opencast - You can start and stop events earlier than the scheduled time, as well as pause an event using either the Admin panel or the touch screen on Pearl device, as well as create ad hoc events. - Use multiple Pearl device channels to get multiple views for a Opencast event. Each channel is treated as a separate video source. Using the Admin panel, Pearl device administrators can configure channels on Pearl device for multiple source recordings. - For example, if you have a main camera and a presentation laptop that you want to capture as a multiple source recording, you'd create two channels on Pearl device: one for the main camera and another one for the presentation laptop. - For ad hoc events, the default name of the multi-view file includes the date and start time of the event. For example: **2019-07-15 08:00**. A more intuitive name can be entered when the ad hoc event is created. - To monitor a channel during an event, you can display the Channel view on the Pearl device's touch screen or monitor channels using the Admin panel. You can also monitor channels directly on the Events screen using the touch screen. - For multiple-source Opencast events that are manually stopped or have ended, if you use the Admin panel to delete a locally saved recording for any channel on Pearl device that hasn't yet uploaded to Opencast as part of the multiple-source event, that event remains in the In Progress state indefinitely in Opencast. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Configure up to six channels for multiple source recordings. - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Configure up to three channels for multiple source recordings. - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has a single channel and does not support multiple source recordings. - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano cannot display the Channel preview on the Events screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen. Create ad hoc events and monitor channels using the Admin panel or third-party control. Start, stop, and extend events (scheduled or ad hoc) using the Admin panel or third-party control. Epiphan Edge can start scheduled events early and can stop and extend events, but cannot start ad hoc events. --- ## Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources id: cms/orphaned-kaltura-resource-registrations-and-duplicate-resources · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Returning a Pearl device to factory defaults using the factory default configuration preset or performing a factory reset does not delete the registered resource instance in Kaltura CMS. In that case, you can reregister the device using the same resource name and take over for the resource instance that is still registered in Kaltura. If you apply a configuration preset to set up a replacement device with the settings from a Pearl device that is currently registered with Kaltura, the replacement device assumes the identity of the registered resource. However, you risk having two active devices with the same identity, which can affect recording and the content that's uploaded to Kaltura for scheduled events. To remove the risk of having two active devices with the same registered resource identity in Kaltura, we recommend powering down one of the devices, then disconnecting it from the network and considering a factory reset or applying the factory default configuration preset. --- ## Panopto recording and webcasting setup id: cms/panopto-recording-and-webcasting-setup · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Panopto recording and webcasting setup *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* After Pearl device is registered with Panopto, you're ready to select video sources for multiple source recordings and webcasts. Video sources must be connected to Pearl device and assigned to a channel. Each channel configured on Pearl device is treated as a separate video source for multiple source events in Panopto. The Pearl device supports scheduled events, recurring events, and unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. Scheduled events start and end automatically. No manual intervention is required. After the event ends, recorded files automatically upload to the event owner's folder in Panopto. Backup recordings are also saved locally. If the network connection or the CMS goes down during an event, Pearl device continues to record locally and uploads the recording when network connectivity resumes. A large capacity (256 GB or more recommended) storage is required to record CMS events. Do not remove any storage while files are uploading. Administrators can: - Set up Panopto authentication for ad hoc events. - Set Panopto ad hoc event parameters. - Change the extend event button time allotment in 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals. - Enable muting audio and displaying an event paused image when an event is paused. - Disable low disk space alert sent from Pearl device. - Create ad hoc events. - View the Events page to see all upcoming scheduled sessions and completed sessions. - Download local recordings for a channel. - Start and stop scheduled events before the scheduled time. - Extend, pause, and resume scheduled events. **General Information** - Pearl device must be registered with Panopto to record and stream Panopto events. - It is not possible to use AFU or configure recording file size, type, and other channel recording settings when CMS is enabled on Pearl device. - Do not use any local recording controls when CMS is enabled, including Single Touch controls. **Event Information** - You can start and stop events earlier than the scheduled time, as well as pause an event using the Admin panel or the screen of the Pearl device. - Starting or stopping a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled start or stop time does not change the event into an ad hoc event. - Events can be scheduled back to back. Events start and stop according to the schedule, and event overlaps are not possible. - Scheduled events have priority over ad hoc events. If an ad hoc event is still in progress when it's time to start a scheduled event, the ad hoc event is stopped and the scheduled event starts. - Scheduled VOD events automatically start recording locally on Pearl device even if the network is down or Panopto is unavailable. After the session ends, the locally recorded files upload automatically to your folder in Panopto when the network link to Panopto is re-established. - For Panopto VOD events, if you manually stop a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled end time when Pearl device doesn't have network connectivity, Pearl device uploads the completed event's recording when network connectivity resumes. However, Panopto does not recognize that the event has ended. The event remains in the In Progress state in Panopto and you must wait until the original event's scheduled end time before creating a new event using that Pearl device. - For ad hoc events, Pearl device ignores a user's presets that are set in Panopto. As a result, ad hoc recordings automatically upload to the user's default folder as originally assigned by Panopto. - For ad hoc events, the default name of the multi-view file includes the date and start time of the event. For example: **2026-07-15 08:00**. A more intuitive name can be entered when the ad hoc event is created. - To monitor a channel during an event, you can display the Channel view on the Pearl device's screen. You can also monitor channels directly on the Events screen using the screen. It's also possible to see a live preview of the channels and the audio level from the remote recorder page in Panopto. You can also monitor the channel using the Admin panel. **Encoding settings** - Default Panopto encoding settings are applied automatically to the channel when Panopto is enabled, which override the existing Channel encoding settings. If you manually change the encoding settings using the Admin panel after Panopto is enabled, the settings revert back to the default Panopto settings when a scheduled or ad hoc event starts. - You can change the channel resolution in Panopto when creating a new scheduled or recurring session. Pearl device also supports Panopto device templates so you can quickly set up your Pearl device remote recorder when you create a new event. - The maximum allowed bitrate for webcasts in Panopto is 2.5 Mbps, regardless of what bitrate is actually set for the target resolution of the remote recorder in Panopto. For example, when creating a scheduled webcasting event in Panopto, if you set the target resolution to a quality of 1920x1080@60 fps Bitrate: 4000 kbps, Pearl device streams the event at the maximum bitrate of 2500 kbps. - Each Pearl device channel is treated as a separate video source that Panopto users can select when scheduling or viewing an event in Panopto. - Use multiple Pearl device channels to get multiple views for a Panopto event. Using the Admin panel, Pearl device administrators can configure channels on Pearl device for multiple source recordings and separate channels for webcasts. - For example, if you have a main camera and a presentation laptop that you want to capture as a multiple source recording, you'd create two channels on Pearl device: one for the main camera and another one for the presentation laptop. - For multiple-source Panopto events that are manually stopped or have ended, if you use the Admin panel to delete a locally saved recording for any channel on Pearl device that hasn't yet uploaded to Panopto as part of the multiple-source event, that event remains in the In Progress state indefinitely in Panopto. **Device differences** - **Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus:** To record a scheduled session at 1920×1080@30 fps, you must select 1920×1080@60 fps for the remote recorder in Panopto when you create the scheduled session. - **Pearl Nano:** Due to a Panopto limitation, single-channel recorders like the Pearl Nano device can only be used as a *primary* recording device for scheduled events. Setting the Pearl Nano device as a secondary recording device for a scheduled event will result in no secondary channel being recorded. - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano cannot display the Channel preview on the Events screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen, so it is not possible to monitor an event or channel that way; use the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control instead. --- ## Panopto recording limits, transcoding time, and track synchronization id: cms/panopto-recording-limits-transcoding-time-and-track-synchronization · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Panopto recording limits, transcoding time, and track synchronization *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Transcoding of recordings can take up to 150% of the length of the event. A one-hour recording can take up to 1.5 hours for Panopto to transcode and distribute. During this time the Panopto interface may continue to show "recording" or "processing". Pearl firmware 4.24.4 embeds sub-second timestamps in uploaded recordings, and Panopto synchronizes all uploaded files for an event. Primary and secondary recordings are therefore in sync in the Panopto player. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano only has a single encoding channel so track synchronization is not relevant as there is only a single track. --- ## Panopto Webcast stream limits and default recording id: cms/panopto-webcast-stream-limits-and-default-recording · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Panopto Webcast stream limits and default recording *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Up to four channels can stream simultaneously as part of a Panopto Webcast event. If you choose more than four Pearl device channels for a webcast in Panopto, then Panopto arbitrarily chooses a maximum of four channels to webcast. However, up to six channels can be enabled for Webcast events if requested from Panopto Support. The Pearl device must support the number of channels being streamed. All streams that are part of a Webcast Panopto event are recorded by default. This is controlled by the **Upload the webcast recording** setting on the CMS page of the Admin panel. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Pearl-2 supports up to six encoding channels, if each one is at most 1080p@30FPS. - **Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus support up to three encoding channels, if each one is at most 1080p@30FPS. - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano only has a single encoding channel so it can only stream a single channel as part of a Panopto webcast event. --- ## Pearl device requirements for the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration id: cms/pearl-device-requirements-for-the-echovideo-echo360-integration · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Pearl device requirements for the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration **⚠️ Important — Pearl Nano is not supported** Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360). The Pearl Nano does not support application containers, so the Echo360 application required for the EchoVideo integration cannot be installed on it. To use the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration, use a Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, or Pearl Nexus. ### Before you begin Pearl devices come preconfigured with two channels. Each channel is treated as a separate video encoding instance, like having multiple recording and streaming devices in one box with audio for multiple source recordings and livestreams. The two preconfigured channels are set up with auto-detection to get you started quickly. Simply connect one or more sources to start capturing video. ### Video sources and channels Video sources connect directly to the video input ports on Pearl's rear panel or via IP. The recommendations below are specific to the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration. Pearl devices support: | Device | Recommended inputs | Maximum # of channels | | --- | --- | --- | | Pearl Mini | up to three 1080p video sources | up to three 1080p30 channels | | Pearl Nexus | up to three 1080p video sources | up to three 1080p30 channels | | Pearl-2 | up to six 1080p video sources | up to four 1080p30 channels | Pearl-2 supports up to six 1080p video sources, which can be encoded in up to four 1080p30 channels for the EchoVideo integration. This four-channel limit is set by the EchoVideo platform; Pearl-2's hardware can encode up to six channels total, but EchoVideo does not support more than four. ### Audio sources Audio sources connect directly to the audio input ports on Pearl's rear panel, or you can use the embedded audio from a video source. Make sure you select the same audio sources on the layout for each channel using the Admin panel. ### Network configuration By default, Pearl devices use DHCP to automatically obtain an IP address over an Ethernet network. Connect Pearl's RJ-45 port and/or a connected USB-to-Ethernet adapter to your local network. Ensure at least one network interface has access to the Internet. See [Pearl Dual NIC / Helpful Information](https://learn.epiphan.com/dualnic). You can configure Pearl's network settings using the web-based Admin panel, enable 802.1x network security, configure LDAP, and more. If configuring an entire fleet, you can use Configuration Presets to apply settings across many devices, requiring you to configure just one device manually in many cases. For the list of network ports that must be open on your firewall, see the "Network ports used by" section in your Pearl device's user guide. --- ## Reassign a registered resource in Kaltura id: cms/reassign-a-registered-resource-in-kaltura · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Reassign a registered resource in Kaltura *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Every encoder you register with Kaltura has a unique resource name. To swap out one Pearl device with another one, you can simply reassign the existing Pearl device resource name to the replacement Pearl device. Assigning Pearl device the same resource name when you register the encoder transfers all the existing schedules and recordings over to the replacement Pearl device. When a resource tries to register using the same name as another device, a warning message appears and you're asked whether or not you want to take over from the other resource. - If there's only one other registered resource with that name, you're prompted to choose whether or not to take over the events for that other resource. If you do take them over, Kaltura transfers all scheduled events from that other device. - If more than two other resources are already registered with the same resource name in Kaltura, registration fails. You're prompted to choose a different resource name and to try registering Pearl device again. This works well when you want to change the encoder in a room but retain all the existing schedules and recordings that are associated with the encoder for that room. Alternatively, you can avoid having to register the replacement Pearl device with Kaltura. If you apply a configuration preset to set up the replacement Pearl device with the settings from the currently registered Pearl device, the replacement Pearl device assumes the identity of the registered resource. Using a configuration preset can result in two Pearl device resources with the same identity, which can effect recording and the content that's uploaded to Kaltura for scheduled events. Power down, disconnect from the network, and consider performing a factory reset on one of the Pearl device resources to remove the possibility of having duplicate resources. A factory reset only clears settings stored locally on the Pearl device — it does not remove or change the device's resource registration in Kaltura, since that registration exists on Kaltura's side, not the device's. This is why a factory reset can leave an orphaned resource registration behind instead of removing it. If you've performed a factory reset that resulted in an orphaned Kaltura resource registration, you can perform this procedure to reregister your Pearl device using the same resource name to take over the resource instance that is still registered in Kaltura. Before you begin, you should already have: - A Kaltura instance created - Access to the Kaltura Management Console (KMC) - Your Kaltura partner ID - Your Kaltura administrator secret **Enable Pearl device as a resource and register with an existing resource name using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - From the **Choose CMS** drop down, select **Kaltura** and then click **Apply**. - Enter your **Partner ID** and **Administrator secret** that you got from Kaltura. - Change the **Resource name** to the resource name of the Pearl device you are replacing and click **Register device**. - When you're prompted to take over the events from the existing resource with that same name, click **Yes**. --- ## Register Pearl device with Epiphan servers id: cms/register-pearl-device-with-epiphan-servers · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Register Pearl device with Epiphan servers **⚠️ Required** It is required to register your Pearl device with Epiphan servers and update to at least firmware **4.24.5**. If the Pearl device is not updated or registered to the Epiphan servers, the application containers that EchoVideo (Echo360) uses for the integration cannot be downloaded. 1. Navigate to [Epiphan's Product Registration form](https://www.epiphan.com/support/product-registration/) and fill out the form. 2. After you register your device(s), if you receive a message from the Epiphan website to check your email, please check your junk and filtered email for a confirmation email. 3. Confirm by clicking the link in the email. 4. Reach out to your EchoVideo (Echo360) representative to obtain the required Pearl firmware download. 5. Upgrade the Pearl device firmware using the Pearl Admin panel by navigating to **Firmware Upgrade** (bottom left), then choose the firmware file provided to you and click **Apply**. You can also upgrade from Epiphan Edge if the device is paired with Epiphan Edge. **ℹ️ Note** If you don't receive an email in 10 minutes, reach out to [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com) for assistance. If registering multiple Pearl devices using the form above, you can comma separate your serial numbers in the serial number field (serial#, serial#, serial#, etc.) **or** upload a CSV with each serial number on a new row in the first column. --- ## Schedule when CMS event recordings upload id: cms/schedule-when-cms-event-recordings-upload · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Schedule when CMS event recordings upload *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* As soon as your Content Management System (CMS) event ends, the Pearl device uploads the associated recordings to the CMS server if a network connection to the CMS server is available. Using the Admin panel, you can schedule the Pearl device to upload recordings only during a specific time period. Recordings made outside the upload time period are queued and only upload when the time to start uploading is reached. This feature is disabled by default. **Schedule when the Pearl device can upload event recordings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Upload schedule**, check **File upload schedule** and select the start and stop times of the file upload period. Then click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. --- ## Select a channel and URLs for Kaltura webcasting events id: cms/select-a-channel-and-urls-for-kaltura-webcasting-events · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Select a channel and URLs for Kaltura webcasting events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* You can select which Pearl device channel is used for scheduled and ad hoc webcasting events. Optionally, you can stream the event to a secondary backup stream URL. When a webcasting event is scheduled in Kaltura or started from Pearl device as an unscheduled ad hoc event, the stream URL and other event settings are sent to Pearl device. The Kaltura ingestion settings are applied automatically to Pearl device. When you create a Kaltura webcasting event on Pearl device, you have the option to use the primary and backup URLs supplied by Kaltura for the stream or to choose a stream destination that is created locally for the channel on Pearl device. Alternative streaming destinations must already be configured for the channel being webcast. Select the **Auto** option to use the primary and backup URLs supplied by Kaltura. Auto is the default setting. Ensure that you have selected the channel on Pearl device that you want to use for your scheduled webcasting event well in advanced of the event start time. The first channel on Pearl device is selected by default. When it's time for the scheduled webcasting event to start, Pearl device automatically sends an RTMP (or RTMPS) stream to the primary URL associated with that event. If you've enabled the backup stream, Pearl device sends an RTMP stream to both the primary URL and the secondary backup URL associated with that event. If the primary URL stream fails for any reason, Kaltura automatically switches over to the backup URL. The channel you're streaming should have at least one layout. [ ](https://knowledge.kaltura.com/live-encoding-best-practices-guide) During the webcast, you can switch layouts using Pearl device for a more dynamic live broadcast. **Important considerations** - Ensure that the same audio sources are selected on each layout if the channel is configured with multiple layouts for live switching. **Select channels and URLs for scheduled webcasting events using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Live-stream event channel**, select the channel you want to stream. - (Optional) Select an **Ad hoc event primary stream** from the drop-down list or select **Auto** to use the primary URL from Kaltura. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. - (Optional) Check **Backup stream** and select an **Ad hoc event backup stream** from the drop-down list. Select **Auto** to use the backup URL from Kaltura. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** The channel you're streaming should have at least one layout, During the webcast, you can switch layouts using Pearl device for a more dynamic live broadcast. --- ## Select channels for Kaltura VOD events id: cms/select-channels-for-kaltura-vod-events · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Select channels for Kaltura VOD events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* You can select which Pearl device channels are included in scheduled and ad hoc recordings using the Admin panel. Each channel that is configured on Pearl device is treated as a separate video source for all VOD events. Using multiple channels is how you record multiple views for a scheduled or ad hoc VOD event. For example, if you have a main camera and a presentation laptop that you want to capture as a multi-source recording, you'd create two channels on Pearl device: one for the main camera and another one for the presentation laptop. Set up your channels before performing this task. To learn how to create a channel The main entry is the default view that people see when they are watching, as well as the main view (i.e. the large screen) for PiP. The main view, VOD metadata, and edits like trimming the VOD can be done later in Kaltura after the recording has uploaded. **Important consideration** - Ensure that all the same audio sources are selected for each channel if a multi-view event with multiple channels is configured. **Select channels for Kaltura VOD events using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **VOD event channels**, check the channels to include. - (Optional) Select a different **Main entry** channel for multi-view recordings. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. Failing to apply the changes could result in recording unwanted channels. --- ## Select which channels Opencast can use id: cms/select-which-channels-opencast-can-use · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Select which channels Opencast can use *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You choose which Pearl device channels are available to Opencast for recording and for streaming. Each channel configured on the Pearl device is treated as a separate video source, so using multiple channels is how you capture multiple views of a single event. The channels you make available here are the set Opencast can draw on. When you schedule an event in Opencast, you choose which of those available channels that event uses. An ad hoc event started from the Pearl device uses whichever channels are marked as available here, because there is no opportunity to choose at event-creation time. Set up your channels before performing this task. **Select the channels available to Opencast using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Channels**, use the **Channel configuration** table. Check **Active** for each channel you want available to Opencast. - Set the **Flavor** for each active channel. The normal default values are **presenter** and **presentation**. - Set **Live streaming** for each active channel to enable or disable streaming from that channel. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has a single channel, so the **Channel configuration** table lists one row. The Active, Flavor and Live streaming settings apply to that channel. --- ## Set Kaltura ad hoc event parameters id: cms/set-kaltura-ad-hoc-event-parameters · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Set Kaltura ad hoc event parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* For ad hoc events, you can enter the metadata to associate with the uploaded media using the Admin panel. However, you can modify the metadata at any time using the Kaltura Management Console (KMC) after the content is uploaded. **Pearl device** - The same channels that you select for scheduled VOD events using the Admin panel are the channels that are recorded for ad hoc events. Similarly, the channel you selected for scheduled webcasts is used for ad hoc webcast events. **Table 67 Kaltura ad hoc event parameters** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Session title | This assigns a default title for ad hoc events. Default variables specify the current date and time as the title using the format **yyy-mm-dd hh:mm**. This default title can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. | | Event owner | This assigns an owner to ad hoc events created using the Pearl device. The owner you enter here appears on the Login screen by default and can be overwritten when authenticating from Pearl device. | | Owner suffix | Enter a suffix to be automatically applied to the Event owner field when users authenticate with Kaltura from the Pearl device. For example, if the owner account is *wilson@myorg.com*, enter the suffix *@myorg.com* here so that the user only needs to enter *wilson* to authenticate. | | Description | The description of the uploaded media that appears in Kaltura. | | Tags | Assign tags to the uploaded media for use by Kaltura. | | Categories | Assign Kaltura categories to the uploaded media. To assign a nested category to the uploaded media, use the ">" symbol (with no spaces) between categories. For example: Recordings>Tutorials>Biology1000 To assign multiple categories, separate the categories with a ",". For example: Recordings>Tutorials>Biology1000, Recordings>Tutorials>Chemistry1000 | | Duration | Assign a default duration for ad hoc events. This value can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. | | Automatic logout | Automatically logs out the ad hoc event creator when the ad hoc event ends if the touch screen was used to create the ad hoc event. This is disabled by default. | **Important considerations** - Before you start recording, we recommend that you enter the event parameters you want associated with ad hoc events using the Admin panel. However, users can modify or add this metadata later using the Kaltura Management Console. - CMS must be enabled and the Pearl device registered with Kaltura to create ad hoc events. **Set default ad hoc event parameters using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Unscheduled ad hoc events**, enter the information you want associated with this ad hoc event and click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. **Device differences** - There are no device-specific differences for ad hoc event parameters; the Event owner and Automatic logout behavior described above applies to all Pearl devices. --- ## Set Opencast ad hoc event parameters id: cms/set-opencast-ad-hoc-event-parameters · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Set Opencast ad hoc event parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Using the Admin panel, you can set parameters that are associated with ad hoc events, including: - **Session title**: This assigns a default title for ad hoc events. Default variables specify the current date and time as the title using the format **yyy-mm-dd hh:mm**. This default title can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Duration**: Assign a default duration for ad hoc events. This value can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Subject**: This assigns a default subject for Opencast ad hoc events. This default title can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Description**: This assigns a default description for Opencast ad hoc events. This can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. Pearl device must be registered with Opencast for this procedure to work. **Enter Opencast ad hoc event parameters using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Unscheduled ad hoc events**, enter the information you want associated with this ad hoc event and click **Apply** --- ## Set Panopto ad hoc event parameters id: cms/set-panopto-ad-hoc-event-parameters · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Set Panopto ad hoc event parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Using the Admin panel, you can set parameters that are associated with ad hoc events, including: - **Upload destination**: Choose whether you want the recorded files from ad hoc events to be automatically uploaded to the Panopto **Default Folder** that is assigned to Pearl device or to a user selectable folder. Options are default folder or user selectable folder. - **Enable user-customizable ad hoc events**: If this is selected, user will have the option to customize the event title, duration, and event type using Pearl device management interface. - **Session title**: This assigns a default title for ad hoc events. Default variables specify the current date and time as the title using the format **yyy-mm-dd hh:mm**. This default title can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. Otherwise, the default values specified here will be used. - **API client id**: This is the API client ID that was generated for ad hoc event authentication. Required if **user selectable folder** is selected as the **Upload destination**. - **Duration**: Assign a default duration for ad hoc events. This value can be changed when an ad hoc event is created. - **Event type**: Options are VOD or Live stream. The former will record and upload files to Panopto when the event events and the latter will only live stream the event. Optionally you can enable Upload the webcast recording and the Pearl device will record and upload Live Stream events. Upload the webcast recording is enabled by default. - **Automatic logout**: Automatically logs out the ad hoc event creator when the ad hoc event ends if the screen was used to create the ad hoc event. Pearl device must be connected to Panopto for this procedure to work. **Enter Panopto ad hoc event parameters using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Unscheduled ad hoc events**, enter the information you want associated with this ad hoc event and click **Apply** **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen and therefore does not support ad hoc authentication via a screen. --- ## Set the extend Kaltura CMS event interval id: cms/set-the-extend-kaltura-cms-event-interval · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Set the extend Kaltura CMS event interval *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* A button on the device screen lets users extend the length of an event that is in progress. By default, the event is extended in 5 minute intervals each time the button is tapped. Using the Admin panel, you can set the amount of time the event is extended to 5, 10, or 15 minute intervals. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. **Set the extend Kaltura CMS event interval using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Advanced**, select the **Extend event **time interval from the drop down list and click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen; use the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control to extend an in-progress event. --- ## Set the extend Opencast CMS event interval id: cms/set-the-extend-opencast-cms-event-interval · product: cms · source: pearl-opencast-cms-guide.md # Set the extend Opencast CMS event interval *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* A button in the Admin panel — or on the device screen, on Pearl devices that have one — lets users extend the length of an event that is in progress. Pearl Nexus is headless and has no device screen, so use the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. By default, the event is extended in 5 minute intervals each time the button is selected. Using the Admin panel, you can set the amount of time the event is extended to 5, 10, or 15 minute intervals. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. **Set the extend Opencast CMS event interval using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Settings**, select the **Extend event **time interval from the drop down list and click **Apply**. --- ## Set the extend Panopto CMS event interval id: cms/set-the-extend-panopto-cms-event-interval · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Set the extend Panopto CMS event interval *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* A button lets users extend the length of a Panopto event that is in progress. On Pearl devices that have a front screen the button appears there; Pearl Nexus is headless, so use the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. By default, the event is extended in 5 minute intervals each time the button is tapped. Using the Admin panel, you can set the amount of time the event is extended to 5, 10, or 15 minute intervals. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. **Set the extend Panopto CMS event interval using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Settings**, select the **Extend event** time interval from the drop down list and click **Apply**. --- ## Set the extend YuJa CMS event interval id: cms/set-the-extend-yuja-cms-event-interval · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # Set the extend YuJa CMS event interval *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* A button on the Events page of the Admin panel lets users extend the length of an event that is in progress. By default, the event is extended in 6 minute intervals each time the button is selected. Using the Admin panel, you can set the amount of time the event is extended to 6, 10, or 15 minute intervals. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. **Set the extend YuJa CMS event interval using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Settings**, select the **Extend event** time interval from the drop down list and click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini:** A button on the touch screen also lets users extend an in-progress event by the same configured interval. - **Pearl Nano:** Use the control keys on the front screen to extend the in-progress event. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no built-in screen — extend events from the Events page of the Admin panel or from Epiphan Edge. --- ## Set up a CMS start screen id: cms/set-up-a-cms-start-screen · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Set up a CMS start screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano.* You can use the Admin panel to set the Pearl device to show the Content Management System (CMS) Events screen on the Pearl device screen at start up. You can also lock the start screen to restrict access to any other screen. Locking the start screen is useful when operating the Pearl device in public spaces, classrooms, and unmanned kiosks. To access the touch screen configuration page, click **Touch Screen** in the navigation pane of the Admin panel. The start screen options for CMS event control are: - **Default**: The CMS Events screen appears automatically on the device screen when CMS is enabled and there's an upcoming scheduled event. On Pearl device you can also tap the calendar icon at the bottom of the touch screen. - **Content Management System**: The CMS Events screen displays automatically on the device screen when you power on the Pearl device. Operators can still navigate to other screens using the device screen. - **Start screen locked mode**: The CMS Events start screen is the only screen that displays on the screen of the Pearl device. Operators cannot navigate to other screens. If no 4-digit PIN set when the start screen is in locked mode, you can access the CMS Events start screen right away. However, you cannot access any other screens. If you set a 4-digit PIN when the start screen is in locked mode, a lock appears in the top right of the start screen. You must enter the PIN to unlock the CMS Events start screen and access the other screens. When you return to the CMS Events start screen, Pearl device automatically locks itself and you must re-enter the 4-digit PIN to unlock the screen. **To learn more about the CMS Events screen, Setup a CMS Events start screen using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen** (**Front Screen** on Nano). The **Touch Screen** configuration page opens. - From the **Start screen** drop-down menu, select **Content Management System**. - (Optional) Check **Start screen locked mode** and set a 4-digit PIN. - Click **Apply**. If you chose **Content Management System**, the Pearl device screen automatically refreshes to display the CMS Events screen. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Default**: The CMS Events screen appears automatically on the device screen when CMS is enabled and there's an upcoming scheduled event. --- ## Set up channel and URLs for Kaltura webcasting events id: cms/set-up-channel-and-urls-for-kaltura-webcasting-events · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Set up channel and URLs for Kaltura webcasting events *Applies to: Pearl Nano.* the Pearl device's channel is automatically selected for scheduled and ad hoc webcasting events. However, you can choose to stream the event to the secondary backup stream URL using the Admin panel. When a webcasting event is scheduled in Kaltura or started from Pearl device as an unscheduled ad hoc event, the stream URL and other event settings are sent to Pearl device. The Kaltura ingestion settings are applied automatically to Pearl device. When you create a Kaltura webcasting event on Pearl device, you have the option to use the primary and backup URLs supplied by Kaltura for the stream or to choose a stream destination that is created locally for the channel on Pearl device. Alternative streaming destinations must already be configured for the channel being webcast. Select the **Auto** option to use the primary and backup URLs supplied by Kaltura. Auto is the default setting. When it's time for the scheduled webcasting event to start, Pearl device automatically sends an RTMP (or RTMPS) stream to the primary URL associated with that event. If you've enabled the backup stream, Pearl device sends an RTMP stream to both the primary URL and the secondary backup URL associated with that event. If the primary URL stream fails for any reason, Kaltura automatically switches over to the backup URL. **Set up the channel and URLs for scheduled webcasting events using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under the **Live-stream event channel** section, the channel is automatically selected. No further action is required. Optionally, you can select **None** to prevent Pearl device from webcasting the channel. - (Optional) Select an **Ad hoc event primary stream** from the drop-down list or select **Auto** to use the primary URL from Kaltura. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. - (Optional) Check **Backup stream** and select an **Ad hoc event backup stream** from the drop-down list. Select **Auto** to use the backup URL from Kaltura. If **Auto** is the only available option, then no additional streams are configured for the channel. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. --- ## Set up channel for Kaltura VOD events on Pearl Nano id: cms/set-up-channel-for-kaltura-vod-events-on-pearl-nano · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Set up channel for Kaltura VOD events on Pearl Nano *Applies to: Pearl Nano.* Kaltura treats the channel on Pearl device as a single video-source event for scheduled and ad hoc VOD events. After Pearl device is registered with Kaltura, the channel defaults should work for scheduled VOD events without further configuration. However, you can disable the channel for VOD events using the Admin panel. To set up ad hoc parameters, The channel is automatically set as the main entry, which is the default view that people Adding VOD metadata and edits like trimming the VOD can be done later in Kaltura after the recording has uploaded. **Select Channel for event views using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **VOD event Channel**, uncheck **Enabled** to disable the channel for VOD events or leave it checked to enable using the channel for VOD events. - Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page. --- ## Set up Panopto authentication for ad hoc events id: cms/set-up-panopto-authentication-for-ad-hoc-events · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Set up Panopto authentication for ad hoc events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Panopto users can create unscheduled ad hoc events directly from the touch screen on Pearl device or using the Admin panel. You can set up Pearl device to allow users to authenticate using their local Panopto login credentials, their credentials for a third-party LMS integrated with Panopto (like Canvas), and SAML 2.0 credentials if configured on Panopto. The Pearl device uses a JavaScript web application to negotiate authentication with Panopto. You must create a new API client ID and add two URL redirects in Panopto for ad hoc event authentication to work. - One API client URL redirect is for Pearl device screen. - The other API client URL redirect is for the web-based Admin panel. An API client ID and both URL redirects are required to enable ad hoc authentication through Pearl device admin panel or touch screen. Before you begin, you need: - Admin access to Panopto. - A Pearl device remote recorder that's registered with Panopto. **Important considerations** - Record all API client IDs and secret keys that are generated in Panopto somewhere safe. The ID and key cannot be retrieved after the screen is closed and must be regenerated if lost. - You can use the same API Client ID to enable ad hoc authentication on multiple Pearl device systems; however, you must create a separate API client URL redirect for the web-based Admin UI of each individual Pearl device. - Third-party application authentication for ad hoc events is only supported for Panopto. **Enable ad hoc authentication on Pearl device** - Log in to Panopto as an administrator. - In the header bar, click the arrow beside your user name and select **User Settings**. The User Settings page opens. - Create the API Client ID and URL redirect for Pearl device. Do the following: - From the User Settings page, click **API Clients**, and then click **Create a new API Client**. The Create API Client page opens. - From the Create API Client page, enter a unique name for the Pearl device API client in the **Client Name field**. If a client already exists in Panopto with that name, choose a different name. - In the **Client Type** field, select JavaScript Web Application. - In the **Redirect URL** field, enter http://pearl/sso and then click **Create API Client**. - On the **New API Client created** pop-up, record the Client ID and the Client Secret for future reference, and then click **OK**. The new Pearl API Client appears in your list of API clients. - Add a URL redirect for the web-based Admin panel to the Pearl API Client. Do the following: - From the User Settings page under API Clients, click **Edit** beside the **Pearl API Client** that you just created. - In the Allowed Redirect URLs field, enter http://<*device_ip*>/admin/events where <*device_ip*> is the IP address of Pearl device. - If Pearl device is configured for https, enter https:// instead of http://. - In the URL Type field, select **Redirect URL**. - Click **Add URL**. The Admin panel URL redirect appears in the Allowed URL list. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - In the **Unscheduled ad hoc events** section, enter the Pearl device **API client id** that was generated earlier, and then click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano does not support "User Selectable Folder" Panopto ad hoc events or authentication via its screen. Ad hoc events can be created from the Pearl Nano's screen without authentication if Default folder is the Upload destination and Enable user-customizable ad hoc events is disabled (unchecked). - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen and therefore does not support ad hoc authentication via a screen, so only the web-based Admin panel URL redirect is required. --- ## Start, stop, pause, resume, and extend EchoVideo events id: cms/start-stop-pause-resume-and-extend-echovideo-events · product: cms · source: pearl-echovideo-cms-guide.md # Start, stop, pause, resume, and extend EchoVideo events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* It is possible to start or stop an EchoVideo scheduled event before its scheduled start or end time, using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, Delcom USB buttons, or third-party control. On Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, you can also use the touch screen. After an event ends, the recorded video files upload automatically to the CMS. With firmware 4.24.6 or newer, you can also pause and resume the recording during an EchoVideo event, using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, Delcom USB buttons, in-room control systems such as Crestron and Q-SYS through the REST API, or, on Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, the touch screen. ### Start a scheduled event early using the Admin panel From the Admin panel, select the **Events** menu and click **Start** beside the scheduled event on the Events page. EchoVideo supports early start up to five minutes before the scheduled start time. ### Stop a scheduled event early using the Admin panel Under **Ongoing and completed events**, a **Stop** button appears beside the event while the event is recording. Select it to stop the event before the scheduled end time. **💡 Tip** In the Admin panel, you can click **Refresh schedule** at any time to manually update the events listed on the Events page. ### Start or stop a scheduled event early using the touch screen On Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, tap the calendar icon to display the Events screen, or wait for the Events screen to appear automatically about five minutes before the event starts. Tap **Start event** to start the event early, or tap the **square** stop button to stop it. For details, see "Stop/start/pause/resume CMS events using the touch screen." ### Pause and resume an EchoVideo event When an EchoVideo event is running, you can pause its recording and resume it later (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). The event still ends at its scheduled end time. Nothing is recorded while the event is paused. For a live (webcast) event, the stream keeps sending while the event is paused: viewers see an event paused image with no audio until the event is resumed or ends. - **Admin panel:** select the **Events** menu, then click **Pause** to pause recording of the current event. When paused, the button changes to **Resume**. When you're ready to continue, click **Resume**. - **Touch screen (Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini):** while the event is in progress, tap **Pause** on the Events screen. When paused, the button changes to **Resume**. When you're ready to continue, tap **Resume**. - **Delcom USB button:** see "Connect a USB control button to control CMS events." ### Extend EchoVideo event duration When an EchoVideo event is running, it is possible to extend the duration of the event by five minutes, using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. Events cannot be extended beyond the start of the next scheduled event. ### Extending an event using the Admin panel From the Admin panel, select the **Events** menu and then click the **+5 minutes** button to extend the current event. The button adds five minutes each time it is pressed. --- ## Start/stop scheduled CMS events using the Admin panel id: cms/startstop-scheduled-cms-events-using-the-admin-panel · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Start/stop scheduled CMS events using the Admin panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* You can start scheduled CMS events from the Events menu using the Admin panel and stop events before their scheduled end time. After an event ends, the recorded video files upload automatically to the CMS. **Important considerations** - If you manually stop a scheduled CMS VOD event before the scheduled end time when the Pearl device doesn't have network connectivity, the Pearl device uploads the completed event's recording when network connectivity resumes. However, Panopto does not recognize that the event has ended. The event remains in the In Progress state in Panopto and you must wait until the original event's scheduled end time before creating a new event using that Pearl device. - For multiple-source CMS events that are manually stopped or have ended, if you use the Admin panel to delete a locally saved recording for any channel on Pearl device that hasn't yet uploaded to the CMS as part of the multiple-source event, that event remains in the In Progress state indefinitely on the CMS. - Do not power down a Pearl device while a scheduled webcast event is in progress. The webcast ends but the RTMP stream that was created automatically on the Pearl device is not deleted from the channel's Streaming page. Use the Admin panel to manually delete the webcast stream instance from the channel's Streaming page. **Start a scheduled CMS event using the Admin panel** From the Admin panel, select the Events menu and click **Start** beside the scheduled event on the Events page. **Stop a scheduled CMS event using the Admin panel** Under **Ongoing and completed events**, a **Stop** button appears beside the event while the event is recording. You can select that to stop the event before the scheduled end time. **TIP**: In the Admin panel, you can click **Refresh schedule** at any time to manually update the events listed on the Events page. After the event ends, it may take a while for content to show up in Kaltura's media lists, depending on how busy the Kaltura CMS system is at the time. --- ## Stop/start scheduled CMS events using Pearl Nano's front screen menu id: cms/stopstart-scheduled-cms-events-using-pearl-nanos-front-screen-menu · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Stop/start scheduled CMS events using Pearl Nano's front screen menu *Applies to: Pearl Nano.* You can use the Pearl device's front screen and the control key interface to manually start scheduled events up to thirty minutes before the scheduled start time. When CMS is enabled on Pearl device, an Events screen is added to the screens you can view on the front screen. When an event is scheduled, the Event screen updates with the event name and a countdown timer. Five minutes before the scheduled event, the event name and timer on the Events screen turn red. You can select **Start event** using the control keys to start the event up to a half an hour before the scheduled start time. When the event starts, the button changes to Stop event. Select **Stop event** when you're done or just wait for the event to stop automatically at the scheduled time. Recordings upload automatically to your CMS. **Important information** - Your Pearl device must already be registered with your CMS to appear listed as a remote recorder resource in Kaltura or Panopto. Contact your CMS administrator responsible for setting up hardware encoders for your organization if the Pearl device isn't listed as a resource or the calendar icon does not appear on the front screen. - the Pearl device's channel is treated as a single, primary video source in Kaltura and Panopto. - For Kaltura, the channel used for live streaming is pre-configured by the Pearl device administrator. - Panopto users can select the resolution for the video source in Panopto when a new scheduled or recurring session is created. The encoding settings are applied automatically to the channel on Pearl device - After the event ends, recordings automatically upload to the CMS. It may take a while for content to show up in Kaltura's media lists, depending on how busy the Kaltura CMS system is at that time. Recordings are associated with the user account that scheduled the event. - If network connectivity is lost during a scheduled VOD event, the Pearl device continues to record the event locally. When network connectivity re-establishes and the event ends, the recording uploads to the CMS as expected. For Panopto VOD events, if you manually stop a scheduled VOD event before the scheduled end time when the Pearl device doesn't have network connectivity, the Pearl device uploads the completed event's recording when network connectivity resumes. However, Panopto does not recognize that the event has ended. The event remains in the In Progress state in Panopto and you must wait until the original event's scheduled end time before creating a new event using that Pearl device. --- ## Stop/start/pause/resume CMS events using the touch screen id: cms/stopstartpauseresume-cms-events-using-the-touch-screen · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Stop/start/pause/resume CMS events using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini.* You can use the Pearl device's touch screen to manually start scheduled events up to thirty minutes (**5 minutes for Echo360**) before the scheduled start time. A calendar icon appears when CMS is set up on the Pearl device. From the touch screen, tap the calendar icon to display the Events screen or wait for the Events screen to appear automatically about five minutes before the event starts. Tap **Start event** to start recording or webcasting right away. When you're done, tap the **square** stop event button or just wait for the event to stop automatically at the scheduled time. After you confirm your selection, the event recording uploads automatically to your CMS. For EchoVideo, Kaltura, Opencast, Panopto, and YuJa events, tap the **Pause** button to pause the recording during an event; tap it again to resume. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. If there's more than five minutes before the next scheduled event, a **Create event** button for ad hoc events appears beside the **Start event** button (**Not supported by YuJa**). **Important information** - The Pearl device must already be registered with your CMS to appear listed as a recorder in the CMS. Contact your CMS administrator responsible for setting up hardware encoders for your organization if the Pearl device isn't listed as a recorder or the calendar icon does not appear on the touch screen. Each channel on the Pearl device corresponds to a separate video source, which are treated as separate views for multi-view recordings. Many of the settings of an event is configured by your administrator, who should be contacted if specific questions regarding your CMS settings arise. In some cases, users can choose which channels on the Pearl device to include when scheduling a multiple source recording or webcasts. The primary and secondary video sources you select correspond to individual channels configured on the Pearl device. Some CMS platforms allow users to select the resolution for each video source when a new scheduled or recurring session is created (Panopto, Echo360 (using Profiles), and Kaltura (using Flavours)). For Panopto, the encoding settings are applied automatically to the channels on the Pearl device. After an event ends, recordings automatically upload to the CMS. It may take a while for content to show up depending on how busy the system is at that time. Recordings are normally associated with the user account that scheduled the event. Reach out to your administrator if you can't find your recordings. If network connectivity is lost during a scheduled VOD event, the Pearl device continues to record the event locally. When network connectivity re-establishes and the event ends, the recording uploads to the CMS as expected. - See your Pearl administrator if you need to add or remove channels on the Pearl device. Some special conditions can arise if events are modified when no connection to the CMS is possible. Contact Epiphan Support if required. --- ## Troubleshooting CMS registration and ad hoc events id: cms/troubleshooting-cms-registration-and-ad-hoc-events · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # Troubleshooting CMS registration and ad hoc events *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Issue | Solution | | --- | --- | | I can't register my Pearl device with Kaltura using the same device name that I just deregistered. | If you deregister your Pearl device from Kaltura and then too quickly register again using the same name, you may receive the following error message "Unable to register device: System name [*MyPearl*] already exists". To avoid this, ensure the deregistered Pearl device entry in the list of encoder devices disappears before registering again using the same device name. | | My login attempt to create an ad hoc event from my Pearl device was denied. | Kaltura or Panopto has denied you access to create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts using your Pearl device. Contact your CMS administrator to either activate your CMS account or enable the necessary access rights. | --- ## Upload the local Panopto webcast recording id: cms/upload-the-local-panopto-webcast-recording · product: cms · source: pearl-panopto-cms-guide.md # Upload the local Panopto webcast recording *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* By default, the Pearl device always records a Panopto webcasting event locally and uploads that recording when the webcast ends. Once uploaded, the Panopto server uses the local recording from the Pearl device instead of the original webcast. You can disable this feature using the Admin panel. Panopto ad hoc events have two event types: VOD or Live-stream. There is no combined VOD + Live-stream event type for Panopto. **Upload the webcast recording** is therefore what produces a recording of a Live-stream (webcast) event. When the setting is enabled, the Pearl device records the webcast locally and uploads that recording when the event ends. When the setting is cleared, the Pearl device streams the event only and no recording is produced. The setting is enabled by default. - The Pearl device needs a storage solution installed to use this feature. - If an upload schedule is set, the webcast recording uploads during the scheduled upload time period. **Enable or disable uploading the local webcast recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration page opens. - Under **Settings**, check **Upload the webcast recording** and click **Apply** at the bottom of the page to always upload the local recording of webcasting events or uncheck **Upload the webcast recording** to disable the feature. --- ## Use RTMPS for a Kaltura webcasting event id: cms/use-rtmps-for-a-kaltura-webcasting-event · product: cms · source: pearl-kaltura-cms-guide.md # Use RTMPS for a Kaltura webcasting event *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* The Pearl device sends an RTMP stream to the primary URL associated with the webcasting event, or to both the primary URL and the secondary backup URL if you've enabled the backup stream. You can configure Pearl device to send an RTMPS stream instead using the Admin panel. **Configure Pearl device to send an RTMPS stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - Under **Live-stream event channel**, check **Secure streaming** and click **Apply**. --- ## View scheduled CMS events and history id: cms/view-scheduled-cms-events-and-history · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # View scheduled CMS events and history *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Using the Admin panel, select the **Events** menu to see up to 90 days depending on the CMS platform, shortest being Panopto (1 week) of upcoming scheduled events and up to 90 days of ongoing and completed events for Pearl device. Click the page arrows at the bottom of each list to navigate through multiple pages. The Events page updates to show new events at least every hour. Click **Refresh schedule** at any time to manually update the Events page. The Events page only displays when a CMS is enabled on Pearl device. If the time and zone settings of Pearl device are out of synchronization with the CMS scheduling server, an error appears on the Events page when you refresh the schedule. Configure the time settings on Pearl device to match the time and zone of the CMS scheduling server, see **Configure date and time**. For Panopto and EchoVideo events, an administrator can re-upload the recordings associated with a previous event by clicking the **Re-upload** button for that event (EchoVideo: firmware 4.24.6 or newer). From the touch screen on Pearl device, you can tap the Scheduled events icon at any time to display the Events screen. The icon appears when any CMS is enabled on Pearl device. The Events screen displays automatically on the touch screen of Pearl device about five minutes before a scheduled event starts. For events with more channels than can be previewed at the same time on the touch screen, an arrow appears so you can scroll through a carousel of channel previews. **Maintenance** Keep your Pearl device running smoothly using the latest firmware updates and maintenance features. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus has no screen; view the Events page using the Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or third-party control. - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano cannot display the Channel preview on the Events screen. - **Pearl Nano:** Re-upload is available for Panopto events only; Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360). --- ## View YuJa events and access recordings id: cms/view-yuja-events-and-access-recordings · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # View YuJa events and access recordings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* There are several ways to view YuJa events linked to your Pearl device: - **Pearl Admin panel** - Log in to the Pearl Admin panel as admin, then click **Events** in the Pearl Admin navigation pane. - **Epiphan Edge -** Log in to Epiphan Edge, then click **Events** in the Epiphan Edge navigation pane. - **Pearl device screen** - Select the **Events** screen on your Pearl device's touch screen or front screen to display any upcoming YuJa events and any YuJa event in progress. This is not available on Pearl Nexus, which has no built-in screen — use the Admin panel or Epiphan Edge instead. - **MultiViewer** - Enable CMS events for MultiViewer and MultiViewer will display event name, time left before event start, and current event details. - **YuJa** - Contact your YuJa administrator to view YuJa events. **Accessing YuJa recordings** All YuJa recordings are automatically uploaded to YuJa. For more information on accessing the recordings, contact your YuJa administrator. The Pearl device's Automatic File Upload (AFU) feature is not available when the Pearl device is registered to YuJa. --- ## What each CMS needs to register a Pearl device id: cms/what-each-cms-needs-to-register-a-pearl-device · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # What each CMS needs to register a Pearl device *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Gather these details before you begin. Every CMS integration starts on the same page of the Pearl Admin panel: log in as **admin**, go to **Configuration**, then **CMS**, and select your platform from the **Choose CMS** drop down. | CMS platform | Details required to register the Pearl device | |---|---| | **Panopto** | Service URL (for example `https://.hosted.panopto.com/`) and a Panopto-generated **Registration key**. A **Device name** is optional. | | **Kaltura** | Either your **Partner ID** and **Administrator secret**, or an application **Token ID** and **Token value**. When using an application token, the **Token hash type** must match the hash type set on the token; the default is **SHA1**. A **Resource name** is optional. | | **YuJa** | **YuJa Service URL**, an **Authentication token** (called an API Token in YuJa), the **User ID Type**, and the **User ID**. | | **Opencast** | **Service URL**, **username**, and **password** for an Opencast user that holds the required capture-agent roles. | | **EchoVideo (Echo360)** | **Client ID** and **Client Secret** from EchoVideo. The Echo360 application must be installed on the Pearl device first, which requires the device to be registered with Epiphan servers, running firmware 4.24.5 or newer, and to have storage installed. | Where to obtain each credential, and the full registration procedure, is documented in the guide for each platform. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360). It does not support application containers, so the Echo360 application cannot be installed. --- ## What each CMS platform supports on a Pearl device id: cms/what-each-cms-platform-supports-on-a-pearl-device · product: cms · source: pearl-cms-common.md # What each CMS platform supports on a Pearl device *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Capability varies by CMS platform, not only by Pearl model. Check this table before assuming a procedure documented for one platform applies to another. | CMS platform | Pearl registers as | Ad hoc events started from the Pearl device | Webcasting (live streaming) | Extend, pause, and resume | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Panopto** | Remote recorder | Supported | Supported | Supported | | **Kaltura** | Resource | Supported | Supported, on a single channel only | Supported (pause and resume: firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | | **Opencast** | Capture agent | Supported | Supported | Supported | | **YuJa** | Third-party device | **Not supported** | Supported | Supported | | **EchoVideo (Echo360)** | Room device | Supported (firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | Supported | Supported (pause and resume: firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | **YuJa does not support creating ad hoc events from a Pearl device.** An impromptu event can be started from the YuJa web interface, but not from the Pearl device, the Pearl Admin panel, or third-party control such as a Q-SYS, Extron or Crestron panel or the REST API. EchoVideo (Echo360) ad hoc events require firmware 4.24.6 or newer. They can be created from the Pearl device's touch screen (Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini), the Admin panel, or third-party control through the REST API; see "Create ad hoc events with EchoVideo" in the EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration guide. **EchoVideo ad hoc events cannot be started with Delcom USB buttons.** **Epiphan Edge cannot start ad hoc events for any CMS platform, including EchoVideo**; Edge can start scheduled EchoVideo events early. An impromptu event can also be started from the Echo360 web interface. Kaltura supports webcasting on one channel only. Panopto, Opencast, YuJa and EchoVideo have no such single-channel restriction; consult the guide for your platform for its channel limits. Where you choose which channels an event uses differs by platform: - **Kaltura** — select the channels in the CMS settings on the Pearl device. - **Opencast** — the CMS settings on the Pearl device set which channels are available for recording and streaming. When you schedule an event in Opencast, you choose which of those available channels the event uses. An ad hoc event uses whichever channels are marked as available on the Pearl device. - **YuJa** — channel selection is held in a profile configured on the Pearl device. You choose which profile an event uses when you schedule the event in YuJa. - **Panopto** — select the channels in the Panopto interface, not on the Pearl device. - **EchoVideo (Echo360)** — channel selection is held in a profile configured in the Echo360 interface, not on the Pearl device. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano cannot start ad hoc events from the device display, except for Panopto events when the Upload destination is the Default Folder and Enable user-customizable ad hoc events is disabled. Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360) at all. - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus is headless, so ad hoc events cannot be authenticated or created from a device screen. Use the Admin panel instead. --- ## YuJa known issues id: cms/yuja-known-issues · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # YuJa known issues *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* This section includes known issues or limitations that affect YuJa functionality or usability and ways that you can work around these limitations. - If you delete a profile that is linked to a future event, Pearl will remember the profile's settings and apply them regardless of deletion. Instead, remove the profile from the event in YuJa before deletion. - If the Pearl admin is taking a long time to load or apply YuJa settings, the YuJa server may be unavailable. The Pearl admin page may provide inaccurate information or no message at all. If you have trouble establishing a connection between your Pearl device and YuJa, contact Epiphan support. - YuJa Video Platform may not always show accurate Pearl device connectivity status. - Profiles may not be reflected accurately in YuJa previews. The YuJa preview may seem incorrect. However, YuJa streaming/recording will work as intended. - If you rename your Pearl device in the YuJa interface, this name will not be updated in the Pearl admin or on the Pearl device. - If you start an event early in YuJa using any Pearl interface and then extend the event, the event appears to extend but ends at the originally scheduled ending time. --- ## YuJa settings id: cms/yuja-settings · product: cms · source: pearl-yuja-cms-guide.md # YuJa settings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* YuJa settings on a Pearl device become available once the device is registered with YuJa. The following features are supported. YuJa supports H.264 encoded channels only. If you select Motion JPEG encoding in a channel's encoding settings, YuJa will override it. Contact your YuJa administrator to ensure your Pearl channels are correctly configured for YuJa. **YuJa profiles** Profiles tell Pearl which channels will be recorded and/or streamed for a scheduled YuJa event. For example, your Pearl device may have a channel connected to a laptop called **Slides** and a channel called **Camera**. YuJa can capture up to three channels simultaneously, or a single channel. Click **+ Create new** to create a new profile or **Select a profile** from the list. **Profile configuration** - **Profile name** - Enter the name for the profile. - **Channel configuration** - Select which channels will be recorded and/or streamed when this profile is used for a scheduled event. - **Live streaming** - Enable or disable live streaming for this profile. When live streaming is enabled for this profile, the selected channel(s) will be live streamed when this profile is selected for a scheduled event. Click **Apply** when you have configured your profile. All channels that are live streamed for an event are also recorded locally and uploaded to YuJa when the event ends. **Upload Settings** These settings are optional - they are not required for deployment. - **File upload schedule** - Select the check box to enable scheduled file uploads. If enabled, locally recorded files will only be uploaded to YuJa between the start and stop upload times. - **Start upload** - Select a start time for file uploads - **Stop upload** - Select a finish time for file uploads. Click **Apply** when you have configured your upload settings. YuJa events must be scheduled in YuJa. To view YuJa events in the Pearl admin panel, click **Events** and look under **Scheduled events**. **Device differences** **Pearl Nano:** can only record and webcast one channel as it is a single channel device. --- ## Audio modes id: connect/audio-modes · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Audio modes There are two types of audio you can use when managing a meeting in Epiphan Connect: **Isolated audio** and **Mixed audio**. Audio choice must be selected before joining the meeting and cannot be changed once Epiphan Connect has joined the meeting. **Isolated Audio** means that each extracted meeting participant will have their own dedicated audio channel. This means that each extracted meeting participant will have only their own audio in the extraction. This mode is ideal if you want to have fine control over which participants' audio you want to extract from the meeting. However, this means that you also need to be mindful of which participants you extract. For example, if participants A and B are having a conversation, and you only extract participant A or forget to include participant B's audio in your production software, your produced stream will only have what participant A is saying. **Mixed audio** means that there will only be a single audio track containing mixed audio from all participants in the meeting. This means that each extracted meeting participant will have the same audio track containing the entire audio from the meeting. This is the same audio you would hear inside the meeting. This mode allows you to work with a simpler audio configuration in exchange for less control over what audio is extracted from the meeting. Given that all extractions have the same audio in this mode, we recommend you enable the audio for only one of the extracted participants to avoid "echo" in the produced stream. --- ## Configure an SRT receiver id: connect/configure-an-srt-receiver · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Configure an SRT receiver To use the video and audio streams that are extracted from Epiphan Connect you will need an SRT receiver of some kind. This can be a software application running on a computer, or a standalone video encoder like a Pearl Nano, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl-2, or Epiphan Unify. SRT stands for Secure Reliable Transport, and is an open source streaming protocol designed to deliver secure, high quality, and low latency video across the internet. ### What's needed for this setup - The SRT URL, or hostname, and SRT port of the SRT source, in this case Connect, is needed if your receiver is in Caller mode. - For Caller/Listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source is using and configure the SRT receiver to use the corresponding mode. For example, if the SRT source is in Listener mode, then the SRT receiver must be in Caller mode. Epiphan Connect extractions use Listener mode by default. - Caller mode can only be used for connections with a publicly accessible destination/source, e.g. an Epiphan Unify project. If the SRT port the Caller is trying to use is closed at the Listener destination then the connection will fail. - Listener mode can be used to connect with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall), so long as the corresponding SRT port is open to incoming traffic. On the Epiphan Connect side of this equation make sure to select **Listener** in the **Connection mode** section. Once the connection has been established you should be able to see the meeting participant in your SRT receiver and you can then use it like any other SRT stream. If a meeting participant’s connection drops from the meeting or Epiphan Connect, their video feed will be replaced by a blank screen, maintaining the original resolution of their video feed. This is to ensure that any layouts or designs using that video feed will not be disrupted by the interruption. --- ## Connect overview id: connect/connect-overview · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Connect overview # Epiphan Connect Information Epiphan Connect empowers you to extract individual video and audio feeds of Microsoft Teams or Zoom participants and shared screens, and transport them into your production tools via SRT. SRT extractions from Connect can be routed seamlessly to Pearl devices and Unify projects paired to the same Epiphan Cloud Team, but also to any other device/software that accepts SRT Caller or Listener modes. It is recommended that Connect remains the “Listener” to avoid many possible firewall issues. Connect does not support NTP or PTP configuration, like the Pearl devices and Unify projects does, however, all SRT extractions from Connect are embedded with UTC timestamps. When streaming to Pearl devices and Unify projects SRT extractions are synced automatically. --- ## Connect Quick Start Guide id: connect/connect-quick-start-guide · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Connect Quick Start Guide Use the following procedure to begin using Epiphan Connect: - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/). Sign up for an Epiphan Connect subscription plan. Join a meeting using Epiphan Connect. If using Microsoft Teams and you wish to extract from a specific Microsoft organization, set up the permissions and pair Epiphan Connect and the Microsoft organization from which Epiphan Connect will be connecting and extracting. Configure and start extraction of meeting participants from the meeting. After the meeting, stop the extraction and disconnect the meeting from Epiphan Connect, verifying that Connect has been disconnected. Failing to disconnect may result in being invoiced for unwanted usage. It is also advisable that the organizer of the meeting should end the meeting for all participants from within the meeting application. **Other Considerations** - Participants in the Epiphan Connect interface can be sorted by **Name** or by **Streaming Status**; they can also be filtered by Streaming Status. This can be very useful when working with a large meeting. --- ## Connect to a Microsoft Teams meeting id: connect/connect-to-a-microsoft-teams-meeting · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Connect to a Microsoft Teams meeting Once you have set up a Microsoft Teams subscription and set up your Microsoft Teams connection, you are ready to connect to a meeting. - Click **Epiphan Connect** in the navigation pane. - If you have subscribed to Epiphan Connect there will be a button labeled **+New Meeting**. Click **+New Meeting** and a window will pop up. - There will be two options in this window; **Create a new meeting** will create a new Microsoft Teams meeting within Epiphan Connect, and **Connect to a meeting** will allow Epiphan Connect to join an existing Microsoft Teams meeting. - If you haven't yet set up a Microsoft Teams subscription or set up your Microsoft Teams connection, click **Create a new meeting** and follow the instructions: - Enter the name of your meeting. - If you have configured your Microsoft Teams connection and have a meeting ready click **Connect to a meeting:** - **Enter your Microsoft Teams meeting URL**. - Select an **Audio mode**: **Isolated audio** or **Mixed audio**. Click **Start Connect**. For Epiphan Connect to join the Microsoft Teams meeting that was created in Step 3a above, you will now need to choose your **Audio mode**, refer to Step 3b. If you clicked **Connect to a meeting** Epiphan Connect will have already started connecting automatically. Once the **Status** displays **Running**, Epiphan Connect is now connected to the Microsoft Teams meeting. It can sometimes take as long as five minutes to reach **Running** status; please take that into consideration when planning to join a meeting. - Within the Microsoft Teams meeting a new member should appear, Epiphan Connect. - In the Epiphan Connect interface you should see a list of all participants already in the meeting and their names. - Please be aware that it is possible for certain participants, such as the host, to remove Epiphan Connect from the meeting; doing so will disconnect Epiphan Connect from the meeting, and all streams from the meeting will be stopped. **Further Considerations** - There is no limit to the number of Microsoft Teams meetings you can join using Epiphan Connect. - Microsoft Teams meetings created within Epiphan Connect will only be available for 45 days. --- ## Connect to a Zoom meeting id: connect/connect-to-a-zoom-meeting · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Connect to a Zoom meeting Once you have set up a Zoom meeting, you are ready to connect. Once you have set up a Zoom meeting and paired your Zoom account with Connect, you are ready to connect. - Click Epiphan Connect in the navigation pane. - If you have subscribed to Epiphan Connect there will be a button labeled +New Meeting. Click +New Meeting and click on Zoom. - A window will appear asking you to input the following information: - Zoom Meeting URL or meeting ID: This is the URL or ID of the meeting and is required for Epiphan Connect to join the meeting. If you're having difficulty finding it you can check here, [Find your Zoom meeting URL or Meeting ID](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/connect/Content/Connect/Connect-to-a-Zoom-Meeting-FindURL.htm). - Passcode: This is the passcode for the Zoom meeting, and is only required if the meeting requires a passcode and the passcode is not embedded in the meeting URL. - Zoom meetings require all participants to be authenticated, from the Zoom identity drop-down menu, select a Zoom account or add one by selecting Manage your Zoom identities. See: [Pair your Zoom account with Epiphan Connect.](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/connect/Content/Connect/Authorize-Zoom-to-use-Connect.htm) - Epiphan Connect audio mode: You can choose from Isolated or Mixed audio modes. For more information, see [Audio modes](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/connect/Content/Connect/Audio-modes.htm). - Click Connect. You may see a message that Epiphan Connect needs permissions to function in the meeting. It can sometimes take as long as five minutes for Epiphan Connect to join the meeting; please take that into consideration when planning a meeting. - After some time the Status on the Epiphan Connect interface will change from Connecting to Waiting in the Lobby, Epiphan Connect is now connected to the Zoom meeting. Usually, the host of the meeting will see a popup window asking to admit Epiphan Connect into the meeting. If this is closed or times out, the host will have to go to the Participants section to admit Epiphan Connect. - Once you have admitted Epiphan Connect to the meeting it should ask for the permissions it needs, once you have done this it will finish connecting to the meeting. If Epiphan Connect does not automatically request permissions you may need to [Manually Give Connect Permissions in Zoom](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/connect/Content/Connect/Connect-to-a-Zoom-Meeting-Permissions.htm). - Within the Epiphan Connect interface you can now click the name of your meeting to access it. - In the Epiphan Connect interface you should see a list of all participants already in the meeting and their names. - Please be aware that it is possible for certain participants, such as the host, to remove Epiphan Connect from the meeting; doing so will disconnect Epiphan Connect from the meeting, and all streams from the meeting will be stopped. Further Considerations - If at any point Epiphan Connect encounters problems after being admitted to the meeting, the Status of the meeting will change in the Epiphan Connect interface. Clicking any area of the meeting in this interface will provide more details about the error and some suggestions about how the problem might be fixed. - Epiphan Connect might fail to join to a Zoom meeting if the administrator of the Zoom account that is hosting the meeting has set the minimum client versions to anything newer that client version 5.14.5. When such a failure occurs, you will see the status of the meeting say "there was a connection problem". Please contact the administrator of the Zoom account that is hosting the meeting or reach out to Epiphan Support team. - There is no limit to the number of Zoom meetings you can join using Epiphan Connect. - Please be aware that when creating a new meeting in Zoom it will default to using your Personal Meeting ID. If you wish to create a separate meeting uncheck this option, or choose Generate Automatically if scheduling a meeting. You can read more about the Personal Meeting ID here, [https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203276937-Using-Personal-Meeting-ID-PMI-](https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203276937-Using-Personal-Meeting-ID-PMI-). - If a participant of a meeting that has already joined the meeting joins the meeting again, from another device or an incognito window for example, Epiphan Connect will treat that participant as a separate new participant. Any SRT streams started for that participant from the original device will not reflect the new participant. --- ## Create SRT input stream with Connect Return Feed id: connect/create-srt-input-stream-with-connect-return-feed · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Create SRT input stream with Connect Return Feed Epiphan Connect is capable of ingesting an SRT feed from an outside source, such as your production encoder, and injecting that source back into the Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting to which it is connected. To use the **Return feed** feature you must first successfully connect to a meeting. Setting up an incoming Return feed is almost identical to manually configuring an outgoing SRT stream - Click the green **Start** button next to **Return feed** to open the **Return feed** window. - Copy the **SRT URL** from Epiphan Connect and paste it into your encoder. If using a Pearl encoder this is under the **Streaming** section of a **Channel**. - In the Connect interface click **Start** to begin the SRT stream or **Cancel** to stop the SRT stream. - Start the stream on the Encoder side. - The recommended workflow is for the Connect side to be in **Listener** mode and the encoder to be in **Caller** mode. If using a Pearl device you must create a new SRT stream, or edit an existing stream, in the **Streaming** section of a **Channel**, this is where you input the SRT information and start the stream. **Further Considerations** - The Return feed is similar to participant SRT feeds, but is not ingested by your encoder. It is an ingest point to which your encoder sends a video stream, and then Epiphan Connect sends that video stream into the meeting. Generally this is used to send a program feed from the encoder back into the meeting, so participants can see the program as it is happening, but it could be used to send any compatible SRT stream from your encoder. - If there are multiple Epiphan Connect instances in the same meeting only the first instance can inject a return feed into the meeting. If the instance that controls the return feed injection is disconnected from the meeting, you will need to reconnect it or start a new instance to use the return feed functionality again. - Epiphan Connect will always inject a 1920x1080p@30fps stream into the meeting, regardless of the settings of the encoder sending the stream. We recommend you configure your encoder to send a stream that doesn't exceed this resolution and frame rate to avoid unnecessary bandwidth and CPU usage. - Return feeds are muted by default. - **If changing Connection mode**. - If you select **Listener**, the **SRT URL** is provided so you can copy and paste it into the encoder you're using as your SRT caller. You will also need to enter the network port to use for this connection; it must be between 14000 and 14100. - If you select **Caller**, enter the IP address of the SRT destination (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be provided by the CDN (Content Delivery Network), media server, or another SRT encoder device. - **Advanced SRT** - Select from the following: - **Latency** - Add from 20 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible, and the stream quality will suffer. - **Encryption** - Select to set the pass phrase and key length that will be used to encrypt the SRT stream for the Return feed between Epiphan Connect and the SRT encoder. --- ## Create SRT output stream with meeting participants id: connect/create-srt-output-stream-with-meeting-participants · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Create SRT output stream with meeting participants To start an SRT stream with a meeting participant, you must first successfully connect to a meeting. You are also able to extract streams from the **Primary Speaker** and a **Screen Share** in the meeting. Primary Speaker is the designation for the current speaker in the meeting. To use the video and audio streams that are extracted from Epiphan Connect you will need an SRT receiver of some kind. This can be a software application running on a computer, or a standalone video encoder like a Pearl Nano, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl-2, or Epiphan Unify. Click the green **Start** button next to a participant's name to open the **Start new SRT stream** window to get started. When the new window appears there will be two options for **Connection** settings, you can choose from **Epiphan** or **Custom**. Choosing **Epiphan** will allow you to quickly connect to an Epiphan device that is paired to your Epiphan Edge team, or an active Epiphan Unify instance on the same team. Choosing **Custom** will allow you to configure a custom destination for the SRT stream. If you selected **Epiphan** follow these steps below: - Configure the following settings in the **Start new SRT stream** window: - **Mute audio on start** - Click to mute this participant's audio when the SRT stream begins. - **Mute video on start** - Click to hide this participant's video when the SRT stream begins. - **Epiphan Pearl Nano, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl-2, or Unify project** - Select an [**Epiphan Pearl device**](https://www.epiphan.com/compare-pearl-systems/) or [**Unify project**](https://www.epiphan.com/unify/) that you want to use, that's currently on the same Epiphan Edge team that Epiphan Connect is paired with. For a Pearl device it must be running firmware version 4.18 or higher. - **SRT Input** you must create an SRT input on the Epiphan device or within the Unify project so Epiphan Connect can target it. - Epiphan Connect will overwrite all settings on this SRT input, the original settings will not be preserved. - **Video quality** - Select from **Full HD** (1920x1080p, 30 fps, 6000 kbits bitrate) **HD** (1280x720p, 30 fps, 2500 kbits bitrate), and **Custom**. This is the video quality from Epiphan Connect and the SRT decoder at the destination. The quality of the video from the meeting platform to Epiphan Connect is controlled by the meeting platform. The video that is sent from the meeting platform will be scaled by Epiphan Connect to match the chosen frame size setting. - If you select **Custom**, you will need to enter the **Frame size**, **Frame rate**, and **Video bitrate**. - **Audio quality** - Select from the following: - **Audio channels** - Stereo or Mono - **Advanced SRT** - Select from the following: - **Latency** - Add from 20 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible, and the stream quality will suffer. - **Encryption** - The connection will automatically be encrypted using an AES-125 key. - Click **Start** to begin the SRT stream or **Cancel** to cancel the SRT stream. If you selected **Custom**, follow these steps below: - Configure the following settings in the **Start new SRT stream** window: - **Mute audio on start** - Click to mute this participant's audio when the SRT stream begins. - **Mute video on start** - Click to hide this participant's video when the SRT stream begins. - **Connection mode** - Select **Listener** or **Caller**, depending on your SRT stream settings. - If you select **Listener**, the URL is provided so you can copy and send it to your SRT caller. You will also need to enter the network port to use for this connection; it must be between 14000 and 14100. - If you select **Caller**, enter the IP address of the SRT destination (decoder) using the format *srt://**<**decoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**decoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be provided by the CDN (Content Delivery Network), media server, or another SRT decoder device. - **Video quality** - Select from **Full HD** (1920x1080p, 30 fps, 6000 kbits bitrate) **HD** (1280x720p, 30 fps, 2500 kbits bitrate), and **Custom**. This is the video quality from Epiphan Connect and the SRT decoder at the destination. The quality of the video from the meeting platform to Epiphan Connect is controlled by the meeting platform. The video that is sent from the meeting platform will be scaled by Epiphan Connect to match the chosen frame size setting. - If you select **Custom**, you will need to enter the **Frame size**, **Frame rate**, and **Video bitrate**. - **Audio quality** - Select from the following: - **Audio channels** - Stereo or Mono - **Advanced SRT** - Select from the following: - **Latency** - Add from 20 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible, and the stream quality will suffer. - **Encryption** - Select to set the pass phrase and key length that will be used to encrypt the SRT stream for this participant between Epiphan Connect and the SRT decoder. - Click **Start** to begin the SRT stream or **Cancel** to cancel the SRT stream. **Further Considerations** The number of active SRT streams allowed at one time within a single Epiphan Connect instance is tied to your subscription plan. For example, certain plans limit you to a maximum of five simultaneous active SRT streams. The **screen share** stream does count towards this limit. If you need to send the same participant to a different SRT destination, this is possible, but should be done from within a separate instance of Epiphan Connect. - You will need to return to the **All Meetings page** and begin a new connection using the same meeting credentials. - This will allow another instance of Epiphan Connect to join the meeting. - Follow the same steps as above but enter the new destination for that stream. - This new instance of Epiphan Connect will be billed separately, as well as any further instances created to send the stream to different locations. --- ## Disconnect from a meeting id: connect/disconnect-from-a-meeting · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Disconnect from a meeting Click **Disconnect** to disconnect from a meeting. This means Epiphan Connect can no longer extract content from this meeting. This can also be done from outside a meeting on the **All Meetings** page; click the three dots next to an active meeting and then click **Disconnect**. Once you have disconnected from a meeting you will see a **five** minute timer. This timer shows how much time is left before Epiphan Connect fully disconnects from the meeting. Once the timer ends, if you want to extract content from that meeting you will need to begin the connection process again. This process can take at least five minutes in some cases. If you reconnect to the meeting before the timer ends Epiphan Connect will rejoin and you will not need to start the connection process again. **Further Considerations** - When joining a meeting with Epiphan Connect a bot will also join. If no one else joins, and only the Epiphan Connect bot joins, this meeting will remain open for thirty minutes, until the meeting is disconnected in the Epiphan Connect dashboard, or the meeting is ended for everyone in the meeting software. For a Zoom meeting, if the host does not join Epiphan Connect will remain in "Waiting for meeting to start" for thirty minutes, if the host joins but does not admit Epiphan Connect to the meeting it will wait in the lobby until the meeting is terminated. - If at least one other person joins the bot in the meeting, even if they then leave, the bot will remain in the meeting for up to 10 minutes before automatically leaving. - In some cases other bots might join a meeting; for example, this might happen if someone has integrated a recording or note taking application with their meeting software. If every person leaves the meeting and there are only bots left Epiphan Connect will see these bots as people. In this case the meeting will stay open and will not close automatically. To avoid this, make sure to disconnect from the meeting in the Epiphan Connect dashboard, and end the meeting for all participants in your meeting software. --- ## Encryption id: connect/encryption · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Encryption Once the extraction from Microsoft Teams or Zoom has begun Epiphan Connect can be configured to use strong industry standard AES encryption to send the extracted video and audio streams to their destination using the Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol. You can configure your SRT streams to use 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. You can also assign the SRT stream an alphanumeric, or simply numeric, passphrase if required. The encryption and passphrase settings on the SRT encoder sending the stream must match the settings on the SRT decoder receiving the stream. The encryption key length is negotiated between the source and destination devices. The largest key length setting is what both devices will use for the stream. As long as the passphrases match, the key length will be negotiated. --- ## Epiphan Connect limitations and known issues id: connect/epiphan-connect-limitations-and-known-issues · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Epiphan Connect limitations and known issues Epiphan Connect has the following known issues and limitations that affect functionality or usability, with workarounds where they exist. **Quality of primary speaker decreases when speakers change in Epiphan Connect: **Sometimes when the Primary Speaker in Microsoft Teams switches the video quality will degrade. **Epiphan Connect number of meeting participants does not match number shown in Microsoft Teams: **This is a limitation in the number of participants that are listed by Microsoft Teams in the meeting and usually only happens in meetings that get close to ~99 participants. Inside such meetings, if you open the list of participants in Microsoft Teams (by clicking on the People icon on the top bar of the meeting) and you expand the list to see all participants, you will find at the bottom of the list a label with the text "+X more", where X is usually the difference in the number of participants reported in Epiphan Connect and the number shown in the Microsoft Teams call. Another contributing factor could be other applications or bots that might be connected to the call (from Microsoft or other third parties). Epiphan Connect automatically filters out any unsupported applications of bots from the list of participants. **Cannot retrieve name of meeting and meeting is labeled as "Teams Meeting" or "Zoom Meeting":** This is a limitation that happens when a meeting is associated with a channel inside Microsoft Teams. This happens when you create the meeting directly inside a channel, when you attach a channel to a meeting you are creating in Microsoft Teams' calendar, or when you create a meeting from within a Microsoft Teams team. As long as you don't associate a channel to the meeting, Epiphan Connect should be able to obtain the name of your meeting. To work around this issue, Epiphan Connect allows you to rename a meeting in the UI by clicking on the pencil button besides the meeting name (this does not affect the name of the meeting in Microsoft Teams). In Zoom, Epiphan Connect won't be able to get the name of the Zoom meeting until it starts and connects to your meeting. In the meantime, Epiphan Connect will simply show your meeting with the name "Zoom Meeting" and will automatically update it to the correct name once it joins the call. If for some reason Epiphan Connect fails to obtain the meeting name after joining the call, it will keep the default "Zoom Meeting" name. You can also change the meeting name in the Epiphan Connect UI. **Video quality does not look like a fully HD image:** The video is actually scaled down in Microsoft Teams before it is extracted by Epiphan Connect. Microsoft Teams automatically changes the resolution and frame rate of the video sent by each participant based on their camera, network bandwidth, and available hardware. The resolution and frame rate for any participant might change multiple times during the duration of the call. Epiphan Connect tries to mitigate this by upscaling and duplicating frames to achieve the output resolution and frame rate requested in the configuration. There is currently no known workaround to lock the video resolution and frame rate of a participant inside Microsoft Teams. **After revoking the permissions to Epiphan Connect in my Microsoft Teams organization, there is an error when trying to pair Epiphan Connect with the organization again:** Right after you revoke the permissions for Epiphan Connect in your organization, you might need to wait a few minutes for the change to be propagated in Azure AD. Otherwise, if you try to pair the same Epiphan Edge team to your organization again right after you revoked the permissions, you might experience some transient issues. Please wait at least one minute and try again. If the issue persists, please contact Support. When using multiple Epiphan Connect instances in the same meeting, after disconnecting the instance of Epiphan Connect that is using the Return feed stream there is no "Epiphan Connect is at work" image displayed, instead the Epiphan Connect instance appears as a normal user with a basic Epiphan Connect icon. When using Epiphan Connect with Zoom if you intend to have multiple Epiphan Connect bots join multiple different meetings make sure that each meeting is using a unique meeting ID. By default when creating a New Meeting Zoom uses your Personal Meeting ID. Read more about Personal Meeting IDs in Zoom here, [https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203276937-Using-Personal-Meeting-ID-PMI-](https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203276937-Using-Personal-Meeting-ID-PMI-). If you use the same meeting link with multiple instances of Epiphan Connect multiple bots will join the same meeting. **When extracting the screenshare in a Zoom meeting, if you enable audio for the screenshare you will hear the voice of the participant that is sharing the screen:** When extracting the screenshare in Zoom, the audio of the extraction doesn't contain the computer sound shared by the participant. When using Epiphan Connect for Zoom in isolated audio mode, if a participant shares their screen and selects the Share audio option, Epiphan Connect won't be able to capture an isolated audio feed for that shared audio. As a result, the audio feed for the screenshare will only contain the voice of the participant that is sharing their screen. **The host removed Epiphan Connect from the Zoom meeting, and now Epiphan Connect cannot join the meeting again:**In Zoom, the option for removing a participant is similar to banning that participant from joining the meeting. This is why, when disconnecting an Epiphan Connect instance from a meeting, we strongly suggest to use the Disconnect option in the Epiphan Connect UI. If Epiphan Connect is removed from the call, no new instances of Epiphan Connect will be able to join the meeting. This ban last for as long as the meeting is active. Once the host ends the meeting, the ban is lifted and Epiphan Connect should be able to join again the next time the meeting is started. **Epiphan Connect fails to join my Zoom call with the message "Only authenticated users can join this meeting":** All Zoom meetings require the participants to be authenticated, please make sure that Epiphan Connect has been properly authorized within Zoom, see: [Pair your Zoom account with Epiphan Connect](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/connect/Content/Connect/Authorize-Zoom-to-use-Connect.htm). **A participant disconnected and reconnected to the meeting, but Epiphan Connect thinks it's a new participant:** In Microsoft Teams calls, Epiphan Connect can determine if a participant that is joining the call is the same participant that had previously left the call, and if there was a running SRT extraction for that participant, it will automatically "patch" to recover the stream. In Zoom this is not supported and Epiphan Connect cannot detect if a participant that is joining the call is the same as the one that left mid-stream. You will need to manually stop their previous SRT extraction and start it again for the participant. **Sometimes Epiphan Connect doesn't show a slate image while inside the meeting:** In Zoom, if a participant (or another instance of Epiphan Connect) is already recording or streaming content before Epiphan Connect joins, once Epiphan Connect is in the meeting, it will not be able to send any image into the meeting. Note that this affects only the image that Epiphan Connect sends into the call. All extractions will still work as usual, given that the proper permissions were granted to the Epiphan Connect. **The host is unable to grant permissions to Epiphan Connect in my Zoom meeting:** This can happen for several reasons: If the host is joining the call from a browser, instead of using a Zoom client, they might not have the options to accept requests or grant permissions manually to Epiphan Connect. Also depending on how the host has configured the meeting, they might have more or fewer options that they can use to grant permissions to Epiphan Connect. If the host rejected the permission request accidentally, you can also disconnect and reconnect the bot. This will re-trigger the permission requests again. --- ## Find your Microsoft Teams meeting URL id: connect/find-your-microsoft-teams-meeting-url · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Find your Microsoft Teams meeting URL Once you are ready to connect to a meeting you will need to find your Microsoft Teams URL so you can paste it into Epiphan Connect, there are a few different places you can locate this URL in Microsoft Teams: If you are the meeting organizer you can choose to edit your meeting and then click the **Copy Link** button, this will copy the meeting link to your clipboard. You can also access the URL from the calendar entry of the meeting; you should find the link below the **Join** button. Clicking it should copy it to your clipboard. If you have received an email with the meeting invite you can right-click the link and choose **"Copy Link Address"**. Finally, if you are already in a meeting, you can find the URL by clicking on the **People** button near the top of the screen which will open the **Participants** list. Once in the list you should see a **"Share Invite"** button; clicking this will open a pop-up where you can click to copy the link to your clipboard. --- ## Find your Zoom meeting URL or Meeting ID id: connect/find-your-zoom-meeting-url-or-meeting-id · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Find your Zoom meeting URL or Meeting ID Once you are ready to connect to a meeting you will need to find your Zoom meeting URL or meeting ID so you can paste it into Epiphan Connect, there are a few different places you can locate these both in Zoom and outside of it: - If the Zoom meeting has been added to your calendar you can find the meeting information within the calendar event. The exact location will depend on the calendar application you're using. - If you have received an email with the meeting invite you can right-click the link and choose **Copy Link Address**. - Finally, if you are already in a meeting, you can find the URL by clicking on the **Participants** button near the bottom of the screen which will open the **Participants** list. Once in the list you should see an **Invite** button; clicking this will open a pop-up where you can click **Copy Invite Link** in the lower left to copy the link to your clipboard. The meeting ID will be visible in the top bar of this same window. --- ## Manually Give Connect Permissions in Zoom id: connect/manually-give-connect-permissions-in-zoom · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Manually Give Connect Permissions in Zoom In some cases you may need to manually provide Epiphan Connect with local recording permissions in Zoom. To do this you need to do the following, - Once Epiphan Connect has joined the meeting it should be visible in the **Participants** tab. Click on **Participants** to open this tab. - Locate the Epiphan Connect user and open the context menu, generally done by clicking the three dots that appear next to the name on mouse over, look for the option that says **"Allow to Record Local Files"**. - Once this is done Epiphan Connect can now capture the raw audio and video. Please note that this does not mean Epiphan Connect is recording the meeting, it only means it can access the audio and video to perform its functions. If you need the video recorded please do so as you normally would. --- ## Meetings page id: connect/meetings-page · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Meetings page The Meetings page within Epiphan Connect shows you all the information about a meeting to which you are connected. This is also where you can start and stop SRT streams, as well as configure certain aspects of participants, such as muting a microphone or hiding a video feed. Only participants who have fully joined the meeting will be displayed in the Epiphan Connect interface; those who are still waiting to be admitted will not be displayed. **Meeting information** - In this section of the interface you can find the following information: - **Meeting Name** - The current name of the meeting, this can be edited from the Epiphan Connect interface. - **Connection status** - Whether or not Epiphan Connect is currently connected to this meeting. - **Disconnect Button** - This button will Disconnect from the meeting. - **Duration of meeting** - This is a counter showing the current length of the meeting. - **Number of participants** - This counter shows how many participants are in the meeting. - **Audio mode** - This shows the audio mode that was selected for this meeting; **Meeting URL** - This copies the meeting URL to the clipboard. - **Join Meeting** - This opens a link to join the meeting in your browser. - **SRT stream** - This shows the current number of active outgoing SRT streams, as well as any outgoing SRT streams where the participant has disconnected from the meeting. **Participants** - In this section of the interface you can find the following information about participants: - **Participant Status** - You can see whether a participant has joined the meeting, and the status of their outgoing SRT stream. - **Mic/Camera Status** - You can see whether someone has muted their audio, or turned off their video, as well as if they have disabled their camera or microphone. - **SRT mode** - This is the current SRT mode of this participant's stream, either Caller or Listener. - **Caller/Listener URL** - This section either shows a button to copy an SRT Listener URL, or the URL of an SRT Caller, depending on the SRT mode of the participant's stream. - **Port** - This shows the port being used by this SRT stream. - **Latency** - This shows the negotiated latency of this participant's SRT stream. - **Passphrase** - This is the AES encryption passphrase being used by this participant's SRT stream. - **Sort** - You can use the sort controls to sort participants by Name or Streaming Status. - **Filter** - You can filter participants by their streaming status. **Participant Controls** - **Un/mute mic** - The microphone button on the right side of the screen allows you to mute or unmute the audio of a participant's SRT stream. - **Un/mute video** -The camera button on the right side of the screen allows you to stop or start the video of the participant's SRT stream. - **See Participant's SRT statistics** - The three dots and lines button on the right will open up the SRT Status page for this participant's SRT stream. - **Start/Stop** - The **Start** button will begin an SRT stream for this participant, while the **Stop** button will stop it. **Main Streams** - This section shows the same information as the participants section above, but only for the special SRT streams of the Primary Speaker and Screen Sharing. This is also where you will find streams for Microsoft Teams Together and Large Gallery modes. Together and Large Gallery modes have audio and video in mixed audio mode, in isolated audio mode they only have video. **Return Feed** - This section shows the same information as the participants section above, but is for the Return feed feature, when sending a stream back into Epiphan Connect. This feature is coming soon for Zoom meetings. --- ## Pair with your Microsoft Organization id: connect/pair-with-your-microsoft-organization · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Pair with your Microsoft Organization Before joining Microsoft Teams meetings with Epiphan Connect, the administrator of the Microsoft Teams Organization you want to extract from must pair the Epiphan Cloud team you will be using with Epiphan Connect. This process will have to be done for each Microsoft Organization from which you want to extract. For example, if you want to use Epiphan Connect to extract meeting participants from Acme Corporation and Vandelay Industries, the Microsoft Organization administrator for both of these companies must pair your Epiphan Connect team in their respective Microsoft Organizations. These Microsoft Organizations must be either work or school level accounts. - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/), as the owner of an Epiphan Cloud Team. If you do not have an Epiphan Cloud account, create an account now. - If you haven't yet set up a subscription plan, do so now. - Once you are logged into Epiphan Cloud there are two ways to access Epiphan Connect: - You can click **Epiphan Connect** in the left navigation pane. - You can click **Settings** in the left navigation pane and then click **Epiphan Connect**. - Depending on what you selected in the previous step you will choose from the following: - If you clicked on **Epiphan Connect** in the left pane, click **Set up Microsoft Teams connection** - If you clicked on **Settings** in the left pane first, you'll click on **Pair** in the **Pair your Microsoft Teams organization** box - A pop-up will appear offering two options, choose the option based on your status as Microsoft Organization admin: - **I am not the administrator:** Click the **Generate connection link** button. This will create a connection link that you can send to the administrator of your Microsoft Organization. The administrator will then need to complete steps 6 through 11. - **I am the administrator:** Click the **Pair your Microsoft Teams organization** button and skip to step 7. - As the administrator of the Microsoft Organization once you click the connection link you will be brought to a page describing Epiphan Connect. Once you are ready click the **Start the Pairing process** button. - A prompt will appear explaining what permissions Epiphan Connect needs to pair with Microsoft Teams, and what you'll need to do in order to finish pairing, click **Pair your Microsoft Teams organization**. - Log in to the Microsoft Organization account with your administrator credentials. - If you have multiple Microsoft accounts select the account for the Microsoft Organization you are currently trying to pair with. - If this is the first time you've ever paired with this Microsoft Organization you will be prompted to allow Epiphan Connect the permissions to verify your account; click **Accept** in the **Permissions Requested** window. This step is for increased security; this will not pair Epiphan Connect with your Microsoft Organization. - You will be asked to log in a second time, if you have multiple Microsoft accounts make sure to log in with the same account you logged in with in the previous step. - You will now be prompted to allow Epiphan Connect the permissions it needs to pair with the Microsoft Organization and perform its necessary operations. Click **Accept** in the **Permissions Requested** window. - A pop-up should appear confirming that the Microsoft Organization has successfully been paired with Epiphan Connect; you can then click **OK**. **Further Considerations** - There is no limit to the number of Microsoft organizations that Epiphan Connect can be paired with. - When pairing with an organization, Epiphan Connect does not check the Microsoft Team name, only the organization name. --- ## Pair with your Zoom account with Epiphan Connect id: connect/pair-with-your-zoom-account-with-epiphan-connect · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Pair with your Zoom account with Epiphan Connect - To join and extract from a Zoom meeting that requires all participants to be authenticated, you need to link a Zoom user account to your Epiphan Cloud team. This will let you use Epiphan Connect in meetings as that Zoom user. During the pairing process, Epiphan Connect will ask you to grant a few permissions to your Zoom account. Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/),as either the Owner or Administrator of an Epiphan Cloud Team. If you do not have an Epiphan Cloud account, create an account now. - If you haven't yet set up a subscription plan, do so now. - Once you are logged into Epiphan Cloud, in the left-hand navigation pane, navigate to Settings -> Epiphan Connect - Click on the Zoom tab. - Within the Zoom tab, click on **Add new account** to pair a Zoom account with your Epiphan Cloud team. - A pop-up will appear with informing you that you will be re-directed to Zoom where you will be guided to log into your Zoom account and grant certain permissions to your Zoom account and pair it with Epiphan Connect. To review the Security permissions required to pair Epiphan Connect with your Zoom account, see [Security information](https://www.epiphan.com/download/TE-Security-and-data-privacy-in-Epiphan-Connect_01.pdf) - Click on the **Continue** button. - Once you sign into your Zoom account and authorize Epiphan Connect to pair with your Zoom account, you will be re-directed to Epiphan Cloud and a pop-up in the top right corner will appear confirming that the pairing was successful. - If you want other members of your Epiphan Cloud team to use this Zoom account when using Epiphan Connect to join a Zoom meeting, toggle the **Share account with my team** switch. **Further Considerations** - There is no limit to the number of Zoom accounts that Epiphan Connect can be paired with. --- ## Pairing and Permissions for Microsoft id: connect/pairing-and-permissions-for-microsoft · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Pairing and Permissions for Microsoft The administrator of the Microsoft organization where the Microsoft Teams meeting is hosted must first pair your Epiphan Edge Team that you will be using with Epiphan Connect. Microsoft describes an organization with the following words, "A tenant represents an organization. It's a dedicated instance of Azure AD that an organization receives at the beginning of a relationship with Microsoft. That relationship could start with signing up for Microsoft Teams or Microsoft 365, for example". During the pairing process, Microsoft will prompt the administrator that Epiphan Connect needs permission to perform the following activities: **Sign in and read user profile (User.Read):** This is a basic permission for most applications in Microsoft’s ecosystem. It allows an application to obtain the basic information of the user that is signed-in. The only time when Epiphan Connect uses this permission is during the initial connection process between Epiphan Cloud and the Microsoft Teams organization, and it does so to validate that the user is the administrator of the organization to which they are connecting. The information of that user is not saved in our systems. Microsoft describes this permission as follows: *“Allows users to sign-in to the app, and allows the app to read the profile of signed-in users. It also allows the app to read basic company information of signed-in users.“* **Access media streams in a call as an app (Calls.AccessMedia.All):** While joined to a meeting, this permission allows the bot to receive the audio and video of the participants that are sharing their camera, microphone, and/or screen in the call. Microsoft describes this permission as follows: *“Allows the app to get direct access to media streams in a call, without a signed-in user.“* **Join group calls and meetings as an app (Calls.JoinGroupCall.All):** This permission is also required for the bot to join group meetings in your organization. Microsoft describes this permission as follows: *“Allows the app to join group calls and scheduled meetings in your organization, without a signed-in user. The app will be joined with the privileges of a directory user to meetings in your organization”.* **Read names and members of all chat threads (Chat.ReadBasic.All):** The application only uses this permission to obtain the name or title of the meeting. When a meeting is created and it is not associated to a Microsoft Teams channel, Microsoft creates a chat thread for the meeting. This chat thread has the same title as the name of the meeting. This allows Epiphan Connect to obtain the name of the meeting without requesting access to sensitive resources like the calendar of the meeting organizer. It’s important to note that this permission does NOT grant access to any message or shared content in the chat. Although the permission does grant access to the list of people involved in the chat, Epiphan Connect is not requesting this information. Microsoft describes this permission as follows: *“Read names and members of all one-to-one and group chats in Microsoft Teams, without a signed-in user.“* --- ## Permissions and Requirements for Zoom id: connect/permissions-and-requirements-for-zoom · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Permissions and Requirements for Zoom You will need to provide Epiphan Connect with local recording permissions or livestreaming permissions, depending on the settings of the meeting. This should happen any time Epiphan Connect joins a Zoom meeting. Epiphan Connect can join Zoom meetings created in accounts using any Zoom plan, including the Basic plan. However, note that Zoom will limit the maximum resolution for the participants based on the plan. Zoom will limit the maximum resolution for the participants of the meeting based on the plan used by the Zoom account that created the meeting. --- ## Security information id: connect/security-information · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Security information To use Epiphan Connect with Microsoft Teams, and to extract the audio and video of Microsoft Teams meeting participants, your Epiphan Edge team must be paired by the administrator of the Microsoft organization where the Microsoft Teams team is hosted. Since Microsoft Teams can contain confidential information regarding your personnel and products, it is important to understand the security features of Epiphan Connect. To use Epiphan Connect with Zoom you will need to provide Connect with certain permissions when Connect joins the meeting. --- ## Sign up for an Epiphan Connect subscription plan id: connect/sign-up-for-an-epiphan-connect-subscription-plan · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Sign up for an Epiphan Connect subscription plan A paid subscription is required to use Epiphan Connect. To sign up for an Epiphan Connect Plan: - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/). - You must be the **Owner** of a Team in Epiphan Cloud to interact with **Billing and Usage**. - In the navigation panel, then click **Billing and Usage**. - In the **Epiphan Connect** area, click **Subscribe now**. - Choose from the **PRO** plan or the **ENTERPRISE** plan based on your usage needs. Based on your decision, select either **Add billing info** or **Talk to sales**. If you **Talk to sales** about an **ENTERPRISE** plan, the sales team will guide you through the rest of the process and you can stop this procedure. - If you selected **Add billing info** for a **PRO** plan, enter your billing information and click **Confirm billing information**. Click **Subscribe** in the **PRO** panel. Click **Yes, Subscribe** to confirm your subscription. Billing invoice details To access your **Epiphan Connect invoice** you will first need to log into your **Epiphan Edge** account as the **Owner** of the Team, then click **Settings** in the left hand navigation pane, and then **Billing and Usage**. Once on the **Billing and Usage**, page scroll down and click on the **Epiphan Connect** tab to view the current invoice. Here is a sample invoice with certain parts highlighted; the explanation of these areas is found below. - This displays the invoice number, the date of issue, and due date for payment. - This displays the name of the person being billed as well as their email address. - This is the number of units being charged for this invoice, listed in seconds. - This is the price-per-second cost of Epiphan Connect being billed in this period. - This is the monthly subscription fee of Epiphan Connect being billed in this period. --- ## SRT Status page id: connect/srt-status-page · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # SRT Status page Each participant can have an active SRT stream, the maximum limit of active SRT streams is dependent on your Epiphan Connect subscription level. From the Meetings page you can begin the extraction by clicking **Start** next to a participant's name. Once you click start you will be taken to the **Start new SRT stream window**. Once the SRT stream has been started, if you click on the three dots and lines next to the **Stop** button you will be taken to the **SRT Status page**. On this page you can view and control the following, please note that when text is highlighted in red, it means that there is a difference between what is received from the meeting software and what is being sent using SRT, | **Connection mode** - Listener or Caller | | --- | | **SRT Connect URL** - The URL an SRT receiver in Listener mode uses to connect to this SRT stream. | | **Port Number** - The Port number this SRT stream will use to connect to an SRT receiver. | | **Connection Status** - This status shows if the SRT stream has connected to a receiver. | | **Receiver IP Address** - The IP address of the SRT decoder receiving the stream. | | **Mute Audio** - The microphone button allows you to mute the audio of this stream. | | **Mute Video** - The camera icon allows you to stop the video of this stream. | | **Stop Button** - This will stop the outgoing SRT stream from Epiphan Connect. | | **Format** - This is the encoding format being used for this SRT stream. | | --- | | **Frame size** - This is the frame size, or resolution, being used for the stream. | | **Frame rate** - This is the number of frames per second of the stream. | | **Video bitrate** - This is how much bandwidth the video stream is using. Due to the Zoom API this is not displayed for Zoom meetings. | | **Coding format** - This is the coding format and frequency of the audio. | | --- | | **Type** - This is the type of audio, either mono or stereo. | | **Latency** - Current Latency of the SRT stream | | --- | | **Packet Loss** - Percentage of SRT packets lost between Epiphan Connect and the SRT decoder. | --- ## Unpair a Zoom account from Epiphan Connect id: connect/unpair-a-zoom-account-from-epiphan-connect · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Unpair a Zoom account from Epiphan Connect This can be done in one of two ways: - Log in to Epiphan Cloud and select the appropriate Epiphan Cloud team. Click **Settings**; then click on **Epiphan Connect** in the left hand navigation pane. - In the Zoom tab, click Sign out to unpair from the Zoom account from this team. This Epiphan Cloud team will no longer be able to use this Zoom account to join a Zoom meeting. Alternatively, you can also revoke the permissions granted to the Epiphan Connect application by: 1. Going to https://marketplace.zoom.us/user/installed and clicking Remove on the Epiphan Connect app. Note that no Epiphan Cloud team will be able to use your Zoom user in Epiphan Connect to join meetings after these permissions are revoked (the user will be listed as deauthorized in those teams). If you want to remove the pairing between your Zoom user and only one specific team in Epiphan Cloud, but you no longer have access to that team, please contact support. --- ## Unpair Epiphan Connect from a Microsoft Organization id: connect/unpair-epiphan-connect-from-a-microsoft-organization · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Unpair Epiphan Connect from a Microsoft Organization - Log in to Epiphan Edge and click **Settings**; then click on **Epiphan Connect** in the left hand navigation pane. - Click **Unpair** to unpair from a Microsoft organization. This means Epiphan Connect can no longer extract content from this unpaired Microsoft organization. - If you have multiple Microsoft organizations paired just click the **Edit** button next to the account you would like to unpair and then click **Unpair**. - It can sometimes take up to five minutes for Connect to update and show that the organization has been unpaired. If following the steps below and unpairing from the Microsoft side it should update immediately. To fully unpair and revoke permissions from Epiphan Connect, the Microsoft organization administrator must follow the guideline provided by Microsoft to revoke permissions from Epiphan Connect. - Sign into [https://aad.portal.azure.com/](https://aad.portal.azure.com/) using your administrator account for the organization. - Go to **Enterprise Applications**, by clicking on the option in the left side menu. - Search for **Epiphan Connect** in the list of applications and click on it. - Go to **Properties** in the left side menu (under Manage) and click on **Delete** in the top bar commands. - After confirming, the permissions granted to **Epiphan Connect** in that organization will be revoked. No team that is connected to this organization will be able to start a meeting successfully in this organization anymore. You can restore the administrator consent permissions by pairing Connect to your organization again. --- ## Zoom Settings and Recommendations id: connect/zoom-settings-and-recommendations · product: connect · source: epiphan-connect-userguide.md # Zoom Settings and Recommendations Before jumping into the settings available in Zoom, it’s important to understand how these settings are applied to the meetings. Generally speaking, when creating a meeting in Zoom, the meeting will be affected by the settings and limitations of the Zoom account where the meeting is being created, and also by the settings that the user creating the meeting has configured for their calls. This means that these settings should be applied by the organizer of the meeting (user level settings), or by the administrators of the Zoom account (group or account level settings). ### Maximum resolution per Zoom plan Zoom will limit the maximum resolution for the participants of the meeting based on the plan used by the Zoom account that created the meeting. - **Basic (Free):** The maximum resolution is 360p (640x360). - **Pro:** The maximum resolution is 720p. - **Business, Education and Enterprise:** The maximum resolution is 1080p. - You might also need to contact Zoom Support to enable 1080p video in your account. These limits don’t affect the resolution of the screen share, just the camera of the participants. ### Enabling local recording for your meetings When Epiphan Connect joins your meeting, it will try to request permissions to live stream the content of the call. If for some reason you cannot approve these permissions, you also have the option of granting local recording permissions to Epiphan Connect. To make sure this option is available in your meeting, its recommended to check your local recording settings. Browse to https://zoom.us/ and then navigate to **Settings** (personal or admin) > **Recording** tab > **Local recording**. Then check that local recordings are enabled and that the checkbox with the label *“Hosts can give meeting participants permission to record locally“* is checked too. ### Enabling high resolution in your meetings Besides buying the correct plan, the organizer of the meeting needs to allow the high resolution mode in their meetings. Zoom has a setting called [Group HD video](https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207347086-Using-Group-HD-video), that allows participants to send HD and Full HD video into the call. This feature can be enabled individually by the user organizing the meeting (it will apply to all meetings organized by that user) or can also be enabled for a group or all users inside the Zoom account. To enable, browse to [https://zoom.us/](https://zoom.us/) and then navigate to **Settings** (personal or admin) > **In Meeting (Advanced)** > **Group HD video**. ### Participant settings Once the account for the meeting organizer is configured to use HD mode, there are also some [individual settings](https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115002595343-Enhancing-your-video-in-Zoom) that the participants of the meeting can enable in their Zoom clients to maximize the resolution of their cameras. These can be configured before the joining and while inside the meeting. - **Enable the HD option in the video settings.** There are also some settings to improve the quality of their video based on their setup (e.g., adjust for low light). - **Disable any background or blurring effects.** When using a virtual background or blurring is enabled for the background, Zoom will automatically cap the resolution to 720p. ### Other recommendations Besides the settings mentioned above, there are other factors that can affect the resolution and quality of your participants in the meeting. - The maximum resolution and framerate of the participant will never exceed the capabilities of their camera. If the participant is using a 720p camera, they will never provide a 1080p stream. If their camera only produces 15fps, then that will be the maximum framerate the participant will send. - The resolution and framerate will also be affected by the resources available in their device / PC. If the participant is using a device that has a limited processing power or memory, it’s recommended that they close any unnecessary programs to allow Zoom to use as much resources as needed. - Bandwidth will also play a big role in the quality of the video. While joining a Zoom meeting through a wireless connection will usually work fine, it is recommended to use a wired connection to maximize bandwidth and stability. - It’s not recommended to use software in the participant’s PC (e.g., OBS) to increase the resolution or framerate of their video, as this will consume more resources in their PC and might introduce other problems (e.g., audio and video desync). - If the video feed for a participant is below the resolution and framerate that you set, Epiphan Connect will automatically resize and duplicate frames as needed to match the configuration. - Depending on your use case, picture quality might be more important than resolution or framerate. A simple way to improve the quality of their video is to ask the participant to set up a light source to provide more illumination. - Client's Zoom app status (eg. maximized, minimized, screen layout selected) all seem to have some effect on quality scaling. Minimizing Zoom app seems to scale quality down significantly on older machines. --- ## 1 Parameters: id: ec20/1-parameters · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 1 Parameters: Name Type Description Notes IP Address or HostName String IP address or hostname for connection. If specifying this value at runtime is needed, the IP_Address signal can be used to replace this value. Port Decimal Default Port for connection If specifying this value at runtime is needed, the Port signal can be used to replace this value. Power On With Preset Recall Yes / No If enabled, trigger a power on request when a preset is recalled Preset Save Hold Time Time (s) Duration, in seconds, where the user will have to hold a Preset[x] signal high to store its position PresetSaved fb Duration Time (s) Duration, in seconds, where the PresetSaved.fb is pulsed high to indicated preset stored Preset FB Timeout Time(s) Duration, in seconds, after which Preset.fb reverts to -1 following a preset save or recall when Preset FB Timeout Enable has been set to “Yes” Preset FB Timeout Enable Yes / No Choose to enable/disable functionality to have Preset.fb revert to -1 following a preset save or recall after a certain period of time. Username String Default username for connection If specifying this value at runtime is needed, the Username signal can be used to replace this value. Password String Default password for connection If specifying this value at runtime is needed, the Password signal can be used to replace this value. -- 6 of 20 -- Signal Map S e t u p 7 ### 2 Setup Inputs: Name Type Description Notes Enable Digital Latch this signal high to enable the IP connection. The module will disconnect and stop all activity on a trailing edge. If using any of the input signals in the Connection signal group to specify the connection details at runtime, it is recommended that this signal be latched high after those values are set. -- 7 of 20 -- Signal Map C o n n e c t i o n : 8 --- ## 10 System id: ec20/10-system · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 10 System Feedback: Name Type Description Device.Name.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s name. This is the “Device ID” that is user-settable on the EC20 device webpage. Serial.Number String Indicates the connected device’s serial number. Firmware.Version String Indicates the connected device’s firmware version Version.Info String Indicates the connected device’s version number Model.Number String Indicates the connected device’s model number -- 16 of 20 -- Signal Map N e t w o r k 1 7 ### 11 Network Feedback: Name Type Description IP.Address.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s IP Address Netmask.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s subnet mask in a four octet format. Gateway.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s gateway address DNS.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s DNS address MAC.Address.Feedback String Indicates the connected device’s MAC address. Uppercase, colon separated format. -- 17 of 20 -- Signal Map D e b u g 1 8 --- ## 12 Debug id: ec20/12-debug · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 12 Debug Inputs: Name Type Description Debug_Level Analog Indicates the debug level verbosity. There are 5 values that can be used. In order of increasing verbosity: 0 – “Fatal” – Typically, no debug messages except for rare occasions. 1 – “Error” – All the above, and includes debug messages that indicate that something has gone wrong that cannot be handled normally and are impacting normal operation. 2 – “Warning” – All of the above, and includes debug messages that indicate something out of the ordinary or an error that might impact normal operations, but in many cases can be ignored or handled by the module. 3 – “Information” - All of the above, and includes debug messages with information about normal operation. 4 - “Debug” – All of the above, and includes debug messages with information about normal module operation, sequencing, and processing of data to and from the camera. 5 – “Verbose” – All available debug messages are included in the output. Importantly, this level includes all REST communications to and from the device. Be prepared to enable/disable logging for a short window or capture the output of the text console to a file for later use. The debug output will be very difficult to follow in real time. Enable_Debug Digital Latch this signal to enable debug messages to be printed to the text console of the Crestron 3- or 4-series appliance, or the error log in the case of a Crestron virtual control application. These debug messages are also available on the Debug.Message signal as described below for use within the SIMPL program. Feedback: Name Type Description Debug_Level.Feedback Analog Indicates the current debug level setting. Unless set by the programmer using this module, this value defaults to 3, which is the “Information” debug level. Debug.Message String Last reported debug message from the module. -- 18 of 20 -- Tips and Troubleshooting A s e c u r e c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e d e v i c e i s r e q u i r e d 1 9 ### Tips and Troubleshooting ### A secure connection to the device is required An IT group or 3rd party may require all devices on the network for the AV system use encrypted communications. The EC20 does support HTTPS connections, always on port 443. Setting the Port parameter on the module or use the Port signal on the module to a value of 443 will cause the module to utilize HTTPS to connect to the device. HTTPS, in addition to the digest authentication used by the camera, should satisfy this requirement. For more information, please contact Epiphan directly. --- ## 3 Connection: id: ec20/3-connection · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 3 Connection: Inputs: Name Type Description Username String The username used by the module to connect to the device. Will supersede the value on the parameter field. Password String The password field used by the module to connect to the device. Will supersede the value on the parameter field. IP_Address String The IP address (or hostname) of the device. Will supersede the value on the parameter field. If using hostnames, ensure the DNS setup on the AV network will resolve the hostname/FQDN properly. Port Analog The port of the driver used for communication represented as an analog signal. Will supersede the value on the parameter field. Port_String String The port of the driver used for communication represented a serial signal. Will supersede the value on the parameter field. Feedback: Name Type Description Connected Digital A high value indicates the control system has connected to the camera and is able to communicate properly with the REST API on the device. Connection_Status String A string value from the module to display an accurate connection status from the control system to the peripheral. Username.Feedback String The username used by the module to connect with the device. Password.Feedback String The (unmasked) password used by the module to connect with the device. IP_Address.Feedback String The IP address or hostname used by the module to connect with the device. Port.Feedback Analog The TCP port number used by the module to communicate with the REST API, represented as an analog signal. Port_String.Feedback String The TCP port number used by the module to communicate with the REST API, represented as a serial signal. -- 8 of 20 -- Signal Map P o w e r : 9 --- ## 4 Power: id: ec20/4-power · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 4 Power: Inputs: Name Type Description Power.On Digital Powers on the camera on a rising edge. Note: communication with the camera may be interrupted for a period of time while the camera powers on. This is normal. Power.Off Digital Powers off the camera on a rising edge. Note: Note: communication with the camera may be interrupted for a period of time while the camera powers off. This is normal. Power.Toggle Digital Toggle the camera power from its last known state on a rising edge. Note: as the camera takes a period of time to power on and off, using this signal while the power on or off sequence is being completed is permitted, but be aware that the desired power state as a result of the toggle may take time to execute. Feedback: Name Type Description Power.On.Feedback Digital A high value indicates the camera is powered on. Power.Off.Feedback Digital A high value indicates the camera is powered off. -- 9 of 20 -- Signal Map P T Z C o n t r o l : 1 0 --- ## 5 PTZ Control: id: ec20/5-ptz-control · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 5 PTZ Control: Note: All PTZ sensitivity/speeds used by the module are independent of the speeds set on the camera’s web UI. If the PTZ speed signals are not used, the corresponding PTZ sensitivity feedback signals will indicate the “Default” value the module uses, which has been tested as a reasonable default for most use cases. Should a custom P/T/Z speed be needed, the corresponding PTZ sensitivity signals can be set before the camera connects – simply drive them with an Analog Initialize at program start (or during your program startup sequence as desired). Inputs: Name Type Description Tilt_Up Digital Press and hold to tilt the camera up. Tilt_Down Digital Press and hold to tilt the camera down. Pan_Left Digital Press and hold to pan the camera left. Pan_Right Digital Press and hold to pan the camera right. Zoom_In Digital Press and hold to zoom the camera in. Zoom_Out Digital Press and hold to zoom the camera out. Home Digital Set the camera to the home position on a rising edge PanTilt_UpLeft Digital Press and hold to pan and tilt the camera up and to the left. PanTilt_UpRight Digital Press and hold to pan and tilt the camera up and to the right. PanTilt_DownLeft Digital Press and hold to pan and tilt the camera down and to the left. PanTilt_DownRight Digital Press and hold to pan and tilt the camera down and to the right. Pan.Speed Analog Sets the sensitivity of the pan controls. Values used are 1- 24, where 24 is the fastest movement and 1 is the slowest. Tilt.Speed Analog Sets the sensitivity of the tilt controls. Values used are 1- 20, where 20 is the fastest movement and 1 is the slowest. -- 10 of 20 -- Signal Map 1 1 Zoom.Speed Analog Sets the sensitivity of the zoom controls. Values used are 1-7, where 7 is the fastest movement and 1 is the slowest. Feedback: Name Type Description Pan.Speed.Feedback Analog The current pan speed sensitivity Tilt.Speed.Feedback Analog The current tilt speed sensitivity Zoom.Speed.Feedback Analog The current zoom speed sensitivity -- 11 of 20 -- Signal Map F o c u s C o n t r o l : 1 2 --- ## 6 Focus Control: id: ec20/6-focus-control · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 6 Focus Control: Note: The focus speed used by the module is independent of the speeds set on the camera’s web UI. Inputs: Name Type Description Focus_Near Digital Press and hold to focus the camera in the near direction. Only functions when the Focus_Mode is set to “Manual” mode (ie. Has a value of 2). Focus_Far Digital Press and hold to focus the camera in the far direction. Only functions when the Focus_Mode is set to “Manual” mode (ie. Has a value of 2). Focus_Mode Analog Assign the focus mode: 1 = Auto 2 = Manual Focus_Speed Analog Set the sensitivity of the focus controls. Values 1-7, where 7 is the fastest movement and 1 is the slowest. Feedback: Name Type Description Focus_Mode.CurrentMode.Name String Indicates the current focus mode as a user-friendly name. Focus.Mode.Feedback Analog The analog representation of the focus mode: 1 = Auto 2 = Manual Focus.Speed.Feedback Analog The current focus speed sensitivity -- 12 of 20 -- Signal Map P r e s e t s 1 3 --- ## 7 Presets id: ec20/7-presets · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 7 Presets Inputs: Name Type Description Preset[*] Digital Triggers the corresponding preset on a short press. Saves the corresponding preset when pressed and held for the configured amount of time in the corresponding module parameter. Numbering used corresponds directly with the preset numbering used on the web UI for calling/setting a preset. PresetRecall Analog Recalls a preset at the given number on signal stimulus. Numbering used corresponds directly with the preset numbering used on the web UI. PresetSave Analog Saves a preset at the given number on signal stimulus. Numbering used corresponds directly with the preset numbering used on the web UI. Feedback: Name Type Description Preset[*].fb Digital A high value indicates the last preset recalled or saved using the module. Preset.fb Analog Indicates the last preset recalled or saved using the module. PresetSaved.fb Digital An indicator that a preset has been saved. Stays high for the configured timespan in the corresponding module parameter. PresetSaved^.fb Digital A short pulse that indicates that a preset has been saved. -- 13 of 20 -- Signal Map T r a c k i n g 1 4 --- ## 8 Tracking id: ec20/8-tracking · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 8 Tracking Inputs: Name Type Description Tracking.On Digital Enables the camera tracking functions on a rising edge Tracking.Off Digital Disables the camera tracking functions on a rising edge Tracking.Toggle Digital Toggles on camera tracking functionality on a rising edge Tracking.Mode Analog Sets the tracking mode used by the camera. Values: 1 = Presenter 2 = Zone Tracking.AutoZoom.On Digital Enables camera tracking auto-zoom on a rising edge Tracking.AutoZoom.Off Digital Disables camera tracking auto-zoom on a rising edge Tracking.AutoZoom.Toggle Digital Toggles camera tracking auto-zoom on a rising edge Feedback: Name Type Description Tracking.On.Feedback Digital A high value indicates that camera tracking is on Tracking.Off.Feedback Digital A high value indicates that camera tracking is off Tracking.Mode.Feedback Analog Reports the tracking mode. Values: 1 = Presenter 2 = Zone Tracking.Mode.CurrentMode. Name String Indicates the current tracking mode as a user-friendly name Tracking.AutoZoom.On. Feedback Digital A high value indicates tracking auto-zoom auto- zooming is on Tracking.AutoZoom.Off. Feedback Digital A high value indicates tracking auto-zoom is disabled -- 14 of 20 -- Signal Map T a l l y L i g h t C o n t r o l 1 5 --- ## 9 Tally Light Control id: ec20/9-tally-light-control · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # 9 Tally Light Control Inputs: Name Type Description Tally.On Digital Pulse to turn on the tally light Tally.Off Digital Pulse to turn off the tally light Tally.Toggle Digital Pulse to toggle the tally light state Tally.Action Analog Sets the Tally light behavior when Tally.Toggle is enabled. Values: 1 = Off 2 = Blinking 3 = On Tally.Colour Analog Sets the Tally light color when Tally.Toggle is enabled. Values: 1 = Green 2 = Red Feedback: Name Type Description Tally.On.Feedback Digital A value of high indicates that the tally LED is illuminated Tally.Off.Feedback Digital A value of high indicates that the tally LED is not illuminated Tally.Action.Feedback Analog Indicates the current setting for the Tally light behavior. Values: 1 = Off 2 = Blinking 3 = On Tally.Action.CurrentAction. Name String Indicates the Tally light behavior as a user-friendly name. Tally.Colour.CurrentColour. Feedback Analog Indicates the current setting for the tally light color. Values: 1 = Green 2 = Red Tally.Colour.CurrentColour. Name String Indicates the current tally light color setting as a user- friendly name. -- 15 of 20 -- Signal Map S y s t e m 1 6 --- ## Cannot connect to the device id: ec20/cannot-connect-to-the-device · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # Cannot connect to the device Depending on how the system has been commissioned, there are a few things to check: 1) Is the username and password correct? Access the camera web UI by entering its IP address (or hostname if the network has been setup with an appropriate DNS configuration) in a web browser. The browser will prompt for a username and password – this can allow you to confirm if the username and password are valid. This same username and password can be used with the camera module. 2) Is the port being used by the module correct? The module uses HTTP REST requests to communicate with the camera. This is, by default on port 80, but it is configurable. If it has been changed, the port value used by the module must match the “HTTP Port” field on the camera web UI, seen on the “Network” tab: -- 19 of 20 -- Tips and Troubleshooting A s e c u r e c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e d e v i c e i s r e q u i r e d 2 0 3) Is the camera able to communicate with the module? The Connected signal indicates that regular communication is occurring with the camera and the username and password are correct. If you are sure the username, password, and port are set correctly, it is necessary to review if communication is occurring at all between the camera and the module. Enable debugging on the module at a “Verbose” level and view the output using Toolbox or an SSH client. Reviewing the output of the debug messages, especially if the logs are set to “verbose” will indicate quickly if communication is occurring properly between the EC20 camera and the module. Regular operation will see REST requests exchanged between the module and the camera every few seconds. If many “Error” messages are seen indicating a connection refusal or a timeout, this may indicate an issue with the AV network configuration. Troubleshoot this accordingly. Once network configuration has been confirmed to not be an issue, if there is still an issue with device communications, please open a Support ticket with Epiphan, and include the debug logs captured, if available. -- 20 of 20 -- --- ## Check EC20 connections id: ec20/check-ec20-connections · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # Check EC20 connections When setting up your EC20 in your workflow please check all your connections. Please refer to your actual application scenario for how your devices should be connected. After the camera is powered on it will initialize, it will go up to the limit position, and then it will go to the middle position both horizontally and vertically, the motor will stops running, and the initialization will be complete. (Note: If preset 0 is saved, PTZ will be moved to preset 0) **Release Notes** EC20 firmware release notes, including the current release, previous releases, and firmware upgrade requirements, are documented separately in the Epiphan product release notes. --- ## Connection Setup id: ec20/connection-setup · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Connection Setup Open the component in Q-SYS Designer and navigate to the Connection Setup tab. Enter the camera's network details and credentials. The Status section at the bottom confirms the connection. EC20 IP address on your network HTTP port - default: 80 (443 disabled in v.1) Admin username (default: admin) Admin password Status indicators Connection: OK – Connected Firmware Version Serial Number MAC Address -- 3 of 6 -- Epiphan EC20 | Q-SYS Plugin README | epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Control tab 4 CONTROLS --- ## Control Panel id: ec20/control-panel · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Control Panel Switch to the Control tab to access all camera functions from a single panel. Sections include PTZ, Zoom/Focus, Tally Light, Preview, Tracking, and Presets. Preview Tally Light PTZ Controls Zoom & Focus Presets (0–11) Tracking Control Recall or Save camera positions. Recall moves the camera; Save stores the current position. AI autotracking on/off. Mode: Presenter or Zone. Auto Zoom toggle. Enable a live MJPEG camera preview directly inside the Q-SYS plugin window. Zoom In/Out buttons with Zoom Speed slider. Focus mode: Far, Auto, or Near. Set state: Enable, Blink, or colour (Green/Red). Indicates live or standby status to the presenter. Directional pad for pan/tilt. Centre button returns to Home. Adjust speed with the Pan/Tilt Speed slider. -- 4 of 6 -- Epiphan EC20 | Q-SYS Plugin README | epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Properties panel Video FPS Show Debug Number of Presets 5 CONFIGURATION --- ## Controlling the EC20 using NDI id: ec20/controlling-the-ec20-using-ndi · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # Controlling the EC20 using NDI The EC20 supports control and monitoring through the use of the NDI protocol. NDI stands for Network Device interface and is a software specification developed by NewTek. You can learn more about NDI here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Device_Interface](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Device_Interface), and here: [https://ndi.video/](https://ndi.video/). One way to control the EC20 using NDI is through the suite of NDI Tools provided by NewTek on their site. After installing their tools you can use the NDI Studio Monitor tool to monitor the video stream from the EC20, as well as control various aspects, such as the P/T/Z functions. It's important to note that when monitoring the camera via NDI the image seen is from the **First Stream**. Viewing the stream via NDI when the **Encode Codec** is set to **MJPEG** is not supported and an all black image or a frozen image will be seen. The controls should still function. --- ## Dependencies id: ec20/dependencies · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # Dependencies Epiphan Video EC20 Camera REST API Crestron Driver ClearAlan Inc. Last Revision: June 22, 2026 -- 1 of 20 -- Dependencies P a r a m e t e r s : 2 Revision History Version Date Comment Author v1.0.0 2026 Initial Release SP and TA -- 2 of 20 -- Dependencies P a r a m e t e r s : 3 Table of Contents Dependencies ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 General Notes ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Setup of Crestron Hardware .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Quick Start Guide ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Signal Map ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1 Parameters: ..........................................................................................................................................................6 2 Setup .....................................................................................................................................................................7 Inputs:........................................................................................................................................................................7 3 Connection: ..........................................................................................................................................................8 Inputs:........................................................................................................................................................................8 Feedback: ..................................................................................................................................................................8 4 Power: ...................................................................................................................................................................9 Inputs:........................................................................................................................................................................9 Feedback: ..................................................................................................................................................................9 5 PTZ Control: ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 11 6 Focus Control: ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 7 Presets................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 8 Tracking .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 14 9 Tally Light Control ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 10 System .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 -- 3 of 20 -- Dependencies P a r a m e t e r s : 4 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 11 Network ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 17 12 Debug ........................................................................................................................................................... 18 Inputs:..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Feedback: ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 Tips and Troubleshooting .............................................................................................................................................19 A secure connection to the device is required...................................................................................................... 19 Cannot connect to the device.................................................................................................................................. 19 -- 4 of 20 -- Dependencies P a r a m e t e r s : 5 This module requires v200 or later of the Crestron Database and Crestron Device Database. The construct file used for the demo program was built on CH5 Version 2.16.1. --- ## EC20 audio configuration id: ec20/ec20-audio-configuration · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 audio configuration The EC20 audio configuration controls the camera's audio input and encoding settings from the web interface. Once you've accessed the web-based user interface of the EC20 you would navigate to the **Audio** section to modify the below settings. ### Audio Settings **Audio Switch:** Toggle the audio on or off. **Audio Type:** See the audio type, AAC. **Sample Rate:** Set the sample rate to 48K. The EC20 does not support the 44.1 kHz audio sample rate; support for 44.1 kHz was removed. **Bit Rate:** Set the audio bit rate to 96K or 128K. **Input Type:** Select the audio input, either the Line In, built-in Microphones, or Dante. A complimentary Dante license must first be activated using the Audinate Activator software. **Input Volume:** Modify the volume of the audio source. **ADTS (Audio Data Includes Timestamp):** Toggle whether the audio data includes a timestamp or not. --- ## EC20 auto-tracking in the web interface id: ec20/ec20-auto-tracking-in-the-web-interface · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 auto-tracking in the web interface Once you've accessed the web interface you'll be able to configure the different types of automatic tracking. To access the tracking controls click on the **Tracking** section in the left navigation. The two modes are **Presenter** and **Zone**. The default mode is **Presenter**, which is sometimes referred to as **Human Tracking**. On the lower left of the screen are additional tracking controls. These controls allow you to enable or disable tracking, toggle the different modes, activate a debug mode, or a visual tracking hint you can see in the video output. These are available regardless of which section you're viewing. ### Presenter When you click on the **Presenter** tab you'll be presented with a number of different settings: - **Auto Zoom:** This will toggle this feature on or off, if it's off the camera will not automatically zoom in or out on the presenter. The lens can still move, but can only maintain the current magnification and cannot zoom. - **Auto Tilt:** This will toggle this feature on or off, if it's off the camera will only pan horizontally, it will not tilt vertically. - **Target Retention Time:** This is how long the camera will wait before returning to its starting position if it loses sight of the presenter. The default is six seconds with a maximum of 10 seconds. - **Figure Size:**This setting determines how much of the presenter you want in the frame: - Full: This will try to keep the presenter's entire body in the frame. - Half Body: This will try to keep the presenter in the frame, starting from the knees. - Close Up: This will try to keep the presenter in the frame, starting from the waist. - Custom: This modifies what proportion of the frame the presenter should take up, set via the slider. When this is set high if the presenter moves quickly, the camera may have difficulty keeping them in frame. - **Tracking Start Position:**This determines where the tracking should begin, and where it will return if tracking stops. You can choose either the Current Location or any saved camera preset. - Current Location: This is the camera's current position when tracking is turned on. The camera will also stop at its current position if tracking stops. - A camera preset: Any saved preset can be selected as the tracking start position, not only Preset 1. When tracking is turned on, the camera first moves to the selected preset. If someone enters the video screen at this time, the camera will automatically track them. When the tracking target is lost (exceeding the timeout), the camera automatically returns to that preset. - Figure Position: Determines where the presenter should be located in the frame: Left, Middle, or Right, defaults to Middle. ### Zone This tracking method divides the frequently active areas of the tracking target into several sections (A, B, C, D) as needed, and sets corresponding preset positions and saves them. When the tracking target enters this area, the camera will automatically call the preset position corresponding to the area to achieve tracking. When configuring the Zone tracking options temporarily disable tracking. Once you have them configured and saved you can turn tracking back on. Configure them like this: - Select the zone you want to configure in the Zone Setting section. - Use the camera PTZ controls to adjust the position, click save when you've reached the desired position. - Select and configure other zones as needed. Currently the maximum number of Zone presets is four. If you make a mistake with the settings you can delete them and then recreate them. - **Tracking Start Area:** You can select any Zone position as the tracking start or end position. When tracking is turned on, the camera will first move to this Zone position. If someone enters the video screen at this time, the camera will automatically track them. When the tracking target is lost, the camera will automatically move to this Zone position. ### Debug Mode The EC20 also has a Debug mode to help configure Presenter tracking. You can set this mode to **Default**, **Debug**, or **Off**. - **Default:** After turning on tracking, if there are multiple people in front of the camera and pressing the direction key to select the tracking target, this box will automatically appear. After pressing the HOME key to confirm tracking, this box will disappear and the camera will start tracking. - **Debug:** Turn on tracking, and the presenter box will always appear on the tracking target. This feature is generally only applicable for debugging or demonstration. - **Off:** When selecting a tracking target, the preseneter box is not displayed at all. This feature is great for live streaming scenarios. **Control Tracking using the Remote Control** It's possible to enable and disable automatic tracking using the included remote control. The default mode is Presenter Tracking, you can check the current settings in the web interface. ### Tracking a single person: Press the F3 key on the remote control to start tracking, and the camera will lock on the target for direct tracking. With the tracking hint enabled you can see when tracking has successfully started, see example below. Press the F4 key to exit tracking mode. Tracking Hint: ### Tracking With Multiple People - If there are multiple people in the scene: - First press the F3 key on the remote control to start tracking - Press the left or right key on the remote control to select the target to track, and then press the HOME key to confirm. - The camera will start tracking. - Press F4 key to exit tracking mode. --- ## EC20 ceiling mount installation id: ec20/ec20-ceiling-mount-installation · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 ceiling mount installation You should have received the following in the box for the EC20: 1 × Ceiling mount 7 × M3×6 pan head self-tapping screws **You will also need 4 × M5 expansion screws, choose a type and length for the ceiling to which you're mounting the camera.** **These expansion screws are not included.** Important: Installer must ensure the mount and camera are securely fastened with proper anchors for the ceiling type. ### Ceiling Mount Installation Steps - Mark and Drill - Hold the top plate of the mount to the ceiling and mark the hole. - Drill holes. Check the depth, you can use a toothpick or straw to match your screws. - Attach top plate - Align the top plate with your marks. - Secure using 4 × M5 expansion screws (not included). - Prepare camera - Attach the lower mount plate to the camera with the included M3×6 screws. - Mount camera - Lift camera with plate into the ceiling mount. - Secure with M3×6 screws. - You're done! The above installation diagram is for reference only, please refer to actual product for the installation accessories. --- ## EC20 feature list id: ec20/ec20-feature-list · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 feature list Below you'll find a brief overview of the various features of the Epiphan EC20 PTZ Camera. For more information on a particular feature please follow the links to the relevant section of the user guide. **AI Tracking** - The EC20 camera is equipped with a powerful AI computing chip, it uses advanced AI algorithms to realize monocular humanoid tracking, with this you can perform automatic tracking of scenes such as education, conferences and live broadcasts. **NDI|HX3** - NDI|HX3 video signals generally have low delay and are easy to set up, allowing for more convenient project implementation and deployment. It has wide compatibility and supports the simultaneous transmission of audio, video, and control commands. It's a new generation of network video transmission! **4K UHD** - The EC20 uses a 1/1.8-inch high-quality UHD CMOS sensor with a maximum of 8.42 million pixels and can capture 4K (3840x2160) ultra-high-resolution high-quality images. It's also compatible with 1080p, 720p, and many other lower resolutions. **20x Optical Zoom** - Using its 4K ultra long focal lens with high quality and 8 million ultra-high resolution, the EC20 is capable of up to 20x optical zoom with a maximum field angle of 60°. **HDMI 2. 0** - The EC20 uses an HDMI 2.0 interface, which can directly output uncompressed digital video up to 4KP60! **Low Light** - Through the use of a 3D noise reduction algorithm the EC20 greatly reduces image noise. Even under ultra-low light conditions, it keeps the picture clean and clear! The Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the image is as high as 55dB. **Multiple Interfaces** - With HDMI 2.0, 3G-SDI HD, USB, and network outputs the EC20 can simultaneously output up to three HD digital signals. **Multiple Control Methods** - The EC20 can be controlled using a variety of control systems (Crestron, Extron, QSYS, etc.), including RS232, REST API, RS485, network, and USB. **Control Modules** - Epiphan certified control modules are available for the EC20 for Crestron and QSYS control systems. For Extron control systems, Extron publishes its own EC20 driver. **Tally Light Control** - The EC20's built-in tally light can be turned on or off and set to red or green directly from the web interface, without a third-party controller. It can also follow Panopto recording state automatically. **Gravity Sensor** - It supports automatic image flipping function based on gravity sensor detection. **Epiphan Edge** - EC20 PTZ Camera can be paired with Epiphan Edge and managed alongside your Pearls. - Monitor health, update firmware, and remotely access from any browser, without touching the rack. **Panopto Remote Recorder** - Native integration with Panopto enabling the EC20 PTZ Camera to register with and record and/or stream directly to Panopto Video CMS. **Dante Audio Input** - EC20 PTZ Camera accepts Dante audio directly. Sound from ceiling mics, lavaliers, and mixers already on your Dante network flows straight into the camera. The EC20 supports two channels (one stereo pair) of Dante audio input. The EC20 does not support Dante output, and does not support Dante video. ### EC20 interface and switches This page provides an overview of the physical switches and features of the EC20. The EC20 supports both RS-485 and RS-232. | **Name** | **Diagram** | | --- | --- | | 1. LED Ring Light 2. ToF 3. Built-in Microphone 4. Display Screen 5. Built-in Microphone | | | 6. RESTORE Key 7. HDMI Interface 8. 3G-SDI Interface 9. LINE IN Interface 10. RS485 Interface 11. USB Interface 12. RS232 OUT Interface 13. RS232 IN Interface 14. LAN(PoE+) Interface 15. DC 12V Interface 16. Power Switch | | --- ## EC20 image and video settings id: ec20/ec20-image-and-video-settings · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 image and video settings The EC20 image and video settings control exposure, color, image, and pan/tilt/zoom behavior from the Video section of the web interface. This part of the interface is for changing the visual appearance of the image captured by the EC20. It is divided into tabs, **Exposure**, **Color**, **Image**, **P/T/Z**, and **Noise**. ### Exposure This tab has various options for modifying the Exposure settings of the camera. Exposure is how much light is reaching the camera's sensor and determine how bright or dark the image will be. Exposure Mode: **Auto**, **Manual**, **SAE (Shutter Automatic Exposure)**, **AAE (Aperture Automatic Exposure)**, or **Bright**. Depending on which mode is chosen different options will be available below. Exposure Composition Mode: Toggle the Exposure Composition mode on or off. Enabling this activates the Exposure Compensation slider, which determines how much the camera should try to adjust for the current exposure. Lower values produce a darker image. Available in the **Auto** Exposure Mode. Backlight: Turns on or off a physical light on the camera that provides backlight. Available in the **Auto** Exposure Mode. Bright: Modifies the amount of brightness applied to the image. Available in the **Bright** Exposure Mode. Anti-Flicker: Setting to help reduce flickering within the image. Available in the **Auto**, **AAE**, and **Bright** Exposure Modes. Gain Limit: Determines the maximum amount of gain the exposure mode can apply to the image. Available in the **Auto**, **AAE**, and **Bright** Exposure Modes. Meter: Available in the **Auto**, **AAE**, and **Bright** Exposure Modes. Iris: Modifies the iris aperture. Sometimes called F Stop. Available in the **Manual** and **AAE** Exposure Modes. Shutter: Modifies the shutter speed. Available in the **Manual** and **SAE** Exposure Modes. Gain: Modifies the amount of gain applied to the image. Available in the **Manual** Exposure Mode. DRC (Dynamic Range Compression): Determines that strength of the dynamic range compression. Available in all Exposure Modes. ### Color This tab controls various settings for adjusting the color balance of the image. White Balance Mode: **Auto**, **Indoor**, **Outdoor**, **Manual**, **OnePush**, **VAR**. Depending on which mode is chosen different options will be available below OnePush Calculate Button: Tries to automatically calculate the white balance of the image based on what is currently seen by the camera. Available in the **OnePush** White Balance Mode. Color Temp: Modifies the temperature of the image. Available in the **VAR** White Balance Mode. Red/Green Tuning: Modifies how much the mode balances between Red versus Green, higher values are more Red. Available in the **Auto**, **OnePush**, and **VAR** White Balance Modes. Blue/Green Tuning: Modifies how much the mode balances between Blue versus Green, higher values are more Blue. Available in the **Auto**, **OnePush**, and **VAR** White Balance Modes. Red/Green Gain: Modifies the balance of Red versus Green, higher values are more Red. Available in the **Manual** White Balance Mode. Blue/Green Gain: Modifies the balance of Blue versus Green, higher values are more Blue. Available in the **Manual** White Balance Mode. Saturation: Modifies the saturation percentage of the image, higher values result in more vibrant colors. Available in all White Balance Modes. Hue: Modifies the hue of the image. Default value is 7. Available in all White Balance Modes. ### Image This tab contains settings that affect the visual fidelity of the image. Luminance: Modifies the brightness of the image. Contrast: Modifies the contrast of the image. Sharpness: Modifies the sharpness of the image. Flip: Toggle on or off inverting the image vertically. Mirror: Toggle on or off mirroring the image horizontally. Black and White Mode: Toggle on or off rendering the image in black and white. Gamma: Choose from different Gamma profiles, **0.45**, **0.48**, **0.50**, **0.56**, **PC**, and **HLG (Hybrid-Log Gamma)**. Style: Choose from different Image profiles, **Default**, **Norm**, **Bright**, **PC**, **Screen**. ### P/T/Z This tab contains settings for adjusting certain aspects of the P/T/Z functionality. Auto Focus Zone: Choose where the Auto Focus Zone is located. Auto Focus Sense: Modify the sensitivity of the Auto Focus feature. Image Freeze: Toggle on or off the Image freeze feature, locks the image while the camera is moving. **Noise** 3D Noise Reduction: This setting modifies the strength of the 3D Noise Reduction feature. --- ## EC20 network settings id: ec20/ec20-network-settings · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 network settings The EC20 network settings configure LAN addressing, stream protocols (RTMP/RTMPS, SRT, multicast), FreeD, ports, and NTP time sync. This includes modifying the settings for any network based streams, or configuring NTP date and time settings. In the web interface of the EC20 most of these settings are found in the Network section, where each tab controls settings for the relevant feature, the NDI settings have their own dedicated section. ### LAN This tab displays information about the camera and the network to which it is connected. If using Dynamic IP Address none of the fields can be modified, switch the IP Configuration Type to change the settings. It's generally best to contact your network administrator or ISP (Internet Service Provider) if you have network specific questions. IP Configuration Type: This can either be Dynamic or Fixed IP Address. IP Address: The current IP address of the camera. Subnet Mask: The current subnet mask of the camera. Gateway: The default gateway the camera is using. DNS Address: IP address of the DNS server the camera is using for domain name resolution. MAC Address: Hard coded physical address of the camera, unique to each specific device. DHCP Timeout: If the camera is unable to obtain an IP address from the network through DHCP this is the time in seconds it will try before using the static fallback address instead. Static Fallback Address: The IP address the camera will use if it is unable to obtain a DHCP address within the DHCP timeout window. Static Fallback Subnet Mask: The subnet mask that is tied to the Static Fallback Address. ### Port This tab is where you can configure which networks ports the camera uses for certain types of communication. The ports can range from 1025 to 65535, or use their default values. HTTP Port: Default value 80. RTSP Port: Default value 554. TCP Port: Default value 5678. UDP Port: Default value 1259. Sony Visca: Uses port 52381, cannot be changed. ### RTMP(S) This tab contains information about the First and Second RTMP(S) streams. On this tab you can toggle them on or off, choose whether they contain video, audio, or both, as well as find their RTMP URLs. ### SRT This tab contains the settings for the outgoing SRT stream, the stream must be toggled on to edit any of the settings. SRT: Toggle the SRT stream on or off. SRT Mode: Select the SRT Mode to use for the SRT stream, **Listener** or **Caller**. The best option is going to depend on network configuration between the camera and the target destination. SRT Server: The target SRT destination when using the **Caller** SRT Mode. SRT Port: Network port used for the SRT stream, the default value is 4578. SRT Encryption: The type of Encryption to use for the SRT stream, **AES-128**, **AES-192**, or **AES-256**. This must match at both the camera and the target destination. SRT Password: The password used to secure the SRT stream. This must match at both the camera and the target destination. SRT Bandwidth Overhead: Percentage of bandwidth to dedicate to recovery overhead. SRT Variable Latency: Modify the latency of the stream, this must match at both the camera and the target destination. Determine the recommended latency SRT StreamId: Set a custom ID for the stream, this must match at both the camera and the target destination. **RTSP** On this tab you can toggle whether the RTSP stream requires authentication. **ONVIF:** On this tab you can toggle whether ONVIF functionality is enabled, and whether ONVIF authentication is required. ### Multicast On this tab you can make changes to the outgoing Multicast stream, you must first turn the stream on before you can edit the values. Multicast: Toggles the multicast stream on or off: Address: The address of the multicast destination Port: The network port used for the multicast stream, the default value is 6688. ### FreeD This tab contains settings for the beta FreeD data output feature. You must toggle it on before you can edit the destination IP. FreeD Data Output (Beta): Toggles the FreeD Data Output on or off. Destination IP: IP address of the target destination. Control Port: Network port used for control, the default value is 19147. Data Port: Network port used for data transmission, the default value is 19148. ### NTP This tab contains settings for time sync using NTP (Network Time Protocol). You must enable NTP time sync to edit the values. NTP Time Sync: Toggle time sync on or off: Time Zone: Select the timezone you wish to use. Server Address: The IP address of a specific NTP server. The default value is time.windows.com. Time Interval (min): The amount of time, in minutes, between sync checks with the NTP server. The default value is 1440. **NDI®** NDI® configuration has a dedicated section in the web interface. --- ## EC20 Panopto integration id: ec20/ec20-panopto-integration · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 Panopto integration The EC20 can register with Panopto as a Remote Recorder, using a registration key generated in Panopto and applied on the camera. You will first need to generate a Panopto Remote Recorder registration key. Once you have a registration key, you will need to apply that key to your EC20. Once your EC20 is registered as a Panopto Remote Recorder you can monitor events through its web interface. Panopto administrators can monitor the live audio captured by the EC20 while it is recording and streaming, which makes it easier to confirm that the camera's audio input is working during an event. **Important Considerations:** When viewing an EC20 in Panopto's Remote Recorders interface the **Machine IP Address** field is blank. This is a known issue with the current Panopto integration. When factory resetting the unit the 'Factory Default' button does not clear the Panopto settings. The current recommendation is to clear the Panopto settings on the Panopto page, and then use the 'Factory Default' button to clear the other settings. Currently, the EC20 only supports the following audio bitrates, 96kbps and 128kbps. ### Generate Panopto Registration Key This section of the user guide covers how to generate a **Panopto Remote Recorder registration key** so you can use your EC20 as a Remote Recorder in Panopto. Once you have a Remote Recorder registration key you will need to apply that key to your EC20. Before you can register the EC20 with Panopto, you must generate a **registration key** from your Panopto site to authorize the connection. - Log in to your Panopto site as an administrator. - Navigate to the **System** menu and select **Remote Recorders**. - Click the **Registration Keys** button. - Then click the **Create a new registration key** button to generate a registration key. - Copy the new Remote Recorder Registration Key. (Keep this key secure, as you will need it for the camera setup). ### Apply Panopto Registration Key This section of the user guide covers how to apply a Panopto Remote Recorder registration key to your EC20 so it can work as a Remote Recorder in Panopto. Once logged into the EC20 web interface, you will configure the direct Panopto connection. - Log into the EC20 web interface, either directly through its IP address or remotely through **Epiphan Edge**. - On the left-hand navigation menu, scroll down and click on **Panopto**. - Ensure you are on the **Configuration** tab. - Locate the **Server Connection** section. - In the **Server URL** field, enter your Panopto site address (e.g., https://[yoursite].panopto.com). - In the **Registration Key** field, paste the **Remote Recorder registration key** you copied from Panopto. - Under the **Camera Identity** section, you may optionally fill in the **Camera name** (e.g., Epiphan EC20) and **Location** (e.g., London Office) to help identify the device in your Panopto dashboard. - Click the blue **Save configuration** button. - Verify the connection by checking the top of the configuration page; the **Status** should display a green dot next to **Connected**. **Monitor Panopto Events** You can monitor Panopto Events through the EC20 web interface. Simply log into the web interface, either directly through the IP address, or through Epiphan Edge remote login, click **Panopto** in the navigation pane, and then click the **Events** tab. On the **Events** tab you can see scheduled, completed, and currently running Panopto events. **Tracking Configuration** This section of the user guide covers configuring the automatic tracking feature of the EC20 camera. Using the web interface you can modify different settings for tracking. You can also set different tracking parameters using the remote control. --- ## EC20 PTZ Camera overview id: ec20/ec20-ptz-camera-overview · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 PTZ Camera overview # Get Started With the Epiphan EC20 PTZ Camera The EC20 is a high-performance pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera from Epiphan designed to integrate directly with Epiphan gear such as Pearl encoders, but plays nice with everything. It uses a 1/1.8-inch UHD CMOS sensor (up to 8.42 megapixels) to capture 4K (3840×2160) video with 20x optical zoom, outputs video up to 4Kp60 over HDMI 2.0, and uses a 3D noise-reduction algorithm for a 55 dB signal-to-noise ratio in low light. A dedicated onboard AI chip performs monocular humanoid auto-tracking for scenarios like education, conferences, and live broadcast. It offers multiple outputs (HDMI 2.0, 3G-SDI, USB, and network protocols including NDI|HX3, SRT, and RTSP), can be controlled via remote/OSD, web UI, RS-232, RS-485, REST API, VISCA over IP, and is powered by either DC or PoE+ for single-cable installation. EC20s can be paired into the Epiphan Edge fleet management, native Panopto integration, and Dante networked audio input. --- ## EC20 quick start id: ec20/ec20-quick-start · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 quick start - Power on your camera, there are two options: - DC power – Plug in the DC power cable and flip the power switch - Power Over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) – Just connect a PoE+ cable to provide power and network access to the camera in one cable, and don’t forget to flip the power switch - Connect to your network (optional but recommended): - Network access unlocks the full feature set of the EC20 through its web interface. - Plug in an Ethernet cable from your network to the EC20. The camera uses DHCP by default, so most networks will automatically assign it an IP address. - Reboot the camera to apply changes - The updated IP address will appear on the front LCD screen. The default static IP is 192.168.100.88. - The default username is **admin** - The default password is **admin** ### Choose how to set up the EC20 camera **Remote control** - Insert AAA batteries (not included) - Point the remote at the camera to pan, tilt, zoom, set presets, and more - Connected monitor - Connect a monitor to the camera’s HDMI port - Once connected, you’ll see the camera image on the monitor - Use the remote to open the on-screen display (OSD) menu - Navigate the menu with the remote to adjust settings **Use the Web UI** - Make sure the camera is connected to the same network as your computer - Open a browser and enter the camera’s IP address (See previous section “Connect to your network”) - Log in using: - Username: **admin** - Password: **admin** (or your updated credentials) ### Connect the EC20 to a video system or CMS - Use hardwired connections: - SDI - HDMI - USB - Stream video over the network using a number of different protocols: - NDI | HX - SRT - RTSP - and more! **What's in the Box?** When you receive your EC20 PTZ Camera you should find the following in the box: 1 x Epiphan EC20 PTZ Camera 1 x Remote Control 1 x Power Adapter 4 x Power Cables (AUS/EU/UK/US) 1 x Setup Guide 1 x Ceiling mount bracket and required screws 1 x Wall mount bracket and required screws If there's something missing please contact us at support@epiphan.com. **Installation** Here you can find instructions for installing the EC20 on a ceiling, wall, or other location. --- ## EC20 safety information id: ec20/ec20-safety-information · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 safety information Below you can find important safety information for your EC20, please read this before operating! - During the installation and use of the equipment, all electrical safety regulations of the country and region of use must be strictly observed. - Please use the power adapter that comes standard with this product. - Please do not connect multiple devices to the same power adapter (exceeding the capacity of the adapter may generate excessive heat or cause a fire). - Do not rotate the head of the camera by hand, this can cause a mechanical failure. - When installing this product on a wall or ceiling, make sure the device is secure. When installing, make sure that there are no obstacles within the rotation range of the gimbal; do not turn on the power until all installations are completed. - To avoid heat build-up, make sure there is adequate ventilation around the device. - If the device emits smoke, smells, or makes noises, please turn off the power immediately, unplug the power cord, and contact the dealer. - This device is not waterproof, please keep the device dry. - This product has no user serviceable parts, damage caused by disassembly by the user is not covered by the warranty. Specific electromagnetic frequencies may affect the image of the camera. **Controlling Your EC20** You can control the EC20 through a number of different methods. Using the web interface. Using the Remote Control. Using a number of different external control protocols, such as NDI, ONVIF, REST API, or VISCA: --- ## EC20 system configuration id: ec20/ec20-system-configuration · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 system configuration Once you've logged in to the web interface of the EC20 you can click on the System section on the left. The System section of the web interface is divided into five tabs, **Initialize**, **User**, **Firmware Update**, **LCD Screen**, and **Tally Light**. ### Initialize On this tab you can click the **Reboot** button to reboot the camera. You can also click **Factory Default** to return all of the settings to the factory defaults. The Factory Default button will not clear the Panopto settings. To clear these settings you need to go to the Panopto tab and click **Reset to defaults**. ### User On this tab you can set the passwords for the **admin** and **guest** accounts. You can also enable or disable **SSH** functionality. ### Firmware Update Occasionally there will be firmware updates for your EC20, these updates can resolve bugs, add new features, and more. It's generally always recommended to make sure your device is on the most recent firmware version. Updating over the air is the recommended method, either from this web interface or from Epiphan Edge if the camera is paired to an Edge team. Firmware 2.0.16 does not support over-the-air updates, so a camera on 2.0.16 must be updated manually using a downloaded firmware file. Over-the-air updating is supported on firmware 3.3.40 and later. Devices running firmware 2.0.16 cannot be updated directly to the current firmware. They must first be updated manually to firmware 3.4.40, and only then updated to the current release. When updating from firmware 2.0.16 or 3.4.40, the manual upgrade may require more than one attempt; this is resolved in later firmware versions. For the full upgrade path and the current firmware version, see the Epiphan product release notes. - On the **Firmware Update** tab you can upload the firmware update **.IMG** file. - Firmware files can be downloaded from the EC20 support page. - After uploading the file and clicking Update the EC20 will go through a reboot. **Do not interrupt, manually reboot or power off, the camera during this process.** - Once the update is finished you can try accessing the web interface to confirm the update as completed. You can see the new version on the **Device Info** page. ### LCD Screen On this tab you can toggle the front LCD screen on or off. This can be useful for security purposes, especially if the EC20 is in a public area. ### Tally Light The **Tally Light** tab controls the EC20's built-in tally light directly from the web interface. You can turn the tally light on or off and choose its color without a third-party controller or control system. At the top of the tab, the current state is shown as **Tally light: On** or **Tally light: Off**, with a button beside it to turn it off or on. Below that, choose how the tally light is driven: - **Automatic (CMS):** The LED turns on automatically when the camera is recording through Panopto. Use this when the camera is the recording device. - **Manual:** The LED is off by default and is controlled by an operator using the button on this tab or the camera API. Use this when the camera feed is recorded by an external encoder. **Color:** Select the tally light color. The standard colors are **Red** and **Green**. After changing any setting on this tab, click **Submit** to apply it, or **Cancel** to discard the change. --- ## EC20 technical specifications id: ec20/ec20-technical-specifications · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 technical specifications Below you can find a table outlining the technical specifications of the EC20. | **Image sensor and lens** | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Video sensor | | 1/1.8 inches, CMOS, effective pixels: 8.42 Megapixels | | Lens | | 20x, f = 6.25mm ~ 125mm, F1.58 ~ F3.95 | | Minimum illumination (Lux) | | 0.5 Lux @ (F1.8, AGC ON) | | Field of view | Horizontal | 60° ~ 3.5° | | Field of view | Vertical | 35.7° ~ 2.0° | | Shutter | | 1/30s ~ 1/10000s | | White balance | | Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, One push, Manual, VAR | | Signal to noise ratio (SNR) | | ≥55 dB | | **Physical Video Output** | | | | Resolution and framerate | HDMI | 3840×2160p @ 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25; 1920×1080p @ 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25; 1920×1080i @ 60, 59.94, 50; 1280×720p @ 60, 59.94, 50 | | Resolution and framerate | SDI | 1920×1080p @ 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25; 1920×1080i @ 60, 59.94, 50; 1280×720p @ 60, 50 | | Resolution and framerate | USB | YUY2: Max 1920×1080p @ 30 (USB3.0); YUY2: Max 1920×1080p @ 5 (USB2.0); H.264: Max 3840×2160p @ 30; H.265 HEVC: Max 3840×2160p @ 30; MJPEG: Max 3840×2160p @ 30 | | **Network Video Output** | | | | Protocols | | NDI®│HX3, SRT, TCP/IP, HTTP, RTSP, RTMP(s), Onvif, DHCP, Multicast | | Video encoding | | H.265 / H.264 / MJPEG | | Max streams | | (2) 1 high quality, 1 preview | | High quality stream resolution | | 3840×2160, 1920×1080, 1280×720, 1024×576, 720×480, 720×408, 640×480, 640×360 | | Preview stream resolution | | 720×480, 720×408, 640×480, 640×360, 480×320, 320×240 | | Frame rate | | 50 Hz: 1 fps~50 fps, 60 Hz:1 fps~60 fps | | Bitrate control method | | CBR, VBR | | Video bitrate | HQ stream | 32 Kbps~51200 Kbps | | Video bitrate | Preview stream | 32 Kbps~20480 Kbps | | Audio encoding | | AAC | | Audio bitrate | | 96 Kbps,128 Kbps | | **Pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ)** | | | | Pan movement angle | | ±162.5° | | Pan speed | | 1.8°~80°/S | | Tilt movement angle | | ~30° ~ +90° | | Tilt speed | | 1.5°~49°/S | | Zoom | Optical | 20x (Max.) | | Zoom | Digital | 16x (Max.) | | Presets max | | 255 | | Preset accuracy | | 0.1° | | **Special Features** | | | | AI tracking | Modes | Presenter, Zone | | AI tracking | Figure size | Full, half, close up, custom | | Image flip | Modes | Automatic via gravity sensor, Manual | | Image freeze | | Supported | | Image mirror | | Supported | | Digital noise reduction (DNR) | | 3D digital noise reduction | | Backlight compensation | | Supported | | PoE+ | | Supported | | Front LED display | | View IP Address, Resolution, Option to turn off display | | Built-in microphones | | 2 × Beam forming, range: 6m | | LED ring light | | Configurable, tally light | | Dante Audio Input | | 2 × (stereo) audio channels. EC20 accepts Dante audio directly from networked mics and mixers. | | Panopto Remote Recorder | | Direct Panopto integration—stream, record, and upload without a separate encoder. | | Epiphan Edge fleet management | | Pair and manage the EC20 in Epiphan Edge alongside your Pearls. Monitor health, update firmware, and remote access. | | **Physical features** | | | | Video interface | 1 × HDMI | Version 2.0 | | Video interface | 1 ×SDI | BNC , 800mVp-p, 75Ω, as per SMPTE 424M standard | | USB Interface | 1 × USB | USB 3.0 Type-C | | Audio Interface | 1 × LINE IN | 3.5mm Jack | | Network Interface | 1 × RJ45 | 10M/100M/1000M adaptive, PoE+ support | | Control Interface | Remote control | Remote control (included) | | Control Interface | Network based control | REST API, VISCA over IP, NDI®, ONVIF, Browser interface | | Control Interface | 1 × RS485 | 3pin phoenix contact port, max distance: 1200m, protocol: VISCA/Pelco-D/Pelco-P | | Control Interface | 1 × RS232 IN | 8pin Mini DIN, max distance: 30m, protocol: VISCA/Pelco-D/Pelco-P | | Control Interface | 1 × RS232 OUT | 8pin Mini DIN, max distance: 30m, protocol: VISCA only | | Power Interface | | 1x EIAJ type (DC IN 12V) | | Material | | Plastic, metal, electronics | | Color | | Black, green | | Dimensions (W × D × H) | | 223 mm × 154.8 mm × 165 mm | | Weight | | 1.8 kg | | Power specifications | Interface | EIAJ type (DC IN 12V), RJ45: PoE+ (802.3at) | | Power specifications | Input Voltage | DC 12V/PoE+(802.3at) | | Power specifications | Input Current | Max. 2A | | Power specifications | Consumption | Max. 18 W | | Environmental | Working Environment | Indoors | | Environmental | Operating Temperature | 0 ~ 40°C | | Environmental | Storage Temperature | -40 ~ 60℃ | | | | | --- ## EC20 wall mount installation id: ec20/ec20-wall-mount-installation · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 wall mount installation You should have received the following in the box for the EC20: 1 × Wall mount 1 × UNC 1/4”-20×8 screw (for camera attachment) 5 × M3×6 pan head screws **You will also need 4 × M5 expansion screws, choose a type and length for the wall to which you're mounting the camera.** **These expansion screws are not included.** Important: Installer must ensure the mount and camera are securely fastened with proper anchors for the wall type. ### Wall Mount Installation Steps - Mark and Drill - Hold the bracket against the wall and mark the hole positions. - Drill holes. Check the depth, you can use a toothpick or straw to match your screws. - Secure the bracket with 4 × M5 expansion screws (not included). - Attach camera - Fix the camera to the bracket using the included screws: (UNC M3×6 and UNC 1/4”-20×8). - You're done! --- ## EC20 web interface overview id: ec20/ec20-web-interface-overview · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 web interface overview The EC20 web interface is the browser-based control panel for the camera. The web interface is accessible using a browser on the same local network as the EC20, simply enter the IP address of the camera into the address bar. The default login credentials are: **username:** admin **password:** admin Once you're logged in you should see a video player showing what the camera is seeing, this is the **Live View** page. On the left is a navigation bar for accessing other sections of the interface. For information on certain interfaces please check the relevant user guide section. **Live View** - This shows the current shot of the camera, you can make the image full screen, mute the audio, or pause the video stream. - This page also displays all presets currently saved on the camera. You can call presets from here, as well as update existing presets and create new presets. **Device Info** - This page shows some system information about your EC20. - Device ID: This is the name the camera will display in other applications. You can modify this. - Hardware Type: This is the internal hardware name. - Software Version: This is the current firmware version, and the version of the latest firmware with option to update to that version using over the air upgrade. - Webware Version: This is the current version of the web interface, this is set via firmware updates. - Serial NO.: The serial number of this EC20. **Video** - Modify various settings related to the visual appearance of the video signal. **Audio** - Modify the different audio settings. **Output** - Modify different aspects of the physical and network based video outputs. **Tracking** - Modify settings related to the automatic tracking feature. **System** - Access system settings, upload and apply firmware updates, modify user passwords, turn the front LED screen on or off, and configure the barrel tally light. **Network** - Modify different network configuration settings, such as NTP or network ports used. **NDI®** - Modify certain settings and get other information relating to NDI®. **Overlays** - Modify settings related to the title and timestamp video overlays for your video streams. **Panopto** - Manage the Panopto integration, including registering the EC20 with Panopto as a Remote Recorder and viewing the Events calendar. **Epiphan Edge** - Enable Epiphan Edge, select your region, and pair the EC20 with your Epiphan Edge team. A **Log Out** link is available in the upper-right corner of the web interface. Below the navigation tabs you'll find some controls. The small house surrounded by arrows allows you to control the pan and tilt functions of the camera, while the magnifying glasses control the zoom. Note that while tracking is enabled these controls will be disabled. Below the PTZ controls is the **Presets** panel. Presets let you save and recall specific camera positions. The panel shows how many presets are saved out of the maximum, for example **Total 3 / 50**, and displays a thumbnail preview of each saved preset so you can see the shot before calling it. The thumbnail is a static snapshot of the location the camera was facing at the moment the preset was created. Thumbnails do not update dynamically, so a thumbnail does not reflect the current live image. From this panel you can: - **+ Set preset** — save the camera's current position as a new preset. - **Call** — move the camera to the preset selected in the drop-down list. - **Update** — overwrite the selected preset with the camera's current position. - **Clear all** — delete every saved preset. Further down at the bottom are the Tracking settings. You can toggle tracking on and off, toggle the "tracking hint" that displays in the output to show when tracking is enabled or disabled, as well as set the Mode. --- ## EC20 with Epiphan Edge id: ec20/ec20-with-epiphan-edge · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # EC20 with Epiphan Edge The EC20 can be added to Epiphan Edge and managed alongside Pearl devices. You can monitor system health, update firmware, and remotely access the web interface from any browser, without touching the rack. You will need an Epiphan Cloud account, if you don't have an Epiphan Cloud account you can create one for free at [https://eu.epiphan.cloud/](https://eu.epiphan.cloud/), [https://go.epiphan.cloud/](https://go.epiphan.cloud/), or [https://au.epiphan.cloud/](https://au.epiphan.cloud/). Once you have an account you can then pair the EC20 with your Epiphan Edge team. The EC20 PTZ camera requires firmware 3.4.40 or higher to pair with Epiphan Edge on all three regional servers (go.epiphan.cloud, eu.epiphan.cloud, and au.epiphan.cloud). Certain features, such as remote access, require the premium version of Epiphan Edge. When the EC20 is registered with Epiphan Edge, the camera reports live audio activity levels to Epiphan Edge. This makes it easy to verify that the camera is receiving audio input without being in the room or opening the camera's own web interface. To pair the EC20 with Epiphan Edge: - Log in to the EC20 web interface. - In the left-hand navigation menu, select **Epiphan Edge**. - Ensure that Epiphan Edge is **Enabled** and the EC20 is connected to the Internet. - Select your Epiphan Edge **Region**, then click **Apply.** - If you are already logged into your Epiphan Cloud account and have the correct team selected in the upper left, click **Pair Device** to complete the pairing. - If not, copy the pairing code, log in to your Epiphan Cloud account, select the desired team in the upper left, click **Pair Device**, and enter the code to pair the EC20. --- ## General Notes id: ec20/general-notes · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # General Notes This module is used for connecting an Epiphan EC20 series camera to control the peripheral through a control system. There are two demonstration programs available to showcase the module: Demo_EpiphanEC20 and Demo_EpiphanEC20_3series, alongside a UI program Demo_EpiphanEC20.ch5z. The two SIMPL Windows programs are identical except for their target rack. Load the applicable .lpz file to your control processor of choice and load the project either onto the processor as an HTML5 Web XPanel or on any 10” x60, x70, or x80 series Crestron touchpanel, connected at IPID 03. If running as an HTML5 Web XPanel, ensure that your processor is up to date, and is compatible with CH5 web XPanels. ### Setup of Crestron Hardware The module is supported on both 3- and 4-series Crestron processors. When using the module as part of a program running on a 3-series processor, a 3-series firmware version of at least 1.8001 or newer is recommended, and the latest version available should be used for the best results. --- ## Installing the Plugin id: ec20/installing-the-plugin · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Installing the Plugin This plugin enables complete control of the Epiphan EC20 PTZ Camera from within Q-SYS Designer. Once connected, manage PTZ movement, zoom, focus, tally light, preset recall/save, and AI autotracking - all from a single Q-SYS control panel. ■ Click “Yes” to install Double click the epiphan-ptz.qplugx file. You should receive a dialogue asking if you'd like to install the plugin. Restart Q-SYS Designer if it was already open. Support & Documentation: epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Search for "Epiphan EC20" in the component library and drag it into your design. 9.x or later EC20 reachable from Q-SYS Core (same LAN or routed) Camera admin username and password 1 2 3 4 -- 2 of 6 -- Epiphan EC20 | Q-SYS Plugin README | epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Connection Setup tab Port TIP Ensure the EC20 and Q-SYS Core share a routed network path and that port 80 is not blocked by a firewall. Password Username IP Address 3 CONFIGURATION --- ## Overview id: ec20/overview · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Overview Epiphan EC20 Q-SYS Plugin PTZ Control · Zoom & Focus · Tally Light Preset Management · AI Autotracking Full Q-SYS Control Pin Exposure VERSION 1.0 epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation © 2026 Epiphan Systems Inc. |Plugin by Carrier Labs -- 1 of 6 -- ■ Full guide: support.qsys.com/en_US/application-notes/how-to-%7C-installing-custom-plugins-to-q-sys-designer Epiphan EC20 | Q-SYS Plugin README | epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Network Credentials Q-SYS Designer 2 PLUGIN SETUP ### Requirements INSTALL --- ## Properties & Control Pins id: ec20/properties-control-pins · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Properties & Control Pins The plugin exposes a comprehensive set of control and status pins for scripting, control surfaces, and external logic within Q-SYS Designer. Component Properties Control Pin Categories Setup Status Presets Tracking Controls Modified in properties Preview stream frame rate Enable debug output - Yes / No Recall 0–11 · Save 0–11 (default number) IP Address · Password · Port · Username Connection · Firmware Version · MAC Address · Serial Number Focus Auto/Far/Near · Pan/Tilt Speed · PTZ Up/Down/Left/Right/Diagonals · PTZ Home · Zoom In/Out · Zoom Speed · Tally Light Action/Colour/Enable · Preview Enable Auto Zoom · Enable Autotracking · Mode Presenter · Mode Zone · Disable -- 5 of 6 -- Epiphan EC20 | Q-SYS Plugin README | epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation Support & Docs epiphan.com/support/ ec20- software-and-documentation Contact support@epiphan.com Plugin Credit Developed by Carrier Labs 6 ™ and © 2026 Epiphan Systems Inc. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. SUPPORT --- ## Quick Start Guide id: ec20/quick-start-guide · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan EC20 - Crestron Driver Help v1.0.0.pdf # Quick Start Guide 1) Ensure the IP Address or HostName parameter contains the IP address of the EC20 camera. 2) Ensure the Username and Password fields have been set correctly. The default username and password are “admin” – if they have been changed, ensure these match accordingly 3) In your program, latch the “Enable” signal when you would like the module to initiate the connection with the camera. The module manages the connection to the camera on its own; it will attempt to reconnect to the API if the connection is broken, and regularly polls the camera to ensure external changes in camera state are reflected on the output signals of the module accordingly. 4) Should difficulties arise with connecting to the camera, consult the troubleshooting steps outlined at the end of this help file. The module was tested on a CP3 and CP4. Requires EC20 firmware 3.4.40 or newer. -- 5 of 20 -- Signal Map P a r a m e t e r s : 6 ### Signal Map --- ## Troubleshooting id: ec20/troubleshooting · product: ec20 · source: Epiphan_EC20_QSYS_Plugin_README.pdf # Troubleshooting Status: Not Connected Verify IP address, port, and credentials. Confirm the Q-SYS Core has a routed network path to the EC20 and that port 80 is accessible. 443 is disabled in v.1 release of this plugin Presets not saving Ensure the camera is connected and responsive. Attempt saving a preset from the EC20 web interface to isolate whether the issue is network or plugin. Requires EC20 firmware 3.3.40 PTZ controls unresponsive Confirm the Connection status shows OK – Connected. Try accessing the EC20 web interface directly to verify the camera is operational. Plugin not visible in Designer Confirm the .qplugx file is in the correct Plugins folder and that Q-SYS Designer has been fully restarted after copying the file. Preview not loading Check that port 80 is open from the Core to the EC20. Enable the preview. Some networks block MJPEG streams consult your network/IT team. -- 6 of 6 -- --- ## Using ONVIF with the EC20 id: ec20/using-onvif-with-the-ec20 · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # Using ONVIF with the EC20 The EC20 supports monitoring and control through the ONVIF protocol. ONVIF stands for Open Network Video Interface Forum and is an open industry forum that provides standardization for IP-based video products, generally security products. You can read more about ONVIF here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ONVIF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ONVIF), and here: [https://www.onvif.org/](https://www.onvif.org/). By default the EC20 PTZ Camera uses network port 81 for ONVIF communication. To use ONVIF with the EC20 you'll need software that uses the ONVIF protocol to communicate with the EC20. The functionality, commands available, and the look of the interface will depend on the software used. Since it is an open protocol there are a number of free and open source programs available on the internet. Epiphan Video has no official recommendations for ONVIF software, and urges caution when downloading or using third-party software and cannot be held responsible for any damages incurred from using third-party software. --- ## Using the EC20 remote control id: ec20/using-the-ec20-remote-control · product: ec20 · source: ec20-userguide.md # Using the EC20 remote control You can control a number of different features using the included remote control. See below for a diagram outlining what each button does. | (Standby) Key: Enter standby mode Number Keys: To set preset or call preset * Key: Use with other keys PRESET Key: Set preset: [PRESET] + Number key (0-9) HOME Key: Confirm selection or turn PTZ back to the middle position (Return) Key: Return to the previous menu ZOOM Keys: SLOW: Zoom In [+] or Zoom Out [-] slowly FAST: Zoom In [+] or Zoom Out [-] fast L/R SET Key: Standard: [L/R SET] + [1] Reverse: [L/R SET] + [2] FOCUS Keys: Auto/Manual/Far-end/Near-end focus CAMERA SELECT Keys: Select and control the camera # Key: Use with other keys Auto Tracking Keys: [F1]: Disable [F2]: Disable [F3]: Enable AI Tracking [F4]: Disable AI Tracking RESET Key: Clear preset position: Successively press [RESET] + Number key (0-9) PTZ Control Keys: PTZ moved according to the arrow direction MENU Key: Enter OSD menu or back to previous menu BACKLIGHT Key: Backlight ON/OFF: Toggle backlight Only supported in auto exposure mode P/T RST (PTZ Reset) Key: Reset Pan/Tilt self-test | | | --- | --- | **Shortcut Set:** Press these key combinations to apply certain settings quickly. Press the keys one at a time in the sequence below. **[#] + [*] + [F4]:** Enable or disable the Image Freeze **[*] + [#] + [1]:** OSD menu language to English **[*] + [#] + [3]:** OSD menu language to Chinese **[*] + [#] + [4]:** Display current IP address **[*] + [#] + [6]:** Quickly recover the default (Factory reset?) **[*] + [#] + [8]:** Check the camera version **[*] + [#] + [9]:** Enable vertical image flip **[*] + [#] + [MANUAL]:** Restore to default IP address --- ## About streaming NDI on Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/about-streaming-ndi-on-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # About streaming NDI on Pearl-2 NDI® (Network Device Interface) is used to transmit low-latency video content over Gigabit networks at broadcast quality with no audio compression. The quality of the video transported over the network is virtually lossless. Pearl-2 can output any configured channel over the network as a unicast NDI stream. You setup the NDI stream for the channel using the Admin panel. NDI grouping is supported to allow for organizing of individual NDI resources. You can use NDI on wired and wireless networks; however, NDI video is bandwidth intensive. Depending on the video content, a single 1920×1080@30 fps NDI video source needs about 125 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth. For NDI to work properly, network ports 49152 to 65535 need to be open for two-way traffic. Contact your network administrator for assistance. The unicast NDI stream can be ingested by other NDI devices on the network. You can start and stop the NDI output stream using either the Admin panel, the touch screen, or Epiphan Live **Important considerations** - Pearl-2 can unicast up to four 1920×1080 @ 30 fps NDI output streams at the same time. However, NDI allows receivers to request a lower quality stream. If that happens, Pearl-2 will send two streams: one at the original resolution and a second one at the requested resolution. This can impact the CPU performance of Pearl-2 - Pearl-2 does not output NDI|HX. - We recommend having at least 125 Mbps Ethernet for a single 1920×1080 30 fps NDI stream, and between 8 to 20 Mbps for a single 1920×1080 30 fps NDI|HX stream. Keep in mind that a Gigabit Ethernet network will only have between 600 Mbps and 700 Mbps available for practical use. If multiple NDI receivers connect to an NDI stream on Pearl-2, the bandwidth needed for each NDI receiver adds to the total bandwidth consumption. - After you start an NDI stream on Pearl-2, if NDI detects there are no receivers connected to the stream, Pearl-2 stops broadcasting to conserve bandwidth and resources. However, the Pearl-2 stream can still be discovered on the network. Pearl-2 can ingest up to four multicast or unicast 1920×1080@30 fps NDI video inputs, up to six 1920×1080@30 fps NDI|HX video inputs, or up to one 4K NDI input to Pearl-2. --- ## About video output ports id: pearl-2/about-video-output-ports · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # About video output ports **Pearl-2** Pearl-2's rear panel includes two HDMI video output ports. HDMI 1 is set to show Auto A and HDMI 2 is set to show Auto B by default. Both video output ports are configured to maintain aspect ratio, use the display's default resolution, and include audio at 100% volume. However, the audio meter is not shown by default. Using the video output port takes CPU cycles and adds to the overall load on your Pearl-2. For optimum performance, keep displays disconnected from the video output port if you're not using them. Setups that already put a heavy load on the system's CPU may be negatively impacted if the external video output port is used. You can use the Admin panel to configure the video output port parameters. If you're simply selecting a video source or channel and enabling/disabling audio for the output port, you can use your choice of either the Admin panel, the Pearl-2 screen, or Epiphan Live. For channels that have audio, the audio is enabled by default. **Important considerations** - When changing encoding parameters for a channel that's displayed on the video output port, it may revert to the display's default resolution if the output resolution is set to "Same as source". To resolve this, change the video output to a different resolution then back to "Same as source". - When using the video output port for confidence monitoring, some delay can be expected. For a 1080p video source, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 100 ms. For a 1080p channel, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 300 ms. The actual amount can vary, depending on the setup. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. **Pearl-2** -If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - The video output ports adds to the overall system load on the Pearl-2. If your system has a high system load and you're using the video outputs, monitor the frame rate of your channels on your Pearl-2 and adjust your setup if there's an unacceptable drop in the frame rate. Remedial measures you can take include eliminating video scaling at the inputs, adjusting the encoding bitrates, and (for Pearl-2) deleting extra layouts and channels that are no longer being used. - Use MultiViewer to preview multiple sources, including system information like channel status and audio information, on the video output port in a grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to system loading. | **Numberof Displays** | **Cable 1** | **Cable 2** | **Output resolution** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | passive converter | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 1 | | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | passive converter | passive converter | | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | active converter or DisplayPort cable | Displays can be set independently to any resolution up to 1080p (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | passive converter | One of the two displays will fail to receive a signal. Do not mix passive converters with active converters and DisplayPort cables. | | 2 | passive converter | active converter or DisplayPort cable | | --- ## Adjust the fan speed id: pearl-2/adjust-the-fan-speed · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Adjust the fan speed You can adjust the internal fan speed using the Admin panel. The fan speed is set to reduced by default and the fan will adjust speed based on system temperatures. If you see temperatures around 75C or higher, you can choose Maximum to increase static thermal headroom. **Adjust the fan speed using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance **. The maintenance page opens. - Under **Fan speed setting**, select either **Maximum speed** or **Reduced speed** and click **Apply**. --- ## AFU or copy to USB id: pearl-2/afu-or-copy-to-usb · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # AFU or copy to USB The Pearl-2 has USB 3.0 ports that you can use to copy recordings to external USB flash drives or hard drives. Use this to conveniently provide speakers with a copy of their presentation before they leave the presentation venue. A USB port is available on the back and front panel of the Pearl-2. The USB storage device must be formatted with one of the following file systems: | FAT16 | FAT32 | XFS | | --- | --- | --- | | EXT2 | EXT3 | EXT4 | | NTFS | exFAT | | We recommend you only connect one USB device to a Pearl-2 at a time. Only one copy or move to USB operation is permitted at a time, even though the UI may appear to let you start a second one. Please wait until the first is complete before starting a new operation. AFU to a USB storage device Transfer recordings to a USB storage device automatically when you select an external USB device as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on the Pearl-2. - Channels and/or multi-track recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **External USB Drive **as the protocol transfer type. If your Automatic File Upload setting conflicts with your new USB device setting, a message is displayed. Click the **fix it** link and click **Apply**. The fix it link disables any other type of automatic file upload you have configured. When you are done with USB uploads, return to the **Automatic File Upload **configuration page and reconfigure your AFU settings. - (Optional) Select **Create a subfolder for each channel** to have recordings organized by channel. - Click **Apply**. Do a one-time move/copy all recordings to USB storage device When one-time move/copy of files is configured, the Pearl-2 automatically starts copying files as soon as you connect a USB storage device to the USB port. Newest recordings are copied first. Files continue copying over until one of the following events occur: - all files are copied - the specified maximum number of files are copied - the target drive runs out of storage space File that are currently recording do not transfer until recording ends. The following table describes the options available for a one-time move/copy of recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 67 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and multi-track recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | remove after copying | If checked, the file(s) are removed after being copied to the USB drive. Checking this box makes the transfer a move instead of a copy. | | mark file as downloaded | If checked, the files that are downloaded are marked with a downloaded icon when viewing file lists. This has no effect if remove after copying is checked. | | ignore already downloaded files | If checked, files that were previously downloaded or marked as downloaded are not included in subsequent downloads. | If your USB drive has no activity indicator to let you know when the transfer is complete, select the one-time move/copy option to **remove after copying** or **mark the file as downloaded** so that you know when the transfer has finished. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on Pearl-2. **Configure a one-time copy of all recorded files to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used for one-time move/copy of the recorded files (upon insertion)**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload settings, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and either disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Check the options you want to use for the one-time move/copy file transfer and click **Apply**. - Insert the USB storage device into the USB port on Pearl-2. File transfer starts automatically. - Follow the steps to Safely eject the USB storage device when the activity light on the USB storage device stops flashing. If your USB device doesn't have activity indicators: - Check the **Recording **list for each channel and the **Recorded Files **list for each multi-track recorder to verify if there are files that have yet to be copied. Safely eject the USB storage device when you are satisfied all files have been copied, or if you notice the USB storage device is out of space. Manually copy recordings to USB storage device You can manually copy recordings to a USB storage device that is connected to Pearl-2. This procedure is separate from automatic file upload and does not need any pre-configuration in the automatic file upload page. The following table describes the options available when manually copying recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 68 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and multi-track recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | File already exists | Choose the action to take if a file with the same name already exists in the copy location: replace (default) skip rename | **Manually copy recorded files to a USB device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive link**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used to manually move/copy selected files via the Admin panel **and click **Apply**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Insert your USB storage device into an available USB port on Pearl-2 and do one of the following: - To download files for a specific channel, click **Recording** from the Channels menu. - To download files for a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the Recorders menu. - Check the files you want to download and do one of the following: - Click **Copy Selected to external drive** to copy the files to the USB drive. - Click **Move Selected to external drive** to move the files and delete them off of Pearl-2. In this example, the first file is currently recording and cannot be downloaded. - Follow the steps to Safely eject USB storage device when you're done. View file transfer status and cancel file copy to a USB device During a file transfer to an External USB drive, you can monitor the file transfer progress and cancel the file transfer using the Admin panel. You can only cancel the transfer of a file while it is in progress. **View file transfer to USB device status and cancel using the Admin panel** - While the file transfer is in progress, select **External USB Drive link** from the Configuration menu in the Admin panel. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - View the current file transfer status under the **Status** section. To cancel the current file transfer, select **Cancel** and confirm when prompted. The option to cancel only appears while the file transfer is in progress. The file that is highlighted in green is currently being transferred. View available USB storage space When you insert a USB storage device into a USB port and select an **External USB Drive **action other than **ignored** (i.e. manual copy, automatic copy, etc), the total and free space are calculated and displayed in the Admin panel. When you insert your USB storage device into an available USB port, an External storage usage information tab appears at the bottom of the menus panel in the Admin panel. Safely eject the USB storage device When you're done saving recordings to the USB storage device, you can safely eject it using the link at the bottom of the Admin panel page. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - At the bottom of the menus panel, click **eject** and click **OK** when prompted. It's now safe to disconnect the USB storage device from Pearl-2. --- ## Assign administrator privileges to operators id: pearl-2/assign-administrator-privileges-to-operators · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Assign administrator privileges to operators Administrators can assign additional administrative-level privileges to operators from the Security menu in the Admin panel. The following table lists the available options and their associated privileges. **Table 33 Options with additional operator privileges** | **Option** | **Operator admin functions** | | --- | --- | | **Channel configuration** | Add, remove, and rename a channel | | | Configure channel encoder settings | | | Create and configure a custom layout for a channel | | | Configure, remove, rename, and publish a stream for a channel | | | Configure channel metadata | | | Add, duplicate, configure, and delete multi-track recorders | | | Upload, download, and delete media files | | **Input configuration ** | Add and rename video and audio inputs | | **Network configuration** | Configure network address | | | Configure 802.1x and manage CA certificates | | | Enable and disable DHCP Option 81 | | | Configure Dynamic DNS (DDNS) | | | Reboot the Pearl-2. | | **Configuration presets control**1 | Create, delete, and apply configuration presets | | **System configuration** | Configure the video output settings | | | Enable CMS and register | | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | Select external USB drive behavior | | | Configure the date and time preferences | | | Configure the device screen | | | Configure the serial port flow control | | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature for remote control and remote login | | | Video output configuration | | **System maintenance** | Apply configuration presets2 | | | Upgrade firmware | | | Enable remote support | | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | Shutdown device (Admin panel) | | | Restore factory configuration | | | Configure the name, location, and description | | | Perform disk check | 1Only configuration presets that don't include the System group are allowed. 2Allow operators to apply configuration presets that include the System group, as well as apply the factory default configuration preset. **Assign administrative privileges to operators using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under **Additional operator privileges**, check options to assign those administrator privileges to operators, and then click **Apply**. --- ## Audio input ports id: pearl-2/audio-input-ports · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Audio input ports You can connect external audio devices like mixers directly to the dedicated audio input ports on Pearl-2s. Each Pearl-2 has a unique set of audio input ports. **Pearl-2** - Four XLR professional line-level inputs + 4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS, (+24 dBu) that support balanced and unbalanced signals. - One stereo pair RCA consumer line-level input (-10 dBV) - Two USB video/audio ports The four XLR audio inputs are configured as two stereo pairs by default: XLR A (left/right) and XLR B (left/right). The XLR B audio ports and the RCA audio ports are linked. You can configure Pearl-2 to use both or just one of the audio sources using the Admin panel. ### Configure audio ports for stereo or mono Using the Admin panel, you can configure ports to function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as separate mono ports. **Pearl-2** The four XLR professional line-level inputs are configured as two stereo pairs by default: XLR A (left and right stereo pair) and XLR B (left and right stereo pair). **Configure audio ports as stereo or mono using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the configuration page from the Inputs menu: - **Pearl-2:** click **Analog-A Audio** for the XLR A ports or click **Analog-B Audio** for the XLR B ports. The configuration page for the audio ports opens. - Do one of the following. - To make the ports function as a stereo pair, check **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. - To make the ports function as separate mono ports, uncheck **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. When mono is selected, two sets of parameters and two audio VU meters appear in the interface - one for each audio input port on the Pearl-2. Parameters that are listed only once apply to both ports. ### Assign audio sources to an input Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl-2. These shared audio sources appear in the same configuration menus in the Admin panel and appear under the same audio input label in the user interfaces. The audio sources that share resources are: **Pearl-2** - XLR-B (left and right ports) - RCA (left and right ports) Both the XLR-B (left/right) and RCA (left/right) audio sources appear under the label **Analog-B Audio**. You can assign one or both audio sources to **Analog-B Audio**. Choosing one audio source for the shared input disables the other audio source. This means that when you select Analog-B Audio as the audio source for a layout using the custom layout editor, only the audio source you assign to Analog-B Audio is used. Both audio sources are assigned by default. To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain when RCA, XLR+RCA (for Pearl-2) **Assign the audio source to an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the shared audio source. The audio configuration page opens. - From the **Input** menu, select the audio source and click **Apply**. ### Adjust audio gain and delay Pearl-2s do not introduce audio delay and have near-zero latency when capturing. However, other external factors can cause audio to become de-synchronized, such as the length of audio cables or the configuration of your equipment. The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay to any audio source using the Admin panel. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. The analog audio input ports on Pearl-2 are calibrated for +4.0 dBu XLR or -10.0 dBV RCA audio signals and provide moderate to significant signal headroom. For the analog audio inputs, you can add up to +30 dB of gain. Microphones typically have low audio signals (less than -30 dBu) and are not supported directly as inputs to Pearl-2. Use an audio mixing board or preamp to amplify microphones and supply the appropriate line level input. Adjusting the **Input Gain** for an analog audio source affects the volume for that audio source in recordings, streamed output, video output ports, and in the headphone jack. Be aware that excessive amounts of gain can increase the perception of any noise that may be present in the audio signal. If the gain of your analog audio signal needs adjustment, connect your headphones and use the VU meters to monitor the audio level while you add some gain. As a rule, each 10 dB of gain doubles the perceived loudness of the audio signal. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain at the audio input port of Pearl-2 for common types of audio input devices. You should add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table 28 Audio input port gains guidelines** | **Audio source** | **Input port** | **Gain** | | --- | --- | --- | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | XLR | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA1 | Nominal | | Professional mixer | XLR | Nominal | | | RCA1 | Not recommended. | | USB microphone | USB | Nominal | | Dynamic, condenser, or electret microphones | XLR | Not recommended. To connect microphones to the pro line level XLR inputs, you must use an external preamp to boost the microphone signal enough to provide the proper line level signal at the XLR input port | 1 To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA port or when XLR B/RCA is used Ensure the audio input source is connected to an analog audio input port on Pearl-2 before proceeding. **Adjust the gain and delay for an audio source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - In the **Input Gain** field, select the amount of gain to apply to the audio source. - In the **Audio delay** field, enter a value between 300 and -300 ms. A positive value adds delay to the audio signal. A negative value adjusts the audio to start earlier. - Click **Apply**. ### Mute audio You can mute any audio input port using the Admin panel. For analog audio ports that are configured as mono inputs, you can mute each port separately. Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl-2. Muting an audio input that shares internal resources mutes all the associated audio sources. The following table lists the audio input ports that share internal processing and the results of applying mute. **Table 29 Muting audio inputs that share resources** | **Device** | **Audio input** **(Admin panel)** | **Shared audio input resources** | **Results** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl-2** | Analog-B Audio | XLR-B (left/right) RCA (left/right) | **In stereo mode:** Both XLR-B ports (left and right) are muted. Both RCA ports (left and right) are muted | | | | | **In mono mode (Analog B audio Left muted):** Both the XLR-B left and RCA left ports are muted. The XLR-B right and RCA right ports are not muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (Analog B audio Right muted):**Both the XLR-B right and RCA right ports are muted. The XLR-B left and RCA left ports are not muted. | **Mute an audio source using the admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - Check **Mute** to mute the audio source or uncheck **Mute** if you no longer want the audio source muted, then click **Apply**. --- ## Capturing video and audio with Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/capturing-video-and-audio-with-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Capturing video and audio with Pearl-2 Capturing is the process of taking the signals from your video and audio sources and encoding them so they're ready for streaming and recording. You add the captured video and audio to channels, which you customize for live streaming, switching, and recording. This section covers how to create channels and add custom layouts so that you can capture, stream, and record exactly what you want - how you want! Whether that's a simple channel with a single video and audio source or channels that have multiple video and audio sources and custom layouts like picture in picture. --- ## Configuration preset considerations id: pearl-2/configuration-preset-considerations · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configuration preset considerations There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including: - Access to presets and privacy considerations - Recording and streaming states - Recorded files in a channel or multi-track recorder - The potential to lock the device screen - Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources - Channel and multi-track recorder index number - Deleting channels and multi-track recorders - and more **Access to presets and privacy considerations** - Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Pearl-2 has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset. - Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset. - Applying a configuration preset does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private. - Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users. **Locking out the touch screen on Pearl-2** The **touch screen** configuration group includes all the security settings for the touch screen. It's possible to apply a preset that effectively locks out all further use of the touch screen. If this happens, use the Admin panel to re-enable the touch screen **Channel and multi-track recorder index number behavior** Each channel and multi-track recorder has an index number. The first channel created on a system is channel 1, subsequently channel 2, 3, 4, etc. Recorders are also created starting at index 1 with numbers incrementing as new multi-track recorders are created. The channel (or multi-track recorder) index number is found to the left of the channel or multi-track recorder name in the Admin panel: Configuration presets that contain the **channels **configuration group specify the channels in the preset by their index number. This means if you have channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 when you save your preset, applying that preset will overwrite the configuration of your current channels with indexes 1, 2, 3 and 4. If prior to applying that preset you also had channels with indexes 5 and 6, the configuration settings for those two channels are erased when the preset is applied (because the preset only has 4 channels). There are three areas where channel (and multi-track recorder) index numbers affect what happens when applying configuration presets. --- ## Configuration presets id: pearl-2/configuration-presets · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configuration presets Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration so you can restore later when needed. They are also useful if you have changing configuration requirements for Pearl-2 or are managing multiple systems and you want them to have similar configurations. ### About configuration presets Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to the system, leaving other important settings intact. They make it easy to manage multiple Pearl-2 setups in shared spaces, like a studio, and ensures a consistent setup each time you go to use Pearl-2. You can even export a configuration preset and upload it to another Pearl-2 system. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl-2 models or between Pearl-2s and Unify projects. The system's settings are divided into the following configuration groups. You can choose to include any number and combination of configuration groups in a preset and create as many different configuration presets as you need. **Pearl-2 configuration group list** - System - Network - Inputs - EDID - Channel - Automatic File Upload - Content Management System - Epiphan Edge - Touch screen - Output port You can create and apply any saved configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** using the Admin panel. A special **Factory default **configuration preset, which cannot be erased, is included in the list of configuration presets. Use that to return to the factory setup without destructively erasing any saved recordings or media files you've uploaded. It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the settings groups included in the preset. All other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration preset considerations section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets. **Example of presets in action** You could upload custom background images to Pearl-2 in advance of a conference and create custom channel configuration presets for several different keynote speakers, each with a different setup, and then apply them later when you need them. For example, you could create two configuration presets called Session 1 and Session 2. Each session could include things like custom backgrounds, images and logos, channels and layouts, metadata, streaming settings, and automatic file upload (AFU) locations. Then download those presets to your local computer so you can upload them to your entire fleet of Pearl-2 systems. Channel configuration includes any applied backgrounds and image files. If these files aren't present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when deleting background images and logo files. At the conference, simply apply the configuration preset that you need for the appropriate session using the Admin panel or the Pearl-2 screen. When applying the configuration preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged. The preset only affects channels and their configuration. After applying a configuration preset, recorded files from the previous session remain present on the system. If AFU is configured, the recorded files continue to upload even after the new configuration preset is applied (if AFU is not yet complete), but the channels reflect the newly loaded session's background file name and presenter name. --- ## Configure a video input source id: pearl-2/configure-a-video-input-source · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure a video input source Captured video sources don't usually need configuration, but you can change some of the video settings using the Admin panel **Open the configuration page for an input source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Ensure a source is connected to the input port - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. **Video settings** | **Value** | **Input type** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | Enable deinterlacing | HDMI, DVI | Enable this feature to convert an interlaced source signal to a non-interlaced signal. | | Enable 4K downscaling4K (Pearl-2 ) | HDMI | Selecting this option means that your 4K UHD1 source will be automatically downscaled to 1080p using the Pearl-2's hardware. | | Image | HDMI, DVI, SDI | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | HDMI, DVI, SDI | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | | 1Requires 4K feature add on | | --- | **SDI video settings** The following options are available for signals via the SDI port. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Image | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | For USB video and web camera settings, see USB video and web camera settings in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Configure chroma keying id: pearl-2/configure-chroma-keying · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure chroma keying Add special effects to any video source in a custom channel with chroma keying. Add great looking effects such as animated lower thirds using a titler software or add a custom background using green screen. It's easy to get creative. With chroma keying, you can choose a specific color in your video scene and replace everything of that color with a different image or video. The most common color used for chroma keying is green. In this example, the original video source shows someone standing in front of a green screen. Using chroma key, an image of an office space replaces the green background. White, grey, and black are not recommended colors for chroma keying. Those are treated as the same color with a different luminance value. The result is that the chroma keying affect gets applied to all shades ranging from white to black. You configure chroma keying using the custom layout editor **Performance considerations ** Chroma keying can impact performance depending on how many chroma key sources you add, if you scale the chroma key video source using the custom layout editor, and your frame rate. For best performance, avoid excessive scaling of video sources that have chroma keying enabled. Cropping video sources that have chroma keying enabled helps reduce processing and optimizes the performance. You can monitor performance from the **Info** tab using the Admin panel for the custom channel that has chroma keying enabled. Observe the following: - The maximum resolution is 1920×1080 at 30 fps for chroma keying. - Avoid scaling a video source that has chroma key enabled. - Where possible, crop the video source that has the chroma key enabled to minimize the area to process for the chroma key effect. - Overloading the processor can cause frame drops. **What is upstream chroma keying?** Upstream chroma keying applies the chroma key effect to a specific video source before it's processed, switched, and broadcast. For example, you could display the name of a guest using titler software on only the camera that is dedicated for close ups of that person but not on any of your other video sources. To get an upstream key effect, create custom layouts for each video source using the custom layout editor. Then set up chroma keying on just one custom layout. Only the video source that appears in the custom layout with chroma key enabled has the chroma key effect applied to it. To apply the chroma key effect to a video source that appears in several different custom layouts, enable the chroma key effect in each custom layout where that particular video source appears. **What is downstream chroma keying?** Downstream chroma keying applies the chroma key effect to all video sources you broadcast after they're processed and switched. A common use of downstream keying is to display a persistent image, like a company logo, so that it always appears on screen. To get a downstream key effect, enable the same chroma key effect on all your custom layouts. This way, the same chroma key effect gets applied to everything you stream or record. ### Set up chroma key for a green screen video source A common use of chroma keying is to use a green screen and then replace the green background with another video or still image. Your chroma key source can come from a video camera or an effects computer connected to Pearl-2. The background you use can be from another video source, a still image that you've uploaded to Pearl-2, or from an effects computer. This example shows two camera sources connected to Pearl-2. The green screen appears in the video source connected to HDMI-A and the office background is from HDMI-B. **Configure chroma keying for green screen using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Follow the steps in Set up chroma key for a green screen video source to create a custom channel. - From the custom layout editor, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. - Click **Source** and select the video source that you want showing through the background of your chroma key colored areas. In the layout editing area, click and drag to position the video. For best results, select the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **checkbox from the **Source settings **box. - Click **Add new Item** again and add the video source that has the green screen image. - Click the **Crop** button and crop your green screen video source in the pop-up crop editing window. Click **OK** when your done to return to the custom layout editor. Cropping the green screen video source helps optimize the performance of Pearl-2. - In the layout area, position the green screen video source over top the other video source. To optimize performance, avoid scaling the green screen video source if you can. - With the green screen video source selected, check **Enable Chroma keying** in the custom layout editor. The chroma keying options appear. White, grey, and black are not recommended colors for chroma keying. Pearl-2 treats them as the same color with different luminance values. As such, chroma keying affects all shades ranging from white to black. - Click the eye dropper and then click on a color in the thumbnail image to choose the chroma key color. The background video image shows through all the colored areas on the chroma key video layer that match the color you select as the chroma key. - Adjust the chroma color selection and blend the edges to remove unwanted chroma effects or residual color. - Enter a number in the **Key threshold** field to adjust the color selection. A value of 0 equals the original color you selected. A higher value widens the range of the selected chroma color. A lower number narrows the range of the selected chroma color. - Enter a number in the **Edge blend** field to smooth out and adjust the color around the edges in your image. - Click **Save** when you're done. #### Add chroma key titler effects using Microsoft Powerpoint slides You can use the chroma key feature on Pearl-2 with Microsoft Powerpoint slides to add animated titles and other Powerpoint effects. The setup is really the same as using a dedicated titling software on an effects computer with Pearl-2. This example shows an HDMI camera connected to the HDMI-A port on Pearl-2 and an effects computer that has a Powerpoint presentation loaded on it connected to the HDMI-B port. To the computer, Pearl-2 is treated just like an external display. You can connect the effects computer with the Powerpoint file to any supported port that is available on Pearl-2. **Apply chroma key effect to a Powerpoint video source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Follow the steps in Configure a custom layout for a channel to create a custom channel. - From the custom layout editor, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source** from the drop down box. - Click **Source** and select the video source that you want showing in the background. In the layout editing area, click and drag to position the video. For best results, select the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **checkbox from the **Source settings **box. - Click **Add new Item** again and add the video source from your effects computer. - Click the **Crop** button and crop your Powerpoint video source in the pop-up crop editing window. Click **OK** when your done to return to the custom layout editor. Cropping the Powerpoint computer video source helps optimize the performance of Pearl-2. - In the layout area, position the Powerpoint video source over top the other video source. To optimize performance, avoid scaling the Powerpoint video source if you can. - With the Powerpoint video source selected, check **Enable Chroma keying** in the custom layout editor. The chroma keying options appear. - Click the eye dropper and then click on a color in the thumbnail image to choose the chroma key color. The background video image shows through all the colored areas on the chroma key video layer that match the color you select as the chroma key. - Adjust the chroma color selection and blend the edges to remove unwanted chroma effects or residual color. - Enter a number in the **Key threshold** field to adjust the color selection. A value of 0 equals the original color you selected. A higher value widens the range of the selected chroma color. A lower number narrows the range of the selected chroma color. - Enter a number in the **Edge blend** field to smooth out and adjust the color around the edges in your image. - Click **Save** when you're done. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. ### Add external titler software effects to Pearl-2 You can use Pearl-2 with titling software that provides chroma key output to add effects like animated lower thirds. This example shows an HDMI camera connected to the HDMI-A port on Pearl-2 and an effects computer with titler software connected to the HDMI-B port. To the computer, Pearl-2 is treated just like an external display. You can connect the effects computer with the titling software to any supported port that is available on Pearl-2. **Apply chroma key effect to an effects computer video source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Follow the steps in Configure a custom layout for a channel to create a custom channel. - From the custom layout editor, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source** from the drop down box. - Click **Source** and select the video source that you want showing in the background. In the layout editing area, click and drag to position the video. For best results, select the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **checkbox from the **Source settings **box. - Click **Add new Item** again and add the video source from your effects computer. - Click the **Crop** button and crop your effects video source in the pop-up crop editing window. Click **OK** when your done to return to the custom layout editor. Cropping the effects computer video source helps optimize the performance of Pearl-2. - In the layout area, position the effects video source over top the other video source. To optimize performance, avoid scaling the effects video source if you can. - With the effects video source selected, check **Enable Chroma keying** in the custom layout editor. The chroma keying options appear. - Click the eye dropper and then click on a color in the thumbnail image to choose the chroma key color. The background video image shows through all the colored areas on the chroma key video layer that match the color you select as the chroma key. - Adjust the chroma color selection and blend the edges to remove unwanted chroma effects or residual color. - Enter a number in the **Key threshold** field to adjust the color selection. A value of 0 equals the original color you selected. A higher value widens the range of the selected chroma color. A lower number narrows the range of the selected chroma color. - Enter a number in the **Edge blend** field to smooth out and adjust the color around the edges in your image. - Click **Save** when you're done. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. --- ## Configure DHCP id: pearl-2/configure-dhcp · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure DHCP If you need to switch Pearl-2 from using static IP address allocation to using dynamic allocation with DHCP, you can do this three different ways: - Load a configuration preset file that uses DHCP networking. - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel - Change the network settings manually using either the device screen or the Admin panel. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. - Choose Yes from the Use DHCP drop-down and change the MTU Size if needed, then click Apply. **Table 22 DHCP Fields** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Use DHCP | Select this option to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up using DHCP | | Use static address | Only select this option if you want to use the configured static IP address instead. | | MTU Size | The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at the network layer. It’s best for all nodes in your network to use the same value. Only change this value if you know that other nodes use a different value. | - Reboot the Pearl-2 when prompted. From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance** and click **Reboot Now** on the maintenance page. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as **admin** and verify that all changes were applied. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the touch screen on Pearl-2** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **Network**. The Network settings page appears. The currently enabled network type (DHCP or static) is highlighted green. - Tap **DHCP**, and then tap **OK** to confirm. - Reboot the Pearl-2 to apply the network changes. --- ## Configure encoding id: pearl-2/configure-encoding · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure encoding You can modify the encoding settings for a channel. The encoding settings let you fine tune your channel recording or live stream. You can select a specific frame size, bitrate, audio or video codec, and more. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using the Pearl-2 with a Content Management System ### Codecs and file format compatibility Pearl-2 supports the following codecs: **Table 39 Supported video codecs ** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. This is the default and preferred codec for the Pearl-2. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | **Table 40 Supported audio codecs and bitrate guidance** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | AAC is comparable to MP3 and may even provide better sound quality at a similar sample bitrate. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. Web browsers that use Flash (FLV) do not support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this encoding, you must use a web browser that supports HTML5 or a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computer and other devices such as, digital telephone systems. Setting the level to match the audio source's level provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. | **Format compatibility** Not all streaming and recording protocols support all combinations of video and audio codecs. The following table lists any video/audio codec compatibility considerations for the supported streaming formats on Pearl-2. **Table 41 Video/audio codecs and formats for streaming** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **RTSP** | **FLV** | **MPEG-TS ** | **MJPEG** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | MJPEG | No audio codec | | | | ✔ | The following table displays the compatibility between the video/audio codecs and the supported recording formats. **Table 42 Video/audio codecs and formats for recording** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **MP4 and MP4-Fragmented** | **AVI** | **MOV** | **MPEG-TS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | H.264 | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | MJPEG | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | --- ## Configure network settings id: pearl-2/configure-network-settings · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure network settings Pearl-2s use DHCP to obtain an IP Address over an Ethernet-based network by default; however, you can easily change the network settings. ### Network ports used by Pearl-2 The following table lists the default incoming and outgoing network ports. Do not block traffic over these ports. If you want Pearl-2s to operate properly, make sure that your firewall is configured to open these ports. Blocking a port will cause the service that uses that port to fail. It is possible to use the Admin panel to change the default ports that are used for some services. **Table 19 Default incoming network ports for Pearl-2s** | **Port (or range)** | **Protocol** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 22 | TCP | SSH for remote support. See Support. | | 80 | TCP | HTTP/HTTPS for web-based access to the Admin panel and Epiphan Live, Legacy HTTP/HTTPS API, REST API, HLS streaming (if enabled) and the live channel preview. You can change the default HTTP port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. | | 123 | TCP/UDP | NTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 319 and 320 | UDP | PTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 443 | TCP | HTTPS for the Admin panel and HLS streaming if enabled. Port is open only when HTTPS is enabled. You can change the default HTTPS port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. Checks for new firmware versions are over this port, as well as downloading firmware files. | | Pearl-2: 554 to 554+(x-1) | TCP | For RTSP/TCP and RTSP/HTTP streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with RTSP streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Note that client video players choose whether they are using RTSP/TCP, RTSP/HTTP or RTSP/UDP. Port 554 (and port 555 for Pearl-2) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | | Random in range 32768 - 61000 | UDP | If the client video player chooses RTSP/UDP, it will negotiate 4 random UDP ports (two for audio and two for video). The port range is dependent on the OS of the client video player and can change with updates to that OS. | | 5353 | UDP | For multicast DNS discovery. See Connect using a DNS-based service discovery. | | Pearl-2 8000 to 8000+(x-1) | TCP | For Flash (FLV) live stream and MPEG-TS streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Port 8000 (and port 8001 for Pearl-2) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled for the channel from Channel > Streaming using the Admin panel, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | In addition to the incoming ports, Pearl-2s use some outgoing connections as follows: - **Port 443** - used for firmware update checks and downloads. - **Publishing/streaming port** - the actual ports used for streaming to a server depends on the server and protocol used. See Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices. - **AFU file recording transfer port** - the actual ports used for AFU depends on your configuration. See Automatic file transfers. --- ## Configure system settings id: pearl-2/configure-system-settings · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure system settings Pearl-2s use the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. You can also add information like a unique device name, description, and location. ### Configure date and time Pearl-2 uses the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. #### View the current date and time settings There are two ways to view the current date and time settings: - From the Date and Time page using the Admin panel. - From the Settings menu using the touch screen on Pearl-2. **View the current Date and Time settings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. **Table 25 Date and Time configuration options** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Time Zone | The currently selected time zone. | | Enable local NTP server | Select to enable local NTP server. | | Enable time synchronization | Whether or not a time synchronization protocol is being used for setting time. If not selected, time is set manually. | | Protocol | The time synchronization protocol. | | Service IP Address | The time synchronization server address. | | Set time manually | Whether or not time is set manually. If time is not being set manually, a time synchronization protocol is used. | | Date | The current date. This is the current date even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | | Time | The current time. This is the current time even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | **View the current date and time settings using the touch screen on Pearl-2** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **System Status **to see the System Status page. - Tap **Back** to return to the **System Settings** screen, or the **Home** icon to return to the channel view. If the system settings control icon won't appear when you tap the touch screen, it may be disabled. ##### Configure a time server Pearl-2 uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) server from the National Research Council of Canada by default. You can change to a different time server using the Admin panel. Contact your system administrator for the time synchronization server settings you should use. The following table lists the time server types that Pearl-2 supports. **Table 26 Supported time server types** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | NTP | Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers are used to synchronize system time. Many NTP servers are available on the Internet. Pearl can also act as a local NTP server. All you need is the IP address of the NTP server and network access to the server to use that as the time synchronization source for Pearl-2. For more information about NTP and to find NTP servers, refer to [http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome](http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome). A local Windows NTP server is not supported. | | PTP v1 | The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used for clock synchronization over the Internet. It has clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it more granular than NTP. | NTP sends UDP packets over port 123 on Pearl-2 and PTP sends UDP packets over ports 319 and 320. If the Pearl-2 is behind a firewall, you must open these ports to allow traffic when the Pearl-2 is configured to use either an NTP or a PTP server to obtain its time and date information. **Set the time synchronization method using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time **. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - To use Pearl-2 as a NTP server and provide timing to other NTP clients like IP cameras, check **Enable local NTP server**. Otherwise, skip this step. - Select **Enable time synchronization** and choose the time synchronization protocol from the **Protocols **drop down. - If **NTP **is selected, enter the IP address or server name for the NTP server in the **Server IP Address **field. - If **PTP v1 **is selected, choose a multicast address for the PTP v1 server from the **PTP domain** field. **Table 27 PTP multicast addresses** | **PTP Domain** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Default | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.129 | | Alternative 1 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.130 | | Alternative 2 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.131 | | Alternative 3 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.132 | - Click **Apply**. ##### Manually set the date, time, and time zone Pearl-2 uses NTP for time synchronization by default. You can manually set the date, time, and time zone. Pearl-2 uses the Eastern (Canada) time zone by default. **Set the date, time, and zone manually using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - Enter the current date in the **Date **field using the format *yyyy-mm-dd* and enter the current time in the **Time **field using the format *hh:mm:ss*. - Select a time zone from the **Time Zone **field. - Click **Apply**. ### Configure device info, name, description, and location You can assign a unique device name to the Pearl-2 using the Admin panel and add information such as a description and location. Alphanumeric characters and hyphens are supported. The serial number of Pearl-2 is the default device name. For AFU and USB file transfers that are configured to create a folder upon file upload, the device name you set for the Pearl-2 is used for the folder name instead of Pearl's serial number. For CMSs, the device name you set here for the Pearl-2 appears as the registered name for this device. **Configure the device name, description, and location using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Info**. The system information page opens. - Under **Device info**, do any of the following and then click **Apply**: - Enter a name using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 64 characters. - Enter a description using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. - Enter a location using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. --- ## Configure video encoding id: pearl-2/configure-video-encoding · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Configure video encoding You can configure the video encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel. Video encoding settings include: - **Video codec**: The video codec determines the type of compression and decompression, and also affects the video quality. - **Hardware or software encoding**: Hardware encoding is the default setting and is the recommended encoding. - **Video encoding profile**: This can be set to High, Main, or Baseline. - **Frame size:** The resolution applied to the channel when you stream, record, or output video to a confidence monitor. This can be set to automatically match the input video's resolution or set to a fixed resolution. - **Key frame interval**: How often a key frame that contains all the pixels is sent when streaming. The longer the key frame interval, the smaller the video file size (and vice versa). - **Limit frame rate**: You can limit the frame rate for the channel. - **Bitrate**: Increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the channel's **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as sporting events, requires a higher bitrate. This does not work with Motion JPEG. By default, Pearl-2 automatically uses the incoming video source frame size as the frame size for streaming and recording when the channel has only one layout with a single video source. If you're channel has multiple video sources or layouts, you must manually set a frame size for the channel. If you plan to switch layouts during a live stream, a fixed frame rate is recommended. This avoids the stream from stopping and restarting due to frame size changes when switching between single-source layouts that use different frame sizes. **Important considerations** - For optimum system performance, the frame size of the channel should be set to match the frame size of your video input source to avoid scaling - If your channel has a custom layout with only one source and your source and stream aspect ratios differ, then your source appears centered in the frame and matte bars are added automatically to the top and bottom (or left and right sides) of the frame to make up the difference. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - The larger the channel's frame size, the more bandwidth is needed for streaming and the recorded files are bigger. Instead of using the same frame size as the original video source, you can configure a smaller frame size for the channel and let Pearl-2 downscale the video. For example, if the input video signal resolution is 1920×1080 (a 16:9 aspect ratio) and the channel's frame size is set to 1280×720, Pearl-2 downscales the video and streams/records the channel at the lower frame size, using less bandwidth and producing smaller recorded files. - If you have unchecked all the manual resizing and positioning boxes in the custom layout editor and you downscale the video source using the frame size setting on the **Encoding** tab (for example, select 1280×720 frame size for a full HD video source), then the source appears cropped within the frame instead of scaling to fit the frame. You can add black bars around your video source by adjusting the frame size. For example, if your video source has a 16:9 widescreen/HD format but you need a 4:3 frame size on your output, Pearl-2 automatically adds black bars to the top and bottom of the frame if you choose a frame size for the channel that has a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is some trade off between video quality and bandwidth size, depending on the encoding settings you choose. The following table lists some additional considerations when choosing video encoding settings. **Table 43 Video encoding settings** | **Setting** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. This is the default and preferred codec for the Pearl-2. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | | Key frame interval | The key frame interval feature specifies how often a key frame (a frame that contains all the pixels) is sent when streaming the video. This setting also impacts how quickly a video moves through the frames when a viewer uses the search function of their media player. Increasing the number of seconds between key frames can significantly reduce your bandwidth and system resource usage with minor impact to your video quality. A good rule of thumb is to keep the interval between 2 to 3 seconds and decrease the key frame interval as the motion increases. Try different settings and note changes in the video quality. If your video quality is poor and jittery you may need to decrease the interval between key frames. If you have unlimited bandwidth and system resources you can choose an option to stream key frames only. | | Frame rate | Frame rate reflects the number of images that are encoded per second. Reducing the frame rate for a channel reduces bandwidth usage, and vice versa. The system's ability to maintain a set frame rate is based on several factors, for example: overall system load affects the ability for the device to process pixels; available network bandwidth; the source and stream frame size (resolution); the type of motion that is captured; and number of users accessing the stream. When adjusting the frame rate, you may need to try different values to achieve the best outcome. | | Bitrate | In general, higher bitrates mean higher image quality, but more bandwidth is needed for streaming and video recordings are larger. You can set the bitrate to improve the image quality (this does not work with Motion JPEG encoding). For example, an HD Blu-ray video is typically in the range of 20 Mbps, whereas a standard-definition DVD is usually 6 Mbps. If you're unsure what bitrate value to use, start at 5000 kbps (slightly less than a typical DVD) and test to see how this looks for your viewers. | **Configure video encoding for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - Select a video **Codec** and do one of the following: - If **H.264** is selected, select a **Video encoding preset** and a **Video encoding profile**. - If **Motion JPEG **is selected, click **Page refresh time** and enter a time in seconds. | **Item** | **Options** | | --- | --- | | Video encoding preset | **Hardware Accelerated**: This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. **Software**: This matches the default from previous generations of Epiphan products. Only select this if you need software encoding or X.264 encoding to match results created with previous generations of Epiphan products or firmware | | Video encoding profile | **Baseline**: Choose this option when streaming to an application that requires robustness and cannot tolerate data loss, for example video-conferencing. **Main**: Choose this option for standard-definition broadcasts. **High**: This is the default. Choose this option when video is viewed for broadcast and disk storage applications, particularly for high definition television application such as Blu-ray disk storage format and HDTV broadcast service. | - Configure the frame size, do the following: - Uncheck **Use current signal resolution as the frame size**. Enabling **Use current signal resolution as the frame size** is not recommended if the video input resolution changes frequently. An unstable cable or other disturbance that causes the resolution of the video input signal to change during a live stream can cause the stream to drop. Unchecking this feature helps prevent that. - Select a **Frame size** from the list of options or enter a custom frame size in pixels. - Change the **Limit frame rate**. The default should be adequate in most applications. While decreasing the limit may improve system performance, you may need to test different values to balance video smoothness and processing power - Change the **Bitrate**. You can increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the target **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as a sporting event, requires a high bitrate. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Connect an NDI source id: pearl-2/connect-an-ndi-source · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Connect an NDI source NDI® lets you to transmit and receive low latency video over Gigabit Ethernet networks. Pearl-2 accepts multicast and unicast NDI video content, high efficiency NDI|HX, and supports Alpha channel. Video and audio can come from a variety of NDI sources, including: - Remote NDI enabled PTZ cameras - Any NDI unaware HDMI/SDI source using an NDI converter - Webcams connected to remote computers using the NewTek Connect application - NDI output from IOS and Android mobile devices running the NewTek NDI camera app Pearl-2 discovers and lists all available NDI resources on the same network. Simply choose which NDI source you want from a list. Optionally, you can search for specific NDI sources by name and NDI group. You can also discover specific NDI devices installed on different networks, subnets, and on networks that have mDNS disabled. Pearl-2 now also supports adding an NDI discovery server to the network configuration to help discover NDI sources on the network NDI devices that use versions earlier than NDI version 2.0 do not support remote resource discovery across subnets and are detected only when installed on the same local network as Pearl-2. Pearl-2 shows up on the network as an NDI resource for other NDI devices to access as soon as an NDI stream is started on Pearl-2 **Important considerations** - For NDI to work properly, network ports 49152 to 65535 need to be open for two-way traffic. Contact your network administrator for assistance. - The network discovery port 5557 on Pearl-2 must be enabled (default) - Pearl-2 supports up to six 1920×1080@30 fps inputs simultaneously. Up to four of those 1080@30 inputs can be from NDI sources. Up to six of those 1080@30 inputs can be from NDI|HX sources. - Pearl-2 supports up to four 4K inputs simultaneously. One of those 4K inputs can be from an NDI source. - Pearl-2 accepts multicast and unicast NDI inputs. - Streaming an NDI output consumes about the equivalent of an encoded 1920×1080@30 fps channel on Pearl-2. - You can use NDI on wired and wireless networks; however, NDI video is bandwidth intensive. We recommend high efficiency NDI|HX for wireless networks, which has H.264 compression to help lower bandwidth consumption. - Depending on the video content, a single 1920×1080@30 fps NDI video source needs about 125 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth. A single 1920×1080@30 fps NDI|HX video source needs from 8 to 20 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth. To connect an NDI source to Pearl-2: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**. The Add input page opens with all available NDI resources listed. - Do one of the following: - If the NDI resource is listed, select **Add** beside an NDI resource to select it. The new NDI input details page opens. - If the NDI resource is assigned to an NDI group, enter the group name and then click **Discover** to see a list of available NDI resources in that group. Select **Add** beside an NDI resource to select it. - If a remote NDI resource is on a different network or subnet than Pearl-2, or the network has mDNS disabled, enter the IP address of the remote NDI resource in the **Extra source IP addresses** field, then click **Discover**. Use a comma to separate multiple IP addresses. Select **Add** beside an NDI resource to select it. - Alternatively, if Pearl-2 is configured with the IP address of an available NDI Discovery server (check Enable an NDI discovery server in the Pearl Family shared guide), Pearl-2 will query the discovery server for available NDI sources registered with the NDI Discovery Server. - If you want to add an NDI input to Pearl-2 without selecting an NDI resource, click **Add NDI input**. The new NDI input is added and a blank NDI input details page opens. You can search for and assign an NDI resource to it later. - (Optional) On the NDI input details page, check** Ignore timecode** to configure Pearl-2 to ignore any timecode information in the NDI signal. This is useful if the NDI source doesn't send a timecode or if the source's timecode is unstable. - Click **Apply**. After your NDI source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the **Status **header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with the NDI signal are also displayed there. ### Change an NDI input resource You can choose an NDI resource when you first create an NDI input on Pearl-2 using the Admin panel. Pearl-2 automatically discovers all the available NDI resources on the same network and lists them for you. You can also discover specific NDI resources installed on different networks, subnets, and on networks that have mDNS disabled when you know the IP address of the NDI resource NDI devices that use versions earlier than NDI version 2.0 do not support remote resource discovery across subnets. If you created an NDI input on Pearl-2 without assigning an NDI resource to it, you can go back later and assign one. You can also change the assigned NDI resource at any time from the NDI input configuration page using the Admin panel. You must know the exact NDI name and NDI group (if applicable) or the NDI resource's IP address to assign a resource using this method. To change an NDI input resource using the Admin panel: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the NDI input. The configuration page for that input opens. - Under Settings, do one of the following and then click **Apply**. - Enter the NDI name and group (if applicable). - Enter the IP address of the NDI source in **Extra source IP addresses**. --- ## Connect an RTSP source id: pearl-2/connect-an-rtsp-source · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Connect an RTSP source You can connect an RTSP source (such as an IP camera or another Pearl-2) to Pearl-2 over a network using the Admin panel. RTSP video encoding is supported with H.264 video codec and MP3 or AAC audio formats. We recommend using the hardware acceleration option for improved performance (enabled by default). **Important considerations** - If an RTSP source is connected but unused in any channel, only key frames are encoded to preserve CPU resources. - **Pearl-2** - Multiple RTSP sources can be used with Pearl-2. To synchronize timestamps between your RTSP source and Pearl-2, the same time synchronization server should be used for both. We recommend that you configure an NTP server on your Pearl-2 and use it as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. The timestamps of an RTSP source and Pearl-2 tend to gradually go out of sync. If there's a **2500 –3000 ms** difference between the timestamp of your RTSP source and the Pearl-2, a "no signal" image displays and your RTSP source won't stream audio. Re-connect your RTSP source to reset any time synchronization issues. **Connect an RTSP source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**, and then click **Add RTSP input** The RTSP input page opens. - Enter the **Input URL**, **Username **and **Password **for your RTSP source and select either **UDP** or **TCP** as the Preferred transport. - (Optional) Select **Use hardware acceleration** for improved performance (default). - (Optional) Rename the RTSP source - (Optional) Configure a custom "No signal" image - Click **Apply **to save your settings and connect your RTSP source. After your RTSP source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the **Status **header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with your RTSP stream are also displayed on this page. Alternatively, you can view stream connection information when you click **check **at the bottom of the page. ### Connect an SRT stream as an input Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders. You can configure Pearl-2 as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layouts for switching, recording, and streaming. When adding an SRT input, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input in the Admin panel to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input in the Admin panel to listener mode. **What's needed for this setup** - The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode. - For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input to use the same port value as the SRT source. - For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Pearl-2 to use the corresponding mode. - Caller mode can be used only for connection with the publicly accessed destination/source. - Listener mode can be used for connection with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall). - For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. - If AES encryption and a passphrase is required, consult your IT administrator for this information. Pearl-2 supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase. If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values **Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select **Add input** and select **Add SRT input**. The SRT input configuration page opens. - In the **Connection mode** field, select the SRT mode: - For **Caller** mode, enter the following: - **URL **- the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be a Pearl-2 sending an SRT stream. - **Source port** - enter the port number for Pearl-2 to use for SRT traffic. - **Stream ID** - In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - For **Listener** mode, optionally enter the following: - Enter the **Port** number for this device to use for SRT traffic. - For **Rendezvous **mode enter the following: - **URL **of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the SRT encoder device. - Enter the following optional settings: - **Encryption** - select the check box and choose the AES **Key length** if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device. - **Passphrase** - Enter a passphrase if one is required along with AES encryption. - **Latency** - Add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. If you require real-time responses from your audience, you should use as little latency as possible. - **Audio delay** - The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. - **Use hardware acceleration** - This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. - **Disable color range conversion** - Color range conversion ensures that the ingested SRT video signal is full-range RGB (0-255), even if the signal was sent with limited RGB color range. By default, color range conversion is enabled. - **No signal image** - Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the SRT stream. from the dropdown list. The **DEFAULT** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout** - Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No signal image** appears. - Click **Apply**. We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. --- ## Feature add-ons id: pearl-2/feature-add-ons · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Feature add-ons Epiphan offers add-on features so you can do even more with your system. Pearl-2 offers two feature add-ons: the Dante audio feature add-on and the 4K feature add-on. To purchase, install, and activate an add-on, see "Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons." Where you see this symbol 4K in the guide, that means the feature or function applies only if you have activated the 4K feature add-on. ### Current list of add-ons **Dante audio feature add-on** Pearl-2 supports Dante audio through the purchase of a license add-on: four channels (two stereo inputs) of Dante audio input, with firmware 4.24.6 or newer. Pearl-2 units ordered on or after September 1, 2026 include the Dante audio feature add-on, but it still needs to be activated. For details, see "Dante audio on Pearl devices." **4K feature add-on** If you have the base model of Pearl-2, you can add the 4K feature add-on. Pearl-2 units purchased after April 6, 2026 include the 4K feature add-on, but it still needs to be activated. #### About 4K on Pearl-2 Pearl-2 supports resolutions from low-res SD to 4K, which means that you can use it to capture DCI 4K (Pearl-2 only) and 4K UHD digital signals. You need the 4K feature add-on to access this feature. **4K feature add-on** The 4K feature provides Pearl-2 with the following 4K features: | **Specification** | **Pearl-2** | | --- | --- | | 4K video inputs | 4 (2 HDMI and 2 SDI) | | 4K Hardware scaling (4K down to full HD) | 4 | | 4K video outputs (HDMI) | 2 | | 4K video encoding | 1 | Activating your 4K add-on might not be necessary with older versions of Pearl-2. As the first Feature Add-on, the 4K add-on was included automatically in some systems. If you purchased the full version of Pearl-2 or an early copy with firmware 4.0.0, the 4K add-on was included with your purchase and is automatically activated, so in those cases no action is required. **4K UHD vs. DCI 4K** DCI 4K and 4K UHD are just different definitions of a 4K resolution. 4K UHD (3840×2160) is the standard 4K resolution available on televisions and other common display screens. The 4K resolution of 4096×2160 (Pearl-2 only) referred to as Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) 4K, and is the resolution used almost exclusively for cinema-scale film production. It is rare to find this resolution outside of a cinematic context. Pearl-2 capable of supporting input and output at either definition with the Feature add-ons. --- ## Firmware upgrade id: pearl-2/firmware-upgrade · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Firmware upgrade When you register your product with Epiphan, you can choose to receive email notifications whenever firmware updates are available. To take advantage of exciting new features and important fixes for your Pearl-2, install new firmware whenever the system indicates that a firmware update is available. ### Check for firmware updates Your Pearl-2 automatically checks for firmware updates if the **Enable connection to maintenance server** option is checked on the **Maintenance** page of the Admin panel. You can also manually check for updates If your Pearl-2 has internet access. Don't miss out on any feature enhancement. Register your Pearl-2 and be eligible to download firmware updates, When **Enable connection to maintenance server** is checked, the built-in firmware update mechanism checks for updates for your specific product and hardware version automatically. **Manually check for new firmware using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Click **check for updates** beside the current firmware version. If an update is found, a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel with a link to download and install the firmware. #### Update the firmware If your Pearl-2 has internet access, the easiest way to install a firmware update is to use the download link that's provided when you check for new firmware. If you have a Pearl-2 firmware file that was provided to you by Epiphan Video, you can install the new firmware using the web-based Admin panel. You cannot install new firmware from a locally saved file using the local console on Pearl-2. While the firmware is updating, the touch screen displays a firmware update in-progress notice. All streaming and recording functions stop until after the firmware upgrade is complete. Installing new firmware takes a few minutes, after which the system reboots. Depending on the upgrade, a disk rebuild may be required, causing the restart process to take more time. Please be patient and wait for the system to finish rebooting. Do not interrupt power to the system during a firmware upgrade. **Before you begin** Schedule a time to when you can update the firmware without negatively impacting viewers or automatic file upload and recording schedules. It's good practice to make a backup of your current configuration before applying a firmware update so that you can revert to the previous firmware if needed, see Create a configuration preset in the Pearl Family shared guide. You should also clear your web browser's cache after the update is complete. **Perform a firmware update using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - (Optional) Save a copy of the current system configuration. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Do one of the following: - Click **check for updates**. If a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel, click **Download and install**. - Click **Choose File** and select the firmware upgrade file that's located on your admin computer, then click **Apply**. The system unpacks and verifies the file. If the file is valid, the upgrade begins. If the touch screen is enabled, a notice that the firmware update is in progress appears. Do not interrupt power to the system during the firmware upgrade. - When the firmware update is complete, a message lets you know that Pearl-2 is going to reboot. Wait for the system to restart. - After the system reinitializes, go to the settings for your web browser and clear your web browser's cache. - Connect to the Admin panel and login as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. Verify that the firmware version is the expected new version. If in the rare occasion the firmware update fails, the touch screen reports the failure. Please collect system information such as the serial number of Pearl-2, the previous firmware version (if known), and the new firmware version and contact **info@epiphan.com** --- ## Front and back view of Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/front-and-back-view-of-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Front and back view of Pearl-2 **Front panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Touch screen front panel display | Used for confidence monitoring and simple configuration, obtaining system information, and starting/stopping recordings and streams. Users can also authenticate with one of the integrated Content Management Systems (CMSs) to create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. | | | USB 3.0 port | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB keyboards, and supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. A web camera or USB microphone cannot be connected to this port, only to the ports on the rear panel. | | | 3.5 mm audio jack | For audio confidence monitoring. Plays the audio for the currently visible channel. | | | Power button | Press once to power on. Double-press to initiate a graceful system shutdown. | **Pearl-2 Table 2 back panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | XLR audio in | The four XLR ports can function as two, professional line level left/right stereo pairs (XLR A pair and XLR B pair) or as four mono inputs The XLR ports are professional line-level inputs and are calibrated for + 4.0 dBu signals. | | | HDMI in | Four HDMI 1.4 ports that connect HDMI and DVI signals to Pearl-2. The first two ports allow for any signal up to full HD, and the second two inputs allow for any input resolution up to 4K . | | | 12G SDI in | Connects SDI signals to Pearl-2, including 3G-SDI; 6G-SDI; 12G-SDI; 4K-SDI; HD-SDI; SD-SDI | | | RCA audio in | The RCA ports are consumer line level, left/right stereo pair and are calibrated for - 10 dBV signals. | | | RS-232 port | For connection to a control computer terminal. | | | HDMI output ports | HDMI output for connection to a display or projector (up to 4K1). Port 1 is HDMI 2.0, and Port 2 is HDMI 1.4 | | | USB 3.0 ports | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB web cameras, USB microphones, keyboards, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. | | | RJ-45 Ethernet | Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port with support for RTSP, SRT, NDI and NDI|HX (Tx/Rx) networked video inputs. | | | Power jack | Plug the supplied 120/240 V AC power cable in here. | 1Requires 4K feature add on The SDI ports on the back of Pearl-2 can be delicate. Be careful to avoid sharp impacts or pressure such as balancing the system on its back with the SDI ports against a hard surface. Rough treatment of the SDI ports could result in loss of functionality for that port. ### Pearl-2 Rackmount and Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin consists of two completely independent Pearl-2 systems, each with identical sets of controls and ports. **Table 3 Pearl-2 Rackmount front panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Touch screen front panel display | Used for confidence monitoring and simple configuration, obtaining system information, and starting/stopping recordings and streams. User can also authenticate with one of the integrated Content Management Systems (CMSs) to create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. | | | USB 3.0 port | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, keyboards, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. A web camera or USB microphone cannot be connected to this port, only to the ports on the rear panel. | | | 3.5 mm audio jack | For audio confidence monitoring. Plays the audio for the currently visible channel. | | | Power button and LED | Press once to power on. Double-press to initiate a graceful system shutdown. | Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin consists of two completely independent Pearl-2 systems, each with identical sets of controls and ports. **Pearl-2 Rackmount Table 4 and Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin back panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Power jack | Plug the power supply in here. Always use the provided power supply. | | | HDMI in | Connect HDMI and DVI signals. | | | 4K HDMI in | Connect up to 4K1 HDMI signals. | | | SDI in | Connect SDI signals. | | | XLR audio in | The four XLR ports can function as two, professional line level left/right stereo pairs (XLR A pair and XLR B pair) or as four mono inputs The XLR ports are professional line-level inputs and are calibrated for + 4.0 dBu signals. | | | RCA audio in | The RCA ports are consumer line level, left/right stereo pair and are calibrated for - 10 dBV signals. | | | HDMI Out | For displaying a source or channel on an external display (up to 4K1). | | | USB 3.0 ports | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB web cameras, USB microphones, keyboards, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. | | | RJ-45 Ethernet | Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port with support for RTSP, SRT, NDI and NDI|HX (Tx/Rx) networked video inputs. | 1Requires 4K feature add on The SDI ports on the back of Pearl-2 can be delicate. Be careful to avoid sharp impacts or pressure such as balancing the system on its back with the SDI ports against a hard surface. Rough treatment of the SDI ports could result in loss of functionality for that port. --- ## Manage recorded files id: pearl-2/manage-recorded-files · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Manage recorded files Your recordings are stored on the Pearl-2 system's internal hard drive. Although there's a lot of space on the hard drive, it's good practice to remove old recordings to free up space before the drive if full. If there's no more free space for new recordings, new recordings will overwrite the oldest recordings on the hard drive. There are a variety of ways to automatically transfer files from the system to local network storage. You can also manually select individual recordings to transfer or delete using the Admin panel. **Manage the recordings for a channel or multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or multi-track recorder. - To *download an individual file*, select the recording filename to download it. - To *download multiple files*, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. - To *rename a recorded file*, select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. - To *view a recorded file*, click on the triangle Play button next to the file you want to play back. This will open the video file in an HTML5 player within the browser for viewing. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. - To *delete a single recording*, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete multiple recordings*, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete all recordings* for the channel or multi-track recorder, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the multi-track recorder settings page (for multi-track recorders). ### View list of recorded files You can view all the recordings for a channel using the Admin panel. Recordings for the Pearl-2 are stored for each channel and each multi-track recorder separately. You can also view the list of recordings using Epiphan Live — see Your recordings in the Pearl Family shared guide. **View the recordings for a channel or multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the multi-track recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or multi-track recorder. ### Download recorded files manually You can manually download recordings using the Admin panel. Files you download are saved to your connected admin computer. This feature is not available using the local console on Pearl-2. **Download recordings to your admin computer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To download an individual file, select the recording filename to download it. - To download multiple files, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. #### What's next? To free up space for new recordings, consider deleting recordings off of Pearl-2 ### Join recorded files together After recording files on Pearl-2, you can join two or more files together. This is useful when a recording exceeds the maximum recording time limit and the recording is split into multiple files. You can use the third-party tool called ffmpeg to join the files. **Download ffmpeg from the Internet and join multiple recorded files** - Download the files that you need from Pearl-2 and make sure you have the right paths and file names. For example: *C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Use the command **ffmpeg -i** to specify the input file. For example: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Repeat the process and specify the file you want to join to the first file. You can keep adding as many files as you want to join together. For example, specifying a second file looks like this: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi* - Use the **-c copy **command to specify the output file. After the command, type in the location, file name and file extension that you want for the concatenated file. The full line looks like this: **ffmpeg -i** C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi **-i **C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi **-c copy** C:\Users\JoesComputer\Desktop\Concatenated_File.avi - After completing the process, you will be able to access your new file in the location you specified. The file moves straight from the first video into the second without a pause. You can this process to join multiple files; however, the more files you join, the greater the chance that some audio desychronization can occur between the clips. #### Extract tracks from a recording Recorders combine multiple channels and audio sources together in a single multi-track file. You can create a copy of a recording using only select tracks. This feature is supported for .AVI, .MP4 and .MOV recordings only. MPEG-TS does not support track extraction. Specific track versions of recorded files are not included in any automatic file transfers and need to be downloaded manually. Click the extracted track filename to manually download. It's good practice to check that there's enough storage space for the extracted files before you start this procedure. To check how much internal storage space is available on Pearl-2 **Create a duplicate recording file with only select tracks using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the Recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder page appears. - Click the multi-track icon beside the recording. A list of tracks appears. - Select the tracks you want to extract. ** Tip**: To deselect all tracks, click the check box for the top track, then hold SHIFT and click the check box for the bottom track. - Click **Extract tracks**. A copy of the recording is created with only the selected tracks. Only one copy is saved per original recording. If you create a second copy, it will overwrite the previous one. Download the extracted copy of the recording with your chosen tracks to preserve it. #### Rename recorded files Recordings are named based on the file name prefix specified during configuration. You can change the recording file name using the Admin panel. You can also change the default name that Pearl-2 assigns to recordings. **Rename a recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the multi-track recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. - Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. #### Delete recorded files You can delete recordings using the Admin panel. You can delete one file at a time, select multiple files for the channel or multi-track recorder and delete those, or you can delete all recordings for the channel or multi-track recorder. Deleted recordings cannot be recovered. **Delete recordings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To delete a single recording, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To delete multiple recordings, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To delete all recordings for the channel or multi-track recorder, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the multi-track recorder settings page (for multi-track recorders). --- ## Monitoring audio id: pearl-2/monitoring-audio · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Monitoring audio The front panel includes a 3.5 mm headphones audio jack for monitoring audio. To monitor the audio for a channel, just select the channel using the device screen. The audio you hear depends on the audio source configured in the live channel layout. On Pearl-2, different layouts can have different audio sources configured. Increasing the volume to 100% may cause you to hear distortion that is not actually present in the audio signal being recorded and streamed. **Adjust the volume on Pearl-2** Tap the headphones icon on the touch screen to adjust the volume. Each tap increases the volume by 25% to a maximum volume of 100%. Tapping the headphones icon when the volume is at 100% mutes the volume. You can also long press the headphones icon to mute and unmute the volume. At 75% volume, what you hear corresponds to the nominal audio level in the VU meter at approximately where the green bars change to yellow. | **Volume is muted.** | **25%** ** volume.** | **50%** ** volume.** | **75%** ** volume.** | **100%** ** volume.** | **Audio VU meter** A VU meter on the device screen shows the audio levels for the channel you are monitoring. The value is displayed in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). Colored bars represent the audio level. Channels that have stereo audio display two bars. The top bar is the left audio channel and the bottom bar is the right audio channel. | Pearl-2 | VU meter (mono) | | | --- | --- | --- | | | VU meter (stereo) | | **Table 6 Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | The VU meter appears in several different places so you can visually check audio levels: - **Touch screen**: On the individual channel view and the grid view. If the audio meter isn't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen to turn on the control icons. - **Admin Panel**: On the audio input source's configuration page when you select the input source from the Inputs menu. You can also add the VU meter to appear on the video output ports - **Epiphan Live**: See Monitor video and audio input sources using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Multi-Track Recorders id: pearl-2/multi-track-recorders · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Multi-Track Recorders Using multi-track recorders with Pearl-2, you can record multiple channels together in a single multi-track file. Recording multiple channels at the same time ensures that all your recordings start, pause, resume, and stop at the same time. After recording stops, you can automatically use one of the system's file synchronization methods to copy the recordings off the server, or you can use our built-in tool to split the file into individual tracks for post-processing. We do not recommend using Recorders for manual (ad hoc) recordings to the Kaltura Content Management System (CMS) You only need to create multi-track recorders for multi-track recordings. ### Add a multi-track recorder Each channel has its own built-in recorder which you access from the channel's Recording page. However, if you want to record several channels simultaneously to a multi-track file, you need to add a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel. Each new multi-track recorder is automatically assigned a number, for example: Recorder 1, Recorder 2, etc. and is set to record all configured channels by default. **Add a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the multi-track recorders menu, click **Add multi-track recorder**. ### Select channels to record When you create a new multi-track recorder, it records all the channels configured on the Pearl-2 in the single multi-track file by default. If you create new channels, they are automatically added to the multi-track recorder. You can choose which channels the multi-track recorder includes in the multi-track file using the Admin panel. **Select the channels recorded by a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the multi-track recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder configuration page opens. - Click **change **next to the list of channels to record. - Check the boxes next to the channels you want to include, and click **Apply**. Channels with no active video source are displayed in italics. You can include these channels in your channel selections for the multi-track recorder. ### Start and stop a multi-track recorder You can start, pause, resume, and stop multi-track recorders from the multi-track recorder's configuration page using the Admin panel. Pausing and resuming requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. You can also start and stop multi-track recorders using the One Touch control feature and using Epiphan Live. The multi-track recorder number turns red to indicate it is recording. If the system runs out of storage space, the oldest recorded file is deleted to make room for the new recording. You can have multiple multi-track recorder and multiple channels recording all at the same time. The number of channels being recorded is shown below the Start and Stop buttons on the multi-track recorder's configuration page. **Start and stop a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the Recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Start** to begin recording and click **Stop** to end recording. To pause the recording, click **Pause**; click **Resume** to resume recording to the same file. You can navigate away from the page without affecting the recording. ### Rename a multi-track recorder **Rename a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the multi-track recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder configuration page opens. - Click the multi-track recorder name and type the new name for the multi-track recorder. - Press **Enter** to save the new name. You must press Enter to save the multi-track recorder name change. ### Duplicate a multi-track recorder You can duplicate any multi-track recorder you've created. All settings in the multi-track recorder you duplicate are recreated. **Duplicate a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Duplicate this multi-track recorder **. The duplicate multi-track recorder is created and assigned the next multi-track recorder number in your list of multi-track recorders. ### Delete a multi-track recorder When you no longer need a multi-track recorder, you can delete it. Deleting a multi-track recorder deletes all the recorded files for the multi-track recorder. Be sure you have a copy of any important recorded files before proceeding. **Delete a multi-track recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the multi-track recorders menu, select a multi-track recorder. The multi-track recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Delete this multi-track recorder** and click **OK** when prompted. --- ## Multicast streaming id: pearl-2/multicast-streaming · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Multicast streaming You can add multiple multicast streams to a channel in Pearl-2. A multicast stream consists of one stream distributed to many viewers via a multicast-capable network. You can stream to several multicast networks and at the same time, stream to non-multicast CDNs. Pearl-2 supports multicast streaming to an IP TV or a set-top box playlist using SAP when the stream format is MPEG-TS. ### MPEG-TS streams using UDP push When you configure an MPEG-TS stream using UDP push, you have the option to enable SAP and multicast over a local network at the same time. Before configuring your channel for MPEG-TS streaming, ensure the following codecs are configured in the encoding section: - Video – H.264 - Audio – MP3 or AAC, if audio is configured. **To configure MPEG-TS with UDP push and enable SAP:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **MPEG-TS UDP push**. - Enter the destination multicast IP address where the broadcast can be viewed. A IPv4 multicast address range is an address between 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Contact your System Administrator for the specific address to use. - Enter the destination port number through which the media will stream. - (Optional) To advertise your stream to a media player over a local network, do the following: - Check **SAP announcement** to enable advertising your stream over a local network. When this is enabled and a multicast IP address is configured, your stream is displayed in the playlist of the local media player. - Enter a multicast IP address in the** SAP announcement IP** field. If your media player is configured to receive multicast streams from an IP address that is different from the default address 224.2.127.254, you may need to contact your system administrator for a specific multicast IP address. - Enter a channel number in the **Channel number** field to identify your stream in the media player. By default, the Channel number is the channel identifier. When a channel number value is not specified, viewers cannot select a channel from the set-top box or Smart TV . - Enter a name for a group of streams in the text box next to **Group name**. Since media players simply present a list of available streams, you can organize your streams into multiple folders or in cases where folders are not displayed, use dot separator hierarchy to help your viewers filter out unwanted streams by category. - Click **Apply**. - Select **Start** when you're ready to start streaming. **View the MPEG-TS UDP stream ** To view the stream from a media player, open the URL in the media player, for example: udp://@ip:port **For example:** udp://@226.10.24.32:7000 To view the stream when SAP announce has been set and the stream is advertised from a media player, set-top box or Smart TV, refer to Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP). If you're streaming to 10/100 Mbps set-top boxes over Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream. ### Set up traffic shaping If you're multicasting to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for the lower bandwidth set-top boxes. Only multicast streams support traffic shaping: MPEG-TS USP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. If you need traffic shaping configured differently than what the Admin panel allows, contact support@epiphan.com. When traffic shaping is enabled, the default bitrate limit is set to auto. In auto mode, the bitrate is limited to the sum of the channel's configured bitrate plus 4 Mbps and is adjusted to fit within the range of 4 Mbps minimum to 95 Mbps maximum. You can also set a bitrate limit for the maximum amount of bandwidth that gets streamed using the Admin panel when traffic shaping is enabled. When you do, the streamed video won't exceed the maximum bitrate you set. The valid bandwidth limit bitrate range is 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps. We recommend that you set the bitrate to a value no less than the channel encoding bitrate plus 4 Mbps. For example, if the bitrate for the channel is set to 10 Mbps in the encoding settings, the minimum value we recommend for the bandwidth limit bitrate is 14 Mbps. **Important considerations** - Traffic shaping works for the local switch. Switches connected to the local switch don't respect the policy. - If the channel encoding bitrate is set to a value that's less than 4 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the minimum bandwidth limit does not drop below than 4 Mbps. - If the channel encoding bitrate value is greater than 95 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. - If the bandwidth limit is set to auto and the total of the channel bitrate plus 4 Mbps exceeds 95 Mbps, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. After traffic shaping is enabled, we recommend that you first test a multicast stream using the auto traffic shaping settings. If your low bandwidth network device is displaying poor video quality, then go ahead and manually set the limit bandwidth bitrate according to the bandwidth of your particular network device. **Set traffic shaping for a multicast stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select a multicasting stream as the type: **MPEG-TS USP**, **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP**, or **RTP/UDP**. The new stream is created with the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - Check **Limit bandwidth**. The default bitrate is set to **auto**. - (Optional) Set the **Limit bandwidth rate** and enter a bitrate value from 4,000 kbps to 95,000 kbps. - Click **Apply**. ### Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) When SAP Announce is configured for a stream that uses UDP streaming, the stream is advertised over the local network. Local viewers can view the stream using a software or hardware media player. Viewers are presented with a list of available channels, similar to a television menu. Viewers need only click on a stream and the video is streamed to their desktop, mobile or tablet. Your stream is advertised by the metadata title, if one was configured; otherwise, the stream is identified by its channel identifier. When browsing from a VLC media player, streams are advertised by their channel identifier and are organized by the group name. When browsing from an XBMC media player, streams are advertised by the stream's metadata title (if configured); otherwise, streams are advertised by their channel identifier. **View the Session Annoucement Protocol (SAP) stream** - Ensure the stream has SAP announcement enabled; otherwise, it is not advertised in the media player's playlist. - Ensure the SAP announcement IP is a multicast IP address. Some media players, for example Exterity receivers, listen for SAP announcements on a specific multicast address 239.255.255.255. If your audience is using Exterity to view your stream, you must change the SAP announcement IP address to 239.255.255.255. - Launch a media player and play the streams. - Using VLC, click **View **and select Playlist. The right-hand panel indicates the playlist is empty. - From the side menu, click **Network streams (SAP)**. The playlist is populated with all streams in your network that are SAP announcement enabled. If you specified a Group Name when you configured the publish stream the stream will be listed in folder identified by the group name. - Click on a live stream in the playlist to play the stream. This VLC example shows two streams D2P83658.vga and D2P83658.video, which are organized in a folder by their group name. **Streaming NDI** For other NDI resources on the network to see the video resources on Pearl-2, you must start an NDI stream for the channel you want to broadcast on the network. --- ## MultiViewer system information id: pearl-2/multiviewer-system-information · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # MultiViewer system information MultiViewer can display system information, including channel and audio input information. To display system information in the MultiViewer, select **Channels** or **Audio Inputs** in the **Source** drop-down on the HDMI outputs page. **Channels** If **Channels** is selected, the following information is displayed on the MultiViewer: - **Channel** - the status of the channel status - There are no errors or warnings, and the channel is ready to use. - There is an error with either the channel's recorder or any of the channel's publishers. - There are publishing warnings. This is also shown if the channel is not in running state. - **Recording** - The recording status of the channel - Currently recording - Recording error - **Stopped** - Not currently recording - **Streaming** - The streaming status of the channel - There are active publishers. The numbers show how many publishers are active. - Publishing errors, and the number of publishing errors. - **Actual FPS** - The current rate of frames per second **Audio Inputs** A list of the active audio inputs on the Pearl-2. - **Input name** - the name of the audio input - **Audio meter** - - the audio is live and the input is being monitored --- ## Pearl-2 AV inputs id: pearl-2/pearl-2-av-inputs · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Pearl-2 AV inputs For best performance, we recommend using a maximum of six 1920×1080@30 fps sources in up to six full HD channels simultaneously. Up to four of those 1080@30 inputs can be from NDI 6.2 sources. Or you can have up to four 4K sources simultaneously in a single channel. One of those 4K inputs can be from a networked source (SRT, RTSP, or NDI). Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI and USB video sources. Pearl-2 supports the following AV inputs. It also supports common signal converters and input adapters. Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin has two complete sets of these inputs. **Table 8 Inputs for Pearl-2** | **Input port** | **Qty** | **Details** | | --- | --- | --- | | **SDI**1 | 2 | Linear PCM audio/video input. Supports up to 12G-SDI signals. | | **HDMI™** | 2 | Linear PMC audio/video input, non-HDCP protected. DVI-I (using an adapter) is single link. | | **4K HDMI**2 | 2 | Linear PMC audio/video input, non-HDCP protected. DVI-I (using an adapter) is single link. | | **USB 3.0** | 2 | Linear PCM audio/video input accepts non-HDCP protected content. Use to connect UAC or UVC devices, such as USB microphones and web cameras. Can also connect to external hard drives, flash drives, and control interfaces. | | **RJ-45**3 | 1 | Up to six SRT sources over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps or one 4K SRT input. | | | | Up to six RTSP sources over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps or one 4K RTSP input. | | | | Up to four NDI sources over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps or one 4K NDI input. Up to six NDI|HX sources over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps. | | **RCA**4 | 2 | RCA consumer line-level audio inputs function as a stereo pair (-10 dBV). White = left Red = right | | **XLR**4 | 4 | The XLR inputs accept balanced and unbalanced, pro line level signals (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu. By default, the four XLR ports operate as two stereo left/right audio pairs (XLR A pair and XLR B pair). You can configure the ports to operate as independent mono inputs using the Admin panel | 1 SD-SDI audio is not supported 2 Requires 4K feature add on 3 A mix of video over Ethernet sources are supported. Just ensure that total system loading is within acceptable levels 4 In the Admin panel, Analog audio B includes audio signals from the XLR B audio pair and the RCA audio pair by default. You can disable one or the other using the Admin panel If you are using DVI2PCIe cards with your Pearl-2, DVI2PCIe cards do not support audio over HDMI. --- ## Pearl-2 tech specs id: pearl-2/pearl-2-tech-specs · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Pearl-2 tech specs The input and output connectors are listed for Pearl-2. Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin is made up of two completely independent Pearl-2 systems, therefore it has double the number of inputs and outputs that are listed in this table. **Table 9 Specifications for Pearl-2** | Video Inputs | Local video inputs | (2) 12G SDI (2) HDMI™ 1.4a¹ / DVI2 (2) 4K HDMI 1.4a (UHD/DCI)3 / DVI2 (2) USB 3.0 (UVC) - rear panel | | --- | --- | --- | | | Video over Ethernet5 | RTSP4 NDI® 5 (with Alpha channel support) and NDI|HX6 SRT (push)6 | | | Connectors | (4) HDMI type A (female) (2) BNC (female) (2) USB-A (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 | | | Aspect ratios | 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, and custom aspect ratios | | | Standard resolutions | PAL, PAL wide, NTSC, NTSC wide | | | Input resolution range | 640×480 to 4096×2160 | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps7 | | | Video input color spaces | HDMI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2, YCRCB 4:4:4 SDI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2 | | | Deinterlacing | Yes | | | Maximum cable length for SDI | 300 ft | | | Maximum cable length for USB 3.0 | 6 ft | | Audio Inputs | Analog audio inputs | (4) XLR pro line level (+ 4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or two L/R stereo pairs) (1) RCA consumer line level - 10 dBV (L/R stereo pair) | | | Connectors | (4) XLR (female) (2) RCA (female) | | | Digital audio inputs9 | (2) SDI8 (4) HDMI (2) USB (rear panel) (6) RTSP (embedded from RTSP input over Ethernet) (4) NDI (embedded from NDI input over Ethernet) (6) SRT (embedded from SRT input over Ethernet) (4) Dante over Ethernet (4 channels, two stereo inputs; requires the Dante audio feature add-on and firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | | | Connectors | (2) SDI (female) (4) HDMI (female) (2) USB (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Audio gain control | 0 dB to +30 dB | | | Audio mute | Yes | | | Configurable audio delay | -300 ms to +300 ms | | Video processing | Video output color space | 4:2:0, 8 bits per color | | | Video codec | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1, 5.1 Motion JPEG NDI, NDI|HX | | | Bitrate | 1 to 50 Mbps (selectable) | | | Bitrate control | Constant | | | Hardware accelerated video encoding | Optional | | | Video scaling | Software and hardware | | | Chroma keying | Upstream/downstream keying | | | Key frames | 1/2 s, and 1 s up to 5 s in 1 second intervals | | Audio processing | Compression | MP3, AAC, and PCM | | | Sampling rate | MP3: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz AAC: 16 kHz, 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz PCM: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz | | | Bitrate | 64 to 320 kbps (MP3 and AAC) | | Video output | Signal types | (2) HDMI (port 1 HDMI 2.0, port 2 HDMI 1.4a) (3) H.264/AVC digital video over Ethernet (4) NDI (unicast) (6) RTSP (6) SRT (push) (6) HLS (push) | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Encoded channels | Up to six 1080p channels at 30 fps or one 4K channel at 30 fps (recommended) | | | Streaming protocols | MPEG-TS and FLV RTSP over TCP/UDP SRT (push) over UDP HLS (push) over HTTP/HTTPS Multi-Publish to Streaming Server / CDN (SRT, RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS) HLS (pull) - Native Apple HTTP/HTTPS stream for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch | | | Multicast streams | RTP/UDP, MPEG-TS & RTP, and MPEG-TS over UDP SAP | | | Stream encryption and authentication | SRT: 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption (negotiated) and configurable passphrase HLS (push): MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 RTMPS: encryption plus CA certificate negotiation | | | Resolution ranges | Recorded: 480p to 2160p Streamed H.264: 480p to 2160p NDI streamed: 480p to 1080p HDMI output ports: 480p to 2160p | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Formats | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 Motion JPEG NDI | | | Network traffic shaping (multicast streams) | 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps (configurable) | | Audio output | Analog audio output | (1) 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack - front panel | | | Digital audio outputs | RTSP, SRT, and NDI audio over Ethernet HLS over HTTP/HTTPS HDMI audio (embedded) | | Monitor and control | Touch screen | 4.3 inch touch screen monitor (built in) resolution: 800x480 | | | USB keyboard | Connect a standard USB keyboard (optional) | | | USB status light | Connect a single USB status light (optional), supported models: -Kuando BusyLight models: UC Alpha and UC Omega -Delcom Products USB HID single color and multi-color signal indicators | | Recording and storage | Record formats | AVI, MOV, MP4, and MPEG-TS | | | Upload image formats | JPEG, PNG | | | Internal hard drive | 512 GB SSD10 | | | File transfer protocols | FTP, SFTP, SCP, AWS S3 client, and WebDAV client RSync | | | Network file share protocols | CIFS/SMB2+ | | | File system for USB storage | FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, XFS, EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, NTFS | | | External USB ports | (1) USB 3.0 - front panel (2) USB 3.0 (UVC/UAC) - rear panel | | | Bitrate | Up to 50 Mbps | | Communication | USB standards | USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured | | | Serial port | (1) Bidirectional RS-232 (female) | | | Serial port protocols | **Data bits**: 7 or 8 (default) **Stop bits**: 1 **Parity**: None **Flow control**: None, Hardware or Software | | | Serial port baud rate | 19200 bps | | | Ethernet host port | (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Ethernet data rate | 10/100/1000 Base-T, half/full duplex with autodetect | | | Maximum Transmission Unit | 68 to 1500 MTU, configurable | | | Protocols | DHCP Option 81, TLS 1.2, LDAP, mDNS, DDNS, SAP, RTP, MPEG-TS & RTP and MPEG-TS/UDP, 802.1x, EAPOL, EAP-TTLS, EAP-TLS, PEAP, HTTP, HTTPS, NTP, PTP, FTP, SFTP, SCP AWS S3 | | | Network discovery / Announce | SAP | | Network security | 802.1x EAP methods | PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS | | Administration and control | Admin panel | Local web UI for full administration. On-screen display and mobile UI for confidence monitoring, administration, and control. Local Admin panel access using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to Pearl-2 with built-in virtual keyboard and touch-screen monitor support. | | | Epiphan Live | Local web-based UI to easily control streaming, recording, and switching. | | | Epiphan Edge | Cloud-based platform to remotely manage and control Pearl-2 devices. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor channels and alert dashboard, remotely log in to Admin panel for rescue troubleshooting, update firmware and more from the Internet. | | | Secure access | Multiple user accounts and passwords. HTTPS for secure Admin panel and Epiphan Live access, as well as local network access to the live channel broadcast. | | | Remote access: | Remote login11 to cloud versions of the Admin panel and Epiphan Live. | | | API | Yes (HTTP/HTTPS or RS-232) | | | Crestron driver | Yes See [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-2-software-documentation/#control-modules](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-2-software-documentation/#control-modules) | | Integrations | Content Management Systems | Kaltura Panopto YuJa Opencast EchoVideo (Echo360) | | | Cloud access and management | Epiphan Edge | | General | Power supply | Internal: 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz | | | Power use | 0.8 A, 100-240 VAC | | | Power cable | Standard IEC power cable (Pearl-2 has an internal power supply, so no separate external power adapter is required) | | | Operating temperature | 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° Celsius) | | | Cooling | Fan air flow: Bottom front to back | | | Enclosure | Metal | | | Form factor | Portable desktop model 19" rack mountable model 19" Rackmount Twin model | | | Dimensions (W × D × H) | **Pearl-2**: 11.81″ × 9.45″ × 3.54″ (300mm × 240mm × 90mm) **Pearl-2 Rackmount**: 19 ⅛" × 3½" × 10 ⅞" (485 mm × 89 mm × 276 mm) - dimensions include mounting tabs **Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin**: 19 ⅛" × 3½" × 10 ⅞" (485 mm × 89 mm × 276 mm) - dimensions include mounting tabs | | | Weight | **Pearl-2**: 8.38 lbs (3.8 kg) **Pearl-2 Rackmount**: 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg) **Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin**: 14.6 lbs (6.6 kg) | | Regulatory compliance | **FCC compliance**: Part 15 | | | **CE compliance**: Directive 2014/30/EU - Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/35/EU - Low Voltage Directive Directive 2011/65/EU - RoHS | | Time Synchronization | NTP, TIME (RFC 868), PTP v1 (IEEE-1588-2002 V1) | | Country of Origin | Made in Taiwan | ¹ HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI 2Using HDMI port with adapter. 3Requires 4K feature add on. 4Up to six 1080@30 inputs can be from RTSP sources or up to one 4K source can be from an RTSP source. 5A mix of video over Ethernet sources are supported. Just ensure total system load is within acceptable levels. 6Up to three 1080@30 inputs or up to one 4K input source. 7Except the HDMI 4K input ports, which support up to 30 fps. 8Digital audio is de-embedded from the digital source. 9SD-SDI audio is not supported. 10Approximately 100 MB of the hard drive space is reserved for system use. Recording space can be virtually unlimited with offload to networked storage. 11Requires an Epiphan Edge Premium account. ### Optimum System Load **Recommended maximum channels and inputs** For best performance, Pearl-2 supports up to six 1080p30 channels and up to six 1080p video inputs, or up to one 4K30 channel with up to four 4K HDMI or SDI video inputs. HDMI and SDI inputs support up to 60 fps at 8-bit color, up to standard 4K resolution. 12G-SDI supports 4K60 4:4:4 at 8-bit. The published input specification for the 4K HDMI ports remains 30 fps — plan around that number. 4K60 ingest over HDMI is technically possible with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling (required by the Pearl-2 HDMI 1.4a input spec); contact Epiphan support to confirm before relying on this for a specific deployment. 1080p30 is the recommended and safe limit for IP and USB inputs when ingesting up to six sources. Higher frame rates (1080p60 and above) can be ingested from IP or USB sources in some configurations, but the achievable combination varies significantly by setup and is not guaranteed; contact Epiphan support to evaluate a specific higher-frame-rate use case. Mixing input types is supported — for example, 2 HDMI, 1 NDI|HX, 1 SRT, and 1 USB. Lossless protocols such as High Bandwidth NDI and USB should be counted at 1.5× the load of a standard IP input; for example, up to four 1080p30 High Bandwidth NDI inputs. Exceeding these recommendations may be possible depending on your setup; contact Epiphan support to evaluate your use case. Pearl-2 has more headroom above these recommendations than Pearl Mini or Pearl Nexus. While Pearl-2 is powerful, there is a limit to the number of concurrent tasks the onboard CPU can perform efficiently. The number of concurrent tasks depends on many factors, such as: - the number of video sources - what frame rate and bitrate is used for a channel - if the video output ports are used - if a live monitor is connected to the HDMI output port (about the equivalent of an encoded 1920×1080@30 fps channel) **Other limiting factors** - how many channels you have - how many layouts you have per channel - how often you switch layouts - if the system is resizing (scaling) video sources Streaming an NDI output with Pearl-2 consumes about the equivalent of an encoded 1920×1080@30 fps channel . For best results, we recommend keeping System load usage under 70%. **Check CPU usage on the touch screen of Pearl-2** To check the CPU usage from the touch screen, tap the gear icon and select **System Status**. **Recommendations** If the system load is higher than recommended, you can: - Disable the video output port (if unused). - Remove unused channels or layouts. - Reduce the number of channels created. - Stop channel(s) that are streaming or recording. - Ensure video sources come in at the right resolution so that Pearl-2 doesn't have to up scale or down scale the video source. --- ## Power down and system restart id: pearl-2/power-down-and-system-restart · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Power down and system restart You can do the following to power off Pearl-2 or reboot the device: - Choose **Reboot** or **Shutdown Now** from the Maintenance page using the Admin panel. - Power off the device using the power button. **Reboot the device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Reboot Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the Admin panel** You can use the Admin panel to power off Pearl-2. The power button on Pearl-2 is a toggle switch. If you power off the device using the Admin panel, the power switch remains in the on state. To power back on, you must double press the power button. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Shutdown Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the power button** You can manually shut down Pearl-2 using the power button. The power button for Pearl-2 is found on the front. To power off Pearl-2 manually, double-press (two successive fast presses and releases) the power button to initiate a safe power down. If the system is unresponsive, press and hold the power button for 4 seconds to force an immediate power down. --- ## Quick start id: pearl-2/quick-start · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Quick start After you've unpacked your Pearl-2, you're ready to get started. This quick start uses the default settings where possible so you can quickly start using your Pearl-2. **Before you begin, make sure you have:** - A video source such as a camera or computer and cables to connect them to Pearl-2. For HDMI, the video source must not be HDCP protected. - An audio source coming from either your SDI or HDMI video source (must not be encrypted). Optionally, audio from a different source such as an audio mixer that you connect to the audio input ports can be used. - The Pearl-2 can use USB for video input. - Local area network that uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is preferable. - Computer with a web browser connected to the same network. We'll call it the “admin” computer. - Ethernet cables to connect Pearl-2 and the admin computer to the network. - Pearl-2 ships with internal storage preinstalled, so no separate storage setup is required before recording. Your Pearl-2 comes shipped with a registration card that contains brief instructions to connect Pearl-2 to the network and log in to the Admin panel. The instructions in this quick start provide more details. Pearl-2 has an internal power supply, so no external power adapter is included. **Start up the Pearl-2 for the first time** - Turn on your camera or video source and connect the output to the back panel of Pearl-2. - Connect the Ethernet cable to the Pearl-2 and to your network. - Attach the power cable and plug it into a power source. - Turn on the system: - **Pearl-2** - power button is on the front of the unit. Wait for the power-up cycle to complete. The Grid view showing both channels appears on the touch screen. The video source you connected to the "A" row appears in the Auto A channel, and the video source connected to the "B" row appears in the Auto B channel. - (Optional) Plug headphones into the 3.5 mm headphone jack at the front of the Pearl-2 to monitor the video signal's embedded audio. - (Optional) Start recording: tap the red dot that appears in the top right corner of the screen to start and stop recording the channel. The dot flashes while recording. You can also pause and resume the recording (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). --- ## Rackmount installation id: pearl-2/rackmount-installation · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Rackmount installation All Pearl-2 models can be used in desktop mode, with the system placed on any flat, stable surface. They are also all rack mountable into fixed racks or portable rack cases like the one depicted below. If you purchased Pearl-2 Rackmount or Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin, you can install your system directly into a 19-inch rack. For the smaller, portable Pearl-2 model, you can purchase our optional rackmount shelf for installation in a rack. (Instructions for the rackmount shelf are included with the shelf.) To install Pearl-2 Rackmount or Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin in a 19-inch rack: - Ensure you have the correct bolts needed for your rack (not included). Pearl-2's rackmount holes are sized to work with both threaded and non-threaded mounting systems. - Carefully slide the system into and available 2U space in your 19-inch rack. - Attach four bolts to secure the system in the rack. --- ## Recording with Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/recording-with-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Recording with Pearl-2 Pearl-2 encodes the video and audio it captures. You can stream your content and record it at the same time. You can even stream your switched program using a lower quality stream (i.e. 1280×720 at 2Mbps) and at the same time, make high quality recordings of each of the video inputs at full frame with a high bitrate for future re-use and post-processing. Recorded files are stored on Pearl-2's hard drive. Plus there are a variety of automatic and manual mechanisms available to download the files. --- ## Run diagnostic tests using the device screen id: pearl-2/run-diagnostic-tests-using-the-device-screen · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Run diagnostic tests using the device screen You can access useful diagnostic tools from the device screen when you select **Settings > Network** and select **Connectivity Status**. The Pearl-2 has additional diagnostic tools found on the second page under **Network Tools**. **Available diagnostic tools for all Pearl-2s:** - **Connectivity status**: Display the status of critical network connections - **Ping**: Test if the Pearl-2 can reach a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support ping. - **Trace route**: Trace the route that packet traffic takes to get from the Pearl-2 to a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support traceroute. - **Bandwidth test**: Display the available upload and download bandwidth speed in Mbps up to a maximum bandwidth of 1000 Mbps. - **Domain name resolution**: Confirm that the Pearl-2 can resolve a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using the DNS server that is configured for the Pearl-2. - **Probe**: Check if Pearl-2 can establish communication to a specific port on a network host using a network protocol that you specify. Supported network protocols are: TCP, HTTP, HTTPS, RTSP, RTMP, and RTMPS. To troubleshoot networking issues yourself, try to ping the IP address of your Pearl-2 or do a traceroute to a server such as 8.8.8.8. If you are unable to resolve your networking issues, contact your network administrator and provide them the IP address and MAC address of your Pearl-2 or contact Epiphan support. **Run diagnostics ** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Select **Network**. The Network settings page opens. - To run the connectivity status diagnostics, select **Connectivity status** and then select **Start** on the Connectivity status screen. **Use Network Tools on Pearl-2** - To run other diagnostic tools, tap the chevron icon in the bottom right of the screen to go to the second page of network options, and then tap **Network Tools**. - Do one of the following: - If **Ping** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name in the empty field. - If **Trace route** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name to route trace in the empty field. - If **Bandwidth test** is selected, the measured upload and download bandwidth displays after you click **Start**. - If **Domain name resolution** is selected, enter the IP address or server name to resolve in the empty field. - If **Probe** is selected, choose the transport protocol from the drop-down menu and then enter the destination server IP address or server name along with the port in the empty field. For example, enter: *10.100.10.1:1234* or *domain.example.com:1234* - Tap **Start**. --- ## Selecting an audio source for Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/selecting-an-audio-source-for-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Selecting an audio source for Pearl-2 You can choose the audio source for a channel using the Admin panel and can have a mix of several different audio sources. Select your audio sources from connected video sources (SDI, HDMI, USB videoUVC, SRT, NDI, and RTSP), as well as from the dedicated analog audio input ports. The USB (UVC/UAC) ports on the rear panel of Pearl-2 will accept a USB microphone (UAC). Dedicated analog audio inputs ports are: - Four XLR professional line-level inputs + 4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS, (+24 dBu) that support balanced and unbalanced signals. - One stereo pair RCA consumer line-level input (-10 dBV) - Two USB video/audio ports The four XLR audio inputs are configured as two stereo pairs by default: XLR A (left/right) and XLR B (left/right) The XLR B audio ports and the RCA audio ports are linked. You can configure Pearl-2 to use both or just one of the audio sources using the Admin panel Audio for Auto channels are selected automatically. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain of the XLR l as the USB ports. Add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table 7 Audio input port gain guidelines** | **Audio source** | **Input port** | **Gain** | | --- | --- | --- | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | XLR | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA1 | Nominal | | Professional mixer | XLR | Nominal | | | RCA1 | Not recommended. | | USB microphone | USB | Nominal | | Dynamic, condenser, or electret microphones | XLR | Not recommended. To connect microphones to the pro line level XLR inputs, you must use an external preamp to boost the microphone signal enough to provide the proper line level signal at the XLR input port | 1To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA port or when XLR B/RCA is used. To choose a different audio device for the channel: - Using a web browser on the admin computer, go to the IP address of your Pearl-2 and log in. - From the Channels menu, select your channel (i.e. Auto A or Auto B) and click **Layouts**. The custom channel layout editor page opens. - Check the audio source that you want to use for the layout and click **Save**. (Optional) Adjust the gain for an audio input source. Select the input port from the Inputs menu and adjust the amount of gain on the configuration page for the audio input port. Click **Save** when you're done. ### Connecting microphones to the XLR line level inputs The XLR analog audio input ports on Pearl-2 are professional line level inputs rated at + 4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS, (+24 dBu). You can't connect microphones directly to the XLR ports because the microphone signal is too low. If you want to connect microphones to the line-level XLR ports on the Pearl-2, you must use an external preamp and boost the mic level signal to the appropriate line level before connecting it to the XLR port. --- ## Set channels and multi-track recorders to include in AFU id: pearl-2/set-channels-and-multi-track-recorders-to-include-in-afu · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Set channels and multi-track recorders to include in AFU When configuring automatic file upload (AFU), you need to tell the system which channels and multi-track recorders you want included in the upload schedule. If no channels or multi-track recorders are configured as a part of AFU, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. You must enable Automatic File Upload (AFU) for the channel before you can include channel recordings in the upload schedule. If AFU is not enabled for the channel, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. ** Set a channel or multi-track recorder to include in the AFU schedule using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Click **Recording** in the Channel(s) menu. - For a multi-track recorder, select a multi-track recorder from the multi-track recorders menu. - Under **Recorder Setup**, select **change**. The multi-track recorder settings open. - Check **Automatic file upload **and click **Apply**. **What's Next** After you've enabled AFU for your channels and multi-track recorders, enable AFU and configure the AFU settings for the location type (i.e. FTP, USB, AWS, etc). --- ## Set up and enable MultiViewer id: pearl-2/set-up-and-enable-multiviewer · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Set up and enable MultiViewer MultiViewer displays a custom mix of video sources including channels on the HDMI output port in a convenient grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to the system's processors. MultiViewer features differ by Pearl-2: - **Pearl-2** - six video sources. Grid options include: 1x2 video sources, 2x2 video sources, 2x3 video sources Save processing power so you can do more with your Pearl-2 system while previewing multiple video sources on the HDMI output port. With MultiViewer, the video output displays at a lowered frame rate to economize CPU usage. Using MultiViewer does not lower the frame rate of channel recordings and live streams. No audio signal present at the output port, but audio meters do display for channels and video sources that have embedded audio signals. Use the Admin panel to choose which video sources appear in the pre-configured MultiViewer grids and to set the video output port resolution. You can enable MultiViewer for the output port using the Admin panel, the Pearl-2 screen, and using local console. Deleted network sources or channels may appear in MultiViewer. **Set up and enable MultiViewer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI 1** or **HDMI 2** for Pearl-2). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select **MultiViewer**. - In each cell of the grid, select a channel, video source, or system information. - **System Information** > **Channels** : provides you with information on **Channel** status or **Audio Inputs** status. - **Show information about upcoming and ongoing CMS events** (optional) - Select the check box and MultiViewer displays the name of upcoming or ongoing events, time remaining before upcoming events, and the time remaining of an ongoing event. - **Text size** (optional) - Increase or decrease to change the size of the display text in MultiViewer. - In the **Output Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port and then click **Apply**. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | All devices: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080 Pearl-2 only: 3840×2160 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | **Enable MultiViewer using the touch screen on Pearl-2** - From the device's touch screen, tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to go to the second Settings page. - Tap Output port(s) and select a video output port. - From the Output port's screen, select **MultiViewer** and tap **Apply**. --- ## Set up the video output port using the Admin panel id: pearl-2/set-up-the-video-output-port-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Set up the video output port using the Admin panel You can send a channel or a video source to the video output port using the Admin panel. You can also adjust the video output resolution, aspect ratio, and choose to include audio. The video output port frame rate is set automatically to the channel's configured frame rate for that video source. When outputting a channel that has audio or a video source with embedded audio, you can adjust the volume and choose to include the audio meter. The audio meter is set to a fixed size of 15% of the width (or height if displayed horizontally) of the display. **Important considerations** - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - Default auto channels have the related HDMI (or SDI) port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the auto channel's custom layout. Changing the auto channel's frame rate or deleting the auto channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the auto channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. **Set up a channel or video source to display on the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI 1** or **HDMI 2** for Pearl-2). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select a channel (prefixed by the word **Channel**) or a video source (prefixed by the word **Input**). - In the **Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Same as source | Set the output to the same resolution as the channel or video source. If that resolution is not supported by the display, the video output port will negotiate a new resolution with the display (generally this ends up being the display's default resolution). | | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | - Do one of the following: - Check **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system maintain the correct aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio is different between the source and the chosen display aspect ratio, black bars are automatically inserted at the top and bottom or left and right sides of the video. - Uncheck **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system stretch the source to fit the aspect ratio of the display. - For a channel, do the following: - Check **Enable audio ** to include audio in the output. Leave this unchecked for no audio with the video. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - For an input source, do the following: - Select an **Audio source** from the drop down list. - (Optional) Adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) Choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - Click **Apply**. The audio meter can be displayed even if you are not playing audio over the video output port (i.e. even when the **Enable audio **check box is not checked). --- ## Start and stop an NDI stream on Pearl-2 id: pearl-2/start-and-stop-an-ndi-stream-on-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Start and stop an NDI stream on Pearl-2 NDI® (Network Device Interface) is used to transmit low-latency video content over Gigabit networks at broadcast quality with no audio compression. Pearl-2 supports up to four unicast NDI output streams at 1920×1080@30 fps. You can assign the NDI stream a unique name using alphanumeric characters. The name appears in parenthesis after the Pearl-2 serial number and three-letter prefix as part of the NDI stream ID as seen by other NDI resources on the network. For example: **PLTTSG999901** (*name*) where *name* is the unique alphanumeric name you assign the stream and **PLT** is the three-digit prefix that identifies this as a Pearl-2 system. Pearl-2 shows up as an NDI resource to other NDI resources on the network as soon as you start an NDI stream. All NDI devices on the same network as Pearl-2 can access the unicast stream. **Important considerations** - Pearl-2 can unicast up to four 1920×1080 NDI streams simultaneously. However, NDI allows receivers to request a lower quality stream. If that happens, Pearl-2 will send two streams: one at the original resolution and a second one at the lower resolution. This has an impact on the CPU performance of Pearl-2 - We recommend having at least 125 Mbps Ethernet for a single 1920×1080 30 fps stream using NDI, and between 8 and 20 Mbps for a single 1920×1080 30 fps stream using NDI|HX. To stream using NDI: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **NDI Streaming**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want this stream to be started and stopped using Single Touch streaming and recording control. This is enabled by default. - Enter a unique *name* for Pearl-2 in the **Name** field. The name you enter appears in parenthesis after the serial number of Pearl-2 and the three-letter prefix. For example: PLTTSG999901 (*name*) - (Optional) Enter a **Group** to assign the stream to a specific NDI group (if applicable). - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. --- ## Storage capacity and maintenance id: pearl-2/storage-capacity-and-maintenance · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Storage capacity and maintenance Pearl-2 has a solid-state storage drive for storage of recordings. Occasionally, some maintenance is required. ### Check internal storage space You can check how much internal storage space is available on Pearl-2 using the Admin panel and from the touch screen. Pearl-2 has a 512 GB SSD. It’s good practice to monitor how much free space is available. If the amount of available storage is low, you can always remove some of the recorded files. Disk space can also be checked using Epiphan Live. **Check internal storage space using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - View the **Internal Storage **section at the bottom of the menu panel. The bar will be mostly green if there is lots of space left, or mostly red if storage space is nearly full. #### Perform disk check A disk maintenance schedule is used to periodically check the system storage drives for errors. If you prefer, you can run the disk check manually at a time that is convenient for you. Running the disk check manually resets the timers for the scheduled disk check (i.e. next check won’t happen automatically until either the number of restarts or months passes). If the system is recording when you start a disk check, it will stop recording and resume after the check is complete. Frames presented during the disk check are not part of any recording. **Start a manual disk check using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Disk Check**. The Disk maintenance page opens. - Select **Check Now **to start the process. A new page showing the progress of the disk check opens. Do not interrupt power to the system during the disk check. - When the disk check is complete, the main page returns and a summary is shown. --- ## Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices id: pearl-2/streaming-to-servers-cdns-and-other-devices · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices Pearl-2 can stream to CDNs, local media servers, and even to other Pearl-2 devices that are acting as a streaming ingestion point. Pearl-2 supports many streaming protocols. Use the Admin panel to set up individual channels for streaming. ### Set up an RTMP or RTMPS (push) stream Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is the most common way to stream to a CDN, including to Facebook Live and YouTube. Use Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS) on your Pearl-2s to encrypt content before it's streamed over a TLS/SSL connection for secure live streaming. When enabled, Pearl-2 will always attempt to validate the digital certificate it receives from the CDN to establish a secure RTMPS connection. The connection will fail if Pearl-2 can't find the CA certificate of your CDN in it's list of certificates. Pearl-2 has the CA certificates for many of the major CDNs already installed. For RTMPS streaming to work for your particular CDN, or if you're using a proprietary RTMPS server, ensure that your streaming server's CA certificate is uploaded to Pearl-2 **Set up an RTMP or RTMPS stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTMP push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the Stream Name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want this stream to be started and stopped using Single Touch streaming and recording control. This is enabled by default. - Enter the **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - For RTMP push, enter **rtmp** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmp://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - For RTMPS, enter **rtmps** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmps://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - Enter the **stream name or stream key** in the stream name / key field - (Optional) Enter a **User name** and **Password**. The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. Some CDNs, like YouTube and Facebook Live, do not require you to enter your log in credentials here. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name or stream key doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) achieves high-quality, low-latency streaming across unreliable Internet connections via UDP packets. If packets are lost in transit to the SRT destination, a request to retransmit the lost packets is sent back to Pearl-2. Using the Admin panel, you can adjust the latency to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of the stream and reduce the number of dropped packets. During the SRT stream, you can view the stream statistics using the Admin panel and adjust the amount of latency based on the packet loss % and Round Trip Time (RTT). SRT stream statistics are provided on the streaming configuration page for a channel when Pearl-2 is configured as an SRT source. If Pearl-2 is configured as an SRT destination with an SRT input, then SRT statistics are available on the SRT input configuration page. The following example shows SRT statistics for an SRT stream. The statistics section appears only while an SRT stream is active. It takes about 30 seconds for the statistics to appear after the SRT connection is established. You can add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. Latency can be configured at the source and at the destination. SRT uses the highest of the two latency values. The formula to calculate latency is: *SRT Latency* = *RTT Multiplier* ´ *RTT* where the recommended range of the *RTT Multiplier* is a value from 3 to 20. The following table provides guidelines for what values to use when calculating latency. An RTT multiplier value less than 3 is too small for SRT to be effective and a value above 20 indicates a network with 100% packet loss. Ensure the measured **buffer** is less than or equal to the latency value you use. **Table 56 Suggested SRT latency values** | **Packet loss %** | **RTT multiplier** | **Recovery bandwidth overhead** | **Minimum SRT latency** **(for RTT ≤ 20 ms)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | % is ≤ 1 | 3 | 33 | 60 | | % is ≤ 3 | 4 | 25 | 80 | | % is ≤ 7 | 5 | 20 | 100 | | % is ≤ 10 | 6 | 17 | 120 | These values are from the SRT Deployment Guide. For up-to-date calculations, visit [www.srtalliance.org](https://www.srtalliance.org/). For example, if the % of packet loss is 0.53 and the measured RTT is 16.506 ms, the latency calculation is: 49.518 = 3 ´ 16.506 ms or 50 ms of latency (rounded up). **Adjust latency and recovery bandwidth overhead for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - View the SRT statistics for the active stream. Do one of the following: - To open the SRT statistics from the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. Then select the arrow beside the SRT stream to reveal the SRT stream statistics. - To open the SRT statistics from the Inputs menu, select the SRT input. Then on the SRT input configuration page, select the arrow beside Statistics. The statistics section only appears while an SRT stream is active. - In the **Latency** field, enter a numerical value from 80 ms to 8000 ms. - Click **Apply**. We recommend testing your settings. Start the SRT stream and use the stream statistics to evaluate the effect the latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values have on the packet loss % of the stream. ### Set up an HLS (push) stream HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an adaptive, HTTP-based streaming protocol that sends video and audio content over the network in small, media segments that get reassembled at the streaming destination. Media segments stream over HTTP port 80 or port 443 for HTTPS, which are typically open for network access. As such, the content can easily traverse firewalls with little to no IT involvement. Pearl-2 can send a single resolution and bitrate HLS stream as an HTTP POST (or HTTP PUT) to HLS ingestion servers and CDNs such as Akamai and YouTube. The default is HTTP POST. Your channels on Pearl-2 must be configured for H.264 and AAC audio codec to stream using HLS. Pearl-2 supports MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashing algorithms to authenticate the stream. HLS uses an MPEG2-TS transport stream container with a configurable media segment duration, as well as a configurable playlist size for reassembling the media segments at the ingestion server. Because HLS favors Quality of Service (QoS) over low-latency, lag times that can be high. If a specific media segment size isn't required by the ingestion server, then you can shorten the duration of the media segment to decrease latency. The default segment duration is six seconds. Using the Admin panel, you can add advanced features like a master manifest, which is an address applied to each individual media playlist in the stream. You can also assign the HLS stream a user name and password. If security and authentication credentials are required to stream to the ingestion server, consult the ingestion server provider. **Important considerations** - Only a single resolution and bitrate stream is supported. - Fragmented MP4 is not supported. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a custom user-agent name, add that to the HLS stream in the Advanced settings using the Admin panel and ensure the agent-name is added to the HLS ingestion server's white list. Contact the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a user name and password, you can get those credentials from the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. **Set up an HLS (push) stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **HLS push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. To see the settings, click the stream name. - In the **Media Playlist URL field**, enter the URL of the destination server that is ingesting the stream. For example: *http://p-ep721023.i.akamaientrypoin.net/722223/hlsQualification/my_video.m3u8* - (Optional) In the **Segment template** field, enter the naming format used for the names of media segments. For example: *chunk-$Number%05d$.ts* - (Optional) Enter a **Username** and **Password** if required for this stream. Get this from the ingestion server provider. - In the **Method** field, select **POST** or **PUT**. This selection must match the requirements of the ingestion server. - In the **Segment duration** field, enter the length of the media segment in seconds. The default duration is six seconds. Fractions and periods are not supported. - In the **Playlist size** field, enter the number of .ts segment files in each segment. The default playlist size is six. - (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, you can set the following: - **Master manifest**: Enter the URL (including the master playlist file name) of where Pearl-2 will upload the master manifest file. The master playlist also provides the bitrate, resolution, and codec. - **User-agent**: Enter a user-agent name using alphanumerical characters only if the ingestion server requires a specific value in the user-agent header to allow the incoming stream from this device. - Click **Apply**. - When you're ready to start streaming this channel, click **Start**. ### Set up an RTSP announce stream Pearl-2 can stream using RTSP announce. Viewers can copy and paste the URL of the RTSP stream into a media player and watch the stream on their local network. **Setup an RTSP announce stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTSP announce**. The new stream is created using the default name Stream 1. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) To rename the stream, click the current name and type a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - (Optional) Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want this stream to be started and stopped using Single Touch streaming and recording control (checked by default). - Enter the following parameters: - The **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - Select the **Transport type** as either UDP or TCP. Consult your CDN provider to find out which transport protocols the CDN supports. - The CDN **User name** and **Password** (if required). The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Start and stop streaming to a CDN After your stream to a CDN is configured on the channel, you can start and stop streaming. Start and stop your stream using: - the admin panel - Epiphan Edge - Epiphan Live. - the touch screen. - Start and stop streaming using the Admin panel - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. To set up a stream using the Admin panel, click **New stream** and follow the instructions for how to **Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations**. - Click **Start** at the top right corner to start that stream, or click **Start all** at the top of the page to start streaming all streams that are configured for the channel. - Click **Stop** at the top right corner to stop that stream, or click **Stop all** at the top of the page to stop streaming for all streams that are configured for the channel. **Start and stop streaming using the touch screen** You can tell if your channel is streaming from the touch screen on Pearl-2 when you look at the channel view or the Grid view. The following shows an example Grid view. - A blue dot in the top right corner means the channel is currently streaming. - A yellow dot with an exclamation mark means a problem with streaming occurred that requires attention. --- ## The Admin panel id: pearl-2/the-admin-panel · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # The Admin panel The Admin panel is used primarily to set up Pearl-2 and perform administrative tasks. Most tasks in this user guide are performed using the Admin panel. This section contains what you need to get started using the Admin panel. ### About the Admin panel The Admin panel is a web-based user interface that's used primarily to set up your Pearl-2 and perform administrative tasks. **Table 14 The Admin panel** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **1** | **Channels** menu | The channels that are available for the current configuration of your Pearl-2 are listed. Select a channel to access the drop down list of options that are available to configure channel encoding, add video and audio sources, create layouts, perform confidence monitoring, record the channel, and more. | | **2** | **multi-track recorders menu** | Recorders you add to your Pearl-2 are listed. Select a recorder to open the status page and list of related recordings for that recorder. You can start and stop recording, as well as configure the recorder settings from this page. | | **3** | **Inputs menu** | The available video and audio input ports on your Pearl-2 are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **4** | **Output ports menu** | The output ports available on your Pearl-2 are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **5** | **Events menu** | Access the Content Management System (CMS) events list containing up to three months of scheduled CMS events, in progress events, and completed ah hoc and scheduled events. | | **6** | **Configuration menu** | A list of all the available configuration options. | | **7** | **Internal storage and system information menu** | System details are displayed in this area, such as the total amount of internal storage, how much space is currently used, and how much free space is available. | | **8** | **Main panel** | The main panel is where the selected menu information displays. What's displayed depends on which menu item you select. | | **9** | **Link to Epiphan Live** | Click to open Epiphan Live in a new tab. | | **10** | **Log out** | Click to log out of the Pearl-2 admin panel. Click icon again to display the log in window. The role of the currently logged in user displays beside the icon. | You can access the Admin panel using these methods: - Any web browser. - Using a connected USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor - Remotely using Epiphan Edge ### Connect to the Admin panel You can access the Admin panel several ways. The most common way is using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as Pearl-2. All you need is the IP address of the device, which you can get from the settings using the Pearl-2's touch screen. Another way to access the Admin panel is to remotely login over the Internet. An Epiphan Edge premium plan is required for remote login. **Get the IP address of Pearl-2 ** To find the IP address of Pearl-2, do one of the following: - From a single channel view or grid view, tap the system settings (**gears**) icon, then tap **System Status**. If your system doesn't have any channels showing, tap the touch screen anywhere to go to the system settings screen, then tap **System Status**. - If your system doesn't have any channels showing, tap the touch screen anywhere to go to the system settings screen, then tap **System Status**. **Access the Pearl-2 Admin panel** - When you have the IP address of the Pearl-2, enter the URL for your Pearl-2 into a web browser and include **/admin** to access the Admin panel. http://<*IP Address of Pearl-2*>/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl-2, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - When prompted, log in using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK**. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl-2 system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. Optionally, you can connect to your Pearl-2 using the following methods: - For networks with DHCP, you can Connect using a DNS-based service discovery - For networks without DHCP, you can Connect using persistent static IP address ### Enable local console access to the Admin panel Operators and administrators can access the Admin panel locally to reconfigure the Pearl-2 without needing a laptop. With the local console feature, you can connect a USB mouse, keyboard, and a monitor directly to Pearl-2. Or you can connect a touch screen monitor. The Pearl-2 also supports connection of a USB wireless RF receiver for local console. Pearl-2 also supports the connection of a USB hub. A built-in virtual keyboard is readily available, but you can also connect an external USB keyboard. When you enable local console, you must also enable the **External keyboard** option. Use the Admin panel or the Pearl-2 screen to enable local console and the external USB keyboard. Once enabled, simply connect your USB mouse, USB keyboard, and an HDMI monitor to the HDMI OUT port that has local console enabled. You cannot use the HDMI pass-through port for local console. Optionally, you can disable whether or not users must log in to the Admin panel when they access the local console. Login is enabled by default. You can also change the layout of the built-in and external keyboards to any of the supported languages. If you select multiple languages, you can toggle between languages using Ctrl+Shift (or Ctrl+Alt). - American English - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Netherlands - Portuguese (European) - Spanish (Spain) - Swiss - Norwegian (Bokmal) - Russian **Important considerations** - Epiphan Live is not accessible from the local console. - The live preview link is not accessible from the Channel Status page using the local console. - Viewing recordings from the Recording section of a Channel is not possible. - You cannot upload/download the following types of media using the local console: - Images - Channel recordings - EDID files - Configuration files - Firmware update files Use the web-based Admin panel from your administration computer for full access to all Admin panel functions. **Enable local console and the external keyboard option using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens. - Select **Local console** as the Keyboard application and click **Apply**. - (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layouts. The default layout is American English. - (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layouts if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**. - From the Output ports menu, select the output port (**HDMI**)(**HDMI 1** or **HDMI 2** on Pearl-2). The video output port configuration page opens. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu and click **Apply**. - If you skipped the steps to configure the external keyboard for local console, an error message appears. Click the link to fix it. - (Optional) Check **Disable authentication** if you don't want users to have to use their credentials to log in before using the local console to access the Admin panel on the Pearl-2. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu. - Click **Apply**. **Enable local console using the touch screen** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to go to the second Settings page. - Tap Output port(s) and select an output port. - From the Output port's screen, select **Local console** as the Source and tap **Apply**. **What's next?** Connect your USB mouse, keyboard, and connect an HDMI monitor to the output port that has local console enabled to access the local console directly from the Pearl-2. ### Connect using a DNS-based service discovery Pearl-2s use DNS-based messages to advertise details about itself, including its host name. With a compatible utility installed on your computer, you can access the system simply by typing its serial number and the suffix ".local" into the address bar of your browser. The following table lists the compatible systems and Bonjour Print Services software needed. **Table 15 Install Bonjour Print Services** | **System** | **Action Needed** | | --- | --- | | Microsoft Windows | You must install Bonjour Print Services: Use the following URL [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999](http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999) Click Download. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application. | | Mac OS X | The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built into the Mac OS. No special actions are needed. | | Linux | The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the Avahi package installed. | **Access the Admin panel of the Pearl-2 using DNS discovery** - Find the system’s serial number that's printed on a label attached to the device. To find the system serial number using the device screen, do the following: - **Pearl-2**: Tap the system information gear icon to display the System information screen. If needed, tap the screen once to display the control icons. - Enter the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer, where *<**serial**>* is the serial number of your Pearl-2: http://*<**serial**>*.local/admin **For example:** http://95dd40d5.local/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl-2, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl-2 system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - (Optional) From the Configuration menu, click **Network **and note the **IP address** of the system from the network configuration page. ### Connect using persistent static IP address Your Pearl-2 has a default persistent static IP address, also known as the **recovery IP address**. To set up a Pearl-2 on a network that does not support DHCP, or to recover from a previous static IP address setting, use this procedure to connect directly to the device for configuration. A workstation computer with access rights to modify your network settings is required. Pearl-2 static IP address defaults are: - I**P Address**: 192.168.255.250 - **Netmask**: 255.255.255.252 - **Username**: admin - **Password**: your admin password (by default there is no password assigned) **Access the Admin panel using the persistent static IP address** - Establish an Ethernet connection between Pearl-2 and the workstation using one of the following methods: - Connect the Pearl-2 to a local Ethernet network shared with the workstation. - Connect the Pearl-2 directly to the workstation’s Ethernet port using either a regular or a crossover Ethernet cable. - Record the network settings of the workstation that are used to connect to the Pearl-2 so that they can be restored later. - Temporarily change the network configuration on the workstation to the following: - Use Static IP assignment - IP address: 192.168.255.249 - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 - Start a web browser on the workstation and go to: **http://192.168.255.250/admin/** If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl-2, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl-2 system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - From the Configuration menu, click **Networking**. - Click ** use a static address** and enter a static IP address and network settings you want for the Pearl-2. Restore the previously saved network configurations on the workstation. ### Switching / mixing using the Admin panel Switching live video inputs, or video mixing, is fast and easy using the Admin panel. For best results, you may wish to be in a location where you can see the live action, and have a solid understanding idea of what is in each of your layouts. Good layout names can help with this. Performing live switching using one interface, like the Admin panel, does not dynamically update the visuals in the other interfaces (e.g. the touch screen and Epiphan Live). The other interfaces must be manually refreshed to accurately reflect the current live switching layout information. **Perform live video mixing** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The layout editor page opens. - In the layouts list, the layout with the big red circle beside it is the currently chosen "live" layout. - To switch to a different layout as the active "live" layout, click the gray circle beside the layout you want to make go live. The circle turns red to indicate that it's now the active "live" layout. --- ## The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset id: pearl-2/the-factory-default-configuration-preset-and-factory-reset · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset Administrators can apply the default factory configuration preset to Pearl-2s or Unify projects, which resets most of the settings in each of the main configuration groups. Applying the factory default configuration preset is similar to a factory reset, but a **Factory reset ** is more invasive. This table describes the differences. **Table 38 Factory default configuration preset vs a factory reset** | **Item** | **Factory default ** **configuration preset** | **Factory reset function** | | --- | --- | --- | | Deletes all created channels | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all recorded files in the channels | | ✔ | | Deletes all created multi-track recorders | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all recorded files in multi-track recorders | | ✔ | | Resets network configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets touch screen configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets user passwords | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all created configuration presets | | ✔ | | Removes all CMS including Epiphan Edge registration information | ✔ | ✔ | | Removes records for all scheduled and completed CMS events | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all uploaded media files | | ✔ | | Resets all Source settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets EDID to factory | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all SCP/SFTP identities | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all LDAP settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all Automatic file upload settings | ✔ | ✔ | There are different ways you can apply the **Factory default** configuration preset to the Pearl-2, you can: - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel A reboot is required to apply the factory default configuration preset. Operators who are assigned certain administrative-level privileges can apply the Factory default configuration preset and perform a factory reset. --- ## Troubleshooting Quick Reference id: pearl-2/troubleshooting-quick-reference · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Troubleshooting Quick Reference Use the follow quick reference table for help if you are experiencing problems or unexpected behavior from your Pearl-2. **Table 80 Troubleshooting Quick Reference** | **Problem** | **Action(s) to Resolve** | | --- | --- | | 4K features not working | The most likely problem is that the 4K Feature add-on is not activated. | | Not sure if the connected video inputs are being captured. | Check each source's input from the source preview in the Admin panel. OR Check the touchscreen interface to view confidence monitoring for each channel OR Check the Dashboard interface in Epiphan Live | | No sound is coming from an audio source. | Verify that you are using the correct audio input by following the steps in Configure encoding. OR Check the touchscreen interface for audio monitoring or use the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the front panel of Pearl-2 to verify audio OR Check the audio meter from the Dashboard view in Epiphan Live | | Captured SDI audio contains audible "clicking" sound or other audio distortions upon playback. | Ensure audio sample rate is set to 48 kHz. Lower sample rates (i.e. 32 kHz and 44 kHz) can sometimes cause audio distortion. | | When previewing a channel using the Live broadcast link or the preview link in the Admin panel, some web browsers do not play audio. | The Flash (FLV) plugin must be installed for your web browser to play back audio that's encoded as PCM. Web browsers that use Flash players to preview video do not support audio that's encoded using 48 kHz MP3 or 48 kHz PCM. | | All my input names don't look normal in the Admin panel menu after I applied the default preset | Refresh your browser to clear the cache and restore the proper input names displayed in the Admin panel. | | Time stamps between Pearl-2 and an RTSP source are not synchronized. | Reconnect your RTSP source to reset desynchronized time stamps. Verify that you are using a local NTP server on your Pearl-2 as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source | | Pearl-2 doesn't show up as an NDI source | Ensure Pearl-2 is connected to the network and that the network discovery port 5557 on Pearl-2 is enabled | | My NDI source keeps connecting & disconnecting. | The timecode sent from the source may not be stable. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source | | My NDI source won't connect. | The NDI source may not send a timecode. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source | | My NDI source isn't detected. | Pearl-2 supports different versions of NDI and NDI|HX depending on the firmware version. There may be an incompatibility between Pearl-2 and your NDI source. Contact Epiphan support to determine which version of NDI and NDI|HX your Pearl-2 currently supports. Then check with the manufacturer of your device to see which version of NDI or NDI|HX it supports. Some NDI|HX devices using version HX 1 may use non-standard discovery protocols and you may need to use other mechanisms to discover their existence, such as manually adding the IP address or using an NDI Discovery Server if the device supports that. | | Too much noise is present in the audio output. | Check the input level of the audio source to make sure it's the correct level. Modify the input **gain** if necessary | | Video playback is fine, but when I play the clip in Adobe Premiere Pro the audio and video are out of sync. | Adobe Premiere Pro has a known issue handling video that is recorded using a variable frame rate. Convert the clip to a constant frame rate using a third-party software, such as Handbrake, before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. | | Adobe Premiere Pro won't load my .mp4 recording from Pearl-2. | Check if the selected recording format in Pearl-2 is MP4-Fragmented. Adobe Premiere Pro does not currently support fragmented .mp4 files. Before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, convert the clip to progressive .mp4 format. Run the file through ffmpeg or a third-party software such as Handbrake to preserve both audio and video output. | | I can't preview my channels using the Epiphan Live Dashboard on Chrome even after I updated the security certificate for my website | Some versions of Chrome and Microsoft Edge don't display channel previews from the Dashboard if you're on an HTTPs network and your website has an insecure or invalid security certificate, even after you update the security certificate. Use a different web browser such as Firefox or update the version of your web browser, then add the security certificate for the website to the exceptions list. | | Image quality is poor or insufficient. | The following tips can help improve image quality: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. | | Frames per second are lower than expected. | The following tips can help improve frames per second (fps): Increase **the Limit frame rate **value and/or decrease the **Bitrate **value in the Encoding menu. Reduce the number of actions happening simultaneously on the system (i.e. if streaming, recording, and copying files, consider waiting to copy files until after streaming and recording are complete). Enter a low negative value (i.e. -5) in the Frame Grabber's Vertical Shift field. Reduce the number of channels encoding data. Ensure the hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding preset is chosen for all channels. | | Stream won't play in my media player or browser. | Verify that the Stream Type matches with the media player used and that you have the correct url or SDP file for the player. If you still cannot see the stream, try disabling your local computer firewall. If the issue is still not resolved, contact Epiphan Support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | The stream interrupts or the image breaks up. | The following tips can help diagnose image problems: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. Check network settings including filters, routers and application settings. Packet loss can result in stream failure. | | The video streamed to my set-top box is dropping frames. | If you're streaming to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for lower bandwidth set-top boxes and prevent frame drops | | Recording won't start. | If recording will not start, check the Disk Status Information to see if the system is out of storage space. | | AFU to my CIFS server doesn't work. | Pearl-2 supports Automatic File Transfer (AFU) to CIFS servers (also known as SMB or samba) with samba version 1. | | Firmware upgrade fails. | Reboot the system and try again. If the problem persists, contact Epiphan support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | Certain Media players won't play encoded videos but others will. | Depending on the media player used, there could be different issues. If you encounter a playback issue, try using a different media player. Some issues we know of include: On Windows 10, the Movies & TV app sometimes fails to playback MP4-fragmented files with MP3 audio: try changing your MP4 audio encoding to AAC. VLC doesn't play MP4-fragmented files normally. Streams and recordings at very low frame rates (e.g. 1 fps) are not playable in VLC media player, use Windows Media Player and Quicktime Player instead. | | Certain Media players won't play MOV videos. | Some media players won't play MOV videos that are recorded with MP3 audio encoding, including: VLC 2.2.4 (Microsoft Windows) if MP3 audio encoding is at 48 kbps. Movies & TV 10.16122.1029 on Windows 10. Windows Media Player 12. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MOV files or use a different media player to playback the recording. The MOV file type on Pearl-2 also has a time limit of 13h15m, exceeding this limit will render the file unplayable. | | There's no audio when I playback an MP4 file in QuickTime 10. | Apple doesn't support MP3 audio. If your MP4 file is created with MP3 audio, you will not hear the audio during playback in QuickTime 10. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MP4 files or use a different media player to playback the recording. | | I can't hear the audio in VLC or the video won't play. | VLC version 3.0.3 won't play audio for MP4 fragmented files. In VLC's Input/Codecs settings page, you can try increasing the file caching parameter. VLC version 3.0.6 (windows) won't play MP4 fragmented video files. This is a VLC issue. | | Ubuntu not recognizing attached monitor. | Legacy Ubuntu systems have poor support for HDMI 2.0, and does not recognize a monitor being plugged into Pearl-2 unless the monitor is plugged into Pearl-2 before the system is turned on. | | Feature add-on purchase/activation not working. | Currently, Pearl-2 requires internet access to activate new add-ons. If the system has internet access, ensure that there is no firewall preventing access to licenses.epiphan.com, Port 443. | | In Epiphan Live, sources are sometimes invisible in the preview panel. | This can occur if the image is too large for the panel. Check the size of the source, and ensure that constraints are applied to each corner of the layout. | | Video output port is configured to display 4K video, but the video is not appearing on the connected 4K monitor. | Not all AOC brand monitors are compatible with HDMI 1.4 output. Check the brand of your monitor and attempt on different display. | | There's noticeable latency on the video output port. | Disabling the audio on the video output port improves latency for the port | | System is not starting up correctly. | Ensure there is no USB stick inserted into a USB port during power up. A potential conflict with the internal hard drive could cause unexpected behavior. | | Web camera is not working correctly. | There are several possible causes of poor performance on web cameras: The camera itself might be malfunctioning. Try hooking it into a computer to see if the problem remains. If the picture quality is below standard, try adjusting the settings using the instructions for how to Configure a video input source. Check that your web camera is on our list of supported models. If it is not, try using a supported camera, and if the problem persists, contact our support team. | --- ## User administration id: pearl-2/user-administration · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # User administration Pearl-2 has different types user accounts. Depending on the type of user, you will have different privileges. ### User types and privileges There are different types of user accounts: - Administrator - Operator - Viewer No password is assigned to the user accounts by default. The first time you log in to the Admin panel using the administrator-level account, you're prompted to set passwords for all three user accounts. The Pearl-2 administrator can change passwords at any time using the Admin panel You cannot change the default user names or disable user levels. When you log in to the Pearl-2, you must log in as one of the three user levels. Private profiles with individually set passwords are not used. Admin and operator-level users have access to the Admin panel to control the Pearl-2. When logged in to the Admin panel, the user level is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. **Administrator** The administrator account is used for all system configuration and has full access to all configuration features with full access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote log in access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl-2 is **admin**. **Operator** The **operator** account allows users limited configuration control with limited access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote login access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl-2 is **operator**. Operators can to do the following: - Configure inputs - Control recordings (start and stop) - Rename, download and delete recordings - Perform network diagnostics - Switch layouts while live streaming If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the **Apply **button appears grayed-out in color and is not selectable. Administrators can grant operators permission to perform some administrator tasks **Viewer** The global **viewer **account is exclusively used to view streamed channels. You're prompted to enter the default user name **viewer** and password to view a channel's live broadcast. In addition to the global viewer account, each channel can set a viewer password that overrides the global value **User privileges** The following table outlines the default privileges for each user level. **Table 32 User privileges in the Admin panel** | **Action or Menu Option** | **viewer** | **operator** | **admin** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | View channel output | ü | ü | ü | | **Channel Operations** | | View channel configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename a channel | | | ü | | Configure stream channel | | | ü | | Configure stream sources | | | ü | | Start/stop recording | | ü | ü | | Start/stop a stream | | ü | ü | | Configure channel metadata | | | ü | | Switch layouts while streaming/recording | | ü | ü | | Add, duplicate, configure and delete multi-track recorders | | | ü | | Start the stream recorder | | ü | ü | | Stop the stream recorder | | ü | ü | | View recorded files list | | ü | ü | | Rename recorded files | | ü | ü | | Download recorded files | | ü | ü | | Delete recorded files | | ü | ü | | **Input Source Operations** | | View input source configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename input | | | ü | | Configure input | | ü | ü | | View input snapshot | | ü | ü | | **Network & security** | | Configure static IP address | | | ü | | Configure DHCP (including Option 81) and DDNS | | | ü | | Change HTTP/HTTPS port values | | | ü | | Configure 802.1x | | | ü | | Configure HTTPS | | | ü | | **CMS Operations** | | Start/stop scheduled events from the device screen | ü | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events from the touch screen | ü | ü | ü | | Enable CMS and register | | | ü | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | ü | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | ü | | Start/stop scheduled events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | View the Events page | | ü | ü | | **System Configuration Operations** | | View system configuration | | ü | ü | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | ü | | Select External USB drive behavior | | | ü | | Cancel USB file transfers | | ü | ü | | Configure network address | | | ü | | Configure date and time preferences | | | ü | | Set or change user passwords | | | ü | | Configure the touch screen | | | ü | | Configure serial port flow control | | | ü | | Upload and delete media | | | ü | | Enable remote support | | | ü | | Backup device configuration | | | ü | | Restore device configuration | | | ü | | Restore factory configuration | | | ü | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | ü | | Shutdown device from the Admin panel | | | ü | | Perform a manual disk check | | | ü | | View disk information | | ü | ü | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature | | | ü | | Upgrade Firmware | | | ü | | View System Information | | ü | ü | | **Network Diagnostics** | | Bandwidth test | | ü | ü | | Connectivity status | | ü | ü | | Domain name resolution | | ü | ü | | Ping | | ü | ü | | Probe | | ü | ü | | Trace route | | ü | ü | --- ## User interfaces and remote access id: pearl-2/user-interfaces-and-remote-access · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # User interfaces and remote access Pearl-2s have several user interfaces: - **Touch screen**: Easily accessible on the front panel of Pearl-2, the touch screen is primarily used for confidence monitoring, live switching, and Single Touch streaming and recording control. - **Admin Panel**: A web-based user interface that's primarily used to perform system set up and administrative tasks for your Pearl-2. You can access the Admin Panel using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as your Pearl-2, or locally using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to the Pearl-2. - **Epiphan Live**: A web-based user interface that is primarily used for confidence monitoring, statistics, live switching, and recording control. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor video sources, view status and alerts, remote rescue troubleshooting and more over the Internet using Epiphan Edge. ### The touch screen Use the touch screen to switch layouts, start and stop recording and streaming, configure network settings, load configuration presets, and to view configured channels, audio meters, and system information. --- ## Video output port resolution id: pearl-2/video-output-port-resolution · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # Video output port resolution The video output port's ** resolution** (also known as frame size or display mode) defines the number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically. For example, the resolution 1920×1080 (1080p) produces an image that is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. Pearl-2s always assume that the output display uses square pixels. The** aspect ratio** (eg. 4:3 or 16:9) describes the proportional relationship between the video output's pixel width and height. The resolution 1920×1080 (1080p), for example, is quite a bit wider than it is tall. The ratio of its width to height is 16 to 9, which has an aspect ratio that is 16:9. By default, you can choose from the following output resolutions for your video output ports, but you can also change settings to allow a variety of other resolutions through. Aspect ratio legend | **Aspect Ratio** | **Common Use** | | --- | --- | | **4:3** | Standard TV (NTSC/PAL) display and non-widescreen computer displays | | **16:9** | Widescreen (HD) TV displays (1080p, 1080i, 720p etc), and 4K-capable displays | | **16:10 (8:5)** | Widescreen computer displays, and 4K-capable displays | | **5:4** | Sometimes used in larger format computer monitors | | **1.90:1** | Digital Cinema Initiatives standard resolution for 4K or 2K video projection | Resolutions | **640×360** | **640×480** | **960×540** | **1024×768** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **1280×720** | **1280×1024** | **1600×1200** | **1920×1080** | | **1920×1200** | **2560×1440** | **3840×2160 (4K UHD)** | **4096×2160 (4K DCI)** | --- ## What is a channel on Pearl-2? id: pearl-2/what-is-a-channel-on-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # What is a channel on Pearl-2? A channel is an encoding instance associated with your video and audio inputs to produce video recordings and/or live streams. Your video and audio sources can be combined and added to a channel, which you can stream and record. - **Pearl-2 -** we recommend a maximum of six 1080p sources in up to six full HD channels or up to four 4K sources in a single channel for best performance. Default auto channels have the related HDMI port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the channel's custom layout. Changing the channel's frame rate or deleting the channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. ### About automatic channels **Pearl-2** To get you started as quickly as possible, Pearl-2 comes pre-configured with two automatic channels called Auto A and Auto B. Simply plug a source into one of the "A" inputs and a second source into one of the "B" inputs. Pearl-2 automatically configures the channel's frame size to match the source resolution and configures a frame rate and bitrate. The detected video source's audio is also automatically added to the channel. Embedded audio from a DVI source that is connected to the HDMI input using an adapter is not detected on automatic channels. You must manually add the audio to the channel's layout using the custom layout editor. You can start viewing the automatic channel immediately on the device screen or using a web browser on the same local network as the Pearl-2. Browse to the following URL: **Pearl-2** **For Auto A:** http://.local/preview.cgi?channel=1 **For Auto B:** http://.local/preview.cgi?channel=2 **For example:**http://d560515f.local/preview.cgi?channel=2 If Bonjour services, which permits browsing by serial number, are not installed on your admin computer, you can get the IP address of your Pearl-2 by doing the following: **Pearl-2 ** Tap settings on the touch screen and browse to: **For Auto A:** http:///preview.cgi?channel=1 Links for other channel streams (i.e. RTSP or MPEG-TS) can be found by logging into the Admin panel and selecting **Status** in the Channel menu. **Important considerations** - The default auto channel has the related HDMI (or SDI) port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the auto channel's custom layout. Changing the auto channel's frame rate or deleting the auto channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the auto channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. - If you delete the auto channel, it will re-appear upon factory reset or when loading the default configuration preset. **Which signal does the auto channel use?** The Pearl-2 has video input sensing, which means that it knows when a video signal is received from an attached source. If you attach more than one video source to the video inputs ("A" inputs on Pearl-2) while the Pearl-2 is powered on, the first source you attach has the highest priority. If you attach more than one source (to inputs that are labeled with the same letter A or B on Pearl-2) before powering on the Pearl-2, the following priority is used: | **Priority** | **Pearl-2** | **Connector Type** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | All | HDMI (with HDMI Audio) | | 2 | Pearl-2 only | HDMI 4K (with HDMI Audio) | | 3 - Pearl-2 | All | SDI (with SDI Audio) | | 4 | Pearl-2 | USB video (with USB audio) | The auto channel uses a source until that source no longer has a signal. Then, it switches to the next highest priority signal. **Pearl-2 example**, if you attach an SDI source to the "SDI-A" slot and then HDMI into the "HDMI-A" slot, Auto A will show HDMI and use HDMI audio. If the HDMI video signal is lost or you manually select the SDI audio source using the custom layout editor, Auto A will switch to SDI video with SDI audio. If all the connected sources lose signal at the same time (i.e. for example, is SDI loses video signal and no other video signal is found) no change is made and the auto channel continues to use the current source. In this case, a no signal image is displayed for viewers. You can see which video and audio sources are configured for the channel from the Info page. --- ## What is Pearl-2? id: pearl-2/what-is-pearl-2 · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # What is Pearl-2? # Pearl-2 Information Pearl-2 is a versatile h.264 live video production device that's a video encoder, video streamer, live switcher, and video recorder that supports up to six video 1080p30 channels for separate, simultaneous and isolated recording/streaming and video switching (video and layout), chroma keying, and NDI alpha support. It allows multi-streaming to 50-100 endpoints simultaneously and supports HDMI, SDI, RTSP, SRT, High Bandwidth NDI, NDI|HX, and Web Graphics inputs. Up to six 1080p30 IP inputs in total (SRT, RTSP, or NDI|HX) are recommended, or up to four 1080p30 High Bandwidth NDI inputs; more can be ingested, but performance issues can occur — Epiphan support can recommend adjustments for larger ingest use cases. Up to four 4K HDMI or SDI inputs in a single 4k30 channel is supported. Only a single 4k30 NDI, NDI|HX, SRT, or RTSP input is supported. Any input, ingest, output, capture, encoding, recording, or streaming above 1920x1200 requires the 4K add-on or license, which is included in the cost of new Pearl-2 as of April 2026; Pearl-2 units purchased earlier may require the 4K add-on separately. Dante audio input (four channels, two stereo inputs) is supported with firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on. h.265/HEVC decode and encode is not supported. Mp4 video playback in a channel layout is supported. Live video playback, scrubbing, or playback of recordings via HDMI is not supported. The rear USB ports support UAC and UVC devices like webcams, USB storage, peripherals, status lights, and up to one ethernet dongle. USB webcam output is not supported. The front USB port does not support video input. Pearl-2 is preinstalled with a 512Gb SATA SSD. The SSD should never be removed by the end user for any reason. Pearl-2 does not support Power over Ethernet (POE+). Recordings are saved to internal storage first. Direct recording to USB is not supported, but transferring recordings to USB or network storage is supported. As of April 2026, the 4K add-on or license is included in the cost of Pearl-2. The Pearl-2 comes in two models: Pearl-2 Desktop: A small, silent, portable system that comes with a hard-shell carry case. Pearl-2 Rackmount: A 2U rackmount system with all the same functionality as the portable Pearl-2, but designed for installation and operation in a rack (this form factor is discontinued) With Pearl-2, you can capture, record, and stream from computer monitors, radar displays, or almost anything with a wide variety of supported video input signals, including: - SDI (up to 12G) - HDMI™ - HDMI 4K - DVI-I (single link) via HDMI - USB - SRT and RTSP - NDI® and NDI|HX (Alpha channel supported) Capture audio from XLR, RCA, USB, SDI, HDMI, and network sources (SRT, NDI, and RTSP). Simultaneously capture up to six full HD video sources or up to four 4K sources if you have the 4K add on installed. You can create up to six simultaneous channels for live switching, or a single 4K channel. Have separate ISOs or create custom layouts with multiple video sources and picture in picture. **Streaming** Stream to Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) worldwide using modern protocols like SRT and HLS. At the same time, you can stream to other destinations using RTMP/RTMPS, RTSP, or NDI. Even multicast directly to viewers on your LAN so they can watch the live channel broadcast using a web browser or media player on smart devices connected to the same private network as the Pearl-2. **Recordings and CMS** Download recordings using your web browser, or set the Pearl-2 to automatically upload recorded files directly to a network server using FTP, RSYNC, CIFS, WebDav, and more. Pearl-2s are also fully integrated with Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and EchoVideo (Echo360) Content Management Systems (CMSs) and can be registered as a video remote recorder resource for seamless lecture capture plus user authentication directly from the touch screen. **Networking** Network security compliance with 802.1x protocols, passwords, and certificate authentication means an easier setup for IT friendly live streaming over enterprise networks. Pearl-2 is HTTPS enabled for secure administration and control over the LAN, and supports secure live streaming protocols like SRT with AES encryption and RTMPS. Pearl-2 does not capture from HDCP encrypted sources. * Pearl-2 supports up to six video inputs with certain conditions. Create dynamic content for your viewers to watch while you record and stream your program. Using the custom layout editor, you can create different layouts, like picture in picture or side-by-side views of a camera and slides, then easily switch between layouts with either a tap on the touch screen, using Epiphan Live on a mobile device, or from the Admin panel. --- ## What is streaming? id: pearl-2/what-is-streaming · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # What is streaming? After you connect your camera, audio source, and set up a channel, it’s time to stream your content live and share that with your viewers. Epiphan products provide many different streaming options and supports a variety of streaming protocols. The easiest way to stream a single channel directly to viewers on the same local network is to share the channel's live broadcast URL. Various stream types are available so users can watch using their favorite devices, including: HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP FLASH (.FLV), MPEG-TS (HTTP), HLS (pull) (enable HTTP streaming on the Streaming page of the Channel), and RTSP. At the same time, stream to a multicast server or CDN and reach viewers across the globe. You can even stream to smart TVs in overflow rooms using SAP. The streaming method you choose depends on factors like the number of viewers of your stream, are you broadcasting live over a local TCP-based network or streaming to a CDN over the Internet, how much bandwidth do you have available, and is live streaming security a concern? Pearl-2s can stream to a CDN or media server using any of the following streaming protocols: - SRT (push) - HLS (push) - RTMP/RTMPS (push) - RTSP Announce A channel can support multiple streams. That means you can stream a channel to multiple destinations using different streaming protocols. Unicast and multicast streams are also supported. - **Pearl-2** - start and stop streaming by using One touch control from the touch screen, or control the channels individually in the top left corner when viewing a single channel on the touch screen. You can also control streaming using Epiphan Edge, using Epiphan Live from a mobile device, tablet, or computer, or via external control via Qsys, Crestron, and more. A full REST API is available for these particular use cases. In addition to streaming from the Pearl-2, the following streaming formats are supported as input sources that the Pearl-2 can ingest: - SRT - RTSP - NDI - NDI|HX - Web Graphics ### Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations A Content Delivery Network (CDN) relies on geo-diverse CDN servers to receive and disperse web content to the CDN server closest to the user. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. Streaming your content through a CDN allows you to stream any time, anywhere, regardless of the viewing device and you don't have to worry about maintaining your own video streaming servers on site. Streaming content to a multicast IP address is different than streaming to a CDN. Multicasting lets you directly share the stream with multiple viewers on the same LAN. All viewers receive the same stream at the same time. Similar to turning on a radio station where all listeners hear the same music at the same time. Multicasting is useful for training sessions when there is a specific time frame for the audience to view the content live. Pearl-2 can publish to multiple destinations at the same time. Do not use Motion JPEG (MJPEG) encoding when streaming a channel to CDNs and multicast streaming at the same time. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | Content Distribution Network (CDN) | Stream web content to many viewers on different Content Delivery Networks simultaneously to any geographical location. Using a CDN to host your broadcast is highly scalable and saves you from having to purchase and maintain your own servers to host and deliver video content. Using one or more CDNs to stream live content allows you to reach a large geographically diverse audience and because CDNs perform format conversion, the stream is platform independent. Streaming protocols supported include: SRT (push), HLS (push), RTMP/RTMPS, NDI (Pearl-2 only). | | Multicast Streaming | This delivery method relies on network equipment that supports multicasting and is usually used on high bandwidth corporate LANs and not on Internet-based architectures. Multicasting is what's typically used to stream video and audio to an IP TV or set-top box playlist. If you're streaming over a Gigabit Ethernet network to a 10/100 Mbps set-top box that is dropping frames, you can limit the stream's bandwidth using traffic shaping (see Set up traffic shaping). Multicast streaming protocols supported include: MPEG-TS UDP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. | To stream video outside of your LAN, use a CDN or configure port forwarding on your router. Consult your Network Administrator to set up port forwarding. By default, no streaming is configured for the channels configured on Pearl-2. **Publishing to a CDN** When you publish a stream to a CDN provider, make sure you use a streaming protocol that the CDN supports. Contact your CDN for a list of supported streaming protocols and audio codecs they support. To publish content to a CDN provider, ensure you have: - the URL (or path) to the mount point or an XML configuration file (provided by the CDN provider) - the supported transport protocols, audio codecs, and any other settings like key frame rates and bit rates recommended by the CDN provider You can control streaming to a CDN using the Admin panel. You can also test how your content is streamed by sending your content to Epiphan’s CDN. **Streaming to multiple destinations** There are a few different ways to stream to multiple destinations using Pearl-2. One option is to configure a channel on Pearl-2 as your switched program channel, then use the Admin panel to create multiple streaming destinations for that channel. You can add multiple RTMP streams to different CDNs, configure multicast streaming, and even share the live broadcast link with viewers on your network all at the same time. But remember, the more streams you configure, the more network bandwidth you need. To stream to CDNs and multicast a channel at the same time, the channel must have H.264 configured as the channel encoding Another option is to set up multiple channels on Pearl-2 and stream those using the Admin panel. That way, you can configure each channel with different encoding settings. For example, you can configure one channel with the streaming specifications for YouTube and configure the second channel for streaming to Facebook. Using one channel as your main switched program, use Pearl-2's channel as a source feature to feed that channel into your second channel. That way, you're streaming the exact same switched program to different destinations at different encoding settings. As you can see, setting up streaming to multiple destinations is very flexible with Pearl-2. ### Directly sharing channel stream URLs with viewers People on the same local network as Pearl-2 can easily view a channel's live broadcast stream. All you need to do is provide the channel's stream URL and log in credentials for viewers - You can provide people separate URLs for streams coming from each channel, or one URL that includes all the streams for the channel. Choose the right type of URL for the type of device the person will use to watch the stream. Viewers can watch the stream using a digital media player or browser. HTTP is used for MPEG-TS and FLV streaming. HTTPS is not supported for these protocols. ### About streaming using SRT Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low-latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) transport and additional error checking. Low-latency SRT is particularly good for real-time, two-way communications between a remote guest and a local on-site host. You can configure Pearl-2 as an SRT source encoder and stream video using SRT. You can also configure Pearl-2 as an SRT decoder and ingest SRT streams as video inputs. Up to six of the video inputs configured for Pearl-2 can come from SRT sources (or one 4K SRT input) and Pearl-2 can stream up to six SRT streams. Before content is streamed between the SRT source and destination, a communication link must be established between them for SRT control and recovery packets. Any firewalls blocking the path must be traversed. **SRT streaming modes and firewalls** Streaming through firewalls can be a challenge. With SRT you get easy firewall traversal with little to no IT involvement. SRT offers three modes to simplify the process: Rendezvous, Caller, and Listener. - Rendezvous mode is the easiest to setup and usually doesn't need any intervention from your IT administrator for the SRT stream from the source to traverse the firewall to the destination. The SRT source and destination devices must use the same SRT port value - Caller and Listener modes work together to establish the SRT connection between your source and destination devices when traversing the firewall is difficult. In this case, your IT network administrator must configure the network to allow traffic that comes in on the port configured for SRT streaming and forward the traffic to the destination device The device you set as the Caller (or Listener) is arbitrary, as long as one device is a Listener and the other is a Caller. To establish the SRT connection between a source and destination device in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. **SRT latency controls** SRT includes latency controls to adjust for poor network quality while maintaining an acceptable amount of delay. Pearl-2 provides statistics to determine the amount of packet loss. Using the Admin panel, you can increase or decrease the amount of latency applied to the stream to help mitigate any Quality of Service (QoS) issues. The default latency values are 125 ms for an SRT stream and 80 ms for an SRT input. ### Secure streaming Secure streaming is a great option for confidential content, such as corporate meetings or internal employee training. There are several ways to secure your live stream. - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT). - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS). - Stream HLS (push) over local HTTPS networks. SRT streaming includes additional AES encryption settings for even more security. You can set the SRT stream for 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. Encryption settings must be set to the same values on both the SRT encoder sending the stream and the SRT decoder that's receiving the stream RTMPS wraps the RTMP stream in TLS/SSL packets before it's transported over a TCP connection between the network server and the Pearl-2(i.e. the client). ### Suggested stream settings When you're setting up your live stream, you would typically consult your CDN or publishing destination for their recommended settings to use. Stream setup can be a matter of balancing quality and system resources. When choosing your stream settings, it's important to consider the type of content you're streaming and the streaming protocol you've chosen. For streaming fast moving video, a higher bitrate and frame rate delivers a better image. If you're streaming a slide presentation, you can save bandwidth and system processing by lowering the bitrate and frame rate without any noticeable image degradation. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your video quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming video content from Pearl-2. **Table 49 Suggested stream settings for video** | **Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **H.264** | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated | | Video encoding profile | High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec¹ | | Limit frame rate | 30¹ | | Bitrate | 6 Mbps for Full HD, 12 Mbps for 4K UHD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz¹ | ¹For HLS streaming, the key frame interval should be set to 2s and the frame rate should be set to 30 fps for live NTSC content. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your stream quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming a slide presentation from a PC, Mac, or tablet. **Table 50 Suggested stream settings for slides** | **Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | H.264 | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated | | Video encoding profile | High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec | | Limit frame rate | 30 | | Bitrate | 6 Mbps for Full HD, 12 Mbps for 4K UHD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz | We recommend the following frame rates (per stream): - 60 fps at 1920×1080 capturing and streaming 3 sources simultaneously - 30 fps at 1920×1080 capturing and streaming 6 sources simultaneously - 30 fps at 4K UHD2, capturing and streaming one source --- ## What's in the Box? id: pearl-2/whats-in-the-box · product: pearl-2 · source: pearl-2-userguide.md # What's in the Box? | **Pearl-2** | **Pearl-2 Rackmount** | **Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin** | | --- | --- | --- | The standalone Pearl-2 model is shipped in a hard shell case that you can re-use for storing or moving the system between jobs. Cable storage is located under the custom foam tray that holds Pearl-2 in the case. Inside the box with your Pearl-2 system, you'll find the power cable and the following items. Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin comes with two sets of cables: - One SDI cable (3 feet / 1 meter in length) - One HDMI cable (3 feet / 1 meter in length) - One HDMI to DVI adapter - One Ethernet cable - One region-specific power supply cable (6 feet / 1.8 meters in length) **Table 5 Cables (power cable not shown)** | **Image** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | SDI cable | Connect SDI sources to the SDI ports (12G-SDI capable). | | | HDMI cable | Connect HDMI or DVI (using adapter) sources to the HDMI ports. | | | DVI (female) to HDMI (male) adapter | Connect DVI sources to the HDMI port. | | | RJ-45 Ethernet cable | Connect Pearl-2 to your network. | --- ## About connecting video and audio sources id: pearl-family/about-connecting-video-and-audio-sources · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # About connecting video and audio sources *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can connect and disconnect video and audio sources while the device is powered on and when it is powered off. However, for network video sources connecting via the Ethernet port, the source device sending the stream and the device must both be powered on to make the connection. Connect your video and audio sources to the following input ports on your device: **Cable and port connections** | **Source type** | **Input port** | | --- | --- | | SDI | SDI port | | HDMI (not HDCP-protected) or DVI (adapter) | HDMI port | | USB audio (UAC), USB video (webcam)* | USB 3.0 port (rear) | | Ethernet | RJ-45 port. SRT, NDI/NDI|HX*, web URLs, and RTSP are digital sources you connect to your device via the Ethernet network port. | | Audio | XLR or RCA* | \* See Device differences below — audio port set, USB video, and NDI support vary by device. You can also connect RTSP sources such as IP cameras and even another device of the same model over the network using the Admin panel. Application of amplified speaker signals to the audio line inputs exceeds the recommended ratings and may permanently damage the device. The Admin panel automatically discovers all video and audio sources that you connect to the input ports on the device and lists them in the Inputs menu of the Admin panel. Sources coming from the Ethernet network such as SRT, NDI, and RTSP need to be added manually to appear in the Inputs menu. When a network source is added as an input, a corresponding audio source is automatically added to the list of audio sources for your channels, even if there is no audio. When a video source is connected, the system automatically detects and adjusts the image capture settings every 60 seconds. The interval is configurable. Generally no further configuration is needed; however you can fine tune some settings using the Admin panel. If no video source is connected to an input port or no stream is being transmitted from a source over the Ethernet connection, "No Signal" displays wherever that input is used. You can change that to display the default "No Signal" image or create your own custom no signal image. Changing the video or audio source while streaming or recording can cause the recording to stop or the stream frame size to change, depending on how your channel is configured. If the frame size changes, viewers may get disconnected and need to re-connect to the live stream. Audio mixers and other line-level audio devices can be connected to the audio input ports (see Device differences for the exact port types per device). Embedded audio from sources connected to the HDMI, SDI, and USB ports is also supported. ### Tested RTSP-based IP cameras Devices in this family are compatible with all Ethernet-based IP cameras and other RTSP sources. The cameras listed in the following table represent a sample of common third-party cameras that have been tested to work with them. Information such as URL syntax, default credentials and audio streaming capability specific to each camera is included. The URL syntax refers to the additional piece of text that needs to be included in the source URL to connect your IP camera to the device. For example, to connect a Sony SRG300SE camera with an IP address of "192.168.0.160", your source URL needs to be entered as: "rtsp://192.168.0.160**/video1**" Or, if using a Q-See QCN8029Z camera, your source URL needs to be entered as: "rtsp://192.168.0.160**/**" **List of tested IP cameras** | **Brand** | **Model** | **URL syntax** | **Audio?** | **Default username and password** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Q-See | QCN8029Z | / | No | admin / admin | | Sony | SRG300SE | /video1 | Yes | admin / admin | | Panasonic | AW-HE40HPK⁑ | /MediaInput/h264/stream_1 (To add a second URL, use: "/MediaInput/h264/stream_2") | Yes | admin / 12345 | | Axis | P1428-E | /axis-media/media.amp | No | root / root | | Axis | M1034-W | /axis-media/media.amp | Yes | root / admin | ⁑During testing, the Panasonic AW-HE40 did not consistently synchronize its time with these devices. #### Supported web cameras These devices support most webcams and USB audio sources, such as USB microphones. The following list of web cameras have been tested for compatibility. If your web camera doesn't appear in the list, that just means your model hasn't been tested. It's likely that it will work without any issues. The following web cameras have been tested by Epiphan: - Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 (Max video mode: 1920x1080@30) - Logitech C925e (Max video mode: 1920x1080@30) - Microsoft LifeCam Studio (Max video mode: 1280x720@30) - Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 (Max video mode: 1280x720@30) - IPEVO Ziggi-HD Plus For the Ziggi-HD Plus web camera, enable the power line frequency setting in the web camera before connecting the camera to the device. When you configure a source, the **Default video mode** is not necessarily achievable for that web camera. For instance, a camera might have a default mode of 1080p but have a **Maximum video mode** of 720p. If no settings are changed, the camera simply outputs video at 720p in this case. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Nano:** Audio input ports are XLR or RCA only. Audio mixers/line-level devices connect to the XLR and RCA audio input ports. - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Audio input ports are XLR, ¼" TRS, 3.5 mm, or RCA. Audio mixers/line-level devices connect to the RCA and ¼" TRS audio input ports. Professional microphones and other mic-level audio devices can also be connected to the XLR and 3.5 mm (stereo) audio input ports. - **Pearl Nano:** the USB 3.0 port supports USB audio (UAC) only — it does not support UVC webcams, USB Ethernet dongles, or USB webcam output. The "Supported web cameras" subsection above does not apply to Pearl Nano. The Ethernet row does not include NDI/NDI|HX — Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. - **Pearl Nano:** "Embedded audio from sources connected to the HDMI, SDI, and USB ports" is limited to USB audio only on Pearl Nano. --- ## About recording id: pearl-family/about-recording · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # About recording *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* You can record a channel as AVI, MOV, MPEG-TS, MP4, or MP4-Fragmented. Easily stop and start recording using any of the following: | **Admin panel** | **Device screen** | **Epiphan Edge** | **Epiphan Live** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Yes | Yes (Including single touch feature) | Yes | Yes | If an accidental system shutdown occurs while recording is in progress, your recordings are closed off so they are still playable. Physically unplugging a video source from the input port or otherwise interrupting the signal does not stop recording. A No Signal image is inserted. The device also comes with APIs so you can set up third-party tools to control recording. See the [Pearl API documentation](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/pearl-api/Content/Home-Pearl-api.htm). You can set the maximum recording time or file size limit using the Admin panel. The default recording limits are set to 30 minutes or 500 MB, whichever comes first. When the time or file size limit is reached, the current recording is saved and a new recording file starts automatically without losing any content. When the local drive is full, newer recordings overwrite oldest recordings. **Important considerations** - If recordings are selected for Automatic File Upload (AFU) while AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when AFU is unavailable, the recordings are added to an upload queue. - If the channel that is recording is an auto channel, a new recording is started if the video input source automatically switches from one video source to another due to signal loss. - You can also set up multi-track recorders. - While actively recording a multi-track recorder, a new file is created if an additional video input source is added to the multi-track recorder. **Tested media players** Epiphan has tested recordings with the following players. **Table — Tested Media Players** | **Operating System** | **Tested Players** | | --- | --- | | Mac OS | QuickTime 10.3 QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.4 Playback Pro 2.3.2 Final Cut Pro 10.3.2 Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 | | Windows | QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.6 Windows Media player 12+ Movies & TV (Windows 10) Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 | | Linux | MPlayer VLC 2.2.2 | | HTML 5 Browsers (Windows) | Google Chrome 37+ (works with MOV and MP4 files using H.264 codec) | Not all media players and editors support all recording formats, such as the more modern MP4-fragmented format. To playback MOV files created by the device, we recommend using a newer media player. --- ## About the custom layout editor id: pearl-family/about-the-custom-layout-editor · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # About the custom layout editor *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The custom layout editor gives you full control of the size and position of images, video sources, and text overlays. Access the custom layout editor using the Admin panel when you select your channel from the Channels menu and click **Layouts**. When you open the custom layout editor for a channel, a list of layouts appears at the top. You can create and delete layouts, duplicate layouts, choose which layout to preview and edit, and select the active live layout for live switching. **Layout editing** The layout editing area is where you can add images, video sources, and text overlays to your layout. You can also choose a background matte color and crop video sources. The main layout area has the same frame size and aspect ratio as the encoding setting of the channel. As you add items to the layout, they appear in the layout editing area. The currently selected item is presented in full color. Unselected items appear transparent. To change the settings for an item, click an item in the item list that appears below the layout editing area. The settings for that item appears. **Move and size items in the layout editing area** You can use the mouse to click and drag items into position, or you can type values into the fields along the side and bottom of the layout area and manually position the selected item. You can also enter values as a percentage of the full layout area (for example, enter **4%**) or in pixels (for example, enter **16px**). You can **resize** an image, text overlay, or video source by clicking and dragging the red and white handles at the corners of an item or by entering values into the fields along the side and bottom of the layout area. To maintain the aspect ratio when resizing an item, make sure you've checked the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** box for that item. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. **Audio source selection and saving edits** Select audio source(s) for your channel by adding them to your layouts. The bottom section of the custom layout editor is where you select the audio source for the currently selected layout. It's also where you'll find the **Save** button. - If a layout doesn't have an audio source selected, there will be silence when that layout is selected during live switching, recording, and confidence monitoring. You can have multiple audio sources in a layout. The audio sources are mixed together at the same volume level as one another. If multiple audio sources in a layout have common audio signals, the common signals are added together, which amplifies the volume of the common signals in comparison to the rest of the audio that's coming from your sources. For example, if you connect two microphones that are set up in close proximity to each other and their signals are in phase, or if you connect stereo music left/right signals to the mono audio ports (mic or line) on your device. When setting the audio gain for your channel, add all your audio sources to your layout first, then set level of gain for your audio sources appropriately. When you're done all your changes, click **Save**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** the Admin panel menu names are singular ("Channel" menu, "Layout" not "Layouts"). Nano supports only one layout per channel, so the layout-list paragraph above (create/delete/duplicate layouts, select active live layout) does not apply. - **Pearl-2:** the "silence" bullet above applies, but the "common audio signals" paragraph does not appear in Pearl-2's own guide. Default audio-selection bullet: "If an Auto channel is selected as a video source, then Auto A (or Auto B on Pearl-2) audio is selected by default." - **Pearl Mini / Pearl Nexus:** both the "silence" bullet and the "common audio signals" paragraph above apply. Default audio-selection bullet: "HDMI-A and HDMI-B audio are already selected by default for the two default channels." - **Pearl Nano:** neither the "silence" bullet nor the "common audio signals" paragraph appears in Nano's own guide. Default audio-selection bullet: "If an Auto channel is selected as a video source, then Auto A audio is selected by default." (single Auto channel only.) --- ## About the touch screen id: pearl-family/about-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # About the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Use the touch screen to switch layouts, start and stop recording and streaming, configure network settings, load configuration presets, and to view configured channels, audio meters, and system information. The touch screen has many uses, including confidence monitoring, basic configuration and diagnostics, one-touch streaming and recording control, easy start/stop of scheduled events, and authentication with a Content Management System (CMS) to create unscheduled ad hoc recordings and webcasts. The touch screen is capacitive. Use your finger or a specially designed soft-tipped capacitive stylus with firm but gentle pressure. Pressing too hard or using something other than a fingertip or capacitive stylus can result in damage to the screen. When you power on the device, a grid view appears. The grid view displays all channels that are configured for your system. If you haven't created any channels yet, the grid view shows the two HDMI input ports by default — for example, you might see your connected video sources or a "no signal" image. In this example, the grid view shows two video sources, which are plugged into HDMI video input ports A and B. If no video sources are connected, or your sources aren't sending a signal, the grid view shows no signal images. Tap a channel on the grid view to select it and go to that channel's view. You can tap the **Grid icon** to return to the grid view. Tap the **gear** icon at any time to go to system settings. **The No Channels screen** The **No Channels** screen appears if there are no channels configured on your device — for example, if the default pre-configured channels have been deleted. Tap anywhere on this screen to go to the system settings screen. **Enabling and disabling touch screen features** By default, the touch screen and all features except viewing the CMS Events screen are enabled. You can disable the touch screen and define which features are enabled on the touch screen. If the touch screen is configured to not show channel previews, tap anywhere on the screen to go to the system settings screen. When setting some features, a pop-up virtual keyboard appears. You can enable using an external keyboard that you connect to one of the device's USB ports instead. --- ## About this Pearl systems comparison id: pearl-family/about-this-pearl-systems-comparison · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # About this Pearl systems comparison # Compare Pearl systems Every Pearl system captures, encodes, streams, and records video, and all of them share the same web-based Admin panel, CMS integrations, and Epiphan Edge fleet management. They differ in how many channels they encode, whether they handle 4K, which inputs they provide, how they store recordings, and how they mount. This comparison covers the four current Pearl systems: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano. For shared behavior and procedures common to all four systems, see the Pearl family shared features documentation. For full specifications, see each device's own user guide. --- ## Access Epiphan Live from the Admin panel id: pearl-family/access-epiphan-live-from-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Access Epiphan Live from the Admin panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You need the IP address of your Pearl device to log in to the Admin panel for this procedure. - Log in to the Admin panel using your credentials. In your web browser, enter: http:// - Click **Epiphan Live** in the upper-right corner of the Status page for the channel. The Epiphan Live dashboard opens in a new tab. To open the Admin panel from Epiphan Live, click the **Menu **icon in the upper-right corner of the Dashboard or Switcher interface, and then click **Admin panel**. --- ## Access Epiphan Live using a web browser or mobile device id: pearl-family/access-epiphan-live-using-a-web-browser-or-mobile-device · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Access Epiphan Live using a web browser or mobile device *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You can open Epiphan Live using a web browser on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. You can also use Epiphan Live on an Android phone or tablet, an iPhone, or an iPad. You need the IP address of your Pearl device to connect to Epiphan Live. - Enter the following into the address bar of your web browser. - For a web browser on a computer, enter: http:///admin/m - For a web browser on a mobile device, enter: http:// - Enter your administrator or operator credentials when prompted. Some versions of Chrome and Microsoft Edge don't display channel previews from the Dashboard if you're on an HTTPs network and your website has an insecure or invalid security certificate, even after you update the security certificate. Use a different web browser such as Firefox or update the version of your web browser, then add the security certificate for the website to the exceptions list. --- ## Add a custom No Signal image id: pearl-family/add-a-custom-no-signal-image · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add a custom No Signal image *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* By default the system displays a No Signal image when there is no video signal coming in to any of the video input ports on the device. You can customize this image to display a different message to your viewers. For example if a viewer logs in early, or if you are experiencing delays you could indicate the start time (or expected resolution time) using the no signal image. Before you can specify a custom No Signal image for an input port, you must upload the image. **Set the no signal image for an input port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. - In the **"No signal" image** section, select an image from the **Image** drop down list. - In the Timeout field, enter the number of seconds before the No Signal image is displayed. If no manual value is entered, the default time to display is 5 seconds. - Click **Apply**. - Test that the No Signal image is correctly applied by disconnecting your source and previewing the channel(s) containing said source. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** single-channel — the final test step reads "...previewing the Channel containing said source" (singular). --- ## Add a new routing table entry id: pearl-family/add-a-new-routing-table-entry · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add a new routing table entry *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The routing table can be used to configure the device with which router and which of its connected network interfaces to use to send traffic to a given destination. The routing table can be populated automatically if the device is configured to use DHCP to obtain an IP address for its network interfaces. The routing table can also be manually configured by a user using the Admin Panel. **Add a new routing entry using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin - From the Configuration menu, select Network and then Routing tab. The Routing table page opens. - Click New route button to add a new routing entry and enter information about the new route entry in to the required fields. Click Create when you're done. - Reboot the device. **Route entry fields** | Label | Description | | --- | --- | | Network | This refers to the IP address of the destination network | | Prefix | This is a 32-bit network address that identifies whether a host belongs to the local or remote network. It's used to map the destination address to the right network. | | Priority 1(highest) – 100 (lowest) | This entry assigns a value to each available route to a specific network. The value ensures that the router can choose the most effective path. | | Gateway | This is the next hop IP address of the router that the device should use to reach the destinations that match IP hosts in the network defined by the Network and Prefix field | | Interface | This indicates which of the device's locally available interfaces is responsible for reaching the gateway. | **Important considerations** - After making routing entry changes, please reboot the device for the changes to take effect. - Data traffic routed off the network will always use the highest priority adapter unless otherwise specified in the routing table. - Priority 1 is highest priority / Priority 100 is lowest priority **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Does not support the network routing table feature. There is no "Add a new routing table entry" configuration option, field table, or procedure on Pearl Nano. --- ## Add a text overlay id: pearl-family/add-a-text-overlay · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add a text overlay *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Text overlays are useful to add information like a title, location, or the date and time in to layouts in your channel. You can add text to any layout using the custom layout editor. The following table lists shortcut codes that you can enter and the resulting content that appears on screen. **Overlay text shortcut codes** | **Item** | **Shortcut code** | **Example** | | --- | --- | --- | | date format: yyyy-mm-dd | %F | 2019-01-26 | | date format: mm/dd/yy | %D | 01/26/19 | | year | %G | 2019 | | month (01) | %m | 01 | | month (Jan) | %b | Jan | | month (January) | %B | January | | day of the month | %d | 26 | | weekday (Thu) | %a | Thu | | weekday (Thursday) | %A | Thursday | | time (24-hour clock) | %T | 20:40:45 | | hour (24-hour clock) | %k | 20 | | hour (12-hour clock) | %I | 08 | | minute | %M | 40 | | second | %S | 45 | | millisecond | %#m | 378 | | channel name | %c | Camera Feed 1 | | AM/PM | %p | AM | | am/pm | %P | am | | time zone | %Z | EST | If you use a non-monospaced font, the size of the text overlay changes as the letters, numbers, and the length of words change. Use a monospaced font to maintain a consistent size for the text overlay (assuming the total number of characters in the text string doesn't change). You can include certain international characters in text overlays. **Add a text overlay using the custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click **Add new item** and select **Text**. The new item is added to the layout editing area and to the top of the list of items. The Text settings also appear. You can change the order in which items appear on the layout editing area by re-arranging the order the items appear in the list beneath **Add new item**. Items at the top of the list appear in front, and items lower down the list appear behind. - In the **Text** field, type what you want to appear in the text overlay. Include Overlay text shortcut codes as needed. Press **Tab** or click outside the text field to refresh the preview in the custom layout editor. For example, if you enter: %A %B %d, %G. Live streaming channel Input A. The resulting text is displayed: - Select the **Font**, **Font size**, and **Text color**. You can also change the default **Line spacing** in percentages. For a mono-spaced font, use Droid Sans Mono. **Limitations**: The maximum supported text size is 500 px. Padding values must not exceed the frame size. Do not enter negative padding values. - Resize the overlay text box using the padding settings. The handles on the corner of the overlay text box are not click-and-drag and do not resize the text box. To resize the text box, use the padding fields to add space above, below, and on either side of the text. - In the layout editing area, click and drag to move the overlay text box or enter values in the manual position value fields along the side and bottom of the layout area. - Click **Save**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** the Admin panel menu name is singular ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"). --- ## Add an audio source to a layout id: pearl-family/add-an-audio-source-to-a-layout · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add an audio source to a layout *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can add multiple audio sources to the layout(s) for a channel using the Admin panel. By default, audio is enabled for the channel on the channel's encoding page. Each layout can have the same audio sources in them or you can choose different audio sources. An audio source has the same gain no matter how many layouts the audio source is added to, or if you've added just the one audio source or several audio sources to the same layout. **Important considerations** - There's no need to manually add the audio sources separately to your channel for supported network input sources (see Device differences below) — when the network stream is connected as an input source, a corresponding audio source is automatically added to the list of audio sources for your channels, even if there is no audio in the stream. - If a channel is selected as the video source for a layout, the corresponding audio for that channel is added automatically. - You can add multiple audio sources to the same layout. However, if the two audio sources share all or some of the same audio signals, then the common audio signals are amplified. - Selecting multiple loud audio sources in the same layout may cause audio clipping on that layout. Before going live, always check the volume levels for the layout and adjust the volumes at audio sources to avoid clipping. - If audio encoding is not configured for a channel, no audio signal is processed or sent with the video content when recording, streaming, or confidence monitoring. - If an audio source is added to a layout and then the audio device is disconnected from the input port on the device, some residual noise may be detected in the layout. Remove the audio source from the layout. **Add an audio source to a layout using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - In the Layout(s) list that appears at the top of the page, click a layout's row to select that layout. - Check the audio source that you want to use for the layout and click **Save**. **What's Next** You can check the audio encoding settings for your channel and ensure that audio is enabled. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Supports SRT, NDI, and RTSP network input sources for automatic audio detection. The XLR-B audio inputs and the RCA audio inputs are linked — if you use both at the same time, their audio is mixed; if the two share the same audio signals, the common signals are amplified (to avoid this, disable one or the other audio port). - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Support SRT, NDI|HX, and RTSP network input sources for automatic audio detection. The audio from the connected HDMI video sources (HDMI-A or HDMI-B) is automatically selected as the audio source for the HDMI-A and HDMI-B channels by default. Both guides also state that the device supports many different audio devices, including dynamic and condenser microphones, passive and active electret microphones, professional line-level audio mixers, and consumer line-level sources like mobile phones and audio players. (Pearl Mini's guide additionally notes that signal-sharing amplification "can happen if two in-phase microphones are placed in close proximity to each other" — this clause is documented only for Pearl Mini in the source, not Pearl Nexus.) - **Pearl Nano:** Supports only SRT and RTSP network input sources for automatic audio detection — no NDI support of any kind (neither full NDI nor NDI|HX). The XLR L/R audio inputs and the RCA L/R audio inputs are linked — if you use both at the same time, their audio is mixed; if the two share the same audio signals, the common signals are amplified. Pearl Nano is a single-layout device, so the "each layout can have different audio sources" note above does not meaningfully apply. Pearl Nano's Admin panel menus are labeled "Channel" and "Layout" (singular), not "Channel(s)"/"Layout(s)." --- ## Add an image to a layout id: pearl-family/add-an-image-to-a-layout · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add an image to a layout *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can add images to a layout using the custom layout editor. Use images to create a background for your source, to add your corporate logo, or to add relevant information about the event you're streaming. The device supports .PNG and .JPEG images up to a maximum size of 4096×2160. For many applications like a background, you will want your image to have the same aspect ratio as the channel in which the image appears. The device supports images of all different shapes, such as 16×16 pixels; however, we recommended that you upload exactly the size you need and avoid scaling the image using the custom layout editor. Images can be uploaded in advance from the Media page. Otherwise, you can drag and drop to upload an image using the custom layout editor. Note that no warning is displayed if the image is too large or if an image exists with the same name using drag and drop. The file will be replaced with the new image you upload. Any image without the proper file extension appears in the layout editor but doesn't display in the actual video output. For instance, a .PNG image with the file extension .bmp or an invalid file extension such as .png2 are examples of improper file extensions. If your uploaded image does not appear in the list, ensure it doesn't exceed the maximum image size of 4096×2160. No warning or error message is displayed if your image is too large. **Add an image to a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click **Add new item** and choose **Picture** from the drop down. The picture settings appears. - Select an image from the **Use picture** drop-down menu. To upload the image, drag and drop it from your desktop to the gray **Please select picture** area. For best results, keep the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** check box selected (default). For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** in the **Source settings**. - Your picture appears in the **Picture settings** preview and is added to the layout area. - In the layout area, use the mouse, the keyboard or the manual position value fields to position and resize your image. For background images, click and drag to fill the full layout area. - Re-order the items in your layout by clicking and dragging items in the item list. To layer items over top of each other, like for background images or a transparent logo, you can click and drag elements that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. - Click **Save**. ### Add a video file to a layout You can add a video to a layout using the custom layout editor. Use a video file to create a motion background for your layout, to add a pre-roll and post-roll video to your channel, or to play back a pre-recorded video in a channel without needing to use a computer connected to the HDMI input on the device to play back video. The device supports H.264 encoded .MP4 video files up to a maximum size of 250 MB. If you want your video file to play continuously when you switch layouts, you need to do two things. First, you need to include the video file in every layout that you use. Second, you need to uncheck the option **Restart on layout switch** in the video file settings. This way, your video file will not restart or stop when you switch between layouts. **Add a video file to a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click **Add new item** and choose **Video file** from the drop down. The video file settings appears. - Select a video file from the **Use video file** drop-down menu. To upload the video file, drag and drop it from your desktop to the gray **Please select a video file** area. For best results, keep the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** check box selected (default). For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio** when scaling in the **Source settings**. - Your video file added to the layout area and a preview of first frame is shown. - In the layout area, use the mouse, the keyboard or the manual position value fields to position and resize your image. Click and drag to fill the full layout area. - Re-order the items in your layout by clicking and dragging items in the item list. - Click **Save**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** does not support adding video files to a layout. --- ## Add or remove channel metadata id: pearl-family/add-or-remove-channel-metadata · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add or remove channel metadata *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* When you configure metadata for a channel, that metadata is embedded in all channel recordings and streams. You can specify the following metadata that the media player displays for your viewers: - title of the presentation - Author - copyright date or other labels such as proprietary information, preliminary etc. - additional comments about the broadcast, such as time of the broadcast, or change to the schedule How metadata is displayed depends largely on the media player. For example, VLC stores the metadata in a media information file, while other media players scroll the text horizontally from right to left across the bottom of the media player window. Use only alphanumeric and diacritic characters in metadata descriptions. The whole metadata string is refused if any special currency or mathematical symbol appears in the description. You must remove the offending characters before the device will accept the description. **Add or remove channel metadata using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Metadata**. The Metadata configuration page opens. - Type information into the fields or modify existing content as needed, then click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** The Admin panel menu is labeled "Channel" (singular), not "Channel(s)", since Pearl Nano has only one channel. --- ## Add recordings to an AFU queue id: pearl-family/add-recordings-to-an-afu-queue · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add recordings to an AFU queue *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can add previously recorded files to an AFU queue using the Admin panel. Before you can add a previously recorded file, the channel must be enabled for AFU and at least one new recording must have been queued. **Add an existing recording to an AFU queue using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Find the recordings by channel or by recorder and select the files you want to add to the AFU queue. - Select **Add Selected to Automatic file upload**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Uses the term "multi-track recorder" — find the recordings by channel or by multi-track recorder. - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — find the recordings by channel only. --- ## Add video sources or a channel as a source id: pearl-family/add-video-sources-or-a-channel-as-a-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Add video sources or a channel as a source *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You can add one or multiple video sources to any of the layouts for your channel using the custom layout editor. You can even add the output from another channel as a video input source. When you add a channel as a video source in another channel, whatever is displaying live in that channel also displays in the other channel. This is useful when you need to stream the same switched program to multiple destinations that have different encoding settings. That's because the encoding settings are set at the channel level. For example, to stream your switched program to YouTube at 1920×1080 and to Facebook at 1280×720, you could: - Set up **Channel 1** as your switched program channel. Add all your custom layouts to Channel 1 and stream this channel to YouTube at 1920×1080. - Set up **Channel 2** as your Facebook streaming channel. Configure Channel 2 with a single layout that uses Channel 1 as the video source, and then stream Channel 2 to Facebook at 1280×720. If more than one video source is added to a channel, we recommend configuring the channel encoding to use a fixed resolution as the frame size instead of automatically using the resolution of the video source as the frame size (default). A fixed channel resolution ensures that your channel displays properly at a fixed resolution. Using a fixed channel resolution also avoids unintended resolution changes when switching between multiple layouts if the different layouts happen to have different video sources with different resolutions. **Add a video source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - In the Layouts list that appears at the top of the page, click a layout's row to select that layout or click **Add new layout**. - Below the Layout editing area, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. The Source settings appear. - Under **Source settings**, select a video input or a channel in the **Source** drop-down menu. For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling**. The selected video source appears in the layout editing area. When adding an RTSP network source, a preview image may not display in the layout area until you Save the layout. The preview can also appear to have no signal if the RTSP source is not currently sending content. - Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the source to re-size it in the layout editor area, or enter a value in the fields along the side and bottom of the layout editing area. To layer video sources over top of each other, like for picture in picture, you can click and drag the video sources that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. - Select an audio source from the list of audio sources. If a channel is selected as the video source, the corresponding audio for that channel is selected automatically by default. - Click **Save**. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area: - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Set up Auto A as Channel 1 and Auto B as Channel 2 to follow the example above (Pearl-2's two pre-configured channels). - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Set up HDMI-A as Channel 1 and HDMI-B as Channel 2 to follow the example above (Pearl Mini's and Pearl Nexus's two pre-configured channels). - None for the "A note about item positioning and sizing" content. --- ## Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel id: pearl-family/apply-a-configuration-preset-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* When you apply a configuration preset, the system settings for all included configuration groups are updated. Other settings on the system are not affected. For example if you apply a preset that includes the configuration groups channels and **automatic file upload**, your network settings, passwords, time server, source configurations, etc are not modified. Similarly, if you apply a configuration preset that has only **network** settings included, only the network settings change. If you apply a preset that has the **network** or **system** configuration group, a reboot is required. If you apply a preset that has the EDID configuration group, the system may appear unresponsive for a short time while it applies these EDIDs to the video grabbers. You can verify which configuration groups are included in a preset by looking at the list to the right of the configuration preset name. The term 'all' means all groups are included. Otherwise groups are listed individually. You may apply multiple presets one after another. If you apply two (or more) configuration presets that include a particular configuration group, the settings (for that group) from the last applied preset are the active settings. In short, last in wins. **Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Configuration presets** section, select which sections of the configuration you wish to apply. For example, if you have imported a configuration preset and don't want to apply the Network section, clear the **Network** check box for the configuration preset. If you want to apply all of the sections, skip to the next step. - Click **Apply selected** below the configuration preset you want to apply. - Click **OK** when prompted. The device reboots automatically if the configuration preset includes the **network** or **system** configuration groups. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** has a single channel, so the "channels" configuration group is referred to as "Channel (single channel on Nano)" in this context. --- ## Apply a configuration preset using the touch screen or front screen menu id: pearl-family/apply-a-configuration-preset-using-the-touch-screen-or-front-screen-menu · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Apply a configuration preset using the touch screen or front screen menu *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano* You can use the touch screen (Pearl-2, Pearl Mini) or the front screen menu (Pearl Nano) to apply configuration presets that are either stored locally on the internal storage of the device or from a USB drive that is attached to a USB port on Pearl. If you apply a preset that has the EDID configuration group, the system may appear unresponsive for a short time while it applies these EDIDs to the video grabbers. **Prepare USB drive and use it to apply a configuration preset** - Make sure that USB drive is formatted with either FAT, exFAT, ext2 or ext4 - Connect the USB drive to a computer. - Change the USB drive label to 'EPIPHAN'. In majority of operating systems, this is usually performed by right clicking on the USB drive and select the rename option. - Create a folder called 'EPIPHAN' as a top level folder. - Copy one or more Configuration Presets to the EPIPHAN folder created in the previous step. - Safely eject the USB drive from your computer. - Connect the Maintenance USB drive to one of the USB ports on your Pearl. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini (touch screen):** Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen (tap anywhere on the screen if the control icons aren't showing). Tap **Configuration Presets** — a list of all presets saved on the internal drive or an attached USB drive appears; USB-stored presets are marked with a USB icon and always listed first. Use the arrows at the bottom of the page to navigate the list and tap the name of the preset you want. Click **OK** when prompted; a reboot is required if the preset includes the network or system configuration groups. Presets containing only the network configuration group can alternatively be applied from **Settings > Network** (second page) **> Network Presets**. - **Pearl Nano (front screen menu, physical control keys):** Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**, then scroll down and select **Configuration preset**. If a prepared USB drive is attached, use the arrow and check mark keys to switch between the USB drive and internal storage. Highlight **Preset** and press the check mark key to expand the list of available presets, use the arrow keys to highlight the desired preset, and press the check mark key to select it. Highlight **Apply** and press the check mark key to apply it. The selected configuration preset is shown in the **Preset** field of the Configuration preset screen. If prompted, return to the System screen, scroll down to **Reboot**, and select **Reboot now** to complete the process. Pearl Nano does not currently document an alternative network-only preset method. --- ## At a glance id: pearl-family/at-a-glance · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # At a glance *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Position** | Flagship multi-channel system | Touchscreen-operated compact system | Rackmount system in 1RU | Portable single-channel 4K encoder | | **HDMI and SDI video inputs** | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | **Encoded channels** | Up to 6 | Up to 3 | Up to 3 | 1 | | **Maximum resolution** | 4K (2160p) | Full HD (1080p) | Full HD (1080p) | 4K (2160p) | | **Storage** | 512 GB internal SSD | User-supplied SD card or SATA M.2 SSD | Preinstalled 256 GB SD card (current model) or 1 TB internal SSD (earlier model) | User-supplied SD card or SATA M.2 SSD | | **Form factor** | Desktop or 19″ rackmount | Desktop (VESA mountable) | 1RU rackmount | Desktop (optional rack shelf) | Pearl-2 is the only Pearl system that both encodes 4K and offers multiple channels. Pearl Nano is the only Pearl system that encodes 4K in a portable, single-channel form. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus are functionally similar Full HD systems that differ mainly in form factor and storage. --- ## Audio input capabilities and limitations id: pearl-family/audio-input-capabilities-and-limitations · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Audio input capabilities and limitations *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices capture only the first two channels (the first stereo pair) of a source. Multichannel audio ingest is not supported. Pearl devices have no audio DSP, such as a compressor or gate. ### Video adjustment and layout limitations *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices have no video-adjustment settings, such as contrast or brightness, for HDMI and SDI sources. On Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus, USB (UVC) cameras can expose their own camera controls; see "USB video and web camera settings". Channel and layout numbers are sequential and cannot be reordered once created. In firmware 4.24.0 and newer, newly created channels are numbered sequentially from the lowest channel number that exists. If the **Live Switcher** button in the Admin panel is greyed out, the channel has only one layout; add another layout to enable switching. Images cannot be cropped in the layout editor. **Closed captioning** *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices do not support closed captioning or CEA-608/708 captions. --- ## Automatic file transfers id: pearl-family/automatic-file-transfers · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Automatic file transfers *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Pearl can be configured to automatically upload recordings from local storage to a network storage location or an attached USB drive. This is called Automatic File Upload, or AFU for short. You can schedule automatic file uploads for a time and day that's most convenient for your workflow. ### About Automatic File Upload (AFU) Pearl can automatically upload recorded files to an accessible off-system storage location. You can set the file transfer to happen after a set amount of time or after the file completes recording. There are additional settings to help you manage your AFU recordings and avoid file name collisions at the AFU server side. You can: - Automatically create a folder for your recorded files using the channel or recorder name. - Save recordings to a folder that's labeled using the device's serial number. Automatic File Upload (AFU) is not enabled by default. You must enable this feature for a channel or recorder that you want included in automatic file transfers. A log file of all file transfers is created that you can view anytime from the Admin panel. The following types of off-system storage are supported for AFU: - FTP/SFTP - RSync - CIFS - SCP - Amazon Web Server 3 (AWS S3) - WebDav - USB Drive - Epiphan Edge **Important considerations** - Only **one** type of AFU can be used for all file transfers from the same channel or recorder. - Automatic File Upload (AFU) is not available while Content Management System (CMS) is enabled. - Files are automatically uploaded only once. New recordings created during later sessions do not overwrite files that were previously uploaded. A new file is uploaded. - If the connection is lost during the transfer, the transfer automatically restarts when the connection is reestablished. - If recorded files are selected for upload while the AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when the AFU is unavailable, they are added to an upload queue; files and their relevant information are displayed in a list and are uploaded when the upload capacity becomes available. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "channel or recorder" above applies to the channel only. --- ## AV inputs id: pearl-family/av-inputs · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # AV inputs *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* For best performance, we recommend using two video sources in up to two full HD channels simultaneously. However, you can connect up to three video sources to the device in the following scenarios: - One 1920×1080@30 fps channel configured with three layouts, one for each full HD video source without any scaling and make the video image fill the whole frame. - Two 1920×1080@30 fps channels: one channel for a picture in picture switched program for HD recording at 1080@30 fps at 8 Mbps, and a second channel with duplicate content at a lower resolution of 720@30 fps at 2 Mbps for streaming that uses the first channel as the video source. The switched program can have up to three layouts: two that are picture in picture that includes your main camera and one other video source such as a document camera or a laptop with slides, and a third layout of your main camera. The device can ingest more than two video-over-Ethernet (IP) sources, which can be SRT, RTSP, or NDI|HX in any mix, plus a single Web graphic source — only one Web graphic source is supported. Epiphan recommends limiting IP ingest to a total of two 1080p30 IP sources, counting the Web graphic source toward that total. Using more than two 1080p30 IP sources can cause performance issues. Up to three 1080p30 IP sources can be used when the HDMI output port is not in use, all inputs and encoding run at up to 30 fps, and the sources are used either in one channel or in up to three channels with no switching or scaling (isolated recordings only). For any configuration beyond these documented limits, contact Epiphan support for recommendations based on your use case. Only one USB (UVC) video source can be connected at a time. The device supports connection of common signal converters and input adapters. **Input Ports** | **Input port** | **Qty** | **Details** | | --- | --- | --- | | **SDI**1 | 1 | Linear PCM audio/video input. Supports up to 3G-SDI signals. | | **HDMI™** | 2 | Linear PCM audio/video input, non-HDCP protected. DVI-I (using an adapter) is single link. | | **USB 3.0** | 2 | Linear PCM audio/video inputs on the rear panel accept non-HDCP protected content. Use to connect a single UAC or UVC device, such as a USB microphone or a web camera. Can also connect to external hard drives, flash drives, and control interfaces. | | **RJ-45**2 | 1 | Two SRT source over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps3. | | | | Two RTSP source over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps3. | | | | Two NDI|HX source over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps3. | | **RCA**4 | 2 | RCA consumer line-level audio inputs function as a stereo pair (-10 dBV). White = left Red = right | | **3.5 mm**4 | 1 | Mic-level input to connect a passive or active stereo electret microphone (unbalanced) | | **¼" TRS**4 | 2 | Combo XLR/TRS audio inputs operate as a stereo pair (left/right) by default. XLR/TRS 1 = left XLR/TRS 2 = right. You can configure the two ports to operate as independent mono inputs using the Admin panel. The ¼" TRS inputs accept balanced and unbalanced, pro line level signals (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu. | | **XLR**5 | 2 | Combo XLR/TRS audio inputs operate as a stereo pair (left/right) by default. XLR/TRS 1 = left XLR/TRS 2 = right. You can configure the two ports to operate as independent mono inputs using the Admin panel. XLR inputs accept balanced and unbalanced, mic level and professional line level signals with a maximum of up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu. Mic-level (balanced) inputs supply optional 48 V phantom power across both XLR ports. | | | Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled on the XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. A direct box can be used to provide the correct mic-level signal to the XLR port and offers some isolation protection in case of accidental exposure to 48 V phantom power. | 1 SD-SDI audio is not supported. 2 A mix of video over Ethernet sources are supported. Just ensure that total system loading is within acceptable levels. 3 A mix of IP source types is supported. Epiphan recommends up to two 1080p30 IP sources in total, including a Web graphic source. More IP sources can be connected, but performance issues can occur — contact Epiphan support to evaluate use cases beyond two. You can have up to two SRT inputs in a channel with each SRT input in a separate layout with no scaling, or put each SRT input in a separate channel with no scaling. 4 In the Admin panel, RCA/3.5 mm includes audio signals from the RCA audio pair and the 3.5 mm stereo audio inputs by default. You can disable one or the other using the Admin panel. 5 You cannot use both XLR audio inputs and the ¼" TRS audio inputs at the same time. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI and SDI sources. If you are using DVI2PCIe cards with your device, DVI2PCIe cards do not support audio over HDMI. **Device differences** None functional — content is identical between Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus (device name substituted only). --- ## Change HTTP and RTSP streaming port values id: pearl-family/change-http-and-rtsp-streaming-port-values · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Change HTTP and RTSP streaming port values *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can use the Admin panel to configure a specific streaming port value for the channel. Ensure that each channel has unique streaming port values that are not currently assigned to any other process. By default, each channel you create is assigned a unique HTTP and RTSP port number. For RTSP streaming directly to users on your LAN, the only information that's needed to view the broadcast is the URL and the RTSP port number used to stream the broadcast. HTTP port numbers are used for FLV and MPEG-TS streaming methods. **Set the HTTP and RTSP streaming ports for streaming to viewers on the local network** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming page opens. - Set the **HTTP Streaming port** to specify the port used to stream the HTTP broadcast. This value along with the URL is used by viewers to access the FLV and MPEG-TS streams. The port number must be higher than 500 for HTTP. In the case of RTSP streaming this value is ignored. - Set the **RTSP Streaming port** to specify which port to use when you are streaming live video via RTSP. This value along with the URL is used by viewers to access the broadcast. The default for channel one is 554. - Click **Apply**. ### Disable and enable direct channel streaming The channel streaming URLs are enabled by default. The URLs are listed on the Status page for the channel, which you can share with viewers. You can disable the channel's streaming URLs from the Streaming configuration page using the Admin panel. Disabling channel streaming for viewers using their web browser or media player does not disable live streaming to a CDN. Disabling streams for viewers does disable all viewer formats, including: HTTP/HTTPS, RTSP, and HLS. **Disable or enable the channel streaming URLs using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The streaming page opens. - Beneath **Streams for viewers**, uncheck **Enabled** to disable direct streaming of channels to viewers using the channel's streaming URLs. Leave **Enable** checked to allow direct streaming using the channel's URLs. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** You cannot create additional channels — Pearl Nano has one fixed channel, so per-channel port configuration applies only to that single channel. - **Pearl Nano:** Admin panel menu names are singular ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"), and the disable/enable step reads "disable direct streaming of Channel to viewers" (singular). --- ## Change the HTTP/HTTPS port values id: pearl-family/change-the-httphttps-port-values · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Change the HTTP/HTTPS port values *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* On the Pearl device, the default HTTP port is 80 and the default HTTPS port is 443. If the default ports used by your device are not available on your network, you can change them using the Admin panel. Consult your system administrator for the correct port values to use for HTTP and HTTPS traffic. Ensure that the port value you choose is unique and is not currently assigned on the device. **Change the HTTP/HTTPS port values using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Security. The Security configuration page opens. - Under HTTPS configuration, change the default HTTP and HTTPS port numbers. Click Apply when you're done. **Secure connection (HTTPS)** must be checked before you can change the HTTPS port. - Reboot the device when prompted. After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. --- ## Change user passwords id: pearl-family/change-user-passwords · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Change user passwords *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The admin, operator and viewer-level user accounts have no assigned password by default. The first time you access the Admin panel using the administrator-level account you're prompted to set passwords for all the three user accounts. Record passwords somewhere safe for future reference. Passwords are case sensitive and can include up to 64 alphanumeric characters within the ASCII range. Restricted characters include: - spaces - single quotes - double quotes - backslash Contact your system administrator for your organization's specific password requirements. In addition to setting the viewer-level user account password, you can set access passwords and IP restrictions on a per channel basis from the channel's **Streaming** page. Users are automatically logged out when a password changes. Viewers may need to refresh their browser window or press play in their media player. Change the admin password when there is no live stream in progress. Changing the admin password while live streaming disrupts the stream for viewer-level users. **Change a user account password using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under the Authentication section, delete the current password for a user account and enter a new password. Passwords are case sensitive. - Enter the identical password in **re-type** and click **Apply**. You can set multiple account passwords before clicking **Apply**. If the passwords don't match, re-enter both passwords and try again. If you're logged in when the password changes, you're automatically logged out and must log back in with the new password. If you add or change the viewer user's password, all channel streams pause for people watching the stream using the viewer account and must log back in using the new password. --- ## Channel configuration id: pearl-family/channel-configuration · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Channel configuration *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* A channel lets you encode your video and audio sources so they can be live streamed and recorded. Before using a channel, you should check the channel settings. You can fine-tune your channel to maximize the quality of your live streams, minimize the amount of bandwidth used, and ensure your video and audio encoding settings are optimized for your event. You can control exactly how the video is presented and streamed to shared destinations and multiple viewers. If you create multiple layouts for a channel using the custom layout editor, you can switch live between the layouts. **Live switching** If you're planning to do live switching with your channel, we recommend you set the frame size to a fixed size instead of using the default setting. The default setting automatically sets the channel frame size to match the frame size of the video source. Changing the frame size to a fixed value ensures that you don't experience any stream interruptions if the frame size of the video source changes, like when switching between different layouts that contain a single video source with different frame sizes. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using the device with a Content Management System. --- ## Channel monitoring using the touch screen id: pearl-family/channel-monitoring-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Channel monitoring using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Have complete confidence about what you're capturing, streaming, and recording. The grid view opens by default when you turn on the device. If necessary, tap the touch screen once to turn it on and tap again to display the controls. **Table — Grid view indicators** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Streaming and recording indicators | Streaming (left) and recording (right) indicators appear in the top-right corner for each channel: (no dots) Streaming is disabled and recording is stopped. Streaming is stopped and recording is stopped. Streaming is started and recording is stopped. Streaming has an error and recording is stopped. Streaming is stopped and recording is started. Streaming is started and recording is started. Streaming has an error and recording is started. Streaming is disabled and recording is started. **TIP**: You stop and start recording from the individual channel view. | | Audio VU meter | Each channel has an audio VU meter that uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average audio level in each 100 ms period is displayed using colored bars. RED = 0 to -9 dBFS Yellow = -9 to -18 dBFS Green = -18 dBFS and lower | You can do more monitoring for a specific channel when you select a channel from the grid view. Just tap the channel you want to monitor from the grid view and the channel view opens. **Table — Individual channel view indicators** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Streaming status | Streaming indicator appears in the top-left corner: (no dot) Streaming is disabled. Gray means streaming is stopped. Flashing blue means streaming is in progress. Streaming has an error. | | Streaming timer | The streaming timer shows the length of time that streaming has been in progress. | | Recording status | Recording indicator appears in the top-right corner: (no dot) Recording is disabled. Gray means recording is stopped. Flashing red means recording is in progress. Recording has an error. | | Recording timer | The recording timer shows the length of time that recording has been in progress. | | Audio VU meter | Audio VU meter for the channel uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average audio level in each 100 ms period is displayed using colored bars. RED = 0 to -9 dBFS Yellow = -9 to -18 dBFS Green = -18 dBFS and lower | To monitor a different channel, tap the right or left arrows on the channel view to see the next (or previous) channel. If the touch screen controls aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen to make them reappear. To get back to the grid view, tap the grid icon. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Up to 6 channels are displayed in the grid view, depending on how many channels you have configured. - **Pearl Mini:** All the channels you have configured are displayed in the grid view (no stated maximum). --- ## Cloud-based device management id: pearl-family/cloud-based-device-management · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Cloud-based device management *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Epiphan Edge is where remote teams can conveniently manage and control all your Pearl devices together in one place. An Internet connection and a free Epiphan Cloud account is all you need to get started. When your device is paired with your Epiphan Cloud account, you can start/stop video recording and streaming, monitor the health of the device with status alerts and a diagnostics dashboard, monitor video feeds, update firmware remotely, and even remotely configure channel encoding. ### About Epiphan Edge Epiphan Edge is your remote management and control center for all your Pearl devices. All you need is a free Epiphan Cloud account. After you pair your devices with your Epiphan Cloud account, you can access them from anywhere there's an Internet connection. You can even invite others to join your team for easy remote access. Using Epiphan Edge you can: - Preview video sources and audio. - Start/stop channel recording and streaming remotely. - Pause and resume a recording remotely (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). - Remotely configure channel encoding. - Create live streams. - Monitor performance statistics and system alerts 24/7. - Set up custom email alerts. - Set up remote teams and assign team members access and control levels. - Perform updates and batch operations for efficient fleet management. - Remotely log in to cloud versions of the Admin panel for remote rescue troubleshooting, full administration access, and to control recording and streaming using the Admin panel. - Schedule the start time, end time and date for the device to record and/or stream. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** the bullet list above also includes "You can also control switching with Epiphan Live Switcher." This is not documented for Pearl Nano. **Important considerations** - The following actions cause a device's entry in Epiphan Edge to permanently go offline. You must pair the device again to remotely control, monitor, or configure it using Epiphan Edge. - Unpairing the device in Epiphan Edge. - Using the Admin panel to disable the Epiphan Edge feature on a device while it is paired to Epiphan Edge. - If you pair a device again after you have successfully unpaired from Epiphan Edge, a new device instance is created in Epiphan Edge. The previous instance remains permanently offline. - Some features like batch operations and remote login require the Epiphan Edge Premium plan. ### Enable or disable Epiphan Edge access Epiphan Edge is where you go to remotely manage and control all your Pearl devices. Access is enabled by default. All you need to do is pair the device to your free Epiphan Edge account for access to your device over the Internet. You can disable Epiphan Edge access from the device or using the Admin panel and enable it again later. **Important considerations** - Unpair the device from Epiphan Edge before disabling Epiphan Cloud access using the Admin panel. - If you disable Epiphan Edge access while the device is paired, the device instance in Epiphan Edge goes permanently offline. **Enable or disable Epiphan Edge access using the Admin panel** - Log in as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The Maintenance page opens. - Uncheck **Enable Epiphan Edge** to disable the feature or leave it checked to allow the device to access Epiphan Edge. Click **Apply** to save your changes. **Device differences — on-device access controls** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini:** also has a touch-screen procedure — tap the **gear** icon, navigate to the second Settings page, tap **Epiphan Edge**, then use the same Enable Epiphan Edge checkbox shown on the touch screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** headless — no on-device screen option; Admin panel only. - **Pearl Nano:** has a front screen menu (not a touch screen) — press the left arrow key repeatedly to reach the Menu screen, navigate System > Settings > Epiphan Edge, then highlight Enable Epiphan Edge and press the check-mark key to toggle it. ### Pair and unpair from Epiphan Edge To manage your device from the cloud or access the Admin login feature, it must be paired to your Epiphan Cloud account. Easily pair directly from the Admin panel or add the device as a new device in Epiphan Edge using its device ID pairing code. You can unpair from Epiphan Edge using the Admin panel or directly within Epiphan Edge. Each time you unpair, the device ID pairing code changes value. When you pair again, a new instance with a different device ID is created in Epiphan Edge. If you unpair using the Admin panel, the device's status in Epiphan Edge only changes to the offline state. To completely unpair, you must use Epiphan Edge itself. **Important considerations** - The device's entry in Epiphan Edge permanently goes offline when you unpair. You must pair the device again to use Epiphan Edge to remotely manage or log in to it. - If you pair the device again after unpairing, a new device instance is created and the previous instance remains permanently offline (though you can still access information about it, and can delete it at any time). **Pair and unpair using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Epiphan Edge**. The Epiphan Edge status page opens, showing the pairing code device ID and a link to pair the device. - Select **Click to pair**. The Epiphan Cloud login page opens in a new tab ([https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/)). **Note:** Regional Epiphan Edge servers are available. Use the server for your region and ensure the device meets the minimum pairing firmware: go.epiphan.cloud (North America, firmware 4.21.0 or newer), eu.epiphan.cloud (Europe, 4.24.1 or newer), au.epiphan.cloud (Australia, 4.24.4 or newer). - Log in to your existing Epiphan Cloud account or sign up for a free account. - After you've logged in, your device automatically pairs to your default Epiphan Cloud team and the Device Details page opens in Epiphan Edge (or you're prompted to select a team, if you have more than one). - In the Admin panel, the device's status updates to **paired**. - To unpair using the Admin panel, select **Unpair** on the Epiphan Edge status page. **Device differences — getting the pairing code on-device** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini:** tap the **gear** icon, go to the second Settings screen, tap **Epiphan Edge**; the pairing code displays if not currently paired, or an **Unpair** option if it is. - **Pearl Nexus:** headless — no on-device pairing-code view; use the Admin panel. - **Pearl Nano:** front screen menu equivalent — press the left arrow key to the Menu screen, System > Settings > Epiphan Edge; shows the pairing code, or (once paired) the team name and assigned device name. ### Remote login to the Admin panel You can remotely log in to the device for full administration access to configure and operate it over the Internet using a cloud version of the Admin panel. You just need to pair the device to an Epiphan Cloud account that has a Premium plan. With an Epiphan Edge Premium plan, full administrative access for setup and rescue troubleshooting is fast and convenient. The cloud version of the Admin panel uses the same login credentials as the locally accessed web version. The URL of the local web version is not the same as the URL of the cloud version; an Epiphan Edge Premium plan is only required to access the cloud version. **Before you begin** - Make sure the device is paired to your Epiphan Edge account. - Upgrade to an Epiphan Edge Premium plan. **Access the cloud version of the Admin panel** - Log in to your Epiphan Edge account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/). - In the left navigation pane, click **Edge > All Devices** to open the All Devices page. Click the device name to open its details page. - From the Device Details page, click **Admin login** in the header bar. A new tab with the cloud Admin panel login opens. The default administrator user name is **admin**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** also support remote control of live switching and recording via the cloud version of **Epiphan Live**, using the same login credentials as the local web version. - **Pearl Nano:** "Epiphan Live is not available for Pearl Nano." (explicit, source-stated exclusion.) ### Schedule start and stop times to record and stream *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* You can use Epiphan Edge to schedule start and stop times for when the device is to record and/or stream. This requires Pearl firmware 4.21.0 or newer. You just need to pair the device to an Epiphan Cloud account that has a Premium plan. Then configure the device to retrieve schedules from Epiphan Edge. When a schedule is created for a device, it will download the schedule to its local database and follow the schedule to start or stop recording and streaming as needed. Where recorded files are stored are determined by how the device is configured at scheduled start time of recording. For example, if the device is configured to use its AFU feature to transfer recorded files to a USB drive, at the end of a scheduled recording, all files recorded as part of this schedule will be automatically uploaded to the USB drive. **Before you begin** - Make sure the device is paired to your Epiphan Edge account - Upgrade to an Epiphan Edge Premium plan. **Enable scheduling using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **CMS**. The Content management system configuration menu opens. - From the **Choose CMS** drop down, select **Epiphan Edge** and then click **Apply.** - Log in to your Epiphan Edge account at [https://go.epiphan.cloud](https://go.epiphan.cloud/) - In the left navigation pane, click **Edge > All Devices** to open the All Devices page. - Click the device name in the list to open the details page for that device. - From the Device Details page, click **Events** in the header bar. - Click the **+ Add event** button to schedule a recording and/or streaming for this device. --- ## CMS and platform integrations id: pearl-family/cms-and-platform-integrations · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # CMS and platform integrations *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Pearl encoders are fully integrated with the Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, and Opencast Content Management Systems (CMSs). Learn to use the Admin panel to set up and manage your device with these Content Management Systems, as well as how to record and stream. Full setup and operation instructions for every CMS platform — registration, scheduled and ad hoc events, and recording upload — are documented in the shared CMS integration guides. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Also integrates with EchoVideo (Echo360). All sections of the shared CMS integration guides apply to Pearl-2. Supports up to four channels for EchoVideo events. Can create ad hoc CMS events directly from its touch screen. - **Pearl Mini:** Also integrates with EchoVideo (Echo360). All sections of the shared CMS integration guides apply to Pearl Mini. Supports up to three channels for EchoVideo events. Can create ad hoc CMS events directly from its touch screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** Also integrates with EchoVideo (Echo360). All sections of the shared CMS integration guides apply to Pearl Nexus. Pearl Nexus is headless: create and manage CMS events using the Admin panel or the CMS itself rather than a device screen. - **Pearl Nano:** Does not support EchoVideo (Echo360) because it lacks the application-container support the integration requires. Only the sections marked as applying to Pearl Nano in the shared CMS integration guides apply. Cannot create ad hoc CMS events from the device display, with one narrow exception: Panopto, when the Upload destination is the Default Folder and Enable user-customizable ad hoc events is disabled. --- ## Configuration groups id: pearl-family/configuration-groups · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configuration groups *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The following table describes what settings are saved with each configuration group. **Configuration group definitions** | **Group Name** | **Settings included in the configuration group** | | --- | --- | | **System** | Date and time settings, serial port settings, remote support settings, custom disk check schedule, access passwords, LDAP configuration settings, and deny/allow lists. | | **Network** | Network settings. | | **Inputs** | All audio and video source configuration settings (including no signal images) except EDID settings, which are in their own group. | | **EDID** | EDID settings for sources. Applying configuration presets with this group automatically applies the included EDIDs. This process can take a while. | | **Channel(s)** | All channel configuration data and current recording state, all layout images used in layouts, streaming state, all recording configuration data and current recording state. | | **AFU** | Automatic file upload type, parameters and schedules. SFTP/SCP **private keys** are included (in encrypted format) in the automatic file upload preset. | | **CMS** | Include CMS settings for integrations. | | **Epiphan Edge** | Epiphan Edge pairing and encoder selection information. | | **Output ports** | All configuration settings for the output ports. | **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini:** an additional **Touch screen** group exists — "Permitted touch screen use settings." - **Pearl Nano:** the equivalent group is called **Front screen**, covering "Front screen PIN settings" (Nano uses a PIN, not a touch interface). Nano's own table also labels the channel group singular ("Channel"), reflecting its single-channel design. - **Pearl Nexus:** has no touch/front screen, so no equivalent configuration group exists at all. --- ## Configure a custom layout for a channel id: pearl-family/configure-a-custom-layout-for-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure a custom layout for a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* If you want to do live switching on your channel for a more dynamic video presentation, then you need to add different layouts that you can switch between. We recommend that you rename your channel and layouts to something more intuitive rather than using the default names. Creating layouts gives you full control over what's presented to your viewers. You can do things like change the size and position of images, add custom backgrounds, up scale and downscale your video sources, add multiple audio sources and text overlays to mention just a few. **Important considerations:** For live switching a channel, we recommend that you set the frame size to a fixed size instead of using the default automatic detection of source frame size. Setting the frame size to a fixed value ensures you don't experience any stream interruptions if the source frame size changes due to layouts that contain a single video source that has a different frame size than those in other layouts. **Configure a custom layout for a channel using the Admin panel** Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. Select a layout from the layout list or click **Add Layout** to create a new layout. If this is a new channel or layout, the layout area is empty and you see a black background matte. Add video sources or a channel as a source for instructions to add a video source to a layout. Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the video source to re-size it in the layout editor area. Click **Save** when you're done or continue to add additional video sources to the layout, resize and crop each video source to exactly how you want them to appear. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** does not support live switching between layouts or multiple layouts, so none of the three paragraphs above (the live-switching paragraph, the "Creating layouts gives you full control..." paragraph, and the "Important considerations:" frame-size paragraph) apply — Nano's guide has no intro paragraphs before the procedure table at all. The Admin panel menu names are singular ("Channel" menu, "Layout"). Nano has no layout list to select from — instead: "If this is an Auto channel and you have a video source connected to Pearl Nano and the channel encoding is set to use the current signal resolution as frame size, the video source automatically appears in the full frame. Otherwise, a No Signal image appears." Then continue: click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the video source to re-size it, and click **Save**. --- ## Configure a static IP address id: pearl-family/configure-a-static-ip-address · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure a static IP address *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can set up a Pearl device to use a static IP address from the Network configuration page using the Admin panel. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nano additionally support configuring a static IP address from an on-device screen (see Device differences below); Pearl Nexus has no on-device screen and supports Admin panel configuration only. Only IPv4 addresses are supported. Pearl devices do not support IPv6. **Configure a static IP address using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Network and the Interfaces tab. The Network Interfaces page opens. - For an interface, toggle the Use DHCP switch and enter your networking information in to the required fields. Click Save when you're done. **Table — Static IP Address Fields** | Label | Description | | --- | --- | | Use DHCP | Select Yes to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up or select No to use the configured static IP address. | | IP Address | The internet protocol address (IP Address) to assign. Obtain this from your network administrator. The device supports IPv4 addresses. It does not support IPv6 addresses. | | Network Mask | Also called the subnet mask, this value denotes a range of IP addresses. Obtain this from your network administrator, from another computer on the same subnet, or calculate the value using an online subnet calculator. | | Default gateway | The network node that serves as an access point to the rest of the network. This value cannot be blank unless you are using DHCP. Specify the system's IP address if you don't have a default gateway on your network. | | DNS Server | The domain name system server (DNS server) translates human-readable hostnames into corresponding IP addresses. Specify the system's IP address if you don't have a DNS server on your network. This value cannot be blank unless you are using DHCP. | | MTU Size | The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at the network layer. It's best for all nodes in your network to use the same value. Only change the MTU value if you know that other nodes use a different value. | The default gateway and DNS Server fields cannot be left blank. If you do not have a default gateway or a DNS server for your network, enter the static IP address in those fields. - Reboot the device when prompted. From the Configuration menu, select Maintenance and click Reboot Now on the Maintenance page. - After the system has finished rebooting, use the new IP address to log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Also configurable from the touch screen: **TIP** — you can apply a configuration preset that contains a static network IP. Tap the gear icon to open System settings, tap **Network**, tap **Static IP Address**, tap each IP segment to enter values via the keypad, tap **Apply**, then reboot to apply changes. - **Pearl Mini:** Same touch-screen procedure as Pearl-2. - **Pearl Nano:** Also configurable from the front screen menu (no touch screen — keypad/arrow-key navigation): **TIP** — you can apply a configuration preset that contains a static network IP. Press the left arrow key repeatedly to reach the Menu screen, select **System > Network**, highlight **DHCP** and press the check mark key to toggle it off, select **IP address**, enter the static IP using the arrow/check mark keys, select **Set IP address**, then reboot from the System screen (scroll to **Reboot**, select **Reboot now**). If you leave the IP address screen without setting the IP, the entered address is not applied. - **Pearl Nexus:** No on-device screen exists. Static IP address configuration is available only through the Admin panel; there is no touch-screen or front-screen alternative, and no configuration-preset TIP applies. --- ## Configure AFU to AWS S3 parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-aws-s3-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to AWS S3 parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to an Amazon Web Server (AWS) when you select AWS S3 as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AWS Region Code | The geographical region of the AWS server that contains the bucket you want to upload to, e.g. us-east-2. | | Bucket | The id of the data storage container you created in Amazon S3 for the recorded live streaming files. | | Access Key Id | The Access Key ID is part of your access key for your AWS account and is a required parameter, i.e. GAKSOSIFDONN2EXAMPLE. | | Secret Access Key | The Secret Access Key is part of your access key for your AWS account and is a required parameter, i.e. bHaprXUenFEMI/K6MANVG/cPxDfiBYEXAMPLEKEY. | | Session Token | The temporary security token provided by the AWS Security Token Service (STS) that allows access to your AWS account for authorized users. | **Prerequisites** - You must have read and write privileges for your AWS account before you can setup AFU to upload to an AWS S3 location. You also need the AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key. - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to AWS S3 using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **AWS S3 Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the **AWS Region Code** and the data storage **Bucket** where you want to upload the file. - Enter your AWS **Access Key Id** and **Secret Access Key** to authenticate access to the AWS S3 data storage bucket. Failure to provide these values could result in content loss if **Remove after uploading** is selected. - In the **Session Token** field, enter the temporary token you got from the AWS Security Token Service (STS). - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to CIFS server parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-cifs-server-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to CIFS server parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to a CIFS server (also known as SMB or samba) when you select CIFS as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. SMB2 and SMB3 are supported. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to a CIFS server. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server Port | The CIFS server port. Leave blank to use the default port, or enter the port used for your CIFS server. | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the CIFS server. | | Server share | The name of the shared folder on the CIFS server. | | Domain | The CIFS server's Windows domain or Work Group name. Needed if the server is part of Active Directory or a Domain Controller. | | Login | Username for the CIFS server. | | Password | Password for the CIFS user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4, .ts or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to a CIFS server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **CIFS Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Enter the target **Server port**, if you have configured the server to use something non-standard. Leave this value blank to use the default port. - Specify the **Server share**. This is the CIFS share name or the name of the shared folder on the server. If needed, request this value from the network administrator. - If the system is in a different domain than the server or if it is part of Active Directory, enter the **Domain name** of the CIFS server. - Specify a username for the CIFS Server in the **Login** field. The user must have write permissions for the share folder. - Specify the password for the user in the **Password** field; the value is masked by dots. - Select **Use temp file** to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to Epiphan Edge id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-epiphan-edge · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to Epiphan Edge *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You can automatically upload recordings to your Epiphan Cloud team, stored and viewed within Epiphan Edge, when you select Epiphan Edge as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. There are no specific settings to configure - simply press apply once choosing Epiphan Edge! You must be subscribed to the file management feature in your Epiphan Cloud team, found on the billing and usage page, and have a Pearl device(s) paired to Epiphan Edge on the same team to upload recordings. --- ## Configure AFU to FTP server parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-ftp-server-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to FTP server parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to an FTP server when you select FTP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure for AFU to an FTP server. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the FTP server. | | Server port | The port used by the target FTP server. Standard port is 21. | | Login | User name for the FTP server. | | Password | Password for the FTP user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and/or recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to an FTP server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **FTP Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target FTP server. The standard port is 21. - Enter the FTP account username in the **Login** field. - Enter the FTP account password in the **Password** field. The characters are masked with dots. - Select **Use temp file** to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and/or recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to RSync server parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-rsync-server-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to RSync server parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to an RSync server when you select RSync as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure for AFU to an RSync server. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the RSync server. | | Server module | The name of the shared folder on the RSync server. | | Login | Username for the RSync server. | | Password | Password for the RSync user. | | Checksum | Select to enable checksum checking during file transfer. This increases the time taken to transfer, but also increases reliability of the transfer. | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to an RSync server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **RSync Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Specify the **Server module**. This is the name of the shared folder on the server. If needed, request this value from your network administrator. - Specify a username for the RSync Server in the **Login** field. The user must have write permissions for the module. - Specify the password for the user in the **Password** field; the value is masked by dots. - (Optional) Select the **Checksum** check box to add a checksum validation to the transfer between the system and the recipient server. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to SCP client parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-scp-client-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to SCP client parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to an SCP (secure copy) client when you select SCP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to an SCP client. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the destination server. | | Server port | The SCP port used by the target server. Standard port is 22. | | Login | Username for the SCP server. | | Password | Password for the SCP user. | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. - Ensure there is adequate space on the destination device — if space may be an issue, disable the AFU option "Remove after upload" to avoid accidental deletion of files. **Configure AFU upload to an SCP client using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **SCP Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the destination SCP server. The standard port is 22. - Enter the SCP account username in the **Login** field. - Enter the SCP account password in the **Password** field; the characters are masked with dots. (Alternatively you can choose to use a private key instead of a password for authentication.) For secure copy you can upload an SSH identity for the device. This key must be trusted by the destination server. Details for generating the key and setting up this trust are beyond the scope of this document. - (Optional) Set up SSH identity for SCP and SFTP clients. If no identity is uploaded, or to upload a new identity (overwrites the old identity): - Click **Choose File** and navigate to select the private key file from your hard drive, then click **Open**. - Click **Upload** to upload the file. The system accepts RSA keys for SSH-1; DSA, ECDSA, EC25519 and RSA for SSH-2. Keys must be in **OpenSSH** format. - (Optional) Use the **Test your key** field to test your uploaded key against the secure server. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to SFTP server parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-sftp-server-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to SFTP server parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to a secure FTP (SFTP) server when you select SFTP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to an SFTP server. | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address or fully qualified domain name of the SFTP server. | | Server port | The port used by the target SFTP server. Standard port is 22. | | Login | Username for the SFTP server. | | Password | Password for the SFTP user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to an SFTP server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **SFTP Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target SFTP server. The standard port is 22. - Enter the SFTP account username in the **Login** field. - Enter the SFTP account password in the **Password** field. The characters are masked with dots. Alternatively, you can choose to use a private key instead of a password for authentication. - Select **Use temp file** to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. For secure file transfer, you can upload an SSH identity for the device. This key must be trusted by the destination server. Details for generating the key and setting up this trust are beyond the scope of this document. - (Optional) Set up SSH identity for SCP and SFTP clients. If no identity is uploaded, or to upload a new identity (overwrites the old identity): - Click **Choose File** and navigate to select the private key file from your hard drive, then click **Open**. - Click **Upload** to upload the file. The system accepts RSA keys for SSH-1; DSA, ECDSA, EC25519 and RSA for SSH-2. Keys must be in **OpenSSH** format. - (Optional) Use the **Test your key** field to test your uploaded key against the secure server. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure AFU to WebDav server parameters id: pearl-family/configure-afu-to-webdav-server-parameters · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure AFU to WebDav server parameters *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can automatically upload recordings to a WebDav server when you select WebDav as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to a WebDav server. | **Name** | **Description / Options** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the WebDav server. | | Server port | The port used by the target WebDav server. Standard port is 21. | | Login | Username for the WebDav server. | | Password | Password for the WebDav user. | | Enable HTTPS | Select if you need to use a secured HTTPS link to the WebDav server. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to a WebDav server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **WebDav Client** as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. If your system is configured with DHCP or has a valid DNS configuration, you can use the server's fully qualified domain name instead of the IP address. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target WebDav server. The standard port is 21. - Enter the WebDav account username in the **Login** field. - Enter the WebDav account password in the **Password** field. The characters are masked with dots. - Select **Enable HTTPS** if you need a secure HTTPS link to the WebDav server. - Select **Use temp file** to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "Channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Configure an auto channel id: pearl-family/configure-an-auto-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure an auto channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Nano* Pearl-2 and Pearl Nano include a pre-configured Auto channel to make setup quick and simple. However, if you want to set custom encoding or streaming configuration for the channel, you can configure it like any other channel. **Configure an automatic channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, click the automatic channel. The channel's status page opens. - Configure the automatic channel as you would any other channel. To change the video source for the automatic channel, just select a different video source using the custom layout editor. The channel name automatically changes to the name of the selected video source if there's only one source in that channel. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** has two automatic channels, **Auto A** and **Auto B**. From the Channel(s) menu, click **Auto A** or **Auto B**. - **Pearl Nano:** has a single automatic channel, **Auto**. From the Channel menu, click **Auto**. --- ## Configure audio encoding id: pearl-family/configure-audio-encoding · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure audio encoding *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* If your channel includes audio sources in any of the layouts, then **AAC 48 kHz** is set as the default audio codec for the channel. You can choose a different audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel. The following table lists the supported audio codecs and bitrates. **Supported Audio codecs and bitrates** | Value | Description | | --- | --- | | AAC | The AAC (default) audio codec is comparable to MP3 and may produce better sound quality with a similar bitrate. Supported values are 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported values are 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. Flash (FLV) doesn't support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this value you'll need to use a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computers and other devices such as digital telephone systems. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. Flash (FLV) doesn't support 48 kHz PCM audio. When selecting this value you'll need to use a media player to preview your channel. | **Change the audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - In the Audio settings, ensure that **Enable audio** is checked to include audio in the channel. - From the **Audio format** drop down, select an audio codec. - From the **Audio channels** drop down, choose mono or stereo (default). Choose **Mono** to have left and right stereo channels combined so that when you listen to the streamed or recorded audio, the same blended sound comes through both the left and right channels. - From the **Audio bitrate** drop down, choose a bitrate. For stereo audio, we recommend 256 kbps or 320 kbps. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** The relevant audio input port is XLR/TRS 1. If you have only one mono analog input, use the left jack and select mono encoding to have the same sound come from both the left and right channels (if stereo sound is chosen, the sound will only come through on the left channel). - **Pearl Mini:** The relevant audio input port is XLR-B/RCA. If you have only one mono analog input, use the left jack and select mono encoding to have the same sound come from both the left and right channels (if stereo sound is chosen, the sound will only come through on the left channel). - **Pearl Nexus:** The relevant audio input port is XLR-B/RCA. --- ## Configure DHCP Option 81 id: pearl-family/configure-dhcp-option-81 · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure DHCP Option 81 *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Ensure your Domain Name Server (DNS) always has your Pearl device's most up-to-date IP address mapped to its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). Option 81 support means you can keep using Pearl's FQDN no matter how many times the DHCP server may change Pearl's IP address. The device automatically asks the DHCP server to tell the Domain Name Server (DNS) to update its record with any changes to its IP address or FQDN. DHCP Option 81 is disabled by default. **Important considerations** - The DHCP server must support Option 81 for this feature to work. - DHCP should be enabled and setup before enabling DHCP Option 81. - You need the FQDN of your Pearl system for this procedure. Consult your network administrator if you don't have that information. **Configure DHCP Option 81 using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. - Under Settings, check Send FQDN (DHCP Option 81). - In the DNS FQDN field, enter the FQDN of your Pearl device, for example: mypearl.mydomain.com - Click Apply. - Reboot the device when prompted. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. --- ## Configure Dynamic DNS id: pearl-family/configure-dynamic-dns · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure Dynamic DNS *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can use Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) to ensure that whenever the DHCP server changes the Pearl device's IP address, the Pearl device informs the DDNS to update its domain name records. That way, you can keep using the Pearl device's FQDN without worry. The DDNS feature is useful if your DHCP server doesn't support Option 81. Custom DDNS servers, dyndns.org, and noip.com are supported. **Table — DDNS Fields** | Label | Description/Options | | --- | --- | | Provider | Choose if the DDNS provider is dyndns.com, noip.com, or a custom DDNS server of your choice. | | DDNS server name | If you are using a custom DDNS provider, you must enter the DDNS server name. If dyndns.com or noip.com are used, you can leave this field blank. | | DDNS server path | If you are using a custom DDNS provider, you must enter the DDNS server path. If dyndns.com or noip.com are used, you can leave this field blank. | | Use SSL | Choose if you will use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for communications with the DDNS server. This is enabled by default. | | Update period | Enter how often the device updates the DDNS server with its new IP address when the DHCP server changes it. Enter the update period in seconds from 30 to 864000 seconds (i.e. up to a maximum period of 10 days). The default is 600 seconds. | | Username | Enter your user name for the DDNS provider. | | Password | Enter your password for the DDNS provider. | | Hostname | Enter the hostname to use for this device in the DDNS server records. The device's serial number is the default hostname. | | External IP detection server name | If your DDNS provider uses an external IP detection server, you must provide that server's name. | | External IP detection server path | If your DDNS provider uses an external IP detection server, you must provide that server's path. | | Use SSL for external IP detection | Choose if you will use SSL encryption for communications with the external IP detection. This is enabled by default. | The status of the connection to the DDNS server, the last external IP address of the device that was reported to the DDNS server, and the time when the IP address was reported is shown. **Configure DDNS using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin - From the Configuration menu, select Network and then select the Dynamic DNS tab. The Dynamic DNS page opens. - Under Dynamic DNS, check Enabled and in the Provider field, choose either Custom, dyndns.com, or noip.com in the drop-down menu. - If you selected Custom as the provider, enter the DDNS server name and DDNS server path. If dyndns.com or noip.com were selected as the provider, you can leave those fields blank. - Enter the Username and Password for your DDNS server. - In the Hostname field, enter the hostname of your Pearl device, for example: mypearl. The default hostname is the serial number of the device. - If your DDNS provider uses an external IP detection server, enter the External IP detection server name and External IP detection server path. - Check Use SSL for external IP detection if you want to use that feature with an external IP detection server. - (Optional) Change the Update period in seconds. - Click Save. - Reboot your Pearl device when prompted. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. --- ## Configure LDAP user authentication id: pearl-family/configure-ldap-user-authentication · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure LDAP user authentication *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can use the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to authenticate users. Specify user roles by using group DNs for users who log in as an Administrator, Operator, or as a Viewer. The system has only **one** admin user and **one** operator. LDAP users must log in as either an admin or an operator and do not have their own private profiles. Any LDAP users with the name admin, operator, or viewer are ignored and the local accounts are used instead. When enabled, LDAP authentication is an **alternative** to the regular system user names and passwords. You may still log in as **admin**, **operator** or **viewer** using the passwords for those accounts. LDAP replaces the local **viewer** account instead of working side-by-side with it when LDAP is enabled and the viewer account has no password (either there is no global viewer password configured or the channel overrides the global password with a blank password). In this case, the viewer must authenticate with LDAP and **cannot** use the default **viewer** account with a blank password to log in. For security reasons, you should configure passwords for the local accounts. These instructions assume you have a pre-configured LDAP server. The server must support anonymous binding or have a special bind account with search access privileges. Note that Active Directory does not support anonymous binding. LDAP referrals, restrictions and failovers are not supported. **Configure LDAP authentication using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - In the **LDAP authentication** section, check **Enable LDAP authentication**. Uncheck the check box to disable LDAP authentication. - In the **Server address[:port]** field, enter the server IP address and (optional) port for your LDAP server. For example, 192.168.1.101:389. - In the **Connection encryption** drop-down, choose the type of encryption used by your LDAP server (if any is used). | **Connection encryption** | **Description/Default port used** | | --- | --- | | No Encryption | No encryption is used to connect to the LDAP server. The default port is 389. | | SSL | SSL encryption is used to connect to the LDAP server. The default port is 636. | | TLS/STARTTLS | The connection is initially unencrypted then upgraded to TLS encryption is used. The default port is 389. | - In the **Bind DN** and **Bind password** fields, specify the fully qualified DN and password for LDAP bind. These fields are only needed if your LDAP server does not support anonymous binding. - In the **Base DN** field, specify the baseObject to search for entries. The system will search this object and the whole subtree starting at the base DN. - (Optional) By default the Authentication attribute is *uid*, which is suitable for a unix environment. You can specify a different value in the **Authentication attribute** field, if needed. For Active Directory environments, specify *userPrincipalName*. The value of this attribute must be unique in the Base DN. - In the **Administrators (group DN)** field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be part of to be logged in as the administrator. Users must have the *member* or *uniquemember* attribute for the specified group to be granted Administrator access. If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Administrators (but can still be used for Operators and Viewers). - In the **Operators (group DN)** field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be part of to be logged in as the operator. Users must have the *member* or *uniquemember* attribute for the specified group to be granted Operator access. If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Operators (but can still be used for Administrators and Viewers). - In the **Viewers (group DN)** field, specify the distinguished name of the group users must be part of to be logged in as a viewer. Users must have the *member* or *uniquemember* attribute for the specified group to be granted Viewer access. If left blank, LDAP is not supported for Viewers (but can still be used for Administrators and Operators). - Click **Apply**. When a user of the LDAP server next visits the admin or viewer page for the system, the system prompts for the username and password. For Active Directory servers, the user needs to enter their fully qualified username (i.e. username@domainname) in addition to their LDAP password. To use \\, \ or " characters as part of user name or password, escape them using \5C, 5C and 22 respectively. The # character does not require to be escaped. Users are required to authenticate once to the system and one time per channel they view. Therefore users see a prompt to log in to the system (the system name is shown) and a second time to log in to the channel (the channel name is shown). --- ## Configure network security id: pearl-family/configure-network-security · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure network security *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Pearl devices support 802.1x network security. You can choose the authentication method, upload user certificates and private key, as well as manage signed CA certificates using the Admin panel. You can also configure your Pearl device to use HTTPS. For higher security, we recommend setting admin, operator, and viewer-level passwords on the device. ### Configure 802.1x network security and manage user certificates You can enable 802.1x security and configure the EAP method for the device to use for secure network access using the Admin panel. Supported EAP methods include: - PEAP (default) - EAP-TLS - EAP-TTLS **Important considerations** - If TLS authentication is used on the network, then you need to get a user certificate and a user private key from the network administrator and upload those to your device as part of this procedure. - Before you proceed with this setup, check that the network server's signed CA certificate appears in the list of CA certificates on the device and is valid. - If the network server's CA certificate doesn't appear in the list of signed CA certificates and you can't obtain a valid signed CA certificate for network server authentication, do not check Verify server's identity when performing this setup. - Security certificates must be PEM encoded. **Configure 802.1x and upload the user certificate and user private key using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. - Under IEEE 802.1x, check Enabled and select an EAP method: PEAP, EAP-TLS, or EAP-TTLS. - (Optional) Check Verify server's identity. - Choose an Authentication method if you selected EAP-TTLS as the EAP method. The authentication method is automatically selected if PEAP or EAP-TLS is the EAP method. **Table — Authentication methods** | EAP method | Authentication method | | --- | --- | | PEAP | EAP-MSCHAPv2 | | EAP-TLS | TLS | | EAP-TTLS | EAP-MSCHAPv2 | | | TLS | | | PAP | - Enter the network access User name and Password to use for this device. Available fields depend on the EAP method that is selected. - If TLS is chosen as the Authentication method, upload a user certificate and a user private key. You can request those from your network administrator. - Click Apply when you're done. - Reboot the device when prompted. After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. If you need to delete the user certificate or private key, click Delete certificate. ### Manage CA and self-signed certificates You can view the list of CA and self-signed certificates that come preloaded on the device. CA and self-signed certificates are used for server authentication if Verify server's identity is selected when 802.1x network security is configured. The self-signed certificate from Epiphan Video is selected by default. You can add more CA signed and self-signed certificates using the Admin panel, as well as delete any certificates that you've uploaded. You cannot delete any of the built-in CA certificates that came preloaded on the device. Security certificates must be PEM encoded. When using the Epiphan Video self-signed certificate: - Your web browser may warn of an untrusted certificate when you try to access the web-based Admin panel. You can dismiss the warning and continue to the Admin panel. - Certain low and medium-level results are expected when scanning the network for vulnerabilities while the device is connected and an active Admin panel session is in progress. Contact Epiphan Video Support for more information. **Manage CA and self-signed certificates using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Security. The Security configuration page opens. - Under CA certificates, click the arrow head to expand the list of built-in CA and self-signed certificates that came preloaded on the device. - To upload a new CA or self-signed certificate, click Choose File and select the certificate you want to upload. Then click Apply. The uploaded certificate is added to a list of user uploaded CA certificates. - To delete a CA or self-signed certificate that you've uploaded, click Choose File and select the certificate you want to delete from the list. Then click Delete. When you're done, click Apply. - Reboot the device when prompted. After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. ### Configure HTTPS You can configure the device to use HTTPS for secure, local network access to the Admin panel, as well as for viewing the live channel preview stream on the local network using the Live broadcast URL. The default HTTP port 80 redirects traffic to the default HTTPS port 443 when HTTPS is enabled. If the default ports used by the device are not available on your network, you can change them using the Admin panel. Custom applications that use the device's HTTP API should continue to work if you configure the device for HTTPS. A default, self-signed certificate from Epiphan Video comes preloaded on the device. You can upload and delete your own certificate and private key. However, you cannot delete the default self-signed certificate that comes preloaded on the device. If you upload your own self-signed certificate and private key, ensure they're PEM encoded. Certificates can either include the private key or be separate files. If you attempt to access the web-based Admin panel using a web browser and the required security certificate isn't found in the list of certificates loaded on the device, a warning message appears stating that the device isn't trusted. You can choose whether to proceed and connect to the device's web-based Admin panel without the security certificate authentication or cancel the connection. If the Epiphan Video self-signed certificate is selected, your web browser may warn of an untrusted certificate when you try to access Pearl's web-based Admin panel. You can dismiss the warning and continue to the Admin panel for your device. **Configure HTTPS and upload a self-signed certificate using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Security. The Security configuration page opens. - Under HTTPS configuration, check Secure connection (HTTPS). - (Optional) Change the default HTTP and the HTTPS port numbers. Consult your network administrator. - (Optional) Upload a new certificate and private key as required. You can request those from your network administrator. If the required certificate isn't included in the list of certificates on the device when you try and connect to the device using a web-browser, you'll receive a warning that the device isn't trusted. - Click Apply when you're done. - Reboot your device when prompted. After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. If you need to delete the certificate you uploaded and the private key, click Delete certificate, or click Restore default certificate. ### Configure HTTP Keep Alive Settings You can customize the HTTP Keep Alive settings that the device will use with third-party connections. The values you can modify are the HTTP Keep-Alive Timeout and the HTTP Maximum Keep-Alive Requests. **HTTP Keep-Alive timeout:** Maximum amount of time the device will keep a TCP connection to a third-party HTTP control system open. **HTTP Maximum Keep-Alive requests:** The maximum number of HTTP Keep-Alive requests the device will accept within the specified Keep-Alive timeout. **Configure HTTP Keep-Alive Timeout and HTTP Maximum Keep-Alive requests** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Security. The Security configuration page opens. - Under HTTPS configuration, find the HTTP Keep-Alive Timeout and HTTP Maximum Keep-Alive Requests. - Modify these values as needed. - Click Apply when you're done. - Your device will reboot. After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as admin and verify that all changes were applied. --- ## Configure recording settings, file size, and type id: pearl-family/configure-recording-settings-file-size-and-type · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure recording settings, file size, and type *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Recordings are saved as MP4 files by default. Each channel (and, on multi-channel devices, each recorder) also has a file size limit set to 500 MB and the maximum file length set to 30 minutes by default. When a recording reaches the file length of 30 minutes or 500 MB (whichever comes first), the system closes the current recording file and immediately opens a new one. No recorded data is lost. If you don't know what size to select, do some test recordings to get an idea of the file sizes you can expect. If you want to guarantee the recording lasts to a given time limit, select a file size that is far larger than you saw in your tests. **Important considerations** - You cannot change the recording settings, file size, and type for channels used with Kaltura events. - The file recording type for a channel you are controlling and recording using Epiphan Edge must be set to MP4 and the maximum file size supported is 500 MB. The following table describes the recordings configuration settings. | **Label** | **Description / Options** | | --- | --- | | Time limit | Specifies the length of time the system waits before the recording file is saved and a new one is started (assuming the size limit has not yet been reached). Values range from 5 minutes to unlimited. The MOV file type is limited to a maximum duration of 13h15m, regardless of the value set in the UI. | | Size limit | Specifies the maximum file size a recording can reach before it is saved and a new recording is started (assuming the time limit has not yet been reached). See Device differences below for the numeric range per device. | | File type | Specifies the recording file type. Select from AVI, MP4, MP4-Fragmented, MPEG-TS, or MOV. **AVI**: Generally used for playback on Windows. **MP4**: A progressive version of MP4... **MP4-Fragmented**: A newer MP4 format. Fixed 10 second intervals... **MPEG-TS**: Does not support PCM audio encoding. **MOV**: A progressive version of MOV. Generally used for playback on Mac OS. | | Filename prefix | Specifies how the recordings are named. Recording files start with the given prefix followed by the date and time of the recording, set by the system. The channel or recorder name is used if no prefix is given. Allowed characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _, , #, -, [], (). Avoid using spaces in recording file names; use underscores or hyphens instead. | | Automatic file upload | Select this if you want this channel or recorder to be part of any scheduled automatic uploads. | **Change the recording configuration using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording** from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - Under Recorder Setup, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Change the default recording file settings: - **Time limit**: Select a value from 5 minutes to unlimited. - **Size limit**: see Device differences below. - **File type**: AVI, MPEG-TS, MOV, MP4, or MP4-Fragmented. - (Optional) Enter a prefix for the recordings. - (Optional) Check the check box to exclude this channel or recorder from automatic file uploads. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Nexus:** Size limit range is 50 MB to 64 GB (fixed). - **Pearl Mini:** Size limit range is 50 MB up to a maximum of one quarter the capacity of the installed SD card (or SSD). - **Pearl Nano:** No fixed size-limit ceiling — select from listed options; the available range depends on the size of the installed SD card or M.2 SSD. Nano has only one channel and no "For a channel/For a recorder" branching step. - **Single touch control** applies to all four devices, but works differently per device. On Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini, this Admin panel setting adds a recorder or streamer (publisher) to the touch screen Launcher; it's enabled by default for every recorder and streamer, and can be disabled individually by unchecking the option for that recorder or streamer (a channel can have multiple streamers, so this is set per recorder/streamer, not per channel). The Single Touch API call only starts and stops recorders and streamers that have this option enabled. Pearl Nano has no Launcher, so this same feature macros the record and stream controls together — pressing either one starts both recording and streaming. Pearl Nexus has no touch screen or display, but the underlying Single Touch API call works the same as on the other Pearl devices. --- ## Configure the touch screen id: pearl-family/configure-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Configure the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* The touch screen is enabled by default and all its features are available. You can disable the entire screen or some of its features using the Admin panel. - **Enable display** - Enable or disable the device from displaying anything on the touch screen. - **Show preview** - Hide or show the channel previews on the touch screen. - **Show system status** - Disable or enable the system status screen. If disabled, system information like device IP address will not be available from the touch screen. - **Allow control for network settings, configuration presets, Epiphan Edge, output port and SD card** - Enable or disable the ability to: - modify network settings - modify configuration presets - Enable/disable Epiphan Edge access - format output port and SD card. - If this check box is cleared and **Show System Status** is selected, users see an *i* icon instead of the configuration gears icon in the lower right corner of the touch screen. - **Allow control for recording, streaming, and layout switching** - Enable or disable control for recording, streaming and layout switching. **Show preview** must be enabled for the touch screen for recording, streaming and live switching control to work. - **Single touch control** - Select from the following: - **Default** - The Single Touch control screen is accessed by tapping the One Touch control icon at the bottom of the touch screen. - **Start screen** - The Single Touch control start screen displays automatically on the touch screen when you power on the device. Operators can still navigate to other screens from the Single Touch control screen by tapping the Home icon in the top right corner of the screen. - **Locked** - The Single Touch control start screen is the only screen that displays on the touch screen. Operators cannot navigate to other screens from the Single Touch control screen. - **Timeout** - Set the touch screen to shut off after a given amount of time. To re-enable the touch screen after it times out and shuts off, simply tap anywhere on the screen. - **PIN** - Enable a 4-digit pin to lock the screen. - **Reset PIN** - Enable a 4-digit pin to prevent users from using the Touch screen to apply the built-in presets. **Device differences** - **Pearl Mini only:** **Orientation** - Rotate the image displayed on the touch screen of the Pearl Mini 180 degrees. Text will appear upside down and backwards on the touch screen unless you physically rotate the Pearl Mini device. This display orientation setting does not affect the video sent to the video output port, or the video being streamed or recorded. Pearl-2 does not offer this setting. See "Rotate the Pearl Mini's touch screen orientation" below. ### Disable or enable the touch screen You can enable or disable the device from displaying anything on the touch screen. The touch screen remains touch-sensitive even when the display is disabled. **Disable or enable the touch screen display using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Touch Screen**. The touch screen configuration page opens. - Uncheck **Enable display** to disable the touch screen display. Check **Enable display** if you want the touch screen display enabled. - Click **Apply**. #### Hide or show channel previews on the touch screen Previews of your configured channels display on the touch screen by default. You can disable channel previews using the Admin panel. A message displays on the touch screen when channel previews are disabled. If you have configured **system status** or **settings and configuration preset changes** to be allowed, then tapping anywhere on the touch screen opens the settings page. **Hide or show the channel previews on the touch screen using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Touch Screen**. The touch screen configuration page opens. - Uncheck **Show preview** to disable channel previews from displaying on the touch screen. Check **Show preview** if you want to enable channel previews on the touch screen. - Click **Apply**. #### Disable or enable the system status screen The system status screen displays network and system related information, such as the IP address needed to access the device. You may not want this information visible on the touch screen after you've configured the device. You can use the Admin panel to disable the system status screen from displaying on the touch screen. **Disable or enable the system status screen from displaying on the touch screen** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Touch Screen**. The touch screen configuration page opens. - Uncheck **Show system status** to prevent the system status screen from opening on the touch screen. Check **Show system status** if you want to enable the system status screen to open on the touch screen. - Click **Apply**. #### Disable or enable configuration using the touch screen You can apply configuration presets and configure network settings using the touch screen by default. You can disable this ability using the Admin panel. If configuration is blocked and system status is permitted, touch screen users see an *i* icon instead of the configuration gears icon in the lower right corner of the touch screen. **Disable or enable configuration using the touch screen** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Select the **Touch Screen** link in the Configuration menu. The touch screen configuration page opens. - Uncheck **Allow settings and configuration preset changes** to disable configuration from the touch screen. Check the check box if you want to enable configuration from the touch screen. - Click **Apply**. #### Disable or enable recording, streaming, and switching from the touch screen Recording, streaming, and live switching control using the touch screen is enabled by default. You can disable this function using the Admin panel to stop users from switching layouts and from starting or stopping live streams and recordings. Channel preview must be enabled for the touch screen for recording, streaming, and live switching control to work. **Disable or enable recording, streaming, and switching control using the touch screen** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Touch Screen**. The touch screen configuration page opens. - Uncheck **Allow start/stop recording and streaming** to disable recording, streaming, and live switching control from the touch screen. Check the check box to enable recording, streaming, and live switching control. - Click **Apply**. #### Rotate the Pearl Mini's touch screen orientation (Pearl Mini only) Using the Admin panel, you can rotate the image displayed on the touch screen of Pearl Mini 180 degrees. Text will appear upside down and backwards on the touch screen unless you physically rotate the Pearl Mini device. This display orientation setting does not affect the video sent to the video output port, or the video being streamed or recorded. **Rotate the touch screen 180° using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen**. The Touch screen configuration page opens. - From the Orientation drop-down menu, select **180°** and then click **Apply**. #### Set the screen timeout Initially, the screen is always on for easy monitoring. However, you can set the screen to shut off after a given amount of time. To re-enable the screen after it times out and shuts off: - Tap anywhere on the screen. - If the start screen is not set to locked mode and a screen timeout occurs, tapping the touch screen returns you to the last screen you were on before the timeout occurred. - If you set a 4-digit PIN when the start screen is in locked mode, a lock appears in the top right of the start screen after a timeout. You must enter the PIN to unlock the start screen for access to the touch screen. **Set the screen timeout using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select Touch Screen. The Touch screen configuration page opens. - Enter the number of seconds before the screen automatically shuts off in the **Timeout** field. A value of 0 keeps the screen on at all times when the system is on. - Click **Apply**. #### Set a PIN security code You can set a PIN code to protect the screen from unauthorized access. By default, the PIN is not set. If a PIN is configured, users are prompted to enter the PIN code whenever: - You power on or restart the device. - The device recovers from timeout mode. If you set a PIN when the start screen is in locked mode, a lock appears in the top right of the start screen. You must enter the PIN to unlock the start screen, access other screens, and use the Record and Stream Control keys to start and/or stop recording or streaming. When you return to the Single Touch control or CMS start screen, the device automatically locks itself and you must re-enter the PIN to unlock the screen. If no PIN is set when the start screen is in locked mode, you can access the configured start screen right away. Anyone can quickly start/stop streaming and recording if the Single Touch control start screen is configured, or start/stop an event if the start screen is configured for Content Management System (CMS). However, no other screens are accessible using the device screen. **Set a device screen PIN security code using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen**. The **Touch screen configuration** page opens. - Enter a 4 to 12-digit PIN code in the **PIN** field, then click **Apply**. Record the PIN code in a safe location for future reference. You need this PIN to access the device screen. #### Set a Reset PIN You can set a Reset PIN code to protect from unauthorized application of the built-in configuration presets such as Default Configuration preset and the Easy Mode configuration preset via the touch screen. If a Reset PIN is configured, users are prompted to enter the PIN code whenever: - You want to use the touch screen to apply the Default Configuration preset. **Set a Reset PIN security code using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen**. The **Touch screen configuration** page opens. - Enter a 4 to 12-digit PIN code in the **Reset PIN** field, then click **Apply**. Record the PIN code in a safe location for future reference. You need this PIN to apply the built-in configuration presets. --- ## Connect a web URL as a video source id: pearl-family/connect-a-web-url-as-a-video-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Connect a web URL as a video source *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You can add a web URL as an input to the device just the same as you would connect an SRT source. This feature is helpful for adding lower-thirds, titling, and bugs. **Add a web URL as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select **Add input** and select **Add Graphics input**. - Enter the following: - **Web-output url**: the URL of the graphics source using the format **https://**, where is the web output of the graphics. - **Rendering resolution**: Optionally provide the resolution for the device to render this graphics input. - **No signal image**: Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the web URL stream from the dropdown list. The **default** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout**: Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No Signal** image appears. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** no equivalent content exists anywhere in Pearl Nano's guide. --- ## Connect an AV.io video grabber id: pearl-family/connect-an-avio-video-grabber · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Connect an AV.io video grabber *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You can connect an Epiphan AV.io frame grabber to a USB input port just the same as you would connect a web camera. The device treats the video source from the frame grabber just like any other video source. Use AV.io frame grabbers to connect extra HDMI, DVI, or SDI sources. You can set up and operate frame grabbers using the same steps as Configure a video input source. - **AV.io HD**: [https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-hd/Content/Home-AVioHD.htm](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-hd/Content/Home-AVioHD.htm) - **AV.io SDI**: [https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-sdi/Content/Home-AVioSDI.htm](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-sdi/Content/Home-AVioSDI.htm) **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 only:** "Using AV.io HD, you can add up to two VGA sources to Pearl-2." Pearl-2 also supports **AV.io 4K**: [https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-4k/Content/Home-AVio4K.htm](https://www.epiphan.com/userguides/avio-4k/Content/Home-AVio4K.htm) - **Pearl Nano:** does not apply — Pearl Nano's rear USB port supports UAC (audio) devices only; it does not support UVC webcams or frame grabbers presenting as USB video devices. --- ## Connect an NDI|HX source id: pearl-family/connect-an-ndihx-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Connect an NDI|HX source *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* **Device differences** - Pearl-2 supports full NDI (including Alpha channel) in addition to NDI|HX, with different input limits and bandwidth figures, and is documented separately. - Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming at all. NDI® lets you transmit and receive low latency video over Gigabit Ethernet networks. This device supports ingest of high efficiency NDI|HX and does not support Alpha channel. Any mention of using NDI with this device in this user guide refers to NDI|HX inputs. Video and audio can come from a variety of NDI|HX sources, including: - Remote NDI|HX enabled PTZ cameras - Any NDI|HX unaware HDMI/SDI source using an NDI|HX converter - NDI|HX output from IOS and Android mobile devices running the NewTek NDI camera app The device discovers and lists all available NDI|HX resources on the same network. Simply choose which NDI|HX source you want from a list. Optionally, you can search for specific NDI|HX sources by name and NDI|HX group. You can also discover specific NDI|HX devices installed on different networks, subnets, and on networks that have mDNS disabled. The device also supports adding an NDI discovery server to the network configuration to help discover NDI|HX sources on the network. **Important considerations** - For NDI|HX to work properly, network ports 49152 to 65535 need to be open for two-way traffic. Contact your network administrator for assistance. - The network discovery port 5557 on the device must be enabled (default). - The device supports up to three 1920×1080@30 fps inputs simultaneously. Up to two of those 1080@30 inputs can be from an NDI|HX source. **To connect an NDI|HX source:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**. The Add input page opens with all available NDI|HX resources listed. - Do one of the following: - If the NDI|HX resource is listed, select **Add** beside it. The new NDI|HX input details page opens. - If the NDI|HX resource is assigned to an NDI|HX group, enter the group name and click **Discover** to see available resources in that group, then select **Add**. - If a remote NDI|HX resource is on a different network/subnet, or mDNS is disabled, enter its IP address in the **Extra source IP addresses** field and click **Discover**. Use a comma to separate multiple IP addresses, then select **Add**. - Alternatively, if the device is configured with the IP address of an available NDI|HX Discovery server, it will query the discovery server for available NDI|HX sources. - To add an NDI|HX input without selecting a resource, click **Add NDI input**. A blank NDI|HX input details page opens; you can search for and assign a resource later. - (Optional) On the NDI|HX input details page, check **Ignore timecode** to have the device ignore any timecode information in the NDI|HX signal — useful if the source doesn't send a timecode or its timecode is unstable. - Click **Apply**. After your NDI|HX source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics under the **Status** header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with the NDI|HX signal are also displayed there. --- ## Connect external devices id: pearl-family/connect-external-devices · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Connect external devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can connect external devices to your device for control and monitoring. ### Connect an external keyboard Instead of using the built-in virtual keyboard, you can connect a USB keyboard and use that. Simply enable the external keyboard feature using the Admin panel and connect your keyboard directly to any available USB port. You can change the keyboard layout to any of the supported languages. When multiple languages are selected, you can use **Ctrl+Shift** or **Ctrl+Alt** to toggle between languages. - American English (default) - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Netherlands - Norwegian (Bokmal) - Portuguese (European) - Spanish (Spain) - Swiss - Russian When an external keyboard is connected to the USB port, the **Lock Caps** key on the external keyboard controls both the external keyboard and the virtual keyboard. **Enable the external keyboard feature using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens. - In the **Keyboard application** drop-down menu, select the appropriate option for your device (see Device differences below). - (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layouts. The default layout is American English. - (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layouts if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**. - Click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 / Pearl Mini:** the external keyboard replaces the built-in virtual keyboard on the device's touch screen; select **Touch screen** in the Keyboard application drop-down. Neither device's own source guide includes a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer after this procedure. - **Pearl Nano:** the external keyboard replaces the built-in virtual keyboard on Pearl Nano's (non-touch) front screen; select **Front Screen** in the Keyboard application drop-down. Pearl Nano's own guide follows this procedure with a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer. - **Pearl Nexus:** headless — no on-device screen. The external keyboard controls the virtual keyboard in the local console instead, and there is no Keyboard application drop-down step in the Admin panel procedure for Pearl Nexus. Its own guide also includes a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer after this procedure. --- ## Create a channel id: pearl-family/create-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Create a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* Create channels using the Admin panel. New channels automatically use the same aspect ratio as the default frame size setting for the channel, which is 16:9. You can change the encoding settings for a channel after the channel is created. The default encoding settings for a channel are: - **Video**: H.264, 1920x1080@30 fps, auto bitrate - **Audio**: AAC, 48kHz stereo, 320 kbps If the channel's video source doesn't have a 16:9 aspect ratio, the system automatically detects the correct aspect ratio and updates the layout after you leave and return to the custom layout editor page. This happens because the channel's encoding page has **Use current signal resolution as frame size** selected by default. When you create a channel, it's convenient to add your video and audio sources at that time. Channels can have one or more video and audio sources. This procedure includes basic steps to add a single video and audio source. **Create a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channels** menu, click **Add channel**. The custom layout editor for the new channel opens and the default layout is selected. A 16:9 workspace appears in the layout area. - Click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. - From the Source settings, select a video source in the **Source** drop down. For best results, **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** should be checked under **Source settings**. The selected video source appears in the layout area. - Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the source to re-size it in the layout editor area. For a single source channel, it should fill the entire layout area. Alternatively, you could enter a percentage or pixel value in the boxes that are along the side and bottom of the layout editor area to resize the selected source. - Select an audio source from the list of audio sources. If a channel is selected as a video source, the corresponding audio for that channel is selected by default. - Click **Save**. Your channel is ready for basic streaming and recording. Because this is a single-source channel with only one layout, the channel's name is updated to display the source's name next time you view the channel. Click the channel name in the **Channels** menu to refresh. Rename the channel and choose a custom name if you don't want the channel name to change. **What's next?** The default channel encoding setting should work fine in most cases. To check the encoding settings for the channel, see Configure encoding. There are a lot of creative things you can do next with your channel, including creating more layouts, adding multiple video and audio sources, and customizing layouts to add images and backgrounds. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Each additional channel and layout consumes additional CPU processing capacity of Pearl-2. Pearl-2 supports up to six 1080p channels (or up to four 4K sources in a single channel) — see "What is a channel on Pearl-2?". - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus come pre-configured with two full HD channels at 30 fps: HDMI-A and HDMI-B. You may find it easier to reconfigure those existing channels instead of deleting and creating new ones. It's possible to create a third channel and adjust the encoding settings of your channels to economize CPU processing, but optimum performance with three channels is not guaranteed. To optimize performance if you have more than two channels configured, consider deleting unused layouts and avoiding up-scaling or down-scaling video sources. --- ## Create a configuration preset id: pearl-family/create-a-configuration-preset · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Create a configuration preset *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Configuration presets are the perfect way to back up your Pearl device setup so that you can reapply it later without worrying if someone changes your settings or does a factory reset. You can create a configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** You can create as many configuration presets as you need; however, there's a limit to the amount of space available for configuration presets. A maximum of 256 MB is available for configuration presets and the maximum size of a single configuration preset is 128 MB. Before creating and using a configuration preset, read Configuration preset considerations. For each configuration preset you create, you get to name the preset and choose which groups of settings to include. After you finish configuring the device, it's good practice to save a full backup with all groups selected so that you can restore your full configuration at a later date. Configuration presets that include **network** or **system** settings require a system restart when applied. **Important considerations** - Configuration preset file names should be unique and should not contain # or + symbols. - If you try to save a configuration preset but one or more of the related image files is missing, an error message is displayed. You'll be unable to save the preset until the missing files are restored or the layouts referencing the missing files are modified to remove the bad references. - If you try to save a configuration preset but there isn't enough space, an error message is displayed. You'll need to delete some presets before proceeding. **Create a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under **Create a configuration preset**, enter a name for your configuration preset in the **Name** field. Configuration preset file names should be unique and should not contain # or + symbols. - Check the configuration groups you want to include in the preset. For a full system backup, select all groups. After a configuration preset has been created, you can select which sections of the configuration preset to apply. - Click **Save**. Your configuration preset appears in the list. --- ## Crop a video source id: pearl-family/crop-a-video-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Crop a video source *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can crop a video source to change the size and shape of your video as it appears on screen using the custom layout editor. Cropping a source gives you a lot of advantages and can help to conserve the overall amount of processing CPU usage for the device. **Crop a source using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Select a video source from the items list. The **Source settings** appears. - Click **Crop**. Your video source appears in a pop-up editing window. - The **Crop** window has several tools for creating the best crop possible. - **Free form** is the default crop mode. In this mode, you can change the size, aspect ratio, and position of the crop with minimal restrictions. - The red box with click-and-drag circular handles in the corners shows the cropped area that appears in the final layout. Only the content inside the box shows in the layout. In **Free form** mode, you can click and drag the red handles to change the size and ratio of the box, and you can click and drag the box itself to change its position. When you have selected an aspect ratio, you can alter the size by dragging the red handles. When you have selected a size, you can change its position by dragging the box. - The number boxes allow you to make precise crops. Click the text boxes and enter a number to determine how many pixels of distance from the edge that line is drawn. You can also erase the "px" after the number and type in "%" to manipulate the box using percentages. - To create a crop with a specific resolution, choose a **Size** from the available list. This creates a box with that exact resolution. Click and drag the box to move it into position. The size cannot be changed except by selecting a different size, or by selecting **Free form** or **Aspect Ratio**. - Selecting an aspect ratio allows you to create a crop box of almost any size in a particular ratio. After selecting a ratio, you can manipulate the crop area's size and position without changing its shape. - Click **OK** to close the crop window. - Click **Save**. You can also manipulate the crop-box using keyboard controls. You can move the crop box using the arrow keys, and holding **Ctrl** or **Shift** while resizing the box keeps the aspect ratio of the box constant. Hold **Shift** and use the arrow keys to move one side of the box while leaving the other in the same location. If creating a crop on a video source that has no active signal the crop is based on the default resolution of the 'No Signal' image, which is 1280x720p. To work around this set a custom 'No Signal' image at the same resolution as the video source you intend to bring in and crop. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** "Pearl-2 can capture a 1080p crop from a 4K source, a specific aspect ratio or size from a source, or select a crop that fits into your layout better than the full area of your video." - **Pearl Nano:** "Pearl Nano can capture a 1080p crop from a 4K source, a specific aspect ratio or size from a source, or select a crop that fits into your layout better than the full area of your video." The Admin panel menu name is also singular for Nano ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"). - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus do not support capturing a 1080p crop from a 4K source. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus capture video sources at a maximum resolution of 1920x1200 and cannot capture a 4K source. --- ## Custom layout configuration id: pearl-family/custom-layout-configuration · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Custom layout configuration *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Using the custom layout editor, you can create completely different looks for your channel - like picture in picture or side-by-side video sources. You can add media like transparent images and custom backgrounds to a layout, then resize and arrange all the different media elements the way you want. **Multiple layouts** When you add multiple layouts to a channel, you can switch between the different layouts for a more interesting and dynamic presentation. Each layout you add to your channel adds overhead to the device, and more complex layouts consume more of the system's resources. So, it's a good idea to delete any layouts you're not using. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** does not support multiple layouts per channel (single channel, single layout only). The "Multiple layouts" note above does not apply to Pearl Nano — there is no layout list and nothing to switch between. --- ## Custom system variables for text overlays id: pearl-family/custom-system-variables-for-text-overlays · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Custom system variables for text overlays *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Using HTTP APIs, you can create your own custom system variables for use in text overlays. The device also supports RS-232 APIs. This is useful to add custom overlay text that changes throughout the course of your live stream or recorded program. For example, using the HTTP API you can create a system variable for the current GPS co-ordinates, then use a script to update the GPS co-ordinates in your custom variable as the physical location in your stream changes. Here's an example custom variable called **gpsvar1** that has a value of N103 68201 W765 29712. To insert the custom system variable into a text overlay, simply type **%(gpsvar1)** into the **Text **field. If you use a non-monospaced font, the size of the text overlay changes as the letters, numbers, and the length of words change. Use a monospaced font to maintain a consistent size for the text overlay (assuming the total number of characters in the text string doesn't change). The RS-232 SET command syntax in this case is VAR.SET.*<**name**>*=*<**value**>*, for example: VAR.SET.gpsvar1=N103 68201 W765 29712 where *<**name**>* is **gpsvar1** and *<**value**>* is **N103 68201 W765 29712**. There are no limits for the frequency of system variable commands using RS-232. However, only one command can be issued at a time. HTTP system variable commands are issued at a frequency of **5 per second**. You can include up to six variables in a single HTTP SET command. After issuing a SET command, all channels using the specified variables are updated. System variables are considered volatile. They are deleted when the device reboots. **Device differences** - None. This section applies uniformly and identically to all four devices. --- ## Dante audio on Pearl devices id: pearl-family/dante-audio-on-pearl-devices · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Dante audio on Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus can natively receive and decode Dante audio over the network, with firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on. This removes the need for the external dongles and additional cable runs previously used to bring Dante audio into a Pearl system. Dante channel counts differ by device: Pearl-2 supports four Dante audio input channels (two stereo inputs); Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus support two (one stereo input). Dante output and Dante video are not supported on any Pearl device. **Pearl Nano does not support Dante audio.** The Dante audio feature add-on is not available for Pearl Nano. Dante is also available on the EC20 PTZ Camera, which is not a Pearl device. The EC20 accepts two channels (one stereo pair) of Dante audio input and does not provide Dante output. Dante audio can be received through either the built-in Ethernet port or a USB to Ethernet adapter; see "Select Dante network interface." To purchase, install, and activate the Dante audio feature add-on, see "Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons." For a detailed guide to purchasing and activating the Dante feature add-on, see the Epiphan knowledge base: https://learn.epiphan.com/set-up-dante-on-pearl. ### Which Pearl devices include the Dante feature *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* Whether a Pearl device includes the Dante audio feature add-on depends on when it was ordered. The feature is included at no charge on units ordered on or after the date for that product, but it still needs to be activated: - **Pearl Mini** — ordered on or after June 1, 2026 includes the Dante two-channel feature. - **Pearl Nexus** — ordered on or after June 1, 2026 includes the Dante two-channel feature. - **Pearl-2** — ordered on or after September 1, 2026 includes the Dante four-channel feature. **Units ordered before those dates do not include the Dante feature and require a separate Dante feature license.** A Pearl Mini or Pearl Nexus ordered before June 1, 2026, or a Pearl-2 ordered before September 1, 2026, needs a Dante license purchased for it in order to use Dante audio. A Dante feature license can be purchased from epiphan.com: https://www.epiphan.com/products/dante-4-ch-feature-add-on for Pearl-2, and https://www.epiphan.com/products/dante-2-ch-feature-add-on for Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus. After purchase, activate it as described in "Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons." ### How Dante entitlement is determined *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus.* Entitlement follows the **order date**, not the ship date. The customer does not need to do anything at the time of purchase for an entitled unit to receive the feature. Entitlement is determined from a register of serial numbers mapped against their order dates. To confirm whether a specific unit is entitled, contact Epiphan support at support@epiphan.com with the device serial number. Entitlement cannot be inferred from the ship date, and the ship date should not be used to determine whether a unit includes the Dante feature. --- ## Delete a channel id: pearl-family/delete-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Delete a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* You can delete a channel using the Admin panel. Deleting a channel removes all recorded files that are associated with that channel. You cannot recover recordings for a channel after the channel is deleted. We recommend that you stop recording or streaming for the channel before deleting the channel. If you have multiple configuration presets, deleting a channel removes all recorded files that are related to that channel across all presets. **Delete a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel menu, select a channel and click **Status**. The Status page for the channel opens. - Click **Delete this channel** and click **OK** when prompted to delete the channel, or click **Cancel**. --- ## Delete a configuration preset id: pearl-family/delete-a-configuration-preset · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Delete a configuration preset *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can delete individual configuration presets from the **Maintenance** page in the Admin panel. **Delete a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Click **Delete** beside the configuration preset that you want to delete, and then click **OK** when prompted. Devices can delete all configuration presets at once by doing a factory reset. You cannot delete the built-in configuration presets. --- ## Delete, move, or duplicate a layout id: pearl-family/delete-move-or-duplicate-a-layout · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Delete, move, or duplicate a layout *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* It's simple to re-order, remove, and duplicate layouts using the custom layout editor. **Important note for channels with multiple layouts** The two default channels are named HDMI-A and HDMI-B. Each has a default layout with the corresponding HDMI-A (or HDMI-B) video and audio sources already assigned. By default, when a channel includes only one layout that has a single video source, the default channel name is assigned the name of the video source. When you add a second layout to the channel, the channel name automatically changes to a generic name **Channel ***X*, where *X* is the channel index number. For example, SRT 1 changes to Channel 1. Changing the channel name affects system operation. - If the channel is streaming, the stream is stopped and restarted. - If the channel's recorder is recording, then recording is stopped and a new file is started. If you delete all the layouts in a channel until there is only one layout left and that layout has only one video source assigned, then the channel name changes back to the name of the video source. To avoid channel name changes, we recommend that you rename the channel to a custom name. Changing the channel name to a custom name ensures that no automatic channel renaming happens. **Reorder layouts using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - In the layouts list, click and drag the icon with the three horizontal bars at the left side of the row to rearrange the order of your layouts. **Delete a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** You can delete any layout except the currently active layout. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the **X** at the right side of the row for the layout you want to delete. The system prompts you to make sure you want to delete the layout. - Click **OK**. When using the switcher on Epiphan Live, refresh your browser if you still see a layout that was deleted. The deleted layout should disappear. **Duplicate a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** If you're planning to use live switching, we strongly recommend you rename the channel rather than using the default channel name. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the double folder icon at the right side of the row for the layout you want to duplicate. A duplicate of the layout is added at the bottom of the list. - Click **OK**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** default-channel-naming description is more general ("a channel with one layout that has HDMI-A in it is named HDMI-A by default") rather than asserting exactly two default channels — Pearl-2 has more than two default input-derived channels available given its larger port set. - **Pearl Nano:** this entire heading does not apply — Nano supports only one layout per channel, so there is nothing to delete, move, or duplicate. --- ## Deploy Epiphan devices with Configuration Presets id: pearl-family/deploy-epiphan-devices-with-configuration-presets · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Deploy Epiphan devices with Configuration Presets *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Epiphan provides tools that make deploying, monitoring, and managing fleets of Epiphan devices, small and large, easy and straightforward. In this section we cover how to create and apply Configuration Presets: - with Epiphan Edge - with the Pearl Admin panel - with a maintenance USB It's possible, through the use of Configuration Presets — either through Epiphan Edge, the Admin panel, or a USB drive — to quickly configure multiple Pearl devices to use EchoVideo (Echo360). **ℹ️ Note** If using Epiphan Edge, a premium Edge team is required in order to apply Configuration Presets and see your EchoVideo event calendar. See the [Epiphan Edge Product page](https://www.epiphan.com/edge/). The process, no matter the method, works like this: - Create a Configuration Preset - Transfer (download/upload) the Configuration Preset to your chosen method of application - Apply the Configuration Preset to other devices of the same model **💡 Tip** We generally recommend deselecting **System**, **Network**, and **Epiphan Edge** when creating and applying a Configuration Preset to other devices. #### Creating and applying a Configuration Preset using Epiphan Edge (premium required) - Log in to **Epiphan Edge**. - Navigate to **All Devices** under **Epiphan Edge** on the left side bar. - Choose the device you want to create the **Configuration Preset** from. - Click the **Presets** tab. - Click **Create a configuration preset**. - Name the preset and choose the groups of settings you wish to include. - Click **Create**. - You will see the new Configuration Preset populate under **Local presets on device**. - Click **upload** on the chosen preset. - The configuration preset will be seen in your **Team presets**. - Apply the **Configuration Preset**: - **For a single device:** Choose another device of the same model, click the **Presets** tab, and click **Apply** on the chosen **Configuration Preset**. - **For multiple devices:** Choose all devices you want to apply the configuration preset to, click the **Configuration Preset** button on the bottom right (it looks like options sliders), choose the **Configuration Preset**, and click **Apply**. #### Creating and applying Configuration Presets using the Pearl Admin panel - Log in to the **Admin panel**. - Navigate to **Maintenance** on the lower left. - In the **Create a Configuration Preset** section, enter a name for your preset and check all the boxes next to whatever settings you want to save into your preset. - We generally recommend deselecting **System**, **Network**, and **Epiphan Edge** if applying the preset to other units. - After you've chosen your settings click **Save**; this saves the preset to the unit. - You can find your newly created preset in the section above and download it. - Log in to the Admin panel for the other device you wish to configure. - Navigate to **Maintenance** on the lower left. - In the **Import configuration preset** section, click **Choose file**. - In the dialogue box that appears, navigate to a Configuration Preset you have downloaded to your computer and click **Open**. - Click the **Import** button. - If the Configuration Preset is uploaded successfully it will appear in the list above alongside the **Default Configuration Preset**. - Click the **Apply** button next to a preset to apply it. #### Apply a configuration preset with USB **ℹ️ Note** You can also use a Maintenance USB to apply a preset from the device display. This is not supported on Pearl Nexus, as it has no display. To create a Maintenance USB: - Start by formatting a USB stick to **exFAT**, **FAT32**, **ext2**, or **ext4**. - Insert the USB stick into your computer and rename the USB drive to **EPIPHAN** (case-sensitive). - Create a new folder on the USB stick. Name it **EPIPHAN** (case-sensitive). - Copy your **Configuration Preset** to the **EPIPHAN** folder on the **Maintenance USB**. - Insert the **Maintenance USB** into your Pearl device. - Access your Pearl's built-in display. - Navigate to the **Configuration Preset** section of the screen. - Tap the **Cog** in the lower right corner. - Tap **Configuration Presets**. - Select your preset and **Apply** it. This overwrites any existing settings on the device with all the settings stored in the preset. The Pearl will warn you of this and you must acknowledge that you want to proceed. **Modify other CMS settings** **ℹ️ Note** To modify the CMS integration settings, log in to your EchoVideo (Echo360) admin portal. --- ## Diagnostic tools id: pearl-family/diagnostic-tools · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Diagnostic tools *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Diagnostic tools are available to help you troubleshoot your device's setup and network connection. You can run them using the Admin panel. Available diagnostic tools: - **Connectivity status**: Display the status of critical network connections - **Ping**: Test if the device can reach a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support ping. - **Trace route**: Trace the route that packet traffic takes to get from the device to a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support traceroute. - **Bandwidth test**: Display the available upload and download bandwidth speed in Mbps. - **Domain name resolution**: Confirm that the domain name of the DNS server configured on the device is resolvable. - **Probe**: Check if a network port is open on the network side. Using the Admin panel, diagnostic tools are accessed from the Configuration menu when you select **Network** then the Network Diagnostic Tab. The following table describes what the colored icons in the results indicate. **Diagnostic test result icons** | **Icon** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Green Checkmark | The diagnostic test result is okay. This can also mean that a specific feature is enabled on the device. | | Grey X | The feature or option is disabled on the device. | | Red X | The diagnostic test result is not okay. An error was detected. | ### Connectivity status results The following table describes the Connectivity status diagnostics results shown on the Admin panel (and, where applicable, the device's own screen). | **Diagnostic** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | DNS | Check if the device can resolve host names with their associated IP address using the DNS server that is configured for it. | | Captive portal | Check for connectivity issues caused by a Captive portal. An **okay** result can indicate several conditions: no captive portal is detected and the device can successfully reach the Internet, or a captive portal is detected and the device can successfully reach the public Internet. | | Internet | Check if the device is connected to the Internet by sending a ping to IP address 8.8.8.8 on the Internet. | | HTTP (port 80) | Check if traffic can be sent and received over the network using HTTP port 80. | | HTTPS (port 443) | Check if traffic can be sent and received over the network using HTTPS port 443. | | Support server | Check if the connection to the Epiphan support server is enabled and, if enabled, confirm that the device can establish communication with the server. A successful connection is required to use the Epiphan Edge remote login feature. | | Epiphan Edge™ | Check if the Epiphan Edge remote management feature is disabled on the device and if it can successfully connect to Epiphan Edge. | | Public IP | Display the public IP address of the device. Knowing the public IP address is useful when configuring SRT, especially if the device is behind a NAT on the network. An empty result means the IP address was not reported. | | mDNS | Shows the device hostname | From the interfaces tab on the network page of the Admin panel, additional networking information is displayed: MAC address, IP address, Network mask, Default gateway, DNS servers, Hostname. If after performing a connectivity test errors are seen for Epiphan Edge and/or Support server while Internet, Port 80/443, and DNS pass, you may need to whitelist certain Epiphan server FQDNs in your firewall settings. For the list of Epiphan server FQDNs, see "Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) considerations." **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini:** Diagnostic tools can also be run from the touch screen (tap **Settings > Network**, select **Connectivity Status**; more tools are on the second page under **Network Tools**). - **Pearl Nano:** Diagnostic tools can also be run from the front screen (not a touch screen) using the same **Settings > Network > Connectivity Status** path; more tools are on the second page under **Network Tools**. - **Pearl Nexus:** No device screen exists (headless) — diagnostic tools are only available from the Admin panel. --- ## Dimensions and weight id: pearl-family/dimensions-and-weight · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Dimensions and weight *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Dimensions | Weight | | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl-2 desktop** | 11.81″ × 9.45″ × 3.54″ (300 mm × 240 mm × 90 mm) | 8.38 lbs (3.8 kg) | | **Pearl-2 rackmount** | 19.12″ × 10.88″ × 3.5″ (485 mm × 276 mm × 89 mm) | 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg) | | **Pearl Mini** | 10.25″ × 6.75″ × 2.37″ (261 mm × 172 mm × 60 mm) | 3.8 lbs (1.7 kg) | | **Pearl Nexus** | 19″ × 7.5″ × 1.75″ (482 mm × 190 mm × 44 mm) | 5.3 lbs (2.4 kg) | | **Pearl Nano** | 8.13″ × 5.91″ × 1.69″ (206 mm × 150 mm × 43 mm) | 2.0 lbs (0.907 kg) | Pearl Nano is the smallest and lightest Pearl system. Pearl-2 rackmount is the largest and heaviest. --- ## Disable or enable audio and output port volume id: pearl-family/disable-or-enable-audio-and-output-port-volume · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Disable or enable audio and output port volume *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* If you're displaying a channel as the source for your video output port, audio for that channel is also encoded and sent over the port by default. You can disable the audio on the output port using the Admin panel. You can also adjust the volume of the audio on the video output port using the Admin panel. Disabling the audio on the video output port improves latency for the port. If you're displaying a video input as the source for your video output port, you can select an audio source and adjust the volume. Audio is taken from the video input source you've selected for the video output port by default. **Disable audio for a channel on the video output port and adjust the volume using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI 1** or **HDMI 2** on Pearl-2; **HDMI** on Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus). The video output port configuration page opens. - For a channel, do the following: - Check **Enable audio** to include audio in the output. Leave this unchecked for no audio with the video. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume** field. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter** drop-down menu. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation** drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - For input sources, do the following: - Select an **Audio source** from the list. - (Optional) Adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume** field. - (Optional) Choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter** drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation** drop down to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - Click **Apply**. You can also disable or enable audio on the video output port and adjust the volume using Epiphan Live. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** has two independently configurable HDMI output ports (HDMI 1, HDMI 2); the steps above apply per-port. - **Pearl Nano:** does not support the Epiphan Live method described above — Pearl Nano has no Epiphan Live dashboard, so audio must be disabled/enabled and its volume adjusted using the Admin panel only. --- ## Disable the network discovery port id: pearl-family/disable-the-network-discovery-port · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Disable the network discovery port *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can disable the network discovery port on the device using the Admin panel so that services can no longer discover the device using multicast DNS (mDNS). The network discovery port is port 5557 and is enabled by default. **Important considerations** - You cannot connect to the Admin panel using a DNS-based service discovery if you disable the network discovery port. - On Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus, the network discovery port must be enabled to use the NDI (NDI|HX) feature. **Disable the network discovery port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Network and then the Interfaces tab. The Network Interfaces page opens. - Uncheck Make this device discoverable on the network as , then click Apply. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has no NDI/NDI|HX feature, so the "must be enabled to use NDI" consideration does not apply. Navigation is simpler: From the Configuration menu, select **Network**. The Network configuration page opens (no separate Interfaces tab). --- ## Display and reposition the audio VU meter id: pearl-family/display-and-reposition-the-audio-vu-meter · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Display and reposition the audio VU meter *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* When sending a channel with audio over the video output port, you can choose whether or not to display the audio VU meter using the Admin panel. You can also determine the position and orientation of the audio meter. Audio pass-through, adjusting the volume, and displaying an audio meter are only supported when a channel is the selected video source. **Configure the audio meter for the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port. The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Audio meter** field, choose an option. | **Value** | **Description** | | do not display | No audio meter is displayed. | | left top corner | Audio meter is displayed at the top left side of the display. | | right top corner | Audio meter is displayed at the top right side of the display. | | left bottom corner | Audio meter is displayed at the bottom left side of the display. | | right bottom corner | Audio meter is displayed at the bottom right side of the display. | - If you've selected a location for the audio meter, you can also select an orientation (horizontal or vertical) in the **Audio meter orientation** field. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Duplicate a channel id: pearl-family/duplicate-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Duplicate a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* *Not applicable to Pearl Nano* You can duplicate any channel you've created. All settings in the channel you duplicate are recreated. **Duplicate a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels menu option. - From the Channels menu, click **Status**. The Status page opens. - Click **Duplicate this channel**. The duplicate channel is created and assigned the next sequential number in the Channel menu. - Click **Save**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** No equivalent feature exists. Pearl Nano is a single-channel device (one preconfigured "Auto" channel) with no way to duplicate a channel, and no documentation of any such feature exists anywhere in Pearl Nano's guide. This is a genuine hardware/capability gap, not a documentation omission. --- ## Enable AFU, schedule, and set options id: pearl-family/enable-afu-schedule-and-set-options · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Enable AFU, schedule, and set options *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* After the channels and recorders you want to include in your Automatic File Upload (AFU) are selected, you can enable AFU and schedule when and where you want the recorded files to upload. By default, recorded video files are uploaded as soon as recording stops. However, you can schedule file uploads to only occur during a specific period of time every 24 hours. Recordings that end within the configured time period automatically upload right away. Recordings that end outside the upload time period are queued up and upload when the scheduled upload time period is reached. To use AFU scheduling with a CMS, make sure to select a start and end time that provides enough upload time for all the files to upload to the CMS. Recorded files saved before automatic file upload is configured are not included as part of the automatic upload. The following table describes the AFU options. | **Option** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Remote path | If no remote path is specified, the files are copied to the root folder of the destination file system. | | Remove after upload | Delete files from local storage when the upload completes. | | Mark file as downloaded | Change the color of the file in the recording list to show the files are downloaded. This only applies if the files are not deleted after upload is complete. | | Create a subfolder for each channel | Save the downloaded files into a folder using the channel or recorder name. | | Create a subfolder for device | Save the downloaded files into a folder using the device's serial number. | **Enable AFU and set a schedule or AFU options using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Automatic File Upload**. The Automatic File Upload configuration page opens. - Check **Enable Automatic File Upload**. - (Optional) Enter a remote path. If no path is specified, the files are copied to the root folder of the destination file system. - (Optional) Check any optional parameter to select it. For example, you can check **Mark file as downloaded** and **Create a subfolder for each channel**. - To schedule AFU, check **File upload schedule** and select a start time and an end time in the **Start upload** and **Stop upload** fields. - Click **Apply**. If AFU to your server fails, check the server configuration and permissions. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — "channels and recorders" above applies to the channel only. --- ## Enable an NDI discovery server id: pearl-family/enable-an-ndi-discovery-server · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Enable an NDI discovery server *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Does not support NDI. This feature and procedure do not apply to Pearl Nano. You can enable the use of an NDI discovery server on your Pearl device using the Admin panel so that the device can more easily discover NDI devices. The network discovery port on the device is port 5557 and must be enabled to use NDI. **Enable the network discovery port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select Network and then select the NDI tab. The NDI Discovery page opens. - Scroll to the bottom and enter the address of the NDI discovery server on the network, if adding multiple servers separate them with a comma, then click Apply. --- ## Enable HLS (pull) id: pearl-family/enable-hls-pull · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Enable HLS (pull) *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Stream a live broadcast of a channel directly to viewers on the same local network as the device using HTTP over port 80. This gives viewers with iOS devices convenient access to the channel's live broadcast. If HTTPS is configured for the device, the traffic from port 80 is redirected to HTTPS port 443. HTTP Live Stream (HLS) supports the H.264 codec and MP3 or AAC audio encoding. Audio and video are sent as a series of small files called media segment files. You can set the segment duration, as well as define the playlist size using the Admin panel. By default, the segment duration is 9 seconds and the playlist size is 3. When live broadcasting a channel using HLS (pull), there is approximately a 30 second delay. **Enable HLS (pull) streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel containing video you want to stream and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Under **HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)**, check **Enabled**. - (Optional) Set the **Segment duration** and **Playlist size**. - (Optional) Check **Bypass stream access control for HLS video data** to allow the viewer software to read the HLS stream's video data without having to provide a viewer password or LDAP authentication as configured on the device. A viewer password or LDAP authentication that is configured on the device is still needed to access the HLS stream's playlist. Try enabling this option if your viewer is unable to access the HLS stream when a viewer password or LDAP authentication is configured on the device. - Click **Apply**. - To share the HLS (pull) URL with viewers, click **Status** from the **Channel(s)** menu, then copy the HLS URL and provide that to your viewers. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** HLS additionally supports the H.265 codec (not just H.264): "HTTP Live Stream (HLS) supports the H.264 codec (and H.265 on Pearl Nano) and MP3 or AAC audio encoding." Admin panel menu names are also singular ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"). --- ## Enable USB to Ethernet interface id: pearl-family/enable-usb-to-ethernet-interface · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Enable USB to Ethernet interface *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Does not support a USB to Ethernet interface. This feature and procedure do not apply to Pearl Nano. Pearl devices, excluding Pearl Nano, can now be configured to support two Ethernet interfaces. This can be achieved by connecting a user supplied USB to Ethernet adapter to one the USB ports located at the back of the device. In general, most USB to Ethernet adapters should work. However, here are USB to Ethernet adapters that have been tested and known to work. This list may change from time to time. Please reach out to the Epiphan Support team for the more recent set of adapters. 1. TP-Link UE300 2. StarTech USB31000S 3. Amazon Basics U3-GE-1P 4. BENFEI 000317 grey 5. Xcellon USB-EA-2 6. Anker USB 3.0 to Ethernet Adapter AK-A7611011 7. Anker USB 3.0 to Ethernet Adapter A76130A1 **Important considerations** - When paired with Epiphan Edge, the device can be managed remotely via either the built-in Ethernet or USB to Ethernet port as long as one of these interfaces is able to reach Epiphan Edge; admin login via Epiphan Edge. - A Pearl device will NOT route traffic between its two interfaces. **Enable USB to Ethernet support using the Admin panel** 1. Log in to the Admin panel as admin. 2. From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. 3. Under the Interfaces tab, at the bottom of the page, toggle the Disabled switch next to USB Ethernet. 4. Connect a supported USB to Ethernet adapter to one of the USB ports located at the back of the Pearl device and follow the procedure to configure for network connectivity. --- ## Encoded channels, resolution, and video output id: pearl-family/encoded-channels-resolution-and-video-output · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Encoded channels, resolution, and video output *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Encoded channels** | 6 × Full HD, or 1 × 4K | 3 × Full HD | 3 × Full HD | 1 × 4K | | **Maximum resolution** | Up to 2160p (4K) | Up to 1080p (Full HD) | Up to 1080p (Full HD) | Up to 2160p (4K) | | **Video outputs** | 2 × HDMI | 1 × HDMI | 1 × HDMI | 1 × HDMI, plus 1 × HDMI pass-through | Each encoded channel is a separate encoding instance with its own layouts, recording, and streaming configuration, so channel count determines how many independent programs a single Pearl system can produce at once. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus do not encode 4K. Their maximum resolution is 1080p (Full HD). On Pearl Nano, a purchased 4K add-on is required to capture, encode, record, or stream resolutions above 1920×1200. On Pearl-2, the 4K add-on or license is included in the cost of the system as of April 2026. Pearl Nano encodes a single channel and single layout. It does not support multiple encoded channels or live switching. Pearl Nano is the only Pearl system with an HDMI pass-through output in addition to its standard HDMI output. --- ## Epiphan Live id: pearl-family/epiphan-live · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Epiphan Live *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* Epiphan Live is a friendly and easy to use web and tablet interface designed for confidence monitoring of channels and sources, switching between layouts while recording and streaming, and to easily stop or start streaming and recording. You can also pause and resume a recording (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). ### About Epiphan Live The Epiphan Live interface lets you easily operate your Pearl device using a computer or mobile device such as a tablet. You can: - Control streaming and recording of channels and multi-track recorders. - Do live switching between sources and layouts while streaming and recording. - Perform video, audio and system confidence monitoring. You need administrator or operator-level privileges to use Epiphan Live. Epiphan Live is supported on the following operating systems on mobile devices and web browsers: | **Operating system or mobile device** | **Supported web browser(s)** | | --- | --- | | **Windows** | Google Chrome Microsoft Edge | | **Mac** | Google Chrome Safari | | **Linux** | Google Chrome | | **Android phone or tablet** | Google Chrome | | **iPhone or iPad** | Google Chrome Safari | Most instructions assume that a touch screen device is used; however, you can tap or click, depending on your device. Text scaling using Google Chrome for Android is not supported. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus**: Pearl Nexus does not have a built-in touch screen or display. Pearl Nexus is a headless device, and it is configured and operated using the web-based Admin panel. You can also connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse — or a touch screen monitor — directly to Pearl Nexus to use the local console feature, and a display connected to the Pearl Nexus HDMI output can show the Device Info screen. Where instructions refer to tapping, you can tap or click depending on the device you are using. --- ## Export and import configuration presets id: pearl-family/export-and-import-configuration-presets · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Export and import configuration presets *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can download configuration presets to your local computer, then upload and apply the preset to another device or save the configuration preset as a backup of your current configuration. Either way, it's a simple two-step process to download the preset from one system and upload it to another. **Before you begin** - Read Configuration preset considerations. - Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between devices and Unify projects. - You cannot download/upload configuration presets using the local console on the device. Use the web-based Admin panel instead. **Download or export a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, Click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Configuration presets** section, click the **Download** button next to the configuration preset you want to export. The configuration preset file (with extension .preset) is saved to your admin workstation (in your browser's download folder). **Import a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Import configuration preset** section, click **Choose file** and select the file you want to upload (with the extension *.preset*), then click **OK**. - Click **Import**. - If your system already has a configuration preset with the same name as the one you're loading, a warning is shown. Click **OK** to overwrite the existing preset or **Cancel** to cancel the upload. **What's next** After you upload a configuration preset file, you must apply the configuration preset to the device. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini:** you can alternatively apply the imported preset using the touch screen — see "Apply a configuration preset using the touch screen or front screen menu." - **Pearl Nano:** applying the preset after import uses the standard Admin panel procedure: from the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**, then under **Configuration presets**, copy the preset name into the **Name** field, select the groups to include, click **Save**, then **OK** to overwrite. --- ## External keyboard shortcuts id: pearl-family/external-keyboard-shortcuts · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # External keyboard shortcuts *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can use keyboard shortcuts with an external USB keyboard that is connected to your device. **Keyboard shortcuts available for the different screens** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | **Channel View** | | Left arrow | Show the previous channel on screen. | | Right arrow | Show the next channel on screen. | | 1 to 9 | Enter the channel's index number to show that channel on screen. | | shift+F | Enter full screen and toggle show/hide on-screen items like the status bar. | | shift+G | Open the Grid view. | | shift+S | Open the live switcher. | | shift+E | Open the Content Management System (CMS) events screen. | | shift+C | Create a new ad hoc event. | | shift+P | Open the settings. | | shift+R | Start recording the channel and toggle start/stop recording. | | shift+T | Start streaming the channel and toggle start/stop streaming. | | shift+I | Open the system information screen. | | **Grid View** | | 1 to 9 | Enter the channel's index number to show that channel on screen. | | shift+E | Open the Content Management System (CMS) events screen. | | shift+C | Create a new ad hoc event. | | shift+P | Open the settings. | | shift+I | Open the system information screen. | | **Events screen** | | shift+C | Create a new ad hoc event. | | shift+S | Start/stop the current event. | | Enter | When it is the last text field on a screen, press Enter to move to next screen (if available) or start an action on the current screen. | | Space bar | Initiate a button action, accept text entered into a text field, and toggle a switch or check box. Select and initiate a control button action when only one button appears on screen. When the last text field on a screen is highlighted, press Space bar to move to the next screen (if available) or start an action on the current screen. | | **Live switcher** | | Left arrow | Select the previous layout in the carousel and load it into the preview panel. | | Right arrow | Select the next layout in the carousel and load it into the preview panel. | | 1 to 9 | Enter the layout's index number to select that layout in the carousel and load it into the preview panel. | | CTRL+1 to 9 | Select and apply the layout. | | Space bar | Make the layout that's in the preview panel go Live. | | **Common to most screens** | | Tab | Move to the next input field or control. | | shift+Tab | Move to the previous input field or control. | | Space bar | Initiate a button action, accept text entered into a text field, and toggle a switch or check box. Select and initiate a control button action when only one button appears on screen. When the last text field on a screen is highlighted, press Space bar to move to the next screen (if available) or start an action on the current screen. | | Esc | Cancel unapplied changes on the current screen and return to the previous screen. | **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano:** These devices have no Grid View or Live switcher screen, so the Grid View section and Live switcher section (and the Left arrow / Right arrow / 1 to 9 channel-switching rows in Channel View) do not apply — only the Channel View rows shift+F, shift+E, shift+C, shift+P, shift+R, shift+T, shift+I, plus the Events screen and Common-to-most-screens rows apply. --- ## Firmware update sources id: pearl-family/firmware-update-sources · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Firmware update sources *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Firmware for Pearl devices can be obtained from three sources: the Pearl Admin panel, Epiphan Edge, or manually from the Epiphan website. **Epiphan Edge** — only registered devices can download firmware through Epiphan Edge. If a device has been registered but is not updating, the device may not have checked the Epiphan support servers yet; the device checks approximately every 24 hours. To update sooner, log in to the Admin panel and click **Check for updates** on the Firmware Upgrade page. **Epiphan website (offline and air-gapped networks)** — for Pearl devices on air-gapped networks that cannot reach the Epiphan support servers, offline firmware files are available from the product pages at [epiphan.com/support](https://www.epiphan.com/support). Choose the product of interest to download the firmware. --- ## Front and back view id: pearl-family/front-and-back-view · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Front and back view *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* **Back panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Lock | Allows the device to be locked to a desk or surface using a laptop lock cable. | | | Power button | Press to toggle the device on and off. If a software shutdown is performed when the toggle switch is in the on position, double press the power button to turn the device back on. | | | Power jack | Plug the power supply in here. The port requires a 12 V DC power source (center-positive). Always use the provided power supply. | | | USB 3.0 ports | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB web cameras, USB microphones, keyboards, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. | | | RJ-45 Ethernet | Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port with support for RTSP, SRT, and NDI|HX networked video inputs. | | | SDI in | Connect up to 3G SDI signals to the device. | | | HDMI in | Connects HDMI and DVI signals (using an adapter) to the device. | | | RCA audio in | RCA consumer line-level stereo pair (left/right) audio inputs. | | | 3.5 mm audio in | Stereo mic-level input to connect a passive or active stereo electret microphone. | | | XLR/TRS combo jacks | Two XLR/TRS combo jacks that can function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as two mono inputs. Two XLR mic-level (balanced). Two TRS ¼" professional line-level, +4 dBu (balanced/unbalanced). | | | Phantom power light | Glows when 48 V phantom power is enabled. Phantom power is applied to both XLR audio input ports when enabled. **WARNING**: Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled for the two XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. | **Front panel descriptions (common rows)** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Power light | Glows when the system is powered on. | | | Streaming light | Glows when the system is streaming. Flashing means that user action is required and streaming has either stopped or won't start. | | | Recording light | Glows when the system is recording. Flashing means that user action is required and recording has either stopped or won't start. | | | USB 3.0 port | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB keyboards, and supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. A web camera or USB microphone cannot be connected to this port, only to the ports on the rear panel. | | | 3.5 mm audio output jack | For audio confidence monitoring. Plays the audio for the currently visible channel. | **Device differences** - **Pearl Mini:** Has a **Touch screen front panel display** (used for confidence monitoring, simple configuration, system information, starting/stopping recordings and streams, and CMS ad hoc event authentication). Has an **SD card slot** (stores up to 512 GB of recordings/media). Front panel warning: "Do not insert objects in to the two, pin-sized holes that are located beside the LEDs." - **Pearl Nexus:** Has no touch screen (headless). Has a **Factory Reset button** instead ("Used to factory reset or apply the Default Configuration preset"). Its SD card slot description references the specific model: "the current Pearl Nexus model (ESP1948) ships with a 256 GB SD card preinstalled." The SD card port is disabled when a SATA M.2 SSD is installed. Indicates boot-up status by flashing the recording and streaming lights alternately until the device is fully operational. --- ## Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) considerations id: pearl-family/fully-qualified-domain-name-fqdn-considerations · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) considerations *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Some of Epiphan's services run on external servers. Depending on your network and firewall settings, your network or IT team may need to know the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of these services so they can work properly through your network. - **Epiphan Cloud:** - EU Region: eu.epiphan.cloud - US Region: go.epiphan.cloud - AU Region: au.epiphan.cloud - **Epiphan Remote Login Server:** support.md.epiphan.cloud - **Firmware/Registration Server:** updates.epiphan.com - **License Upgrades:** licenses.epiphan.com --- ## How events can be scheduled on Pearl devices id: pearl-family/how-events-can-be-scheduled-on-pearl-devices · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # How events can be scheduled on Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Recording and streaming events (webcasting and VOD) can be scheduled on Pearl devices only through the following methods: - **Third-party CMS integration** — Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and Echo360 (EchoVideo). Echo360 (EchoVideo) is supported on Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus only; Pearl Nano does not support Echo360 (EchoVideo). - **First-party integration** — Epiphan Edge. - **REST API** — use a script or a third-party device to send record start and stop commands to the Pearl device using the Pearl REST API. The scheduling method is selected from the **Choose CMS** dropdown on the CMS page of the Pearl Admin panel, under the Configuration menu. Scheduling itself cannot be configured in the Admin panel, and there is no local scheduling control on the device. Scheduling is available only through a first-party integration, a third-party CMS integration, or the REST API. Without one of those integrations, recording and streaming can still be started and stopped on a local network using the Pearl REST API. ### Scheduling integration notes *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* - REST API commands exist for the third-party CMS integration functions, except for YuJa. There are no REST API commands for YuJa CMS functions. - Epiphan Edge does not provide a REST API for scheduling or device control. Epiphan Cloud does expose an MCP (Model Context Protocol) endpoint: connect a supported AI assistant and you can ask about your devices, their recording state, storage space, and what is scheduled, in plain language. See "Connect an AI assistant to Epiphan Cloud using MCP" in the Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge documentation. - All third-party CMS integrations support automated recording uploads. AFU (Automatic File Upload) is configured automatically, and AFU settings cannot be changed by the user while a CMS integration is enabled. - Epiphan Edge supports automated recording uploads when Epiphan Edge is selected as the AFU protocol on the Automatic File Upload page of the Pearl Admin panel. Other protocols are also available. - Sharing and distribution of uploaded recordings is managed in the integration platform's own interface. For example, Epiphan Edge allows sharing and downloading of uploaded recordings. --- ## Install the power button shield id: pearl-family/install-the-power-button-shield · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Install the power button shield *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* Install the power button shield over the power button to prevent accidentally turning the unit off. Once applied, you cannot reposition the power button shield without damaging the adhesive. Before you begin, clean the area around the power button to remove any dirt or grease. - To attach the adhesive to the back of the power button shield, remove the red adhesive backing and carefully align the lower left corners before pressing firmly. - Remove the white adhesive backing and align the tab with the laptop lock key hole to position the power button shield. Make sure the power button is clearly visible through the round hole before pressing firmly. - Press the power button to ensure it functions properly. --- ## International character support id: pearl-family/international-character-support · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # International character support *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can include certain international characters in the channel name, layout name, video and audio input names, text overlays, and in the name of recorded files. Common character sets for the following languages are approved: - **Western European/Nordic languages**: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. - **Central/Eastern European languages**: Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, and Russian. **Important considerations** - Use only alphanumeric and diacritic characters in metadata descriptions. The whole metadata string is refused if any special currency or mathematical symbol appears in the description. You must remove the offending characters before your device will accept the description. - Do not include any special currency, mathematical symbols, and other special characters such as slashes or spaces in the channel name. Your device replaces special characters with an underscore. --- ## Live Switcher button is greyed out id: pearl-family/live-switcher-button-is-greyed-out · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Live Switcher button is greyed out *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus. Does not apply to Pearl Nano.* If the **Live Switcher** button in the Admin panel is greyed out, the channel has only one layout. Live switching moves between layouts, so at least two layouts must exist in the channel before switching can be enabled. Add a second layout to the channel and the Live Switcher button becomes available. **Pearl Nano does not support live switching.** Pearl Nano supports a single channel with a single layout, so there is no second layout to switch to and the Live Switcher button is not available on Pearl Nano under any configuration. --- ## Log in using a different user account id: pearl-family/log-in-using-a-different-user-account · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Log in using a different user account *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* After you log in to the Admin panel as an Administrator or Operator, your browser remembers and automatically logs you in using the same user account the next time you log in to the device. You must log out of the Admin panel, then log back in using a different user account. **Log in using a different user account** - In the Admin panel, select the logout icon at the top right corner of the screen. A new log in screen appears. Some browsers may require you to click twice before you are logged out. - Enter the credentials that you want to use to log in to the Admin panel. --- ## Manage the AFU queue id: pearl-family/manage-the-afu-queue · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Manage the AFU queue *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The Automatic File Upload (AFU) queue displays a list of recorded files waiting to be uploaded. You can view the AFU queue and remove files from the queue using the Admin panel. Automatic File Transfer must be configured for the AFU queue to display. Emptying the AFU queue does not cancel an AFU transfer. **View the AFU queue and remove files from the queue using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Automatic File Upload**. If there are files to be uploaded, they appear in the queue. - To remove a file from the AFU queue, click **X** beside the file you want to remove. - To remove all files that are currently waiting in the AFU queue, click **Empty Queue**. --- ## Manage USB file transfer queue id: pearl-family/manage-usb-file-transfer-queue · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Manage USB file transfer queue *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can view USB file transfer information, delete files in the USB file transfer queue, and cancel USB file uploads using the Admin panel. Information such as the file name and size, start time, duration, and progress are displayed. A history of file transfers displays until either the device is restarted or the list is manually cleared. External USB storage must be configured for the USB file transfer status to display. **View USB file transfer status, delete files in the queue, or cancel file uploads using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. If there are files to be uploaded, they appear in the queue. - To remove a file from the USB transfer queue, click **X** beside the file you want to remove. - To cancel the current USB file transfer that's in progress and remove all files that are currently waiting in the USB transfer queue, click **Cancel**. --- ## Mirror the video output port display id: pearl-family/mirror-the-video-output-port-display · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Mirror the video output port display *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can use the Admin panel to mirror the original video source on the output port so that it appears reversed on the connected display. If there's an on-screen image that includes text such as a custom no signal image, the text will appear reversed. **Mirror the video source at the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port you want to mirror. The video output port configuration page opens. - Check **Mirrored** to flip the video source's orientation on the display port. Uncheck **Mirrored** to display the video source in its original orientation, then select **Apply**. --- ## Monitoring audio and VU sensitivity id: pearl-family/monitoring-audio-and-vu-sensitivity · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Monitoring audio and VU sensitivity *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can connect headphones to the 3.5 mm audio jack on the front panel of the device. The audio you hear depends on which layout is currently live because different layouts can have different audio sources configured. A VU meter shows the audio levels for the channel. The value is displayed in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). Colored bars represent the audio level. **Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 / Pearl Mini:** select the channel to monitor and adjust the headphone volume using the touch screen — tap the headphones icon to change the level; the VU meter is shown on the touch screen. - **Pearl Nexus:** headless — no touch screen. Adjust the headphone volume using the web interface instead. - **Pearl Nano:** no touch screen. Make sure the Channel view (or the relevant video-source screen) is displaying on the front screen, then use the up/down arrow keys on the control key interface to adjust the headphone volume. The VU meter is shown on the front screen. You can also monitor the audio VU meters for all audio inputs from the Audio inputs screen. --- ## MPEG-TS streams using RTP/UDP push id: pearl-family/mpeg-ts-streams-using-rtpudp-push · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # MPEG-TS streams using RTP/UDP push *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* When you configure an MPEG-TS stream using RTP/UDP push, you have the option to enable SAP and multicast over a local network at the same time. Before configuring your channel for MPEG-TS streaming, ensure the following codecs are configured: - Video – H.264 - Audio – MP3 or AAC, if audio is configured. If you're streaming to 10/100 Mbps set-top boxes over Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream. **Configure a channel for MPEG-TS using RTP/UDP push and enable SAP** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP push**. - Enter the destination multicast IP address where the broadcast can be viewed. A IPv4 multicast address range is an address between 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Contact your System Administrator for the specific address to use. - Enter the destination port number through which the media will stream. - (Optional) To advertise your stream to a media player over a local network, do the following: - Check **SAP announcement** to enable advertising your stream over a local network. When this is enabled and a multicast IP address is configured, your stream is displayed in the playlist of the local media player. - Enter a multicast IP address in the** SAP announcement IP** field. If your media player is configured to receive multicast streams from an IP address that is different from the default address 224.2.127.254, you may need to contact your system administrator for a specific multicast IP address. - Enter a channel number in the **Channel number** field to identify your stream in the media player. By default, the Channel number is the channel identifier. When a channel number value is not specified, viewers cannot select a channel from the set-top box or Smart TV . - Enter a name for a group of streams in the text box next to **Group name**. Since media players simply present a list of available streams, you can organize your streams into multiple folders or in cases where folders are not displayed, use dot separator hierarchy to help your viewers filter out unwanted streams by category. - Click **Apply**. - Select **Start** when you're ready to start streaming. - Select the **Info** menu to see the stream information. **View the MPEG-TS RTP/UDP stream** To view the stream from a media player, open the URL in the media player, for example: rtp://@ip:port or, using a sample configuration: rtp://@226.10.24.32:7000 To view the stream when SAP announce has been set and the stream is advertised on a media player, set-top box, or Smart TV, refer to Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP). --- ## Multi-encoding and channel as a source id: pearl-family/multi-encoding-and-channel-as-a-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Multi-encoding and channel as a source *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The device lets you easily do multi-encoding so you can record and stream the same content at different encoding settings. This is useful when you want to: - Record a video at a high bitrate and frame size and live stream the same content at lower encoding settings. - Record the channel while also sending two (or more) streams of that channel using different encoding settings for CDNs that don't use adaptive bitrates. - Or record the same channel simultaneously at different resolutions. For example, take a scenario where you want to record a video at 1080p and 8 Mbps, while simultaneously live streaming the same video online at 720p and 1 Mbps. You can create your custom layouts and do all your switching in one channel (i.e. Channel 1) and then configure Channel 2 to use Channel 1 as a source. That way, both channels have the identical program. All you need to do now is configure each channel for the encoding settings you want. Follow these steps: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Create Channel 1 with your video and audio inputs. Add all your live switching layouts. - Set the **encoding** and **streaming** settings for channel 1. - Create Channel 2 for your recording with just one layout and add Channel 1 as the video source. Stretch it to fill the full screen. - For Channel 2's **audio source**, choose Channel 1 if not already selected by default. - Set **encoding** and **streaming** settings for channel 2. Using this process, you can record on Channel 2 and stream it at a different bitrate and frame size than what's recorded. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Because Pearl-2 supports 4K capture, its example pairing for "record the same channel simultaneously at different resolutions" is 4K and full HD. - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** These devices are not 4K-capable; their example pairing is full HD and HD. --- ## Multicast streaming using RTP/UDP id: pearl-family/multicast-streaming-using-rtpudp · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Multicast streaming using RTP/UDP *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You configure an RTP/UDP (push) stream on Pearl device using the Admin panel. If you're streaming to 10/100 Mbps set-top boxes over Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream. **Configure a channel to stream using RTP/UDP push** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **RTP/UDP push**. - Enter the following: - Destination multicast IP address. - Audio port number through which the audio will stream. - Video port number through which the video will stream. Audio and video use nearby port numbers (and ). The minimum distance between audio and video ports must be 2. - Click **Apply**. An SDP file is generated. - From the channel's **Status **page, click the SDP file to download it. Provide the SDP file name and location if prompted. - Share the file with your viewers and when you're ready to start streaming, select **Start**. --- ## Network (IP) video inputs and NDI support id: pearl-family/network-ip-video-inputs-and-ndi-support · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Network (IP) video inputs and NDI support *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Network video inputs** | SRT, RTSP, NDI, NDI\|HX | SRT, RTSP, NDI\|HX | SRT, RTSP, NDI\|HX | SRT, RTSP | Pearl-2 is the only Pearl system that accepts full-bandwidth NDI input in addition to NDI|HX. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus accept NDI|HX input. They do not support full-bandwidth, high-bandwidth NDI input. Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs. Pearl Nano network video input is limited to SRT and RTSP. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus accept Dante audio input over the network, with firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on. Pearl-2 accepts four Dante audio channels (two stereo inputs); Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus accept two (one stereo input). Pearl Nano does not support Dante audio. No Pearl system supports Dante output. --- ## Open the custom layout editor for a channel id: pearl-family/open-the-custom-layout-editor-for-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Open the custom layout editor for a channel # Pearl family — shared features and procedures Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus. Device-specific behavior is documented in each device's own guide. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - From the **Layouts** list, select the layout you want to edit. The layout editor updates to display the selected layout and the row for the selected layout is highlighted in green. If this is a new layout, an unformatted layout, or there is no video source connected, then the layout area is empty and a black background matte appears. Pearl Nano only supports a single layout. --- ## Operating beyond recommended source and channel limits id: pearl-family/operating-beyond-recommended-source-and-channel-limits · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Operating beyond recommended source and channel limits *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus. Pearl Nano cannot be configured beyond its limits.* The source counts, channel counts, and resolutions listed for each Pearl device are recommended limits rather than hard blocks. On Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus it is sometimes possible to configure slightly beyond the published recommendation — for example an additional video-over-Ethernet input — but only under specific conditions, and performance degradation may occur. These configurations are not supported as standard and the conditions vary by device, firmware version, resolution, frame rate, and how channels are arranged. **Contact Epiphan support at support@epiphan.com to confirm whether a specific out-of-specification configuration is viable for your device before relying on it in production.** Do not assume a configuration will work because it can be entered in the Admin panel. When operating at or beyond the recommended limits, keep total system load and operating temperature within acceptable levels and validate the full configuration before using it for a live event. **Pearl Nano is the exception.** Pearl Nano cannot be configured beyond its published limits. Its single channel and single layout are hard limits, not recommendations, and Pearl Nano does not support additional channels or layouts under any configuration. --- ## Overcome lost passwords id: pearl-family/overcome-lost-passwords · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Overcome lost passwords *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* If you have lost the password for the operator or viewer account, you can log in to the Admin panel and reset the password using the procedure described in Change user passwords. If you have lost the admin password and you have remote support enabled on the device, contact Epiphan Support to request a remote password reset. If remote support is disabled, you must return the system to Epiphan for password recovery. Contact Epiphan support. Alternatively, you can regain access to the device if you apply the factory default configuration preset: - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano:** apply the factory default configuration preset using the device screen menu. - **Pearl Nexus:** apply the Default configuration preset using the reset pin hole, located at the front of the device. The factory default configuration will change the current settings on the device. You can also perform a factory reset. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** has no touch/front screen, so the recovery preset is triggered physically via the reset pin hole rather than an on-screen menu. --- ## Pearl device operating system and wireless network support id: pearl-family/pearl-device-operating-system-and-wireless-network-support · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Pearl device operating system and wireless network support *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices are Linux devices running a custom kernel. Pearl devices do not natively support wireless networks, and USB WiFi adapters are not supported. There is no wireless configuration in the Admin panel because the device has no wireless interface to configure. To place a Pearl device on a wireless network, connect it by Ethernet to a hotspot or wireless bridge router. Any hotspot or wireless bridge router that has an Ethernet connection and supplies both network and internet connectivity can be used. The wireless link is handled entirely by that external device. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** USB Ethernet adapters are not supported. --- ## Pearl device operating system security architecture id: pearl-family/pearl-device-operating-system-security-architecture · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Pearl device operating system security architecture *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices run a custom, minimized Linux distribution stripped down to the libraries and packages required for the device's functionality, which reduces the available attack surface. All network ports and services that are not explicitly required for operation are disabled by default. The operating system and firmware are installed on a read-only partition that cannot be modified after installation, preventing tampering with system files or the introduction of malicious code. Pearl devices also enforce a strict separation between system data and user data, such as recordings and images, preventing unauthorized access to or modification of critical system files through user-accessible storage. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus additionally support a secondary network interface using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter (firmware 4.24.0 and later; not supported on Pearl Nano — see Device differences above). Routing between the two network interfaces, when both are connected, is not supported. --- ## Pearl device web interface and REST API access control id: pearl-family/pearl-device-web-interface-and-rest-api-access-control · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Pearl device web interface and REST API access control *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Access to the Pearl web-based Admin panel and REST API is controlled by a Role Based Access Control (RBAC) model with three roles: - **Administrator**: the highest level of system privileges. Responsible for overall configuration and management, including user account management and system settings, and can also perform day-to-day tasks. - **Operator**: interacts with the system to perform day-to-day tasks and operations. Access is restricted to operational functions as defined by the administrator. - **Viewer**: read-only access. Can monitor system status and view data, but cannot make changes to the system configuration or settings. Users can be authenticated against the device's internal database or against an external LDAP server. When HTTPS is enabled, all data transferred between a web browser or third-party application using the Pearl REST API and the Pearl device is encrypted. Pearl devices exclusively use TLS version 1.2; earlier TLS versions are deactivated and cannot be used in negotiations. Supported ciphers: | Name | Auth | Encryption | Key exchange | MAC | |---|---|---|---|---| | ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256 | RSA | AES(128) | ECDH | SHA256 | | ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384 | RSA | AES(256) | ECDH | SHA384 | | ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 | RSA | AESGCM(128) | ECDH | AEAD | | ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 | RSA | AESGCM(256) | ECDH | AEAD | | ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305 | RSA | CHACHA20/POLY1305(256) | ECDH | AEAD | --- ## Pearl REST API add a bookmark to a recording id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-add-a-bookmark-to-a-recording · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API add a bookmark to a recording A bookmark marks a point of interest inside a recording while it is being made. Bookmarks are added per channel and are written into the archive file the channel is currently recording. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* ``` POST /api/v2.0/channels/{cid}/bookmarks?text=Keynote%20starts ``` The `text` parameter is required and supplies the bookmark name. **Format restriction.** Adding a bookmark is supported only for recordings in MP4 or MOV format. The operation is not supported for recordings in any other format, and attempting it returns HTTP 400. **The channel must be recording.** A bookmark cannot be added to a channel that is not currently being recorded; that returns HTTP 409. **Responses.** | Code | Meaning | | --- | --- | | 200 | Bookmark command processed successfully | | 400 | Missing or invalid parameters, or the recording format does not support bookmarks | | 404 | Channel not found | | 409 | The channel is not being recorded | | 500 | Internal error while creating the bookmark | Because the format and recording-state conditions both have to hold, check the recorder status for the channel before issuing a bookmark call in an automation script. --- ## Pearl REST API apply configuration presets id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-apply-configuration-presets · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API apply configuration presets Configuration presets are saved device configurations. The API can list the presets stored on a Pearl device and apply one, optionally restricting the apply to specific configuration sections. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **Listing presets.** ``` GET /api/v2.0/system/presets ``` Every preset returns its `name`, which is also its identifier. Optional boolean query parameters add more fields, each defaulting to `false`: | Parameter | Adds | | --- | --- | | `sections` | The configuration sections the preset contains | | `hash` | The preset hash | | `size` | The preset size in bytes | | `description` | The preset description | | `readonly` | Whether the preset can be modified | | `details` | All of the above | The built-in `Default` preset covers all sections and is read-only. **Configuration sections** seen in presets are `system`, `network`, `sources`, `edid`, `channels`, `afu`, `cms`, `avstudio`, `frontscreen`, and `displays`. A preset may also record `all`. **Applying a preset.** ``` POST /api/v2.0/system/presets/{pid}/control/apply ``` The body is optional. Supply a `sections` array to apply only part of the preset: ```json { "sections": ["network", "channels"] } ``` **The device may reboot.** The response returns a `reboot` field indicating whether the device will restart to complete the apply: ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "reboot": true } } ``` Check this field before assuming the device stays reachable, particularly when the applied sections include `network` or `system`. A missing preset name returns 400 with the message `Missing preset name`. A preset that does not exist returns 404 with a message such as `Configuration preset VERYLASTCONFIG1 is not found`. --- ## Pearl REST API base URL, authentication, and versioning id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-base-url-authentication-and-versioning · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API base URL, authentication, and versioning # Pearl device REST API The Pearl device REST API is an HTTP interface for controlling recording, streaming, inputs, outputs, scheduled events, and system functions on a Pearl device over the network. It is version 2.0 of the API. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* All requests are sent to the device itself. The base path is `/api/v2.0`, appended to the device address: ``` http:///api/v2.0/ http:///api/v2.0/ ``` Use `https://` instead of `http://` if HTTPS is configured on the device. **Authentication.** The API uses HTTP Basic authentication. Send an `Authorization` header with base64-encoded `username:password` credentials on every request: ``` Authorization: Basic ``` A request with `curl` looks like this: ``` curl -u admin: http:///api/v2.0/system/status ``` **Request and response bodies.** Bodies are JSON (`Content-Type: application/json`). Some endpoints take their parameters in the query string instead of a body — for example, renaming a channel or adding a bookmark. **Support contact.** Questions about the API go to Epiphan support at https://www.epiphan.com/support/. --- ## Pearl REST API capture preview images from channels, inputs, and outputs id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-capture-preview-images-from-channels-inputs-and-outputs · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API capture preview images from channels, inputs, and outputs The API can return a still preview image for a channel, an input, or an HDMI output. These endpoints return image data directly rather than a JSON envelope, which makes them useful for confidence monitoring and dashboards. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | Returns | | --- | --- | | `GET /channels/{cid}/preview` | Preview of a channel's program output | | `GET /inputs/{sid}/preview` | Preview of a single input source | | `GET /outputs/{did}/preview` | Preview of what an HDMI output is showing | **Parameters.** | Parameter | Applies to | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | `resolution` | All three | `widthxheight` (`1920x1080`), a width alone (`1920`), or `auto`. Supplying only a width scales the image to that width and preserves the original aspect ratio | | `keep_aspect_ratio` | Channels and inputs | Default `true` | | `format` | All three | `jpg` or `png`. Default `jpg`. JPG is the recommended format | The default resolution is `auto` for channel and input previews, and `1920x1080` for output previews. ``` GET /api/v2.0/channels/1/preview?resolution=640&format=jpg ``` The response is `image/jpeg` or `image/png` binary data. A request naming a channel, input, or output that does not exist returns 404 with a JSON error body. Because preview images are generated on demand by the device, poll them at a modest rate in monitoring tools rather than at frame rate. --- ## Pearl REST API change what an HDMI output displays id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-change-what-an-hdmi-output-displays · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API change what an HDMI output displays Pearl HDMI outputs can show a channel, a single input, the multiview grid, the device info screen, or the local console. The output ID (`did`) identifies each physical output, for example `D1`. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **List the outputs** to find the IDs and display names: ``` GET /api/v2.0/outputs GET /api/v2.0/outputs?ids=D1,D2 ``` **Change the source** shown on an output: ``` PUT /api/v2.0/outputs/{did}/settings?source= ``` The `source` parameter is required. Accepted values are: | Value | What is displayed | | --- | --- | | A channel ID (`cid`) | That channel's program output, for example `source=1` | | An input ID (`sid`) | That input directly, for example `source=SRT1` | | `multiview` | The MultiViewer grid | | `deviceinfo` | The device information screen | | `console` | The local console | A request naming an output that does not exist returns 404 with a message such as `output 'D30' not found`. To confirm the change took effect without physically checking the display, request the output preview image at `GET /outputs/{did}/preview`. --- ## Pearl REST API check firmware version and device identity id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-check-firmware-version-and-device-identity · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API check firmware version and device identity Firmware and identity endpoints identify which Pearl model you are talking to and which firmware it is running. They are the safest first call in any automation script, because they confirm both reachability and model before anything is changed. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | Returns | | --- | --- | | `GET /system/firmware` | All firmware details in one object | | `GET /system/firmware/version` | Firmware version alone, such as `4.24.5` | | `GET /system/firmware/revision` | Firmware revision string | | `GET /system/firmware/product_id` | Numeric product identifier | | `GET /system/firmware/product_name` | Product name, such as `Pearl Mini` | | `GET /system/ident` | Device name, location, and description | The combined firmware call returns everything at once: ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "version": "4.24.1", "revision": "250107_1e4514f", "product_id": 44, "product_name": "Pearl Mini" } } ``` `version` follows a three-part number. `product_name` matches the product name shown on the Info page of the Pearl Admin panel. **Device identity fields** returned by `/system/ident`: | Field | Limit | | --- | --- | | `name` | Up to 50 characters. Letters, digits, hyphen, space, apostrophe, parentheses, square brackets, and underscore | | `location` | Up to 50 characters | | `description` | Up to 50 characters | Use `product_name` or `product_id` to branch automation logic by model, since input IDs and several input settings differ between Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano. --- ## Pearl REST API check recorder status and download recordings id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-check-recorder-status-and-download-recordings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API check recorder status and download recordings Recorder status tells you whether a Pearl recorder is running, how long it has been recording, and how many of its sources are active. Recording status is separate from streaming status, which is reported by publishers. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /recorders/status` | Status of every recorder; accepts `ids` to filter | | `GET /recorders/{rid}/status` | Status of one recorder | | `GET /recorders/{rid}/archive/files` | Lists recorded files held by that recorder | | `GET /recorders/{rid}/archive/files/{fid}` | Downloads one recorded file | **Recorder states** are `disabled`, `starting`, `started`, `stopped`, and `error`. A running recorder also returns `duration` in seconds, plus `active` and `total` source counts. When the state is `error`, a `description` field explains why. ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "state": "started", "duration": 195, "active": "1", "total": "1" } } ``` **Listing archive files.** The file list accepts `from` (the zero-indexed position of the first file to return) and `limit` (the maximum number of files in the response), so you can page through a long archive. Each file entry reports: | Field | Meaning | | --- | --- | | `id` | File identifier, used in the download path | | `name` | Display name, such as `HDMI-A_Dec11_17-32-30` | | `extension` | Media extension, such as `mp4` | | `recording` | Whether the recording is still in progress | | `downloaded` | Whether the file has already been downloaded | | `created` | Creation date and time | | `duration` | Length in seconds | | `size` | Size in bytes | | `recorder` | The recorder that produced it | | `uploading` | Whether an upload of this file is in progress | | `event_id` | The scheduled event this file belongs to, if any | **Downloading.** The download endpoint returns the raw media as `application/octet-stream`. Pass the `id` value from the file list as `{fid}`. A missing recorder or a missing file both return 404. --- ## Pearl REST API check storage status and eject media id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-check-storage-status-and-eject-media · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API check storage status and eject media Storage endpoints report how much space a Pearl device has left, what media is installed, and whether files are being transferred to it. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /system/storages` | Lists the storage IDs on the device | | `GET /system/storages/{stid}/status` | Reports state, capacity, and free space | | `GET /system/storages/{stid}/transfer/status` | Reports file transfer progress | | `POST /system/storages/{stid}/control/eject` | Safely ejects removable storage | **Storage IDs** are `main`, `external`, and `maintenance`. **Storage states** are `ready`, `nodev` (no device present), `dev` (device found but not mounted), `devro` (write-protected), and `formatting`. When the state is `ready`, the response also reports `media_type` — `hd` for a SATA or NVMe drive, `sdcard` for an SD/MMC card, or `usb` for a USB drive — plus `total` and `free` in bytes. ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "state": "ready", "media_type": "sdcard", "total": 15809413120, "free": 11821019136 } } ``` **Ejecting.** The main storage does not support eject, and calling the endpoint against it returns HTTP 405 with the message `Storage 'main' does not support eject`. Use eject on removable storage before physically removing it. **Transfer status.** Transfer states are `completed`, `disabled`, `nomedia`, and `running`. A `session` block reports `started` and `completed` timestamps and `total` and `processed` counts and byte sizes, alongside `current_time`. Pass `storage=true` to include the storage status in the same response. Transfer progress is not shown when the storage is used together with Automatic File Upload. The main storage does not support transfer, and calling that endpoint against it returns HTTP 405 with the message `Storage 'main' does not support transfer`. An unknown storage ID returns 404 with a message such as `Storage 'wrongname' not found`. --- ## Pearl REST API check system status, reboot, shut down, and factory reset id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-check-system-status-reboot-shut-down-and-factory-reset · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API check system status, reboot, shut down, and factory reset System endpoints report the hardware condition of a Pearl device and provide power and reset control. The reset and power endpoints act immediately and interrupt any recording or streaming in progress. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **System status.** ``` GET /api/v2.0/system/status ``` | Field | Meaning | | --- | --- | | `date` | Current system time | | `uptime` | Seconds since the last reboot | | `cpuload` | CPU load as a percentage, 0 to 100 | | `cpuload_high` | Indicator that CPU load is high | | `cputemp` | CPU temperature in degrees Celsius | | `cputemp_threshold` | Temperature above which the CPU is considered too hot | Compare `cputemp` against `cputemp_threshold` rather than against a fixed number, because the threshold is reported per device. **Power and reset control.** | Method and path | Effect | | --- | --- | | `POST /system/control/reboot` | Reboots the device | | `POST /system/control/shutdown` | Shuts the device down | | `POST /system/control/factoryreset` | Performs a factory reset | **Factory reset is destructive and cannot be undone.** It deletes all data from the device and resets configuration settings to factory defaults, including recordings still stored on the device, channel and publisher configuration, and network settings. Export any configuration presets and download any recordings you need before calling it. All three endpoints return `{"status": "ok"}` once the command has been accepted. Because the device goes offline immediately afterwards, do not expect any further response on the same connection, and allow time for the device to come back before polling it again. --- ## Pearl REST API common video and audio input settings id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-common-video-and-audio-input-settings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API common video and audio input settings Input settings are read and written per source on one path, and several setting blocks are shared across input types rather than being specific to one. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /inputs/{sid}/settings` | Reads current settings | | `PUT /inputs/{sid}/settings` | Replaces settings completely | | `PATCH /inputs/{sid}/settings` | Updates only the fields you send | **Settings blocks.** A settings body carries only the blocks that apply to the source: | Block | Covers | | --- | --- | | `audio` | Common audio settings | | `video` | Common video settings | | `local_audio` | Analog and USB audio capture | | `hdmi` | HDMI inputs | | `sdi` | SDI inputs | | `usb` | USB inputs | | `srt` | SRT inputs | | `rtsp` | RTSP inputs | | `ndi` | NDI inputs | | `web_graphics` | Web graphics inputs | **Common audio block** (`audio`): - `delay` — audio delay in milliseconds, from -300 to 300. Default `0`. **Common video block** (`video`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `nosignal.image` | Filename of the picture shown as the No Signal image | | `nosignal.timeout` | Seconds in the No Signal state before the image appears. Default `5` | | `force_full_color_range` | Converts limited RGB range (16–235) to full range (0–255). Default `true` | | `hwaccel_decoding` | Use hardware acceleration for video decoding. Default `true` | **Analog audio block** (`local_audio`). This block covers analog and USB audio capture: | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `gain` | Capture gain. Units depend on the device — decibels or percentage | | `mute` | Mute or unmute capture. Default `false` | | `phantom_power` | Enable 48V phantom power. Default `false` | | `input_type` | `XLR`, `RCA`, `XLR+RCA`, `3.5mm`, or `RCA+3.5mm` | | `stereo_pair` | When `true`, both channels share gain and mute. Default `true` | | `channels.channelA` / `channels.channelB` | Per-channel `gain` and `mute`, used when `stereo_pair` is `false` | **Device differences** - `gain` applies to USB audio, Pearl-2 analog audio, Pearl Mini XLR/TRS and RCA/3.5 mm analog audio, Pearl Nexus XLR/TRS and RCA/3.5 mm analog audio, and Pearl Nano analog audio. - `mute` applies to the sources above plus SDI audio and HDMI audio. - `phantom_power` applies to Pearl Mini XLR/TRS analog audio and Pearl Nexus XLR/TRS analog audio only. - `input_type` applies to Pearl-2 analog B (XLR/RCA), Pearl Mini RCA/3.5 mm, Pearl Nexus RCA/3.5 mm, and Pearl Nano analog audio. - `stereo_pair` and the per-channel `channels` block apply to Pearl-2 analog audio, Pearl Mini XLR/TRS, Pearl Nexus XLR/TRS, and Pearl Nano analog audio. Setting per-channel gain on a Pearl Mini XLR/TRS input: ```json { "audio": { "delay": 1 }, "local_audio": { "stereo_pair": false, "channels": { "channelA": { "gain": 40, "mute": true }, "channelB": { "gain": 41, "mute": false } } } } ``` --- ## Pearl REST API control scheduled CMS events id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-control-scheduled-cms-events · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API control scheduled CMS events Scheduled events come from the content management system configured on the Pearl device. The API lists them and can force-start, stop, pause, resume, and extend an event outside its scheduled window. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **Listing events.** ``` GET /api/v2.0/schedule/events ``` | Parameter | Effect | | --- | --- | | `from` / `to` | Earliest scheduled start and latest scheduled finish | | `limit` | Maximum number of events returned | | `status` | Return only events with a given status | | `extstatus` | Include extended status information | | `full` | Include all available event fields rather than a subset | | `cmsinfo` | Include a `capabilities` array in `extra_data` | **Event statuses** are `scheduled` (upcoming), `running` (ongoing), `paused`, and `finished`. A finished event may still have asset uploads in progress. **Fetching one event.** `GET /schedule/events/{eventId}` accepts either an event ID or an alias. Aliases can be used as a parameter but never appear in a response: | Alias | Meaning | | --- | --- | | `upcoming` | The next scheduled event | | `ongoing` | The ongoing event, running or paused | | `running` | The running ongoing event | | `paused` | The paused ongoing event | | `completed` | The most recent completed event | **Control endpoints and their state requirements.** | Method and path | Requirement | | --- | --- | | `POST /schedule/events/{eventId}/control/start` | Only an event with status `scheduled` can be started | | `POST /schedule/events/{eventId}/control/stop` | Only an event with status `running` or `paused` can be stopped | | `POST /schedule/events/{eventId}/control/pause` | Only an event with status `running` can be paused | | `POST /schedule/events/{eventId}/control/resume` | Only an event with status `paused` can be resumed | | `POST /schedule/events/{eventId}/control/extend` | Only an event with status `running` or `paused` can be extended | Calling a control endpoint on an event in the wrong state returns HTTP 409, and an unknown event ID returns 404. Pausing and resuming Kaltura and EchoVideo events requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. EchoVideo scheduled events can be started early only up to five minutes before the scheduled start time. There are no REST API commands for YuJa CMS functions. **Extending an event.** Send the number of seconds to add to the current finish time: ```json { "finish": 300 } ``` If an extended event overlaps with the next scheduled event, an error is returned. --- ## Pearl REST API create ad-hoc CMS events and manage login sessions id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-create-ad-hoc-cms-events-and-manage-login-sessions · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API create ad-hoc CMS events and manage login sessions An ad-hoc event is created on demand rather than pulled from a CMS schedule. Ad-hoc event creation is supported for Kaltura CMS, Panopto CMS, and Opencast CMS, and, with firmware 4.24.6 or newer, for EchoVideo on Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* ``` POST /api/v2.0/schedule/events ``` **How creation behaves differs by CMS.** - **Kaltura CMS** — the event is added to the local scheduling database and an internal event identifier is returned immediately. The event is not created on the Kaltura server side. - **Panopto CMS and Opencast CMS** — the event is created on the CMS server, and a schedule synchronization (refresh) is required before the new ad-hoc event appears in the local scheduling database. **Shared body fields** are `title`, `duration` (minimum 60 seconds), and `start`. The `start` value is relative or absolute: a value from 0 to 31536000 is a number of seconds relative to the current system time, and 31536001 or above is a Unix timestamp in seconds. **Kaltura-specific fields** include `type` (`vod`, `live`, or `vod-live`), `organizer`, `description`, `tags`, `categories`, `recorders` (channel IDs for `vod` and `vod-live`), `live` (the channel used for `live` and `vod-live`), `live_backup`, `live_rtmps`, and `primaryStream`. **Panopto-specific fields** are `type` (`vod` or `live`) and `folder`, a destination folder UUID. If `folder` is omitted, the default folder from the current ad-hoc session is used. **Opencast-specific fields** are `subject` and `description`. **EchoVideo** ad hoc events take only three parameters: title, duration, and event type. They use the Default profile set in EchoVideo for the device running the event. **Ad hoc webcasts started through the REST API are not supported by EchoVideo.** A live (webcast or streamed) ad hoc event created this way is forced to be a VOD event. **YuJa does not support creating ad hoc events from a Pearl device, including through the REST API.** **Ad-hoc login sessions.** A short-lived session, one hour, holds the credentials used to create ad-hoc events. Ad-hoc login sessions are supported only for Kaltura CMS and Panopto CMS. Opencast CMS and EchoVideo do not require authentication to create ad hoc events, so they do not use an ad-hoc login session. | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /schedule/events/adhoc/session` | Returns the current ad-hoc session | | `POST /schedule/events/adhoc/session` | Starts a session (login) | | `DELETE /schedule/events/adhoc/session` | Ends the session (logout) | Kaltura login takes an `id` — a user ID or email address — and returns the resolved user ID and full name. Panopto login takes `id` and `password` and is used to obtain an OAuth2 access token on behalf of that user. If the configuration option **Automatically logout** is on, an active ad-hoc login session is automatically deleted after an ad-hoc event is created successfully. For a Kaltura event created without an active session, `organizer` must be specified explicitly. --- ## Pearl REST API HDMI, SDI, and USB input settings id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-hdmi-sdi-and-usb-input-settings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API HDMI, SDI, and USB input settings HDMI, SDI, and USB sources have their own settings blocks alongside the common `audio` and `video` blocks, and their capabilities vary by Pearl model. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **HDMI block** (`hdmi`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `deinterlacing` | Converts an interlaced source signal to non-interlaced. Default `false` | | `downscale_4k_to_fullhd` | Downscales a 4K UHD source to 1080p in hardware. Default `true` | | `scaling` | Target resolution, such as `2560x1440` | | `audio.mute` | Mute or unmute HDMI audio | | `audio.delay` | HDMI audio delay, -300 to 300 ms. Default `0` | **SDI block** (`sdi`) offers `downscale_4k_to_fullhd`, `scaling`, and the same `audio.mute` and `audio.delay` fields. **Device differences** - HDMI `deinterlacing` is supported on Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - HDMI `downscale_4k_to_fullhd` applies to the Pearl-2 HDMI 4K input. - SDI `downscale_4k_to_fullhd` applies to Pearl-2. - Pearl Nano does not support USB video input, so the USB camera and capture settings do not apply. - Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus capture video sources at a maximum resolution of 1920x1200, so `scaling` values above 1920×1200 do not apply to them. **USB block** (`usb`). USB capture devices expose camera and capture controls: | Field | Range | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | `capture_mode` | Resolution and frame rate, such as `1920x1080@30` | — | | `brightness` | 0 to 100 | `50` | | `contrast` | 0 to 100 | `50` | | `saturation` | 0 to 100 | `0` | | `sharpness` | 0 to 100 | `50` | | `tilt` | -64 to 64 | `0` | | `pan` | -64 to 64 | `0` | | `power_line_frequency` | `0` disabled, `1` for 50 Hz, `2` for 60 Hz | `0` | | `volume` | Capture volume as a percentage, 0 to 100 | `70` | Setting the SDI scaling and audio delay on a Pearl Nano: ```json { "video": { "nosignal": { "image": "", "timeout": 5 } }, "sdi": { "scaling": "2560x1440", "audio": { "mute": true, "delay": 25 } } } ``` On Pearl Nano, scaling above 1920×1200 requires the 4K feature add-on. On Pearl-2, 4K resolutions require the 4K feature add-on. Use `PATCH` when adjusting one value, such as gain or mute, so the rest of the configuration is left untouched. --- ## Pearl REST API list channels, encoders, and switch layouts id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-list-channels-encoders-and-switch-layouts · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API list channels, encoders, and switch layouts Channels are the core objects on a Pearl device: each one has encoders, publishers, and layouts. The channel ID (`cid`) is the logical channel number shown in the Pearl Admin panel. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* ``` GET /api/v2.0/channels ``` By default this returns the ID and name of every channel. Query parameters expand the response: | Parameter | Effect | | --- | --- | | `ids` | Comma-separated channel IDs to filter by, for example `ids=1,2` | | `publishers` | Include each publisher's ID, type, and name. Must be true for the two options below to take effect | | `publishers-status` | Include publisher status | | `publishers-settings` | Include publisher configuration | | `encoders` | Include video and audio encoder configuration | | `active_layout` | Include the currently active layout and its sources | **Encoder fields** returned per channel include `id`, `type` (`video` or `audio`), `name` (such as `H.264` or `AAC`), `resolution`, `framerate` (1 to 99), `bitrate` (1 to 50000 kbit/s), and `channels` for audio (1 for mono, 2 for stereo). **Renaming a channel.** Names are 1 to 128 characters and are passed as a query parameter: ``` GET /api/v2.0/channels/{cid}/name PUT /api/v2.0/channels/{cid}/name?name=Main%20Stage ``` **Switching layouts.** The active layout is changed by ID: ``` PUT /api/v2.0/channels/{cid}/layouts/active?id=1 ``` The layout ID is auto-assigned. Read the current one from the `active_layout` block of the channel list, which also reports the layout's `name` and its video and audio `sources`. A request naming a channel that does not exist returns 404. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has a single layout and does not support switching layouts. --- ## Pearl REST API list, create, rename, and delete publishers id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-list-create-rename-and-delete-publishers · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API list, create, rename, and delete publishers Before configuring or controlling a stream you need its publisher ID. Publishers are listed per channel, and new ones can be created and deleted through the API. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers` | Lists the publishers on a channel | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/type` | Lists the ID, type, and name of each publisher | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/type` | Returns the type of one publisher | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/name` | Returns the display name of one publisher | | `PUT /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/name?name=` | Renames a publisher | | `POST /channels/{cid}/publishers` | Adds a new publisher to a channel | | `DELETE /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}` | Deletes a publisher | **Publisher types** are `rtmp`, `rtsp`, `rtp-udp`, `mpegts-udp`, `mpegts-rtp`, `ndi`, `hls`, and `srt`. **Device differences** - The `ndi` publisher type applies to Pearl-2 only. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus do not support NDI output streaming, and Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. A channel with no publishers returns an empty `result` array rather than an error. **Publisher names** are 1 to 128 characters. The rename endpoint takes the new name as a query parameter, not a body, and returns the updated name in `result`. **Creating a publisher.** Send a JSON body containing an optional `name` and a required `settings` object. The `settings` object must include a `type` field that selects which protocol block is expected: ```json { "name": "New RTMP", "settings": { "type": "rtmp", "rtmp": { "disable_audio": false, "url": "rtmp://192.168.86.51", "stream": "", "username": "", "password": "" }, "common": { "enabled": false, "single_touch": false } } } ``` A successful creation returns HTTP 201 with the new publisher's `id`, `name`, and `settings`. A request naming a channel that does not exist returns 404. --- ## Pearl REST API list inputs and create network inputs id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-list-inputs-and-create-network-inputs · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API list inputs and create network inputs Inputs are the audio and video sources available to a Pearl device, each with a source ID (`sid`). Physical inputs exist as soon as the hardware does; network inputs are created through the API. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* ``` GET /api/v2.0/inputs GET /api/v2.0/inputs?types=embedded,usb GET /api/v2.0/inputs?ids=SRT1,RTSP1 ``` Each entry returns `id`, `name` (the user-defined name, 1 to 128 characters), `real_device_name` (the default device name), `audio` and `video` flags, and `type`. **Input types** are `embedded`, `usb`, `rtsp`, `ndi`, `srt`, and `web-graphics`. **Device differences** - Pearl Nano uses `hdmi` as its HDMI source ID. - Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus use `hdmi-a` as their HDMI source ID. - Pearl Nano, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus use `sdi` as their SDI source ID. - Pearl-2 exposes 4K inputs as `hdmi4k-a` and `sdi4k-a`. - Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus expose two analog audio inputs, `analog-a` and `analog-b`. - Pearl Nano exposes a single analog audio input, `analog`. - Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. - Pearl Nano supports only SRT and RTSP network inputs, one at a time. Network inputs are named by type and index, such as `SRT1`, `RTSP1`, `NDI1`, and `WEBG1`. USB inputs use IDs such as `USBA`. **Creating a network input.** ``` POST /api/v2.0/inputs ``` Send a body containing `type`, an optional `name`, and a `settings` object. Only network input types can be created this way: `rtsp`, `srt`, `ndi`, and `web-graphics`. ```json { "type": "srt", "name": "New SRT Listener", "settings": { "srt": { "mode": "listener", "port": 1029, "latency": 83, "encryption": null }, "audio": { "delay": 0 }, "video": { "nosignal": { "image": "", "timeout": 8 } } } } ``` A successful creation returns HTTP 201 with the new source ID in `result`, for example `SRT1`. **Errors.** A missing or invalid `type` returns 400. An input type that is not allowed to be created returns 405 with the message `Input type is not allowed`. Reaching the device limit returns 409 with the message `The maximum number of allowed network inputs is reached`. An unexpected failure returns 500. --- ## Pearl REST API monitor automatic file upload id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-monitor-automatic-file-upload · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API monitor automatic file upload Automatic File Upload (AFU) transfers recorded files from a Pearl device to a server or USB destination. The API reports AFU state and queue depth but does not configure AFU destinations. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /afu` | Lists AFU IDs | | `GET /afu/status` | Status of every AFU destination | | `GET /afu/{aid}/status` | Status of one AFU destination | As of firmware 4.24.1, the AFU list is limited to a single AFU ID. **AFU states** are `idle`, `paused`, `uploading`, `error`, and `disabled`. **Protocols** reported in the `protocol` field are `ftp`, `rsync`, `cifs`, `scp`, `sftp`, `s3`, `webdav`, `edge`, `usbcopy`, `kaltura`, `panopto`, and `opencast`. Container app protocols use the form `container:{app_name}`. **Queue and file fields.** The `queue` block reports `files` (number of files waiting) and `size` (total bytes waiting). While uploading, a `file` block reports the `recorder` the file came from, the file `id`, `size` in bytes, and `uploaded` bytes. Not all AFU protocols report the `uploaded` byte count, so treat a progress figure as unavailable rather than zero when the protocol does not supply it. When the state is `error`, an `error.message` field carries the reason. ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "state": "uploading", "protocol": "webdav", "queue": { "files": 1, "size": 184323243 }, "file": { "recorder": "1", "id": "VGA.1736858583.Test channel.mp4", "uploaded": 0, "size": 184323243 } } } ``` An unknown AFU ID returns 404 with a message such as `AFU destination '15' not found`. --- ## Pearl REST API network input settings for SRT, RTSP, NDI, and web graphics id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-network-input-settings-for-srt-rtsp-ndi-and-web-graphics · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API network input settings for SRT, RTSP, NDI, and web graphics Network inputs pull a stream or a rendered page into the Pearl device as a source. Their settings blocks sit alongside the common `audio` and `video` blocks on the same input settings path. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **SRT input** (`srt`). As with SRT publishers, required fields depend on `mode`: | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `mode` | `caller`, `listener`, or `rendezvous`. Default `caller` | | `latency` | 80 to 8000 ms. Default `80` | | `encryption` | `passphrase` (10 to 79 characters) plus `keylength` (`128`, `192`, or `256`), or `null` | | `ts_utc_midnight_origin` | UTC midnight-based timestamps. Default `true` | | `url` | Required for `caller` and `rendezvous` | | `port` | Required for `listener`. 1024 to 65535 | | `stream_id` | Caller only, up to 512 characters | | `source_port` | Caller only. `0`, or 1024 to 65535. Default `0` | Note that the default `latency` for an SRT **input** is 80 ms, while the default for an SRT **publisher** is 125 ms. **RTSP input** (`rtsp`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `url` | Source URL, up to 128 characters | | `username` / `password` | Credentials for the source | | `transport` | `udp`, `tcp`, or `udp_multicast` | **NDI input** (`ndi`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `name` | NDI source name, up to 128 characters | | `group` | NDI group the input belongs to, up to 50 characters | | `extra_source_ip_addresses` | Comma-delimited IP addresses to query for discovery, up to 512 characters | | `ignore_timecode` | Ignore timecode in the NDI signal. Default `false` | Set `ignore_timecode` to `true` when the NDI source sends no timecode or its timecode is unstable. **Web graphics input** (`web_graphics`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `url` | Page URL, up to 256 characters. Required | | `resolution` | Render resolution, such as `1920x1080` | | `fps` | Rendering frames per second, 1 to 99. Default `30` | **Device differences** - Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. - Pearl Nano supports only SRT and RTSP network inputs, one at a time. Creating an RTSP input with UDP transport: ```json { "type": "rtsp", "name": "New RTSP", "settings": { "rtsp": { "url": "rtsp://10.10.10.10:8554/rtspstream", "username": "", "password": "", "transport": "udp" }, "audio": { "delay": 0 }, "video": { "nosignal": { "image": "", "timeout": 5 }, "hwaccel_decoding": true } } } ``` --- ## Pearl REST API publisher settings field names differ between reads and writes id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-publisher-settings-field-names-differ-between-reads-and-writes · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API publisher settings field names differ between reads and writes Writing publisher settings and reading them back use different field-name conventions. A write takes a nested structure with underscore names; a read returns a flat structure with hyphenated names. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* The settings themselves are the same — only the representation differs. This affects `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/settings`, the settings included in `GET /channels?publishers-settings=true`, and the body returned by a successful `PATCH`. If you write `common.enabled` and read back a body containing `started`, the write did not fail — the response simply uses the other convention. **Fields shared by every publisher type.** | Write (request) | Read (response) | | --- | --- | | `common.enabled` | `started` | | `common.single_touch` | `single-touch` | | `.disable_audio` | `disable-audio` | The protocol block disappears on read: fields nested under `rtmp`, `rtsp`, or `srt` in a request are returned at the top level of `result`, alongside `type` and `name`. **RTMP.** `url`, `stream`, `username`, and `password` keep their names. A read also returns `auto_created`, which is not part of a write body. **RTSP.** `url`, `transport`, `username`, and `password` keep their names. **SRT.** | Write (request) | Read (response) | | --- | --- | | `srt.mode` | `mode` | | `srt.latency` | `latency` | | `srt.url` | `url` | | `srt.port` | `port` | | `srt.stream_id` | `stream-id` | | `srt.source_port` | `source-port` | | `srt.bw_recovery_overhead` | `bw-recovery-overhead` | | `srt.encryption.keylength` | `key-length` | | `srt.encryption.passphrase` | `passphrase` | | `srt.encryption` (object or `null`) | `encryption` (boolean) | Note the last row: on write, `encryption` is either an object containing `passphrase` and `keylength`, or `null`. On read, `encryption` is a boolean and the passphrase and key length are returned as separate top-level fields. A read of an SRT listener publisher returns all mode fields regardless of mode, so `url` may be present and empty on a listener while `port` carries the value. --- ## Pearl REST API publisher settings for MPEG-TS, RTP/UDP, and NDI id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-publisher-settings-for-mpeg-ts-rtpudp-and-ndi · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API publisher settings for MPEG-TS, RTP/UDP, and NDI MPEG-TS, RTP/UDP, and NDI publishers use the same settings path and the same `type` plus `common` structure as the other protocols. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **MPEG-TS UDP push** (`type: "mpegts-udp"`, block `mpegts_udp`) and **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP push** (`type: "mpegts-rtp"`, block `mpegts_rtp`) both take a single `port` field, 1 to 65535, default `6004`. **RTP/UDP push** (`type: "rtp-udp"`, block `rtp_udp`) takes two ports instead: - `audio_port` — 1 to 65535. Default `6000` - `video_port` — 1 to 65535. Default `6002` **Options shared by all three UDP-based types.** | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `address` | Unicast or multicast destination address | | `sap` | Whether to enable SAP announcement. Default `false` | | `sap_ip` | SAP announcement address | | `sap_channel` | SAP channel number. Default `0` | | `sap_play_group` | SAP play group name, up to 50 characters | | `limit_bandwidth` | Whether to cap the bandwidth rate. Default `false` | | `limit_bandwidth_rate` | Bandwidth cap in kbit/s. Default `0` | **NDI** (`type: "ndi"`, block `ndi`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `ndi_name` | NDI source name, up to 500 characters | | `ndi_group` | NDI group name, up to 500 characters | | `disable_audio` | Default `false` | **Device differences** - The `ndi` publisher type applies to Pearl-2 only. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus do not support NDI output streaming, and Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. An MPEG-TS UDP publisher with a bandwidth cap: ```json { "type": "mpegts-udp", "mpegts_udp": { "port": 6006, "limit_bandwidth": true, "limit_bandwidth_rate": 1024 }, "common": { "enabled": true, "single_touch": true } } ``` --- ## Pearl REST API publisher settings for RTMP, RTSP, and HLS id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-publisher-settings-for-rtmp-rtsp-and-hls · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API publisher settings for RTMP, RTSP, and HLS Publisher settings are read and written on a single path per publisher, and every settings object shares the same outer structure regardless of protocol. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/settings` | Reads current settings | | `PUT /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/settings` | Replaces settings completely | | `PATCH /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/settings` | Updates only the fields you send | **Shared structure.** Every settings body carries a `type` field naming the protocol, a `common` block, and one protocol-specific block named after the type: - `common.enabled` — whether the publisher is enabled. Default `false`. - `common.single_touch` — whether Single Touch control includes this publisher. Default `true`. Use `PATCH` for a targeted change, such as switching a destination URL without resending credentials. **The field names below apply to requests.** A read of the same publisher returns a flat structure using different, hyphenated field names — `common.enabled` is returned as `started`, and `disable_audio` is returned as `disable-audio`. See "Pearl REST API publisher settings field names differ between reads and writes" for the full mapping. **RTMP push** (`type: "rtmp"`, block `rtmp`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `url` | Destination URL, up to 500 characters | | `stream` | Stream key or name, up to 500 characters | | `username` / `password` | Up to 250 characters each | | `disable_audio` | Default `false` | **RTSP announce** (`type: "rtsp"`, block `rtsp`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `url` | Destination URL, up to 500 characters | | `transport` | `tcp` or `udp`. Default `udp` | | `username` / `password` | Up to 250 characters each | | `disable_audio` | Default `false` | **HLS push** (`type: "hls"`, block `hls`): | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `url` | Ingest URL | | `master_pl_url` | Master playlist URL | | `username` / `password` | Up to 250 characters each | | `segment_duration` | 1 to 8 seconds. Default `6` | | `list_size` | Minimum 1. Default `6` | | `user_agent` | Up to 100 characters | | `http_method` | Default `POST` | | `media_seg_tmpl` | Media segment template, up to 1000 characters | | `disable_audio` | Default `false` | A PATCH that changes only the RTMP destination: ```json { "rtmp": { "url": "rtmp://192.168.86.57", "stream": "new-key" }, "common": { "enabled": true } } ``` --- ## Pearl REST API publisher settings for SRT id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-publisher-settings-for-srt · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API publisher settings for SRT SRT publishers use the same settings path as every other protocol, but the fields required depend on the SRT connection mode. Set `type` to `srt` and populate the `srt` block. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **Fields common to all SRT modes.** | Field | Notes | | --- | --- | | `mode` | `caller`, `listener`, or `rendezvous`. Default `caller` | | `latency` | 80 to 8000 ms. Default `125` | | `bw_recovery_overhead` | 5 to 100 percent. Default `25` | | `disable_audio` | Default `false` | | `encryption` | An object, or `null` for no encryption | **Encryption.** When present, the `encryption` object requires both `passphrase` (10 to 79 characters) and `keylength` (`128`, `192`, or `256`). Send `"encryption": null` to turn encryption off. **Mode-specific fields.** | Mode | Required | Optional | | --- | --- | --- | | `caller` | `url` | `stream_id` (up to 512 characters), `source_port` | | `listener` | `port` | — | | `rendezvous` | `url` | — | `port` is 1024 to 65535. `source_port` is either `0` (default, meaning the system picks one) or a value from 1024 to 65535. A caller-mode publisher with encryption: ```json { "type": "srt", "srt": { "mode": "caller", "url": "srt://127.0.0.1:19861", "stream_id": "", "latency": 125, "bw_recovery_overhead": 25, "disable_audio": false, "encryption": { "keylength": 128, "passphrase": "AnyPassphrase" } }, "common": { "enabled": false, "single_touch": false } } ``` A listener-mode publisher waits for an incoming connection and reports state `listening` until one arrives, so a `listening` status is normal rather than a fault. **Reading SRT settings back returns different field names.** `srt.encryption.keylength` is returned as `key-length`, `bw_recovery_overhead` as `bw-recovery-overhead`, `stream_id` as `stream-id`, and `source_port` as `source-port`. See "Pearl REST API publisher settings field names differ between reads and writes". --- ## Pearl REST API response format and error codes id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-response-format-and-error-codes · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API response format and error codes Every Pearl REST API response is a JSON object containing a `status` field. Successful operations always return `"status": "ok"`, and endpoints that return data add a `result` field alongside it. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* A successful response with no return value: ```json { "status": "ok" } ``` A successful response with data: ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "version": "4.24.5" } } ``` **Error responses.** On failure, `status` is set to an error keyword and a `message` field carries a human-readable description: ```json { "status": "notfound", "message": "Channel not found" } ``` **Status keywords and HTTP codes.** | HTTP code | `status` value | Meaning | | --- | --- | --- | | 200 | `ok` | Request succeeded | | 201 | `ok` | Resource created (new publisher, new input, new ad-hoc event) | | 400 | `badrequest` | Invalid or missing request parameters | | 403 | `forbidden` | Operation is forbidden | | 404 | `notfound` | Channel, publisher, input, output, recorder, storage, preset, or event does not exist | | 405 | `notallowed` | Operation is not permitted for this object | | 409 | `conflict` | Resource conflict, such as a limit being reached or an object being in the wrong state | | 500 | `error` / `internalservererror` | Internal server error | | 503 | `unavailable` | Service unavailable | Check the `status` field rather than assuming success from an HTTP 200 alone, and log the `message` field when handling errors — it names the specific object that failed, for example `streamer '99' for channel '1' not found`. --- ## Pearl REST API start and stop recording id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-start-and-stop-recording · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API start and stop recording Recording on a Pearl device is controlled through recorders. A recorder is either a built-in channel recorder or a user-created multitrack recorder, and each one has an auto-assigned recorder ID (`rid`). *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **List the recorders first** to find the IDs you need: ``` GET /api/v2.0/recorders ``` Each entry returns `id`, `name`, and `multisource` (true for a multitrack recorder, false for a channel recorder). **Control endpoints.** | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `POST /recorders/control/start` | Starts all recorders | | `POST /recorders/control/stop` | Stops all recorders | | `POST /recorders/{rid}/control/start` | Starts one recorder | | `POST /recorders/{rid}/control/stop` | Stops one recorder | The two bulk endpoints accept an optional `ids` query parameter — a comma-separated list of recorder IDs — to act on a subset instead of everything: ``` POST /api/v2.0/recorders/control/start?ids=1,2 ``` **These calls are asynchronous.** The method does not wait for recorders to start or stop; it returns as soon as the command is accepted. A `{"status": "ok"}` response confirms the command was processed, not that recording has begun. Poll the recorder status endpoint to confirm the state actually changed. Starting an individual recorder can return 400 for a bad request or 404 if the recorder ID does not exist. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has only one channel and no multitrack recorders. --- ## Pearl REST API start and stop streaming id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-start-and-stop-streaming · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API start and stop streaming Streaming on a Pearl device is handled by publishers. A publisher is the streaming component of a channel — one channel can have several publishers, each pushing to a different destination, and each has an auto-assigned publisher ID (`pid`). *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `POST /channels/{cid}/publishers/control/start` | Starts every publisher on the channel | | `POST /channels/{cid}/publishers/control/stop` | Stops every publisher on the channel | | `POST /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/control/start` | Starts one publisher | | `POST /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/control/stop` | Stops one publisher | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/status` | Status of every publisher on the channel | | `GET /channels/{cid}/publishers/{pid}/status` | Status of one publisher | **Start and stop are asynchronous.** The method does not wait for the publisher to start or stop. A `{"status": "ok"}` response means the command was accepted, not that the stream is live — poll the status endpoint to confirm. **Publisher states** are `starting`, `listening`, `started`, `stopped`, and `error`. Status also returns: - `is_configured` — whether the publisher is properly configured - `started` — whether it is currently running - `duration` — seconds since it started - `since` — the start time as a Unix timestamp in seconds - `description` — the error text when the state is `error` - `reconnections` — how many times it reconnected during the stream - `warnings` — an array of warning messages - `statistics` — transport statistics, populated for SRT **SRT statistics.** An SRT publisher reports a `total` block covering the whole session (`duration`, `pkt_sent`, `pkt_loss`, `pkt_retrans`, `pkt_drop`, `latency`, `byte_sent`, `byte_retrans`, `byte_drop`) and a `current` block covering a recent window (`send_rate`, `loss_ratio`, `retrans_ratio`, `drop_ratio`, `latency`, `rtt`, `estimated_bandwidth`, `send_buffer`, `stream_id`, `ip`). Use `pkt_loss`, `pkt_retrans`, and `rtt` to diagnose an unstable SRT link. --- ## Pearl REST API test network connectivity and measure bandwidth id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-test-network-connectivity-and-measure-bandwidth · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API test network connectivity and measure bandwidth Two network endpoints help diagnose a Pearl device that streams poorly or cannot reach a service. One reports the state of individual connectivity checks; the other runs an active speed test. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **Connectivity details.** ``` GET /api/v2.0/system/connectivity/details ``` The response reports `external_ip` and `mdns`, plus a state for each check. Each check returns `disabled`, `ok`, or `error`: | Check | What it covers | | --- | --- | | `dns` | Name resolution | | `http` / `https` | Outbound web access | | `captive_portal` | Captive portal detection | | `icmp` | Ping reachability | | `epiphan_edge` | Connectivity to Epiphan Edge | | `vtun` | Tunnel connectivity | An `error` on `icmp` or `dns` alongside `ok` on `http` and `https` is common on networks that block ping or force a proxy, so read the checks together rather than treating any single `error` as a fault. **Speed test.** ``` GET /api/v2.0/system/connectivity/tools/speedtest?mode=uplink&protocol=tcp&timeout=30 ``` | Parameter | Values | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | `mode` | `uplink` or `downlink` | `uplink` | | `protocol` | `tcp` or `udp` | `tcp` | | `timeout` | Maximum test duration in seconds, minimum 1 | `30` | The result reports `protocol`, `mode`, `bandwidth` in bits per second, `bitrate_limit` in bits per second, and `duration` in seconds. A UDP test also returns a `udp.loss` figure. An invalid `protocol` or `mode` returns HTTP 400 with the message `Invalid protocol parameter` or `Invalid mode parameter`. Run the speed test when the device is idle. It generates real traffic and will compete with live streaming for the same uplink. --- ## Pearl REST API use Single Touch control id: pearl-family/pearl-rest-api-use-single-touch-control · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-rest-api.md # Pearl REST API use Single Touch control Single Touch control starts and stops a preconfigured group of recorders and publishers together with one action. The API can read its current state and toggle it. *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* | Method and path | What it does | | --- | --- | | `GET /system/singletouchcontrol` | Lists Single Touch control objects and their IDs | | `GET /system/singletouchcontrol/{stcid}/state` | Reads the state of one object | | `POST /system/singletouchcontrol/{stcid}/control/toggle` | Changes the state of one object | **State fields.** | Field | Meaning | | --- | --- | | `pressed` | Whether the Single Touch object is currently activated | | `status` | Whether all its recorders and publishers started successfully | | `recorders` | Aggregate counts for recorders | | `publishers` | Aggregate counts for publishers | Each aggregate block reports `total` (how many items the object covers), `active` (how many are currently running), and `success` (how many are without errors). ```json { "status": "ok", "result": { "pressed": false, "status": true, "recorders": { "total": 5, "active": 0, "success": 5 }, "publishers": { "total": 4, "active": 1, "success": 4 } } } ``` **Which publishers participate.** A publisher is included in Single Touch control by its `common.single_touch` setting, which defaults to `true`. Set it to `false` on a publisher that should not start and stop with the group. Note that `pressed` and `status` answer different questions: `pressed` says whether the group was activated, while `status` says whether everything in the group actually came up. A group can be `pressed: true` with `status: false` when some members failed to start. An unknown Single Touch control ID returns 404 with a message such as `single touch control object '30' not found`. --- ## Perform a factory reset id: pearl-family/perform-a-factory-reset · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Perform a factory reset *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Administrators can use the Admin panel to perform a factory reset and restore the configuration of the device to the manufacturer's original default settings. Performing a factory reset erases all your input port settings (video and audio), channel configuration, network settings, configuration presets, all locally saved media files and recordings from the device. Consider applying a factory default configuration preset if you want to preserve your uploaded media files, configuration presets, and channel recordings. **Perform a factory reset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Reset** and click **OK** when prompted. - The device resets to factory defaults and reboots. Wait for the system to finish rebooting before configuring the device. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** can additionally be factory-reset physically using the reset pin hole at the front of the device — with the device powered up, insert a pin into the reset hole and hold for approximately 15 seconds, then remove the pin. The reset process is indicated by the red and blue LEDs turning on and off; completion is indicated when the blue and red LEDs stop blinking and the power LED stays on. The device will then require initial setup. - **Pearl Nano:** can additionally be factory-reset using the front screen menu: press the left arrow key repeatedly until the Menu screen displays, select **System** > **Settings** > **Factory reset**, then select **Factory reset** using the check mark key. If a Reset PIN is configured on the Pearl Nano, this action prompts for the PIN code before the reset proceeds. --- ## Perform network diagnostics id: pearl-family/perform-network-diagnostics · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Perform network diagnostics *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Network diagnostic tools are available to help you troubleshoot your setup. Run diagnostics like traceroute, ping, and others using the Admin panel. You can also run network diagnostics from Epiphan Edge if needed. If you are unable to resolve your networking issues using the diagnostic tools, contact your network administrator and provide them with the IP address and MAC address of your device; otherwise, contact Epiphan Video support for assistance. **Perform network diagnostics using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin - From the Configuration menu, select Network and then select the Network Diagnostics tab. The Network diagnostics page opens. - In the Network diagnostics section, choose a diagnostic test from the drop-down menu and select Start. **Device differences** - **Pearl Mini:** Diagnostics can also be run from the touch screen: tap the gear icon to open System settings, tap **Network**, go to the second page of Network options, tap **Network Tools**, tap the **Tools** field and select a diagnostic tool (some tests require additional information), then tap **Run**. - **Pearl Nano:** Has no full diagnostics suite on the device. The front screen menu exposes only a "Connectivity status" check (not the full traceroute/ping suite the Admin panel offers): press the left arrow key repeatedly to reach the Menu screen, select **System > Network**, press the check mark key to select **Connectivity status**, and use the arrow keys to scroll through the results. - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Nexus:** No on-device diagnostics procedure; diagnostics are available only through the Admin panel (and Epiphan Edge, if used). --- ## Power adapter specifications id: pearl-family/power-adapter-specifications · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Power adapter specifications *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* **Device differences** - Pearl Nano ships with a different power adapter (model SYS1588-3012) with different specifications; see the Pearl Nano guide. - Pearl-2 does not use an external power adapter — it has an internal power supply (documented in Pearl-2's own tech specs table as "Power supply: Internal, 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz" and "Power use: 0.8 A, 100-240 VAC"). An external AC to DC power adapter comes with your device. **Table — AC to DC power adapter specifications** | Parameter | Value | | --- | --- | | Power supply | External: 1.5 A, 100-240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (60 W); 1.3 A, 100-240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (84 W) | | Input power rating | 12 VDC, 5.0 A (maximum / 60 W PSU); 12 VDC, 7.0 A (maximum / 84 W PSU) | --- ## Power and form factor id: pearl-family/power-and-form-factor · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Power and form factor *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Power** | DC | DC | DC | PoE+ or DC | | **Form factor** | Portable desktop model, or 19″ rackmount model | Portable desktop model, VESA mountable | 1RU with detachable mounts | Portable desktop model, optional 1RU rack shelf sold separately | | **Built-in display** | Touch screen | Touch screen | None — headless | Front screen menu | Pearl Nano is the only Pearl system that can be powered over Ethernet using PoE+. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus are DC powered only. Pearl Nexus does not have a built-in touch screen or display. Pearl Nexus is headless and is configured using the Admin panel, or using a monitor, keyboard, and mouse connected for the local console feature. Pearl-2 is available as both a portable desktop model and a 19″ rackmount model. --- ## Preview a channel id: pearl-family/preview-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Preview a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can open a live preview of a channel in your web browser to see any configuration changes you make to the channel as you make them. Web browsers that support HTML5 and Flash are supported. There are several ways to preview a channel: - Preview a channel from the Info page - Preview a channel from the Status page - Preview all channels at the same time **Important considerations** - Some web browsers disable auto playback of videos with audio. In those cases, the audio for the channel being previewed is muted by default. - HTML5 does not support PCM audio encoding. If PCM audio encoding is configured for a channel, audio does not play in the preview link for the channel. - PCM audio encoding at 48 kHz is not supported. A live broadcast preview link is not provided for a channel that is configured for PCM audio encoding with a sampling bitrate of 48 kHz. - If HTTPS is configured for the device, the live broadcast URL will start with *https* instead of *http*. The Info page has preview links for all the channels that are configured on the device. **Preview a channel from the Info page using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Info**. The information window opens. Then click **View** to open a preview window of the channel. **Preview a channel from the Status page using the Admin panel** You can use the Admin panel to open a preview link for a channel from the Status page. The Live broadcast preview can be viewed using web browsers that support HTML5 or Flash. You can also see a preview of the channel directly from the Status page itself. The Status page lists information about the channel, including stream information such as the bitrate, frame size, streaming and preview links, as well as the state of the services on the device. This feature is not available using the local console on the device. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Status**. The Status page opens and a live preview snapshot appears below the Stream info. - Right-click the **Live Broadcast** link and select **Open in a new Tab** or **Open in a new Window**. **Preview all channels at the same time using the Admin panel** The resulting web page can be very large. You can use your keyboard's zoom keys or the zoom buttons for your web browser to adjust the screen view. Plus many browsers support shortcuts, like Ctrl- (control minus) to zoom out and Ctrl+ (control plus) to zoom in. - Open a new tab in your web browser on the Admin computer. - Go to the following URL to open the preview web page: http:///preview.cgi?channels - To preview a single channel: http:///preview.cgi?channel=X, where X is the channel's index number. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** You can also preview a channel using Epiphan Live. - **Pearl Nano:** Does not support "Preview all channels at the same time" (single-channel device — only the Info-page and Status-page preview methods exist) and does not support previewing via Epiphan Live. When H.265 is enabled on Pearl Nano, the **Live Broadcast** link is disabled because of browser HTML5 compatibility. --- ## Preview a video source using the Admin Panel id: pearl-family/preview-a-video-source-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Preview a video source using the Admin Panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus* You can preview the images captured from your video sources in the Admin panel. You can also preview your sources using the Epiphan Live control interface. **Preview an input source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Ensure a source is connected to the input port. - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. A preview appears at the bottom of the page. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Epiphan Live is not available for Pearl Nano, so the Epiphan Live preview option above does not apply — use the Admin panel preview method instead. --- ## Preview the video output port id: pearl-family/preview-the-video-output-port · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Preview the video output port *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can preview the video signal that is shared over your video output port by looking at the preview window at the bottom of the video output configuration page in the Admin panel. The preview is updated every few seconds and always maintains the same aspect ratio as the source it is copying. It doesn't reflect black bars, the audio meter or actual aspect ratio/resolution on the display. If the video output port is showing a source and that source has no signal, the source's no signal image is displayed. If the video output port is showing a channel and that channel is unavailable or has no signal, a no signal message is shown for 2.5 seconds, then the display output is changed to a black screen. You can also preview video output ports using the Epiphan Live control interface. ### Disable the video output port You can use the Admin panel to disable a video output port so that even if a display is connected, nothing is shown. **Disable the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI 1** or **HDMI 2** on Pearl-2; **HDMI** on Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source** field, select **none** to disable the video output port and then click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** does not support the Epiphan Live preview method described above — Pearl Nano has no Epiphan Live dashboard, so use the Admin panel only. Pearl Nano's own source text also does not name a specific port label for the "click the output port" step above. - **Pearl Nexus:** in Pearl Nexus's own guide, "Disable the video output port" is filed as its own top-level page rather than nested under "Preview the video output port" as it is for Pearl-2/Mini/Nano; the procedure content itself is the same. --- ## Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons id: pearl-family/purchase-install-and-activate-feature-add-ons · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices offer two feature add-ons, the Dante audio feature add-on and the 4K feature add-on. Which add-ons are available depends on the device model; see Device differences below. The Dante audio feature add-on requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. Add-ons are listed in the Admin panel when you click **Firmware Upgrade** from the Configuration menu in the left side navigation pane. Add-ons must be purchased, installed, and activated before their features can be used. If you have already purchased an add-on on the Epiphan website, or an add-on was included in your purchase of the Pearl device, click **Install purchased add-ons** to activate the feature. A system reboot is required. An internet connection is required to install and activate add-ons. The Pearl device must be able to reach licenses.epiphan.com. If you are unable to activate your license, contact Epiphan support at support@epiphan.com. **Purchase an add-on** You can go to the add-ons store page on the Epiphan website to purchase feature add-ons, or navigate there from the Admin panel: from the Firmware Upgrade page, click **Shop now** or **Purchase** beside any feature add-on to go to the add-ons store page and select and purchase available add-ons. Each purchased add-on can be installed and activated on a single device. Store links: - Dante audio feature add-on, 4 channels (Pearl-2): https://www.epiphan.com/products/dante-4-ch-feature-add-on - Dante audio feature add-on, 2 channels (Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus): https://www.epiphan.com/products/dante-2-ch-feature-add-on - 4K feature add-on for Pearl-2: https://www.epiphan.com/products/pearl-2/4k-feature-add-on/ - 4K feature add-on for Pearl Nano: https://www.epiphan.com/products/pearl-nano/4k-feature-add-on/ For a detailed guide to purchasing and activating the 4K feature add-on (Pearl-2 and Pearl Nano), see the Epiphan knowledge base: https://learn.epiphan.com/activate-pearl-4k-add-on. **Install purchased add-ons** Click **Install purchased add-ons** from the Firmware Upgrade page to start the installation process. A system reboot is necessary to activate add-ons. Click **OK** when prompted. If you click **Cancel**, the device installs the add-on but does not reboot. The add-on is not activated until the device is rebooted. Even if you have already purchased a feature, the **Purchase** button remains next to the feature until you have activated the feature and the system is rebooted. To determine if a feature with a **Purchase** button next to it has already been purchased, click **Install purchased add-ons**. If no add-ons are ready to be activated and installed, a message appears. After you've activated your feature add-ons and the system reboots, the **Purchase** button beside those features is replaced by an **Activated** indicator. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** offers the Dante audio feature add-on (4 channels) and the 4K feature add-on. Pearl-2 units purchased after April 6, 2026 include the 4K feature add-on, and units ordered on or after September 1, 2026 include the Dante audio feature add-on; both still need to be activated. - **Pearl Mini:** offers the Dante audio feature add-on (2 channels). Units ordered on or after June 1, 2026 include it, and it still needs to be activated. Pearl Mini does not support the 4K feature add-on. - **Pearl Nexus:** offers the Dante audio feature add-on (2 channels). Units ordered on or after June 1, 2026 include it, and it still needs to be activated. Pearl Nexus does not support the 4K feature add-on. - **Pearl Nano:** offers the 4K feature add-on. Pearl Nano does not support the Dante audio feature add-on. --- ## Record a channel id: pearl-family/record-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Record a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Using the Admin panel, you can start, pause, resume, and stop recording a channel, as well as configure recording settings for the channel. You can also start, pause, resume, and stop recording using Epiphan Edge. Pausing and resuming a recording requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. In the Admin panel, the channel number turns red to indicate it's recording. If the system runs out of storage space, the oldest recorded file is deleted to make room for the new recording. **Start and stop recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Recording**. The channel recording menu opens. - Select **Start** to start recording the channel and select **Stop** when you're done. - To pause the recording, select **Pause**; select **Resume** to resume recording to the same file. If the Start button is not active, there are no active sources for the channel. Check your inputs to ensure signals are working as expected. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini:** You can also start, pause, resume, and stop recording using the touch screen's Single Touch control feature (see "Record using Single Touch control") or using Epiphan Live. - **Pearl Nexus:** You can also start, pause, resume, and stop recording using Epiphan Live (no touch screen — Pearl Nexus has no display). - **Pearl Nano:** Only a single channel exists (the menu path is **Channel**, not **Channel(s)**). If PoE+ power is interrupted while Pearl Nano is actively recording, the recorded file could become corrupted and be unplayable. You can also start and stop recording using either of the following methods: - **Using the Record control key:** Press the **Record control key** on Pearl Nano's front panel to start or stop recording a channel. The Record control key glows solid red and the recording timer on the Channel view increments while recording is in progress. Press the Record control key again to stop. - **Using the front screen menu:** Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Channel**, then from the Channel screen select **Recording** to open the Recording screen. Use the arrow keys to highlight **Start** and press the **check mark** key to start recording. To pause, highlight **Pause** and press the **check mark** key; highlight **Resume** and press the **check mark** key to resume recording to the same file. When you're done, highlight **Stop** and press the **check mark** key to stop. --- ## Record a channel using the touch screen id: pearl-family/record-a-channel-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Record a channel using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Use the touch screen to easily start, pause, resume, and stop recording of a channel. Simply tap the recording control button that appears in the channel view. Pausing and resuming a recording requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. If the red Record icon doesn't appear in the top right corner of the screen, recording is disabled. **Start and stop recording a channel using the touch screen** - From the grid view, select the channel you want to record. The channel view opens. If necessary, tap the screen once to display the controls. - Tap the red Record icon at the top right of the screen to start recording. The red dot flashes and the record timer increments when recording is in progress. - While recording, tap the **Pause** button to pause the recording. Tap the **Pause** button again to resume recording to the same file. - Tap the red Record icon again to stop recording. The dot stops flashing and the record timer resets to 00:00:00. The device also features **One Touch**, which lets you control recording and streaming of multiple channels and multi-track recorders at the same time with the touch of a button. --- ## Record using Single Touch control id: pearl-family/record-using-single-touch-control · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Record using Single Touch control *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Single Touch recording and streaming control allows you to control your recording and streaming across any number of channels and multi-track recorders with one touch of the touch screen. Channels and multi-track recorders are enabled for one touch recording by default. **Control recording using Single Touch control** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Configure your channels and multi-track recorders for One Touch control. - Tap the **Single Touch control** icon along the bottom of the touch screen to display the Single Touch control screen. If the Single Touch control icon is not visible on the touch screen, tap the screen once to activate the control icons. If the control icons are still not visible, they are disabled. - From the Single Touch control screen, tap **Start** to begin recording and tap **Stop** to end recording. To pause recording for all channels and multi-track recorders, tap the **Pause** button; to resume, tap the resume button. Pausing and resuming requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. --- ## Register your device id: pearl-family/register-your-device · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Register your device *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* When you register your product with Epiphan, you become eligible to download firmware updates when they become available. Take advantage of exciting new features and important fixes for your device. Registering your device is free and only needs to be done once. You have an option to sign up for email notifications whenever a new firmware update is available. You can register using the Admin panel or online at: [www.Epiphan.com/register](http://www.epiphan.com/register) You need the serial number of your device to register. The serial number appears on a sticker attached to the bottom of the device. The banner to register your device appears on the Firmware update page in the Admin panel. If your system is registered or there are no firmware updates are available, you will not see a banner on the Firmware update page. **Register using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Click **Register** in the banner at the top of the page, then enter the information on the registration form. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano:** the serial number can also be found using the front screen menu, under **System > Device Information**. - **Pearl Nexus:** has no front screen menu, so the serial number can only be read from the sticker on the bottom of the device. --- ## Related Epiphan products that work with Pearl systems id: pearl-family/related-epiphan-products-that-work-with-pearl-systems · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Related Epiphan products that work with Pearl systems *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl systems are part of a wider Epiphan product range. The products below complement Pearl systems rather than replace them, and each has its own documentation. **Cameras.** The EC20 PTZ camera is built for the Epiphan ecosystem and can be used as a video source for Pearl systems. See the EC20 documentation for specifications and control options. **Capture cards.** AV.io HD+ captures HDMI or DVI sources, and AV.io SDI+ captures SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI sources. Both are USB capture cards that send video into a computer for use with software applications. They are not encoders and do not stream or record on their own, which is the fundamental difference between the AV.io capture cards and Pearl systems. **Cloud services.** Epiphan Edge provides fleet management, monitoring, and firmware updates for Pearl systems from one dashboard. Epiphan Unify produces and switches live video remotely. Epiphan Connect captures broadcast-quality video from Microsoft Teams or Zoom for use in a live production. **Bundles.** Epiphan offers bundles that pair a Pearl system with an EC20 camera for specific use cases: Pearl Nexus with EC20 for lecture capture, Pearl Mini with EC20 for studio production, Pearl Nano with EC20 for event streaming, and Pearl-2 with EC20 for multi-camera production. --- ## Remove black bars (matte) from the video id: pearl-family/remove-black-bars-matte-from-the-video · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Remove black bars (matte) from the video *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* A channel with only one layout and only one source by default uses the aspect ratio of the video input source when the output is streamed. If the input video signal doesn't match the encoded frame aspect ratio of the channel, bars are added to the sides or top and bottom of the encoded stream when the output is streamed and recorded. If you see bars on your output but would rather have the image fill the whole screen, you can: - Change the output frame size to match the aspect ratio of the video source at the input. - Stretch the image to fit the output frame size aspect ratio. The color of the bars (matte) is defined by the Background color that is selected using the custom layout editor for the channel. For example: - Input signal resolution is 720×480 (a 3:2 aspect ratio) - encoded resolution is 640×480 (a 4:3 aspect ratio that is narrower than the input resolution) Borders are added to the top and bottom of the image to preserve the wider ratio of the input. For example: - Input signal resolution is 720×480 (a 3:2 aspect ratio) - encoded resolution is 1280×800 (a 16:10 aspect ratio that is wider than the input resolution) Borders are added to the left and right of the image to preserve the narrower ratio of the input. ### Match output frame size with aspect ratio of input signal The output frame size is automatically matched only for a layout that has one source. If you have layouts with different frame sizes, switching them while live streaming will cause an interruption and restart of the stream. The same thing happens if you change the resolution of your source while streaming. You can change the output frame size on channels to match the aspect ratio of the video source to avoid this problem. **Change the output frame size of a channel to match the aspect ratio of the video source using the Admin panel** - Connect to the Admin panel and log in as **admin**. - To determine the input port name of the video source that's used in the channel, select the channel from the Channels menu and click **Layouts**. The custom layout page opens. - Once you have determined the name of the video input source, select the input port for that video source under Inputs menu. - Make note of the input signal resolution. - From the Channels menu, click **Encoding** for the channel. The Encoding page opens. - You can either check **Use current signal resolution as frame size** or you can choose the frame size resolution from the list. - If the source resolution appears in the list, you can choose any resolution that's listed on the same line (i.e. with the same aspect ratio). - If the source resolution doesn't appear in the list, calculate the source resolution and enter it in the **Frame size** fields. **TIP**: Temporarily check **Use current signal resolution as frame size** to see the frame size listed in the Frame size fields, then uncheck that check box and manually enter the value in the **Frame size** fields. - Click **Apply**. ### Stretch the image You can remove the matte (black bars) by stretching the image to fit your output frame size using the custom layout editor. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor page opens. - In the layouts list, select the row for the layout you want. - In the items list below the layout editing area, select the video source. The video source settings appear. - Uncheck **Keep aspect ratio when scaling**. - In the layout editing area, click and drag to stretch the video source to fill the frame. - Click **Save**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** the Admin panel menu names are singular ("Channel" menu, "Layout"). Nano's guide documents the "Match output frame size" procedure in full, but has no "Stretch the image" subsection. --- ## Remove user password id: pearl-family/remove-user-password · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Remove user password *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* After passwords are assigned to the three user account levels (admin, operator, and viewer), we do not recommend deleting them without setting a new password. Changing the password while someone is logged into the account automatically logs out that user. If viewers are watching a broadcast when the viewer password is changed, they are automatically logged out. Viewers may need to refresh their browser window or press play in their media player to trigger the login prompt. --- ## Rename a channel id: pearl-family/rename-a-channel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Rename a channel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can change a channel's name from any of the channel configuration pages or using the custom layout editor. Channels are created with the same name as their video source by default. When a second layout or a second video source is added to the channel, the channel name changes to **Channel X**, where **X** is the index number for the channel. To stop a channel name from automatically changing, you should assign the channel a custom name using the Admin panel. **International characters** You can include certain international characters in channel names. Do not include any special currency, mathematical symbols, and other special characters such as slashes or spaces in the channel name. The device replaces special characters with an underscore. **Rename a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and choose any of the menu options for the channel. For example, select **Metadata**. - Click on the channel name that appears at the top of the page. The text turns red. - Enter the new name using alphanumeric characters. We recommend using underscores to separate words rather than using spaces. - Press **Enter** using your keyboard to save the new name. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Auto channels initially have the channel name Auto A and Auto B. If you manually change the video input source on the layout to something other than the automatic video source, the channel name changes to the name of the video input source. To revert to the default name, delete the channel name and leave the name field blank — Pearl-2 automatically repopulates it with the default name. - **Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus:** No automatic auto-channel-renaming behavior is documented; the automatic-name-change behavior described above (channel name changes to **Channel X** when a second layout or video source is added) applies to the pre-configured HDMI-A/HDMI-B channels. - **Pearl Nano:** Has a single Auto channel (not Auto A/Auto B). It initially has the channel name "Auto". If you manually change the video input source, the channel name changes to the name of the video input source; delete the channel name and leave it blank to revert to "Auto". The automatic-name-change behavior described above does not apply to Pearl Nano — it is a single-channel, single-layout device. Pearl Nano's supported international characters for channel/layout/input names, text overlays, and recorded-file names are enumerated: Western European/Nordic languages (Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish) and Central/Eastern European languages (Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Russian). --- ## Rename a layout id: pearl-family/rename-a-layout · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Rename a layout *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can rename a layout using the custom layout editor. If you're using the touch screen for live switching, consider using shortened names for layouts. Long names get truncated on the touch screen. You can include certain international characters in layout names. For example, common character sets for Western and Central European languages, Nordic languages, and Russian are supported. **Rename a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Select a layout from the layout list at the top of the page. - Click the name of the layout so that the name turns red. Type a new name and then press the **Enter** key. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano:** have no built-in touch screen — the "If you're using the touch screen for live switching..." tip above does not apply to these two devices. - **Pearl Nano:** the Admin panel menu name is singular — "**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**". --- ## Rename a video output port id: pearl-family/rename-a-video-output-port · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Rename a video output port *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Using the Admin panel (or Epiphan Live), you can easily change the video output port default name to something more suitable. For example, Projector Output or Confidence Monitor. **Change a video output port name using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the video output port. The video output port configuration page opens. - Select the **video output port name** at the top of the page and enter a new name using your keyboard. The text turns red when it's selected for editing. - Press **Enter** using your keyboard to save the changes. You must press **Enter** to save the new name. The **Apply** button does not save the source name change. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** does not support the Epiphan Live method described above — Pearl Nano has no Epiphan Live dashboard, so rename the video output port using the Admin panel only. --- ## Rename an input port id: pearl-family/rename-an-input-port · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Rename an input port *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* The input port names are used when adding your video and audio sources to Channel. A channel that has only one source is automatically assigned the same name as the input source by default. If you change the name of the input source, the channel name will update automatically to match. Sometimes it's helpful to configure the input port name to match the data it's capturing so that it's clear what the channel is capturing. Alternately you can change the channel's name. **To change an input port name:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, - From the **Inputs** menu, click the source name. The configuration page for the source opens. - Click on the input port name that appears at the top of the page. The text turns red. - Enter the new name using alphanumeric characters. We recommend using underscores to separate words rather than using spaces. - Press **Enter** using your keyboard to save the new name. --- ## Resize and position items using percents or pixels id: pearl-family/resize-and-position-items-using-percents-or-pixels · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Resize and position items using percents or pixels *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can resize layout items using the percent/pixel adjustment boxes in a layout using the custom layout editor. You can also reposition video sources. There are three adjustment boxes along your layout's horizontal axis and another 3 boxes along the vertical axis. You can enter **percent or pixel values** into checked adjustment boxes (bordered with red) to position and resize your item(s). Percent values are used in adjustment boxes by default, and can be converted to pixels by simply overwriting the percent value in a given adjustment box and replacing it with a pixel value. When entering **percent values**, ensure the suffix "%" is added to your value (i.e. "20%"). When entering **pixel values**, ensure the suffix "px" is added to your value (i.e. "200px"). A layout item's total pixel dimensions are a reflection of your channel's frame size, as configured in your encoding settings (see Configure encoding ). Unchecked boxes are grayed-out in color and are not directly editable but dynamically change their values to reflect a 100% total of either the horizontal or vertical axis, depending on values entered in adjacent adjustment boxes. The values contained in checked boxes (bordered with red) are **anchored** and do not dynamically adjust their values. **Adjustment boxes for item resizing and positioning** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 1 | The area of your layout item. The four red/white dots represent the boundaries of your layout item. There may be some black space between your item and its boundaries if **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** is enabled (see Add an image to a layout ). | | 2 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **left to right** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 20%, or 200px, to the right). | | 3 | If using percents, this value is the item's percentage of **total width on the layout's horizontal axis**. (for example, the item takes up 60% of the layout's width – represented by a thin red bar above the percent box). If using pixels, this value is **the item's width, in pixels**, with a maximum pixel width (for example, frame size) identified in your channel's encoding settings Configure encoding. | | 4 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **right to left** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 20%, or 200px, to the left). | | 5 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **the bottom upward** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 10%, or 100px, from the bottom up). | | 6 | If using percents, this is the items percentage of **total height on the layout's vertical axis**. (for example, the item takes up 80% of the layout's height – represented by a thin red bar to the left of the percent box). If using pixels, this value is **the item's height, in pixels**, with a maximum pixel width (for example, frame size) identified in your channel's encoding settings Configure encoding. | | 7 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **the top downward** on the layout's vertical axis. (for example, the item is displaced 10%, or 200px, from the top down). | **Resize layout items** The easiest way to resize a layout item is to use the **center adjustment boxes** on each of the horizontal and vertical axes to set your item's width and height respectively. You can also use your mouse cursor to select the corners and manipulate them into the size you want. Hold the shift key while doing so to keep the frame size constant. If you need to **crop** your image, see Crop a video source. In the example, the video source is resized to 60% of the layout's width and 70% of the layout's height (with aspect ratio maintained). (Alternatively, pixels could be used to resize the layout item in a similar fashion.) **An important consideration when resizing layout items** Your item will resize automatically if both left and right (or top and bottom) adjustment boxes contain values (percents or pixels) that exceed the total of 100% (if using percents), or maximum pixel count (if using pixels) for the corresponding horizontal (or vertical) axis. For example, if you originally set the width of an item to 50% of the layout area (or 960 pixels, assuming your item has a maximum width of 1920 pixels in this example) with no values entered in the left and right adjustment boxes (i.e. the left and right boxes are deselected), the item automatically centers itself in the layout area with the left and right percents at 25% each (remember – percents are used by default in the layout editor, even if pixels are used in adjacent boxes). Combined with the 50% (960px) width of the image, these two 25% (480px) values total 100% (1920px) of the layout's horizontal axis. If you instead decide to enable the left and right percent boxes and change their values to 30% each (instead of the current 25%), then the image's width shrinks from 50% (960px) to 40% (750px) to accommodate the change and maintain a total layout width of 100% (1920px). Setting the left and right (or top and bottom) percent values so the axis total among the three percent boxes exceeds 100% will always result in the center percent box value automatically reducing itself to maintain the 100% total, shrinking your selected layout item in the process. To resize a video source so that it appears smaller within a layout frame, like for a picture in picture layout, you can change the scale in the layout editor in the Channel. You can also crop a video source smaller and in specific aspect ratios. After a video source is resized smaller than the frame size of the channel in a layout, you can simply click and drag the video source into position or use any of the other methods described. **Position layout items** There are multiple ways to reposition items in the frame using the layout editor: - You can reposition images and video sources by entering values into the left/right and top/bottom adjustment boxes (identified as #2/4 and #5/7 respectively in the Adjustment boxes for item resizing and positioning table). The values entered into these boxes represent a portion of the total percentage (or pixels) of the layout's width or height. - Alternatively, you can position your layout items using the keyboard by selecting the item with your mouse cursor, and pressing the arrow keys to move the selected item by 5% in any direction. - You can also position your item with additional keyboard precision by **holding Ctrl and pressing the arrow keys** to nudge your item by a very small fraction in the direction of your choice. **Example 1: horizontal positioning using percents** To position your item along the horizontal axis, first resize your items if desired (as described in Resize layout items), then enter a percent or pixel value into either the left or the right adjustment box to shift your layout item. For example, using **percents** to move a layout item with a 60% width as far to the right of the layout area as possible, you would need to enter 40% into the left percent box to push the item to the right. The layout item originally takes up 60% of the layout width, so this added 40% shift pushes the item as far to the right as possible (I.e. 100% of the horizontal axis). The right adjustment box automatically sets itself to 0% to reflect that there is no more room remaining to maneuver the image along the horizontal axis any further. Alternatively, you could reposition the image in the exact same way by instead setting the right percent box to 0%. **Example 2: vertical positioning using pixels** To position your layout item along the vertical axis, enter a percent or pixel value into either the top or the bottom adjustment box to shift your layout item downward or upward, respectively. For example, using **pixels** to move a layout item that is set to 756px in height to the top of the layout while leaving a small margin of background (say 25px), you could either enter "25px" into the top percent box (to specify the small margin from the top down) or enter 27% into the bottom percent box (to specify a 27% margin from the bottom up – added to the item's 70% height this leaves a 3% margin above your layout item.) You can manipulate elements to get the custom look that you want using percents, pixels, your keyboard, or any combination. Here's an example of using pixels and percents to created a custom layout with two video sources and a background image. The slideshow video source is scaled and the presenter's video source is cropped in this example. --- ## Restart recording to a new file id: pearl-family/restart-recording-to-a-new-file · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Restart recording to a new file *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Recordings are automatically saved to a file and a new recording is started when: - The recording reaches the configured time or size limit. - The channel or recorder name is changed. - Changes are made to the stream if recording and streaming the channel. You can manually force a recording that's in progress to save to a file and continue recording in a new file from that point forward without any loss of content. This is useful if you need to download a recording since you cannot download recordings that are in progress. **Restart recording to a new file using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording** from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - Select **Reset** to stop the current recording and start a new recording. - Refresh the page to see the updated list of recordings. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel and no recorder concept — from the Channel menu, select **Recording**; there is no "For a channel/For a recorder" branch. The trigger listed above as "the channel or recorder name is changed" applies to Nano as "the channel name is changed" only, since Nano has no recorders. --- ## Restrict viewer access to channel streams id: pearl-family/restrict-viewer-access-to-channel-streams · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Restrict viewer access to channel streams *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Your Pearl device can restrict access to all viewer streams from the channel using global viewer passwords and IP allow/deny lists. If LDAP is configured for viewer authentication, the viewer must pass global autentication using LDAP credentials (or the viewer global password, if there is one) and must meet the local channel settings (come from an allowed IP address). **Restrict viewers for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The streaming configuration page opens. - In the **Stream access control **section, select **Use these settings **from the drop down. To return the channel to the global access control settings, select **Use global settings **from the drop down and click **Apply**. The configuration fields are disabled and any changes to the configuration fields are not saved. Global LDAP settings are always enforced. Any local settings are in addition to LDAP sign on. - (Optional) Specify a password for viewers of this channel. The password is masked as you enter it. If you have global allow/deny lists or a global user password, you can override the global settings and remove all access control for a channel by selecting** Use these settings** and leaving all the fields blank. - (Optional) Enter the allow and deny IP addresses for viewers of this channel. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Restrict viewers by IP address id: pearl-family/restrict-viewers-by-ip-address · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Restrict viewers by IP address *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The device permits you to restrict which computers can access broadcasts by building a list of allowed and denied IP addresses. You can do this at a global level for the system and can also override these settings on a per-channel basis. Both global and per-channel configuration procedures are described. The following table describes what happens when an IP address is added to the allowed and denied IP address lists. **Table — IP Based Restriction Options** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Allow IP's | Users connecting from addresses in this list are permitted to view broadcasts from the device, provided their IP address is not in the Deny IP's list. To allow all except IP addresses in the deny list, if any, leave the field blank. You can use the Allow list by itself, or in conjunction with the Deny IP's list as an exception to a rule in the allow list. | | Deny IP's | Users connecting from addresses in this list are not allowed to view broadcasts from the device, unless their IP address is in the Allow IP's list. If a specific IP address is in both lists, access to the stream is denied. You can use the Deny list by itself, or in conjunction with the Allow IP's list as an exception to a rule in the allow list. | If your viewer account has a password, your viewers must connect to the device from a computer (or gateway) with a permitted IP address and must also supply the user name (viewer) and password before they can view the broadcast. To restrict access by IP address, you need to know the IP addresses or range of addresses for your viewers. By default, all IP addresses are allowed to connect to the broadcast. If a user attempts to connect to the stream from a disallowed IP address, access is denied. If there's an attempt to connect using a web browser, the message "IP address rejected" is displayed. IP address restriction is valid for the viewer only and does not affect the Admin panel or the mobile configuration interface. **Restrict viewer access to watch streams for all channels by their IP address** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Enter the allowed IP addresses or address ranges in the **Allow IP's** field and enter denied IP addresses or address ranges in the **Deny IP's** field. Separate addresses with a comma. To specify a range, use a hyphen (-). Optional spaces improve readability. - Click **Apply**. **Restrict viewer access to watch streams on a channel by their IP address** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The channel's streaming configuration page opens. - From the **Stream access control** drop-down, select **Use these Settings** to enable local password and Allow/Deny IP lists are enabled. - (Optional) Enter a password for the viewer in the **Viewer Password** field. - Enter the allowed IP addresses or address ranges in the **Allow IP's** field and enter denied IP addresses or address ranges in the **Deny IP's** field. Separate addresses with a comma. To specify a range, use a hyphen (-). Optional spaces improve readability. - Click **Apply**. **IP restriction examples** The following table lists some sample allow lists. **Table — Example allow lists** | **Example** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Allow list with distinct IP addresses | The simplest allow/deny list is to use the list of known IP addresses to craft a list of allowed IP addresses. All other addresses are denied access to the broadcast. For example if your system is accessible on your local area network (LAN) and you want to make sure only the CEO's specific desktop, laptop and tablet computers (with IP Addresses 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, and 192.165.1.75, respectively) can connect to the broadcast, construct the following allow list: Allow: 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75 | | Allow list with a range of IP addresses | Sometimes you'll want a range of computer IP addresses to connect to your system. This may happen when you have one range of IP addresses assigned to desktop computers (i.e. in the range 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.100) and another range assigned to boardroom computers (i.e. the range 192.168.1.200 to 192.168.1.250). If you only want the boardroom computers to connect to broadcasts from the system you can specify the range of boardroom IP addresses rather than needing to type in each individual address. The allow list looks as follows: Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250 Note that we could have specified two of the IP addresses in the previous example as a range. | | Allow list with a range of IP addresses and one or more specific IP addresses | Putting the first two examples together, we want to permit access to IP addresses in the range of boardroom computers (192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250) and also want to add the desktop, laptop and tablet computers of the CEO (IP addresses 192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, and 192.168.1.75, respectively). Note the first two IP addresses are consecutive, so they can be added as a second range. Add these IP addresses to the list as follows: Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75 Your list can have multiple ranges and multiple distinct IP addresses, provided they are separated by commas. | | Allow list with a range of IP addresses, distinct IP addresses, and an exception | Building on the previous examples, consider a situation where you want the CEO's computers (192.168.1.50, 192.168.1.51, 192.168.75) and all boardroom computers (192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250) to access the broadcast, with the exception of the public boardroom computer (192.168.1.211). Use both allow and deny lists to create the rule as follows: Allow: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75 Deny: 192.168.1.211 Both lists can have multiple ranges and multiple distinct IP addresses, provided they are separated by commas. | The following table lists some sample deny lists. **Table — Example deny lists** | **Example** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Deny list with distinct IP addresses | Another simple allow/deny list is to use the list of known IP addresses to list specific denied IP addresses. All other addresses are allowed access to the broadcast. For example imagine your system is accessible on your local area network (LAN) and you want to allow any computer on the LAN can access the stream except your publicly-accessible boardroom (with IP address 192.168.1.211). You can use the following deny list (leave the allow list empty) to permit all computers except the boardroom computer: Deny: 192.168.1.211 As with allow lists, your deny list can specify a range of IP addresses, and can specify multiple ranges or distinct IP addresses in a comma-separated list. | | Deny list with a range of IP addresses | Consider a situation where you want every computer on the network to access the broadcast, with the exception of the CEO's desktop, laptop and tablet computers. Additionally, boardroom computers should not be permitted with the exception of the cafeteria computer (IP address 192.168.1.222). The deny list is an "exception" list for the allow list. So to craft the rule described above we need to allow all the computers in the local subnet, then deny specific sub-ranges including two groups of boardroom computers ensuring the cafeteria computer's IP address is not in the deny list: Allow: 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.250 Deny: 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.221, 192.168.1.223-192.168.1.250, 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.51, 192.168.1.75 | **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Has only one channel, so there is no separate "restrict for all channels" (global/system-level) procedure — only the per-channel procedure above applies, governing Nano's one channel. - **Pearl Nano:** Admin panel menu name is singular ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"). --- ## Run diagnostic tests using the Admin panel id: pearl-family/run-diagnostic-tests-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Run diagnostic tests using the Admin panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Using the Admin panel, you can access useful diagnostic tools from the Configuration menu when you select **Network**. Available diagnostic tools: - **Connectivity status**: Display the status of critical network connections - **Ping**: Test if the device can reach a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support ping. - **Trace route**: Trace the route that packet traffic takes to get from the device to a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support traceroute. - **Bandwidth test**: Display the available upload and download bandwidth speed in Mbps up to a maximum bandwidth of 1000 Mbps. - **Domain name resolution**: Confirm that the device can resolve a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using the DNS server that is configured for it. - **Probe**: Check if the device can establish communication to a specific port on a network host using a network protocol that you specify. Supported network protocols are: TCP, HTTP, HTTPS, RTSP, RTMP, and RTMPS. To troubleshoot networking issues yourself, try to ping the IP address of your device or do a traceroute to a server such as 8.8.8.8. If you are unable to resolve your networking issues, contact your network administrator and provide them the IP address and MAC address of your device or contact Epiphan support. **Run diagnostics using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Network**. The Network configuration page opens. - In the **Network diagnostics** section, select the diagnostic test to run from drop down. - If **Connectivity status** is selected, the results display after you click **Start**. - If **Ping** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name before clicking **Start**. - If **Trace route** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name to route trace before clicking **Start**. - If **Bandwidth test** is selected, the measured upload and download bandwidth displays after you click **Start**. - If **Domain name resolution** is selected, enter the IP address or server name to resolve before clicking **Start**. - If **Probe** is selected, choose the transport protocol from the drop-down menu and then enter the destination server IP address or server name along with the port before clicking **Start**. For example, enter: *10.100.10.1:1234* or *domain.example.com:1234* - Click **Start**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano:** The Connectivity status tool also reports the status of 802.1x network security features ("Display the status of critical network connections and features like 802.1x"). - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini:** The Connectivity status tool description does not mention 802.1x. --- ## SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage — overview id: pearl-family/sd-card-and-sata-m2-2280-ssd-storage-overview · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage — overview *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus* To record video, you need to install a storage medium. The device has a standard SD card slot on the front panel, and a SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage expansion slot accessible from the underside. Adding a storage medium is not required if you are only live streaming. The storage medium must be EXT4 formatted for the Linux operating system. An EXT4-formatted SD card cannot be used to transfer files to iOS or Windows systems. Download recordings using the Admin panel or another method such as Automatic File Upload (AFU) to a connected USB device. When the storage medium is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. If you're using the device with a Content Management System (CMS), we recommend using large capacity storage mediums such as an SD card that's 256 GB or more. **SD Card Storage** For the SD card, we recommend using a minimum class 10 (C10) SD card that's at least 64 GB capacity but does not exceed 512 GB; however, most SD cards that are at minimum a C10, a UHS class 1 (U1), or a video speed class 10 (V10) should work. Do not eject the SD card while recording is in progress as that may corrupt the SD card. **SSD Storage** The SATA M.2 SSD formats automatically the first time the device is powered on after installing the SSD. You cannot use an SD card and the SATA M.2 SSD at the same time. When you install a SATA M.2 SSD, the device no longer detects the SD card slot and the SD card option is removed from the Admin panel's Configuration menu. Ensure recordings are downloaded from the SD card before installing the SSD. **Device differences** - Pearl-2 has a fixed, preinstalled internal 512 GB SSD with no SD card slot and no user-installable SSD option; not covered by this section. - Pearl Nexus ships with a 256 GB SD card preinstalled (per its own tech-specs table) and also supports a user-installed M.2 2280 SATA SSD, so this overview applies to it. - Pearl Mini restricts user SSD installation to units purchased after June 1, 2024 ("Only Pearl Mini devices purchased after June 1st 2024 are eligible to have SATA M.2 SSD installed by user."); no such restriction is documented anywhere in Pearl Nano's guide. - Pearl Mini's overview text also states "You can format the SD card from the front screen menu or using the Admin panel." This sentence is not repeated in Pearl Nano's overview text, though Pearl Nano's own dedicated "Install and format an SD card" section documents an equivalent front-panel-menu and Admin-panel formatting path for Pearl Nano as well. - Step-by-step SD card formatting and physical SSD installation instructions remain in each device's own guide, since the on-device UI (touch screen vs. front-panel buttons) and the physical installation steps (screws/screwdrivers) are genuinely different per device. --- ## Securing the built-in screen on Pearl devices id: pearl-family/securing-the-built-in-screen-on-pearl-devices · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Securing the built-in screen on Pearl devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano.* Pearl devices with a built-in screen support several controls, usable independently or combined, to restrict access to it: requiring a PIN to unlock the screen, restricting which functions (recording/streaming/layout control, channel previews, system status) are accessible from it, setting an automatic timeout, and disabling the display entirely. See each device guide's screen and Admin panel display settings for setup steps. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** Pearl Nexus is headless and has no built-in screen; these controls do not apply. --- ## Select Dante network interface id: pearl-family/select-dante-network-interface · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Select Dante network interface *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* When ingesting Dante audio inputs, the Pearl device can use either the built-in Ethernet port or a USB to Ethernet adapter. To use a USB to Ethernet adapter, first enable it; see "Enable USB to Ethernet interface." Dante audio requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on; see "Dante audio on Pearl devices." **Select the network interface to use with Dante using the Admin panel** 1. Log in to the Admin panel as admin. 2. From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. 3. Click the Dante network tab. 4. Click the Network interface dropdown and select Built-in Ethernet or USB Ethernet. 5. Click Save. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano does not support Dante audio, so this procedure does not apply to Pearl Nano. --- ## Select the video output source using the device screen id: pearl-family/select-the-video-output-source-using-the-device-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Select the video output source using the device screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano* It's easy to change the video source that appears at the video output port using the device screen. For video sources that have audio, you can enable and disable the audio as well. Audio is enabled by default. To configure the video output port parameters, use the Admin panel. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini:** use the touch screen. See Monitor and select the video output source using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide for an alternative method using the Admin panel dashboard. - From the touch screen, tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to go to the second Settings page. - Tap Output port(s) and select a video output port. - From the Output port's screen, select the source you want displayed on the video output port and tap **Apply**. - **Pearl Nano:** does not support Epiphan Live. Use the front screen instead: press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Settings** to open the Settings screen. From the Settings screen, select **HDMI output** to open the HDMI output screen, then press the **check mark** key to select Video. The available video sources display. Highlight the source you want to display on the output, then press the **check mark** key to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. --- ## Selecting an audio source id: pearl-family/selecting-an-audio-source · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Selecting an audio source *Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The audio that's coming from the connected HDMI video sources (HDMI-A and HDMI-B) is automatically used as the default audio source for the HDMI-A and HDMI-B channels. You can choose different audio sources for a channel using the Admin panel and do things like adjust the input gain. Select your audio sources from connected video sources (SDI, HDMI, USB video UVC, SRT, and RTSP), as well as from the dedicated analog audio input ports. The USB (UVC/UAC) ports on the rear panel will accept a USB microphone (UAC). Dedicated analog audio input ports are: - Two XLR/TRS combo jacks. - XLR mic-level input (balanced), supports 48 V phantom power. - TRS ¼" professional line-level input, +4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS (+24 dBu) (balanced/unbalanced). - One 3.5 mm stereo mic level input for electret microphones (unbalanced). - One stereo pair RCA consumer line-level input (-10 dBV). The XLR and TRS combo jacks are configured as a left/right stereo pair by default. The 3.5 mm audio ports and the RCA audio ports are linked. You can configure the device to use both or just one of the audio sources using the Admin panel. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain of the audio input ports for common types of audio devices. You should add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table — Audio gain guidelines for different audio devices** | Audio source | Input port | Gain | | --- | --- | --- | | Dynamic microphone | XLR | Add +50 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Electret microphone | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Wireless microphone receiver | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Condenser microphone with phantom power | XLR | Add +40 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | TRS | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA¹ | Nominal | | Professional mixer | TRS | Nominal | | | RCA¹ | Not recommended. | | USB microphone | USB | Nominal | ¹ To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA port or when XLR B/RCA is used. Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled for the two XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. **To choose a different audio device for the channel:** - Using a web browser on the admin computer, go to the IP address of the device and log in. - From the Channels menu, select your channel (e.g., HDMI-A or HDMI-B) and click **Layouts**. The custom channel layout editor page opens. - Check the audio source that you want to use for the layout and click **Save**. - (Optional) Adjust the gain for an audio input source: select the input port from the Inputs menu and adjust the amount of gain on the configuration page for the audio input port. Click **Save** when you're done. **Device differences** - Pearl-2 and Pearl Nano have materially different analog audio hardware (input port counts and types) and are documented separately in their own guides. --- ## Set the background color id: pearl-family/set-the-background-color · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Set the background color *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You can select the background color to fill any unused space in a layout using the custom layout editor. For example you can add a color from your corporate color scheme. **Set a background color matte for a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the drop down arrow next to the existing (by default black) background color field. The color picker opens. - Pick a new color or type in an RGB value in the field; the color is updated in the layout area. - Click anywhere off the color picker to close the picker. - Click **Save**. --- ## Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes id: pearl-family/set-up-an-srt-stream-using-caller-and-listener-modes · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* When setting up SRT streaming on Pearl device, you can configure Pearl device as an SRT source encoder and send an SRT stream over the Internet to other SRT destinations (decoders) such as a CDN or another Pearl device. Caller and listener modes work together to establish the SRT link between your SRT source and destination device when traversing the firewall is difficult and Rendezvous mode didn't work. To establish an SRT link between the source and destination devices, ensure that one device is a Listener and the other is a caller. The device you set as the caller (or listener) is arbitrary. If the destination device is set as the listener and is ingesting multiple SRT sources, then all your SRT source devices must be set as callers. In the following example, Pearl device is set up as SRT Source A (192.168.1.10) and another Pearl device is setup as SRT Destination B (203.0.113.10). Source A is streaming through a firewall/NAT to Destination B, which ingests the SRT stream as a video input with embedded audio. The public IP address of the Firewall/NAT is 168.112.1.1 and port 2000 is the designated SRT streaming port. All traffic received at 168.112.1.1 on port 2000 is granted permission to pass through the firewall and is forwarded ( C ) to Destination B's internal IP address (203.0.113.10) on port 3000. **What's needed for this setup** - The internal IP address of SRT Destination B (e.g. 203.0.113.10). - The SRT port value that was configured on SRT Destination B using the Admin panel when the SRT stream was added as a video input source using the Admin panel (e.g. port 3000). - The public IP address of the firewall. An easy way to get the public IP address is to use a web browser and do a Google search for "**What is my IP address**" (e.g. 168.112.1.1). - The IT administrator in charge of the firewall must open a port for the SRT stream (e.g. port 2000). The port must allow 2-way traffic and route the traffic to the internal IP address and SRT port of Destination B. In this example, traffic received at the firewall's public IP address 168.112.1.1 on SRT port 2000 is routed to 203.0.113.10:3000. When you're configuring an SRT stream on Pearl device, you can also adjust the recovery bandwidth overhead using the Admin panel. This setting defines how much of the stream's total bandwidth is dedicated for the exchange of SRT control and recovery packets between the source and destination. Ensure that the total SRT stream bitrate (i.e. the bandwidth required for the stream plus the recovery bandwidth overhead) is less than the network bandwidth you have available. **Set up Pearl device as a streaming source in caller/listener mode using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **SRT push**. The new stream with the default name *Stream 1* is created. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - In the **Connection mode** field, select if this Pearl device is the caller or a listener. - If **Caller** is selected, do the following: - In the **URL **field, enter the IP address of the SRT destination (decoder) using the format *srt://**<**decoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**decoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be provided by the CDN, media server, or another SRT decoder device. - (Optional) In the **Source port** field, enter the port number that this Pearl device should use for SRT traffic. - If **Listener** is selected, enter the **Port** number that this Pearl device should use for SRT traffic - (Optional) In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - (Optional) Check Encryption and choose the AES key length if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device - (Optional) If the SRT destination has a required security **Passphrase** along with the AES encryption, you can enter that here. - (Optional) In the **Latency** field adjust the amount of latency to apply to the stream. The default value is 125 ms. We recommend using the default latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. - (Optional) In the **Recovery bandwidth overhead** field, adjust the % value of the bandwidth that's dedicated for SRT control and recovery packets. The default value is 25%. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - When your ready to start streaming, click **Start** ### Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* You can configure your Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) streams to use 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption using the Admin panel. You can also assign the SRT stream an alphanumeric passphrase if required. The encryption and passphrase settings on the SRT encoder sending the stream must match the settings on the SRT decoder receiving the stream. The encryption key length is negotiated between the source and destination devices. The key length of the sender is used to determine the key length that is eventually used to secure the connection, and the receiver obtains the key length from the sender. As long as the passphrases match, the key length will be negotiated. **Set up AES encryption and a passphrase for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click the arrowhead beside the SRT stream name to reveal the stream settings. In this example, the name of the SRT stream is Stream 1. - Check Encryption and choose the **Key length**. - In the **Passphrase** field, enter the passphrase using alphanumeric characters (if required). The password must be a minimum of 10 characters and maximum of 79 characters. - Click **Apply**. **Set up AES encryption and a passphrase for an SRT input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the SRT input you want to configure. The SRT input configuration page opens. - Check Encryption and choose the **Key length**. - In the **Passphrase** field, enter the passphrase using alphanumeric characters (if required). Special characters are not supported. - Click **Apply**. ### Set up a stream to the CDN using an XML profile *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Some CDNs provide an XML file for easy configuration setup. Pearl device supports using XML profiles to set a stream. **Set up a stream using an XML profile from the CDN ** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **Use profile XML**. - Select the XML file that was provided by your CDN provider, then click **OK**. The new stream is created using the default name Stream 1 and the configuration from the XML file is applied. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. --- ## Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode id: pearl-family/set-up-an-srt-stream-using-rendezvous-mode · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections via UDP. The easiest way to establish a link between the SRT source and destination devices is to use rendezvous mode. In rendezvous mode, both the SRT source and destination device are ready to establish the SRT connection as soon as an SRT stream starts. Typically, no intervention is needed from your IT administrator to traverse a firewall in rendezvous mode. However, you can switch to SRT caller and listener modes if you experience difficulties streaming through a firewall in rendezvous mode To establish the SRT connection between the source and destination devices in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. Each must know the IP address of the other device and both must be configured to use the same port for the SRT stream. In the following example, a Pearl device is set up as SRT Source A (192.168.1.10) with port 20000 and another Pearl device is set up as SRT Destination B (203.0.113.10) with port 20000. Source A streams through Firewall A and Firewall B to Destination B, which ingests the SRT stream as a video input with embedded audio. All traffic received at Firewall B that's addressed to 168.112.1.1 on port 20000 passes through the firewall directly to Destination B (203.0.113.10) because of the port number. **What's needed for this setup** - The public IP address of Source A (e.g. 198.51.100.20) and the public IP address of Destination B (e.g. 168.0.113.10). - The SRT streaming port that Source A is configured to use (e.g. port 20000). - Configure SRT Destination B to use the same port value as Source A for the SRT stream (e.g. 20000). If the destination device is another Pearl device, you do this when adding the SRT stream as a video input source using the Admin panel When you're configuring an SRT stream on Pearl device, you can also adjust the recovery bandwidth overhead using the Admin panel. This setting defines how much of the stream's total bandwidth is dedicated for the exchange of SRT control and recovery packets between the source and destination. Ensure that the total SRT stream bitrate (i.e. the bandwidth required for the stream plus the recovery bandwidth overhead) is less than the network bandwidth you have available. **Set up Pearl device as a streaming source in rendezvous mode using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **SRT push**. The new stream with the default name *Stream 1* is created. - Click the stream name to expand the stream settings. - In the **Connection mode** field, select **Rendezvous**. - Enter the **URL **of the SRT destination (decoder) using the format *srt://**<**decoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**decoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the CDN, media server, or an SRT decoder device such as a second Pearl device at the destination. - (Optional) Check Encryption and choose the AES key length if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device - (Optional) If the SRT destination has a required security **Passphrase** along with the AES encryption, you can enter that here. - (Optional) In the **Latency** field adjust the amount of latency to apply to the stream. The default value is 125 ms. We recommend using the default latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. - (Optional) In the **Recovery bandwidth overhead** field, adjust the % value of the bandwidth that's dedicate for SRT control and recovery packets. The default value is 25%. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - When your ready to start streaming, click **Start** --- ## Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP) id: pearl-family/share-a-live-broadcast-stream-http-https-or-rtsp · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP) *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The easiest way to deliver your content to your viewers is to give them the live broadcast URL of the channel. You can get that using the Admin panel. A separate URL exists for each channel you stream. The format of the URL depends on the method you used to access the device, which can be done through network discovery using the device's serial number or IP address. The device must be accessible on the viewer's LAN for them to access and view the stream using serial discovery. If HTTPS is configured, the live broadcast URL will start with *https* instead of *http*. If the device is behind a firewall and you want to share a stream with remote viewers, you need to set up port forwarding on your network. Consult with your network administrator. **Table — URL options** | **Access Method** | **URL Format** | | --- | --- | | serial discovery | http://<*serial*>.local/preview.cgi?channel= https://<*serial*>.local/preview.cgi?channel= rtsp://<*serial*>.local:<*port*>/stream.sdp Where *serial* is the serial number of the system, the *port* number for the channel is found on the Info page, and the channel number is provided from the Admin panel. You must install **Bonjour Print Services** on your Windows or Mac computer to access the live Preview using the serial number. | | IP address | http://<*IP Address*>/preview.cgi?channel=2 https://<*IP Address*>/preview.cgi?channel=2 rtsp://<*IP Address*>:<*port*>/stream.sdp Where *IP address* is the IP address of the system, the *port* number for the channel is found on the Info page, and the channel number is provided from the Admin panel. | An RTSP stream is supported by most media players such as QuickTime and VLC. You can choose from two RTSP transport protocol options. - **RTSP (UDP/TCP)**: The client chooses UDP or TCP as the preferred transport protocol. The preferred option is UDP, which is a connectionless transport protocol that does minimal error checking for less delay when transporting packets. UDP is suitable for use with stable, low-loss networks. - **RTSP (TCP)**: Uses TCP as the transport protocol. Use TCP if you're network connection is lossy and would benefit from the error-checking and packet-loss retransmission that TCP performs. **Retrieve the stream URL for your viewers using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Status**. The Status page appears. - Record the **Live broadcast**, **RTSP stream **URL or other web streaming address. This is the address you can send to viewers or use to create a link to your broadcast. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Admin panel menu names are singular ("**Channel**" menu, not "**Channel(s)**"). --- ## Single Touch streaming and recording control id: pearl-family/single-touch-streaming-and-recording-control · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Single Touch streaming and recording control *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* You can easily control streaming and recording from the touch screen with just one touch of a button. ### About Single Touch streaming and recording The Single Touch feature lets you control the recording and streaming of multiple channels and multi-track recorders with one touch of a button on the touch screen. A **Pause** button lets you pause and resume recording for all specified channels and multi-track recorders (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). Specify which channels and multi-track recorders to include for Single Touch control using the Admin panel. To open the Single Touch control screen from the touch screen, tap the **Single Touch control** icon. **Table — One Touch control screen components** | **Label** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 1 | **Start/stop button**: Press the Single Touch control button to start or stop streaming and recording for all specified channels and multi-track recorders. | | 2 | The number of multi-track recorders and/or channels that are actively recording (the first number) over the total number of channels that are configured for one touch recording (the second number). | | 3 | The number of channels that are actively streaming (the first number) over the total number of channels that are configured for one touch streaming (the second number). | | 4 | **Pause button**: Press to pause the recording, then resume once ready. | When you press the start button to activate Single Touch recording and streaming, a blue **Stop** button appears, the Recording values update to show the number of channels and multi-track recorders that are actively recording, and the Streaming values update to show the number of channels that are actively streaming. In the example above, Single Touch control has been activated and both channels out of the two total channels and/or multi-track recorders are recording successfully. There is no streaming activity because there are no channels configured for Single Touch streaming. Also in this example the device is configured to automatically upload files to an external destination such as an attached USB drive or a network location. This screen shows that the device is uploading the file(s) to the destination. An error icon displays if there's a problem with the streaming and/or recording settings for one or more of the channels and multi-track recorders. All other channels and multi-track recorders that are working correctly continue to stream and record normally. In this example, after pressing **Start**, both multi-track recorders/channels are recording properly but the one channel configured for streaming is not streaming correctly. One or both channels was configured to automatically transfer recorded files to an external USB drive. But the device was not able to mount the USB drive or no USB was inserted. To troubleshoot streaming error, investigate each channel's streaming configuration page using the Admin panel and identify which channel isn't streaming. Then correct any streaming configuration errors. #### Customize the Single Touch control display You can use the Admin panel to customize how Single Touch control is displayed on the touch screen. The start screen options for Single Touch control are: - **Default**: The Single Touch control screen is accessed by tapping the **One Touch control icon** at the bottom of the touch screen. - **Single touch control**: The Single Touch control start screen displays automatically on the touch screen when you power on the device. Operators can still navigate to other screens from the Single Touch control screen by tapping the Home icon in the top right corner of the screen. - **Start screen locked mode**: The Single Touch control start screen is the only screen that displays on the touch screen. Operators cannot navigate to other screens from the Single Touch control screen. If no 4-digit PIN set when the start screen is in locked mode, you can access the Single Touch control start screen right away to start/stop streaming and recording. However, you cannot access any other screens using the touch screen. If you set a 4-digit PIN when the start screen is in locked mode, a lock appears in the top right of the start screen. You must enter the PIN to unlock the Single Touch control start screen and access the other screens using the touch screen. When you return to the Single Touch control start screen, the device automatically locks itself and you must re-enter the 4-digit PIN to unlock the touch screen. **Configure how the Single Touch control screen displays on the touch screen using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen**. The Touch screen configuration page opens. - From the **Start screen** drop-down menu, select **Single Touch control**. - (Optional) Check **Start screen locked mode** and set a 4-digit PIN. - Click **Apply**. If you chose **Single Touch control**, the touch screen automatically refreshes to display the Single Touch control screen. #### Specify channels and multi-track recorders for Single Touch recording All channels and multi-track recorders are enabled for Single Touch recording control by default. You can enable and disable one touch recording for individual channels and multi-track recorders using the Admin panel. **Enable or disable Single Touch control for a channel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select the channel you want and click **Recording**. The Recording page opens. - Select **change**, and then check **Single touch control** on the options page to enable the channel for One Touch control. Uncheck the check box if you don't want to include that channel for One Touch control. Then click **Apply** when you're done. **Enable Single Touch control for a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - To enable or disable **Single touch control** for a recorder. - From the Recorders menu, select the recorder you want. The Recorder Setup page opens. - Select **change**, and then check **Single touch control** on the options page to enable the recorder for Single Touch control. Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want to include that recorder for Single Touch control. Then click **Apply** when you're done. #### Specify channels for Single Touch streaming Channels are not enabled for Single Touch streaming by default. You can enable and disable one touch streaming control for individual channels using the Admin panel. **Specify channels for Single Touch streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming page opens. - Click **New stream** and select a publishing method, for example, RTMP push. - Check **Single touch control** to enable this channel's stream for Single Touch control. Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want to include this channel's stream for Single Touch control. Then click **Apply**. --- ## Storage id: pearl-family/storage · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Storage *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Storage** | 512 GB internal SSD | User-supplied SD card or SATA M.2 2280 SSD | Preinstalled 256 GB SD card (current model) or 1 TB internal SSD (earlier model) | User-supplied SD card or SATA M.2 2280 SSD | Pearl-2 ships with a 512 GB internal SSD, so no user-supplied storage is required. Pearl Nexus ships with storage preinstalled. The current Pearl Nexus model ships with a 256 GB SD card preinstalled (ESP1948); an earlier model shipped with a 1 TB internal SATA SSD (ESP1882). The only hardware difference between these ESPs is the storage type. Nexus is not discontinued. You can install your own SATA M.2 2280 SSD in the current model if desired; when an SSD is installed, the SD card port is disabled. NVMe SSDs are not supported. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nano require user-supplied storage. Both accept an SD card or a SATA M.2 2280 SSD. On Pearl Mini, the SD card port is disabled when an SSD is installed. Integrating with CMS type EchoVideo (Echo360) requires installed storage to work correctly (Pearl Nano does not support EchoVideo (Echo360)). SD cards used in Pearl devices are formatted as EXT4, so they are not readable on a Windows or Mac computer without third-party software and are to be treated as an internal storage, similar to a laptop or computer. --- ## Stream a channel using the touch screen id: pearl-family/stream-a-channel-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Stream a channel using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Use the touch screen to easily start and stop streaming a channel. Simply tap the streaming control button that appears in the channel view. If the gray (or blue) Stream icon doesn't appear in the top left corner of the screen, streaming is disabled. **Start and stop streaming a channel using the touch screen** - From the grid view, select the channel you want to stream. The channel view opens. If necessary, tap the screen once to display the controls. - Tap the gray Stream icon at the top left of the screen to start streaming. The Stream icon turns blue and the timer increments when streaming is in progress. - Tap the Stream icon again to stop streaming. The dot turns gray and the timer resets to 00:00:00. If an error occurs when you start streaming, a yellow circle with an exclamation mark appears in the left top corner of the touch screen. Check your networking and streaming settings. The device also features **One Touch**, which lets you control recording and streaming of multiple channels and multi-track recorders at the same time with the touch of a button. --- ## Stream, record, and monitor using the Dashboard interface id: pearl-family/stream-record-and-monitor-using-the-dashboard-interface · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Stream, record, and monitor using the Dashboard interface *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The dashboard in Epiphan Live is where you can do confidence monitoring, as well as start and stop streaming and recording for your channels. You can also pause and resume a recording (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). ### Configure Dashboard panels You can customize each Dashboard panel to display a specific channel, input source, or video output for live confidence monitoring. Panels can also be set up to display system information: - CPU load (%) - Quantity of streaming connections - The current streaming bandwidth (bitrate) - Automatic file upload status (enabled or disabled). - Storage available on your Pearl device. Other logged in operators and admins must refresh their web browsers to see the latest changes to the Dashboard. Up to 8 Epiphan Live preview panels can be open at the same time on your Pearl device. This limit live preview panels applies **across all open instances of Epiphan Live**, including multiple users accessing Epiphan Live simultaneously from different web browsers, or duplicate instances of the same Epiphan Live interface open on multiple browser tabs at the same time. **Configure Dashboard panels** - Log in to Epiphan Live (see Access Epiphan Live using a web browser or mobile device). - Tap the drop-down menu that appears below the panel and select the channel, source, or output to display. The label says "None" if the panel is not yet configured. When a channel is selected, streaming and recording control buttons appear below the panel. You can control streaming and recording of that channel using those buttons. - (Optional) To choose between displaying 2 or 4 panels, tap the **2x|4x** icon that appears in the upper-right corner of the panels area. - Tap **Save**. You can navigate between separate sets of Dashboard panels by selecting the **circle icons** along the top of the first row of panels. #### Monitor video and audio input sources using Epiphan Live Use the Dashboard to monitor your video and audio inputs. The video inputs section of the Dashboard lists all inputs and displays the video resolution. - A **green dot** means that the video source is connected and a signal is received. - A **yellow dot** means that a signal is not being receiving from the source. - A **triangular warning icon** means there is a source configuration issue that needs attention. Tap the name of a video input to open the source details in a thumbnail view, including warning information if applicable. The configured audio inputs appear in the **Audio inputs** section of the Dashboard. - A **grayed-out audio source** means that the audio source is not used in any channels. - A **triangular warning icon** means there is a source configuration issue that needs attention. Click the audio source name to display the warning message. - A **green dot** means the source is connected and the accompanying VU meter shows the audio level. The audio VU meter uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average in each 100 ms period is displayed as a series of colored bars. The following table describes the levels at which the meter changes from green to yellow and red. **Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | **Show or hide inputs in the list** You can pick which video inputs display in the Dashboard view. Just tap the **Video inputs** or **Audio inputs** header and then check the **checkbox** next to the name of each source you want showing in the Dashboard view. Tap **Save **when you're done. The Dashboard input list updates automatically. #### Monitor and select the video output source using Epiphan Live The Dashboard lists the output ports along with the resolution and frame rate. You can select a channel or a video source to display on the video output port using Epiphan Live. You can also enable or disable audio for the output port. - **Green text** means your output is connected and transmitting to your external display. - **Grayed-out text** means the output port is disabled. - **White text** means the output port is enabled but is not connected to an external display. Click **the name of a video output** to open the port's details in a thumbnail view. By default, video output ports are configured to maintain aspect ratio, use the display's default resolution, include audio at 100% and they don't include the audio VU meter. You can change these defaults in the Admin panel. **Select a video source for the output port and enable or disable audio** - Tap **Video outputs** to display the video output configuration menu. - Tap the **text field beside the output port** and select a channel or source from the list. - To enable or disable audio for the output port, tap the **speaker icon** to toggle audio On and Off for the port. A green icon means audio is enabled. A gray icon means audio is disabled. #### Control streaming and recording using Epiphan Live From the Epiphan Live Dashboard, you can control streaming and recording for channels using the buttons in the **Channels** section. In addition to starting and stopping, you can pause and resume a recording. When a channel is not currently streaming or recording, the buttons are gray and their respective timers are set to 00:00:00. If streaming isn't configured for a channel, the streaming button displays as **Not set**. - The left-most button with the "signal" icon starts and stops streaming for the channel. - The right-most button with the circle icon starts and stops recording for the channel. If multiple streams are configured for a channel, a pair of control buttons is displayed for each stream. Click the channel name to open a preview thumbnail view. When you're ready to start streaming and recording the channel, tap the streaming and recording control buttons. Tap the buttons a second time to stop streaming and recording. - The streaming button turns blue when the channel is streaming and the timer's clock increments. - The recording button turns red when the channel is recording and the timer's clock increments. Streaming and recording control buttons also appear below the Dashboard monitoring panels when they're configure to display a channel. You can use those control buttons to start and stop streaming or recording for a channel too. If the stream fails to publish, the streaming button flashes blue and displays **ERROR**. Check the streaming settings for your channel using the Admin panel. **Recording using multi-track recorders** From the Admin panel, you can create multi-track recorders to capture multiple channels and audio sources in a single recording. You can then select which combination of video and audio sources to extract from the recording. This feature is useful when you're capturing a video source and multiple languages from different audio sources. Multi-track recorders appear on the Dashboard if they are configured on your Pearl device. Each multi-track recorder has a recording control button to start and stop recording. When a Recorder is not recording, the button is gray and the timer is set to 00:00:00. To start recording, simply tap the recording control button for that multi-track recorder. The button turns red when the multi-track recorder is recording and the timer's counter increments. Tap the button a second time to stop recording. --- ## Streaming a channel direct to viewers id: pearl-family/streaming-a-channel-direct-to-viewers · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Streaming a channel direct to viewers *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Stream content directly to viewers on the local network using the default streaming settings as soon as you've powered on the system and configured a channel. Just choose the live broadcast method that's right for your viewers. They can tune into the stream and watch using their favorite web browser or media player. **Table — Publishing options for streaming direct to viewers on the local network** | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | HTTP or HTTPS | Viewers on the same local network as the device can access the Live broadcast URL using a web browser on the local network and are instantly connected. Viewers can also choose to use their favorite media player to watch the stream on the local network. They just need the URL for any of the other supported streaming methods (like FLV or MPEG-TS) to watch using their media player. Use these direct streaming methods for only a small number of viewers because each viewer uses the full stream bandwidth and consumes resources on the device. | | RTSP | Viewers can copy and paste the URL of the RTSP stream into a media player and watch the stream on the local network. | | HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) pull | Stream live over the standard HTTP port 80, making it possible to cross firewalls and proxies that are normally accessible to other HTTP traffic and facilitates content delivery to CDNs. If HTTPS is configured on the device, traffic from port 80 is redirected to port 443. There is approximately a 30 second delay when streaming using HLS. | To stream video outside your LAN using the channel's HTTP/HTTPS or RTSP URLs, you must configure port forwarding on your router. Consult with your Network Administrator. The following features are supported for direct to viewer (local) streams from a Pearl Channel: - Disable and enable direct channel streaming - Restrict viewer access to channel streams - Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP) - Change HTTP and RTSP streaming port values - Enable HLS (pull) --- ## Streaming error messages id: pearl-family/streaming-error-messages · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Streaming error messages *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* - **Insufficient or low bandwidth** — the upstream bandwidth is below the channel bitrate, or there is network congestion or misconfiguration. Lower the encoding bitrate, allow at least 50% more upstream bandwidth than the stream requires, and consult your IT team. Pearl cannot throttle outbound data. - **Closed by remote host** — the receiving end (for example, YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo) ended the stream, usually because of incorrect stream data or because the destination was not ready. - **Input/output error** — often caused by outdated firmware or another device issue; update to the latest firmware and retry. --- ## Streaming to a media player or smart TV id: pearl-family/streaming-to-a-media-player-or-smart-tv · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Streaming to a media player or smart TV *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Your device can use SAP to stream to set-top boxes, digital signs, smart TVs and other digital media players. The following table gives an overview of how this works. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | SAP | SAP (session announcement protocol) is a protocol for broadcasting multicast session information. You can enable SAP and stream over a local network when MPEG-TS multicast streaming is configured. Media players can see the announcement or can use the multicast SDP file (session description file) directly. | To stream video outside of your LAN, use a CDN or configure port forwarding on your router. Refer to your Network Administrator. Network configuration is beyond the scope of this guide. --- ## Streaming with Epiphan devices id: pearl-family/streaming-with-epiphan-devices · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Streaming with Epiphan devices *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Streaming is a powerful way to deliver live video content to your viewers. Stream to viewers, servers, and media players. Using the Admin panel, you can configure streaming in multiple formats to multiple destinations and devices, such as web browsers, media players, set-top boxes, Smart TVs, and Content Distribution Networks. The device is flexible, easy to setup, and supports all the standard codecs, as well as the most common media players. Streaming options include: unicast, multicast, SRT, HLS, RTMP, SAP, and more. --- ## Support and contact information id: pearl-family/support-and-contact-information · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Support and contact information *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Your device comes with a one-year complimentary warranty starting from the original product shipment date. You can purchase a 2-year extended support plan from Epiphan Video, within one year of the original ship date, for a total of three years of product support from the original product shipment date. Pearl Nexus units purchased on or after March 1, 2026 ship with a three-year warranty, which a support plan does not extend. For warranty terms, see "Standard warranty coverage": - **SupportPlan** offers a 2-year support extension and advanced replacement - **SupportPlan+** offers a 2-year support extension, advanced replacement, and remote troubleshooting support Remote troubleshooting support allows the Epiphan support team to remotely access your device to help troubleshoot issues and reset lost admin passwords. No private information is sent to the Epiphan maintenance server during a remote session. To contact Epiphan support: - **Email**: [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com?subject=Support%20request) - **Online chat**: [www.epiphan.com/support](https://www.epiphan.com/support) (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 UTC-5, or UTC-4 during Daylight Saving Time) - **Call**: 1-877-599-6581 / 613-599-6581 From time to time, Epiphan support may ask you for logs from your system. Follow the instructions to download files for support. Remote support is only provided for systems covered by SupportPlan+. **Download the logs using the Admin panel** If requested by Epiphan support, you can download the logs files and/or "allinfo" data from your system. These files help our support team troubleshoot problems. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Check **Permanent Logs** and click **Apply**. - Select **Maintenance** again to refresh the maintenance page and click **Download permanent logs**. A zip file containing system downloads. **Download the allinfo file** - From your browser, run the **allinfo** script. A file is saved to your computer. - **Pearl-2**: http:///admin/allinfo.cgi - **Pearl Mini**: http:///admin/allinfo.cgi - **Pearl Nexus**: http:///admin/allinfo.cgi - **Pearl Nano**: http:///admin/allinfo.cgi - Share the log files and the allinfo results with Epiphan support. **Device differences** - None. --- ## Switching and mixing using the touch screen id: pearl-family/switching-and-mixing-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Switching and mixing using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Switching live video inputs, or video mixing, is simple and intuitive using the touch screen. After you select the channel you want to live switch, tap the Live Switcher icon along the bottom of the touch screen to open the live switcher. All custom layouts that are configured for the channel display in the carousel. Simply tap a layout to load it in to the standby panel and you're ready to start live switching. Performing live switching using one interface, like the touch screen, does not dynamically update the visuals in the other interfaces (e.g. the Admin panel and Epiphan Live). The other interfaces must be manually refreshed to accurately reflect the current live switching layout information. If the live switching controls don't appear on the touch screen, they may have been disabled. **Switch custom layouts for a channel using the touch screen** - Tap the Live Switcher icon to open the live switcher view for the channel. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - The Live Switcher view opens. - Tap any layout that appears in the carousel to load it in to the Preview panel. - Tap **Apply** or double tap inside the Preview panel to switch that layout to the Live panel. The layout that was in the Live panel moves to the Preview panel so that it's ready for the next time you switch. - To load a different layout into the Preview panel, tap another layout in the carousel. - Tap **Back** to exit the Live Switcher view. --- ## Switching / mixing using Epiphan Live id: pearl-family/switching-mixing-using-epiphan-live · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Switching / mixing using Epiphan Live *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The Live Switcher view in Epiphan Live is a simple interface that lets you live switch between layouts while streaming and recording. Switching between layouts using one of the switcher interfaces does not dynamically update what you see in the other switching interfaces (i.e. Epiphan Live and the Admin Panel). You must manually refresh the other interfaces separately to reflect the current state. ### About the Switcher interface Access the Switcher interface from the Menu button in the top right corner of the Dashboard interface. **Elements in the Switcher view** | **Number** | **Title** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Channel selector** | The list of channels configured on your Pearl device. Select a channel and switch between the different layouts that are configured for that channel. | | 2 | **Menu icon** | Displays links to the Dashboard view and the Admin panel when clicked. | | 3 | **Preview panel** | Displays a preview of a selected layout, which is outlined with a green border. When you click the **Switch **button, this preview layout becomes the live layout. | | 4 | **Live view panel** | Displays the active "live" layout that is currently being streamed or recorded. The live layout is outlined with a red border. When you select the **Switch **button, this live layout is replaced with the layout that's loaded in to the **Preview panel**. | | 5 | **Layout carousel** | Displays small previews for all layouts contained within your selected channel. Select a layout from the carousel to add it to the **Preview panel**. Note that the layout selected for the **Preview panel** has a green border and the layout in the **Live panel** has a red border. | | 6 | **Switch button** | When selected, the layout in the **Preview panel** replaces the layout in the **Live panel** and is immediately reflected in your active stream and recordings. | #### Switching while live streaming and recording using Epiphan Live The Switcher interface lets you easily live switch between custom layouts with a simple click. **Switch layouts while live streaming and recording** - Log in to Epiphan Live. The Dashboard view opens by default. - Tap the **Menu **icon in the upper-right corner of the Dashboard screen and tap **Switcher** to open the Switcher interface. - Tap the **field** beside the "Switcher" header and select a channel. The field is blank if this is your first time configuring the Switcher. Channels with only one layout are grayed-out and cannot be selected for switching. All the layouts for the selected channel are displayed in a carousel along the bottom of the screen. The layout that is live is displayed in the **Live panel** on the right side of the interface. - In the carousel, tap the layout that you want to switch to next. That layout is loaded into the **Preview panel**. - Tap the **Switch **button to switch the layout that is currently in the **Preview panel** to the **Live panel**. The layout that was in the Live panel moves to the Preview panel so that it's ready for the next time you switch. - To load a different layout into the Preview panel, tap another layout in the carousel. --- ## The Dashboard interface id: pearl-family/the-dashboard-interface · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # The Dashboard interface *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The Dashboard interface is the first page you see when you open Epiphan Live. You'll find helpful tools for confidence monitoring, as well as streaming and recording control. **Elements in the Dashboard interface** | **Number** | **Title** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Dashboard header icons** | **Warning **– This icon displays only if there are any configuration errors in your channels, sources, streams or recordings. Clicking the icon displays more detail about the errors. **Save **– Save the current Dashboard layout. Tap **Save** to preserve the current layout. Logged in operators and administrators will see the latest Dashboard layout when they refresh their Epiphan Live page. The latest saved layout displays the next time you log in. **Menu **– Access links to the Switcher view, Recordings, and Admin panel. | | 2 | **Dashboard monitoring panels** | Configurable panels for confidence monitoring. You can set each panel to display a source, channel, output, or basic system information. Panels are empty by default. | | 3 | **Dashboard panel navigation icons** | Each dot represents a set of panels. Select a dot to navigate between the three different sets of Dashboard monitoring panels. | | 4 | **Dashboard panel set quantity icons** | **2x **– Changes the quantity of Dashboard panels per set to 2. **4x **– Changes the quantity of Dashboard panels per set to 4. | | 5 | **Video inputs** | Displays a list of your video inputs configured in the Admin panel and includes basic status information for each input. | | 6 | **Video outputs** | Displays a list of your video outputs configured in the Admin panel and includes basic status information for each output. | | 7 | **Channels** | Displays a list of your channels configured in the Admin panel and includes streaming and recording control buttons for each channel, as well as individual control buttons for each stream when you set up multiple streams in a channel. | | 8 | **Audio inputs** | Displays a list of your audio inputs configured in the Admin panel. Includes basic status information and a VU meter for each input. | | 9 | **Recorders** | Displays a list of your multi-track recorders configured in the Admin panel and includes a recording control button for each recorder. | --- ## The touchscreen channel view id: pearl-family/the-touchscreen-channel-view · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # The touchscreen channel view *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Each channel you configure on the device can be monitored and controlled using the touch screen. After you power on the device and the grid view opens, you can select a channel and open the channel view. Just tap the channel you want in the grid view and the channel view opens. **Table — Parts of the touch screen for the individual channel view** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 1 | Channel name. | | 2 | Streaming status. Gray means streaming is stopped, flashing blue means streaming is in progress. | | 3 | The streaming timer shows the length of time that streaming has been in progress. | | 4 | Recording status. Bright red and flashing means recording is in progress. | | 5 | The recording timer shows the length of time that recording has been in progress. | | 6 and 7 | Controls to switch between channels. Tap the arrow to view the next (or previous) channel. The arrow icons fade when the touch screen is idle (i.e. untouched) for several seconds. Tap the touch screen and the icons reappear. | | 8 | Audio VU meter uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average audio level in each 100 ms period is displayed using colored bars. RED = 0 to -9 dBFS Yellow = -9 to -18 dBFS Green = -18 dBFS and lower | | 9 | Audio monitoring volume control icon. Tap to change volume level. | | 10 | Live Switcher view icon. Tap to view the live switcher, which lets you live switch between different custom layouts that are configured for the channel. | | 11 | CMS Events screen icon. Tap to view the status of scheduled CMS events or to authenticate with your CMS and create an unscheduled ad hoc event. | | 12 | Grid view icon. Tap to view all the configured channels in a grid. | | 13 | Single touch streaming and recording control icon. See Single Touch streaming and recording control | | 14 | System settings icon. | --- ## Troubleshooting id: pearl-family/troubleshooting · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Troubleshooting *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Your device has easy-to-use diagnostic tools to test connectivity status, check upload/download bandwidth, traceroute, and more to help you troubleshoot your device. You can also fine tune channel settings such as frame rate, resolution and bitrate to ensure optimal use of resources while streaming a quality video and fine tune the video input sources. It's good practice to backup your configuration settings so that you can revert back to a good configuration if the changes you made are not desirable. If your problems persist, there are more resources, including contact information, at [Epiphan Support](https://www.epiphan.com/support/). **Device differences** - None. ### Configure remote support *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Remote support is enabled on Pearl device by default and allows the Epiphan support team to remotely access Pearl device to help you troubleshoot issues and reset lost admin passwords. Your network must allow access to the Epiphan maintenance server, which has the domain name epiphany.epiphan.com. Pearl device must be able to resolve this domain name to connect to the Epiphan maintenance server for remote support. Remote support uses ports 22 and 30. Ensure that these ports are opened to allow remote communication. If your Pearl device is on a network that is protected from the Internet by a firewall, consult with your network administrator to configure your network to allow remote Internet access through the firewall for those ports and to add epiphany.epiphan.com to the network's allowed list. Remote support is only provided for systems covered by SupportPlan+. For more information about service plans, see **www.epiphan.com/supportplan**. **Configure remote support using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Check **Enable remote support** to enable incoming connections from Epiphan Systems. - Check **Enable connection to maintenance server** to enable outgoing links to the Epiphan maintenance server epiphany.epiphan.com. - Click **Apply**. - Test that Pearl device can access the maintenance server: - From the Configuration menu, select **Network**. - In **Network Diagnostics**, enter **epiphany.epiphan.com** and click **ping**. - The result of the ping should show an IP address for epiphany.epiphan.com. Report any packet losses to Epiphan support. - If Pearl device can't reach the maintenance server, check the network settings to ensure DHCP is selected or a DNS server is listed, then try again. Consult with your network administrator if problems persist. - If Pearl device reaches the maintenance server, ensure your firewall has port 30 open. - Confirm with Epiphan support that they are able to access your Pearl device for remote troubleshooting. #### Disable remote support *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Remote support is enabled by default. You can turn remote support off for your Pearl device using the Admin panel. Disabling remote support removes the ability for Epiphan to reset a lost admin password on your Pearl device. If you forget the admin password and remote support feature is off, you will need to return the system to Epiphan for reprogramming. **Disable remote support for your Pearl device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Uncheck **Enable remote support** to disable incoming connections from Epiphan Systems. - Uncheck **Enable connection to maintenance server** to disable outgoing links to the Epiphan maintenance server epiphany.epiphan.com. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Update a configuration preset id: pearl-family/update-a-configuration-preset · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Update a configuration preset *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* To update a configuration preset, or add/remove different configuration groups from the preset using the Admin panel, use the following procedure: **Update a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. All existing configuration presets are listed in the **Configuration presets** section. - Copy the name of the preset you want into the **Name** field and select the configuration groups to include, then click **Save**. - Click **OK** when prompted to overwrite the existing configuration preset with the new one. --- ## Upload or remove an image or video file using the Media page id: pearl-family/upload-or-remove-an-image-or-video-file-using-the-media-page · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Upload or remove an image or video file using the Media page *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can customize a channel by adding pictures as backgrounds, overlays, or transparent overlays. Video files can also be uploaded and can be used for use cases such motion background, pre and post roll as well as video playback in a channel. Image file formats supported include: PNG and JPEG for pictures, and H.264 encoded MP4 file for video files. The maximum supported picture image size is 4096´2160, and the maximum size of a video that can be uploaded is 250 MB. No warning or error message is displayed if your image is too large. Files that exceed the maximum size won't appear in the drop-down list. For best results always upload images that are already the correct size needed in your layout. Background images should match the frame size of your channel (frame size is set in the **Encoding **configuration page). There are two ways to upload images and video files. You can upload images and videos from the Media page using the Admin panel or drag and drop your image onto the **Add new item** area using the custom layout editor. **Important considerations** - Media file names should not include special characters, slashes, or spaces. The underscore character "_" is allowed. - Uploading an image of the same name overwrites the existing image. - Any image without the proper file extension appears in the layout editor but doesn't display in the actual video output. For instance, a .PNG image with the file extension .bmp or an invalid file extension such as .png2 are examples of improper file extensions. **Upload or remove an image using the Admin panel's Media page** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Media**. The Media page opens. - To upload a file, click** Choose File** and browse to select the file to upload, then click **Upload**. - To remove a file, click **Remove** beside the file name and click **OK** when prompted. If you delete an image that is used as part of the layout for any channel, select a different image or no image by using the drop-down list in the **Picture settings **box within that channel's layout before deleting the file using the steps below. --- ## USB video and web camera settings id: pearl-family/usb-video-and-web-camera-settings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # USB video and web camera settings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* The following options are all potentially available for video input sources connected to the USB port. However, some settings apply only to certain types or brands of USB web cameras and not all options are available or needed for all types of USB video sources. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Capture mode | This feature is useful for simultaneously dictating the resolution and fps at which the video source is captured. The drop down list of available resolutions and frame rates changes depending on the attributes of the connected device. | | Brightness | The brightness of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from 0 to 100. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Contrast | The contrast of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from 0 to 100. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Vertical shift | The vertical positioning of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from -64 to 64. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Horizontal shift | The horizontal positioning of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from -64 to 64. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Saturation | The saturation of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from 0 to 100. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Sharpness | The sharpness of the video can be adjusted by entering a numerical value from 0 to 100. Estimate values and view the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Powerline frequency | The powerline frequency of the video can be adjusted by selecting the desired output from a drop-down list of frequencies available to your source. | | Image | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | | Audio input gain | You can add audio gain to your source from this page by selecting the % gain from the drop-down list. Estimate values and check the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | | Audio delay | If your audio is not synchronized with your video, it can be adjusted from -300 to 300 ms. Estimate values and check the result in the preview area until desired result is achieved. | Pearl Nano does not support USB video input and does not have this table. --- ## Use a specific EDID for the video input port id: pearl-family/use-a-specific-edid-for-the-video-input-port · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Use a specific EDID for the video input port *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Extended display identification data (EDID) is data provided by a video display device, like a monitor. The EDID describes the display's capabilities to a video source, such as the graphics card in a PC or other video output device. In the device, the video source uses the EDID information to determine what resolutions, color depth, and other settings the monitor supports. EDID is crucial for DVI sources. The video input ports on the device have a factory set EDID. When you connect a video source such as a laptop or camera to the device, the video source sees the device as if it were a monitor. The EDID that's assigned to the input port is read by the video source to determine what video signal it needs to send to the device. Usually, the video input ports on the device correctly emulate a monitor for the connected video source. However, there are times when you may need to upload a custom EDID, like when your source uses a custom set of display properties. When you upload a custom EDID to an input port on the device, you can force the port to supply a specific resolution, color depth, etc to the connected video source. ### Upload a new EDID In most cases, the factory installed default EDID works fine for sources connected to the HDMI ports on the device. However, there may be times when a connected video source uses resolutions that you do not want to use. In that case, you can manually upload an EDID and force the device to use a specific set of attributes for a specific HDMI input port. All video sources you connect to that HDMI input port will use the EDID you've manually assigned to the port. EDID changes remain in effect for the HDMI input port until you replace the EDID with another one or specifically choose to restore the factory EDID for that specific HDMI input port. A system-level factory reset does not remove a manually assigned EDID from the HDMI port. To get a new EDID, contact Epiphan Support. When you have the new EDID, you can upload that using the Admin panel. **Upload a new EDID file using the Admin panel** - Connect to the Admin panel and log in as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the input port for which you want to upload the EDID. - On the configuration page for that source, scroll to the **EDID upload** section and click **Choose File**. - Browse to the location where the custom EDID file was saved and select it, then click **open**. - Select **upload**. When the upload is complete, the page updates to reflect success or failure. ### Restore factory default EDID When you no longer want a custom EDID assigned to an input port, you can restore the input port to use the factory default EDID. Currently there is no way to tell if your input port is using a custom EDID. If you are unsure, restoring to factory default is the best approach. **Restore the default EDID using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the source you want to restore. The source configuration page opens. - Scroll to the **EDID** section and select **restore**. - When the default EDID is applied, the page updates to reflect success or failure. ### Unstretch the output video The device preserves the aspect ratio of your input video signal by default when you add the source to a layout using the custom layout editor. If you've changed the default setting, the image is stretched to match the output frame size. To prevent the image from looking stretched, you can use the custom layout editor to preserve the video source's aspect ratio. Unstretching the image causes a matte (black bars) to appear on the sides or top and bottom of the output. **Unstretch the output video to preserve the video source's aspect ratio using the Admin panel** - Connect to the Admin panel and log in as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor page opens. - In the layouts list, select the row for the layout you want. - In the items list below the layout editing area, select the video source. The video source settings appear. - Check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** and click **Save**. ### Remove the combing effect on images When frames are interlaced, artifacts from one frame may appear on the next frame. This happens when a fast motion video is interlaced. Since each frame is captured from a different point in time, the action captured in one frame is carried over to the next frame. The result is a blurred image and horizontal lines running across the video. **Convert an interlaced source signal to a non-interlaced signal using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click the source name. The configuration page for the source opens. - Check **Enable deinterlace** and click **Apply**. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** "This feature is not available using the local console on the Pearl Nano." — applies to uploading a new EDID (not bolded in the source). - **Pearl-2:** "Unstretch the output video" ends with an additional cross-reference sentence not present in Pearl Mini's or Pearl Nexus's own guides: "To remove these see **Remove black bars (matte) from the video**." - **Pearl Nano:** Nano's own guide documents only the intro paragraphs, "Upload a new EDID," and "Restore factory default EDID" for this topic — it never reaches "Unstretch the output video" or "Remove the combing effect on images." --- ## Verify IP address and MAC address id: pearl-family/verify-ip-address-and-mac-address · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Verify IP address and MAC address *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* To view the current IP address and MAC address of your Pearl device: - From the Network configuration page using the Admin panel. - Using the device's on-device display/controls, if available (see Device differences below). **Table — Network Information** | Item | Description/Options | | --- | --- | | MAC Address | A media access control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier for the network interface. The value is read-only and cannot be changed. You may need to share this value with your system administrator. | | Current IP Address | Reflects the current internet protocol address (IP address) of the system. This value is either obtained from the DHCP server (if using DHCP) or is the configured static IP address. The device supports IPv4 addresses. It does not support IPv6 addresses. | **View network information using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, click Network. The network configuration page opens. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** Open the Settings menu using the touch screen. To view: tap the **gear** icon to open System settings, tap **System Status**, tap **Back** to return to System Settings or the **Home** icon to return to the channel view. If the settings control icon doesn't appear when you tap the touch screen, it may be disabled. Using the Admin panel, Pearl-2's Network menu additionally has an Interfaces tab that opens directly to the Network Interfaces page. - **Pearl Mini:** Same touch-screen procedure as Pearl-2 (open Settings menu using the touch screen, tap **System Status**, etc.). - **Pearl Nano:** No touch screen. Select **System > Network** on the front screen. Full procedure: press the left arrow key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays; use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**, then **Network** to open the Network screen; use the arrow keys to scroll the list to view the IP/MAC information. - **Pearl Nexus:** No touch screen and no front-screen menu. If the HDMI output port is configured to show Device info, connect an HDMI monitor to the output port to see the MAC and IP address on-screen; otherwise use the Admin panel only. --- ## Video and audio input sources id: pearl-family/video-and-audio-input-sources · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Video and audio input sources *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The Admin panel automatically discovers all video and audio sources that you connect to the input ports on the device and lists them in the Inputs menu of the Admin panel. You can also configure a video source's settings using the Admin panel. Networked video sources like SRT need to be manually added before they display in the Inputs menu. A corresponding audio source is always added to your custom layout editor when you add a networked video source, even if the video stream contains no audio. An input source's content can be video, a picture, or music from a connected audio mixer. Content can originate from a camera, computer screen, an imported image in the device, and even another device of the same model. Video sources are also displayed on the Epiphan Live control interface. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Nano's guide does not include the closing sentence "Video sources are also displayed on the Epiphan Live control interface" above. --- ## Video and audio inputs id: pearl-family/video-and-audio-inputs · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Video and audio inputs *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* | | Pearl-2 | Pearl Mini | Pearl Nexus | Pearl Nano | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Video inputs** | 2 × 4K HDMI, 2 × HDMI, 2 × 12G SDI, 2 × USB | 2 × HDMI, 1 × 3G SDI, 2 × USB | 2 × HDMI, 1 × 3G SDI, 2 × USB | 1 × 4K HDMI, 1 × 12G SDI | | **Audio inputs** | 4 × XLR, 1 × RCA stereo pair | 2 × XLR/TRS combo, 1 × 3.5 mm, 1 × RCA stereo pair | 2 × XLR/TRS combo, 1 × 3.5 mm, 1 × RCA stereo pair | 2 × XLR, 1 × USB, 1 × RCA stereo pair | Pearl-2 provides the widest input selection, including two 4K-capable HDMI inputs and two 12G SDI inputs. Pearl-2 supports up to six simultaneous 1080p30 video inputs and up to six encoded 1080p30 channels. Counting its two USB (UVC) inputs, Pearl-2 has eight physical video input ports in total: two 4K HDMI, two HDMI, two 12G SDI, and two USB. Pearl Nano has no USB video inputs. Its video inputs are one 4K HDMI and one 12G SDI. Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus share the same video and audio input complement. All Pearl systems capture only the first two channels (the first stereo pair) of an audio source, and none of them provide audio DSP such as a compressor or gate. --- ## Video output ports id: pearl-family/video-output-ports · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Video output ports *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The HDMI video output port can send video from the device to connected devices like a display for confidence monitoring, an in-room projector, or even a video wall. You can use the Admin panel or the device screen menu to send any video source or channel to the video output port with (or without) the audio. Use MultiViewer to display a custom mix of channels and video sources in a convenient grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to your system's processor. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nexus:** headless — there is no on-device screen. Select the video output source using the Admin panel or Epiphan Live instead of a device screen menu. - **Pearl Nano:** has only one channel. MultiViewer on Pearl Nano displays a custom mix of up to two video sources (including the channel) on the HDMI output port, versus up to six (Pearl-2) or four (Pearl Mini/Pearl Nexus) sources on other models. --- ## View AFU and file transfer progress id: pearl-family/view-afu-and-file-transfer-progress · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View AFU and file transfer progress *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can view Automatic File Upload (AFU) and file transfer information from the following places: - the Admin panel. - the touch screen menu (Pearl-2, Pearl Mini). - the front screen menu (Pearl Nano). **View file transfer status using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Automatic File Upload**. If there are files to be uploaded, they appear in the queue. **View file transfer status using the touch screen (Pearl-2, Pearl Mini)** - Enable and configure Automatic File Upload, or configure the system to manually move or copy recorded files to an inserted USB drive. A file upload indicator icon is shown on the video preview screens and on the Single Touch control screen. - The background of the file upload indicator icon blinks green when the system is actively uploading files to the external destination. - The background color of the file transfer indicator alternates between blinks yellow when the system encounters an error while uploading files to the external destination. Tap the icon to see more details about nature of the error. **View file transfer status using the Pearl Nano front screen menu** - Configure and enable Automatic File Upload, or configure Pearl Nano to manually move or copy recorded files to an inserted USB drive. A file upload indicator icon is shown on the video preview screens of Pearl Nano and on the front screen of Pearl Nano. Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - The background of the file upload indicator icon blinks green when Pearl Nano is actively uploading files to the external destination. - The background color of the file transfer indicator alternates between blinks yellow when Pearl Nano encounters an error while uploading files to the external destination. - Use the arrow keys to highlight **Copy to USB drive** and press the **check mark** key to view the Copy to USB drive progress. --- ## View channel status and stream information id: pearl-family/view-channel-status-and-stream-information · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View channel status and stream information *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* You can see information about the status of a channel from the channel's status page using the Admin panel, including: - The status and uptime of encoder services - Stream information and URLs - Channel preview - Active network connections **View the status information for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, click a channel to open the status page for that channel. Active unicast and multicast stream information displays under **Connections**. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2:** More encoder information can be found on the Info page from the Configuration menu. The channel status page also does not currently display NDI connections under Connections: "NDI connections aren't currently displayed on the channel's status page under Connections." - **Pearl Nano:** Pearl Nano has a single channel, so the Admin panel shows a **Channel** menu (singular) instead of the **Channels** menu used on multi-channel devices. The status page itself is reached the same way and shows the same information. --- ## View device information using the touch screen id: pearl-family/view-device-information-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View device information using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* View the device's name, location, and description from the System Status screen using the touch screen. To view the device information from the touch screen: - Tap the **gear** icon. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **System Status** to see the System Status page. - Tap below **Device** to show the device information. Tap a second time to show the serial number, grabber, and firmware values again. - Tap **Back** to return to the **System Settings** screen, or the **Home** icon to return to the channel view. If the system settings control icon won't appear when you tap the touch screen, it may be disabled. --- ## View network status id: pearl-family/view-network-status · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View network status *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Get useful status information about your Pearl device's network connection from the Network configuration page using the Admin panel, including: - Current IP address - Hostname - Rated Ethernet link speed (Mbps) - Sending and receiving speed (Mbps) - MAC address - 802.1x status **View the network status using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, click Network. The Network configuration page opens. ### View 802.1x network connection status View the 802.1x network connection status in the following locations: - the Connectivity status diagnostic in the Admin panel - an on-device location, if available (see Device differences below) The status can display as either passed, failed, or disabled. If you attempt to connect to a network that isn't 802.1x enabled when 802.1x is configured, a consistent 802.1x status: failed status message appears on the Network Configuration page in the Admin panel. **Device differences** - **Pearl-2 and Pearl Mini:** Also viewable on the touch screen — select **Network > Connectivity Status**. - **Pearl Nano:** Also viewable on the front screen menu — select **System > Network > Connectivity Status**. (On Pearl Nano, this content lives under the device's "Status and monitoring" section rather than as a standalone network topic — a structural/retrieval difference only, not a content difference.) - **Pearl Nexus:** No touch screen or front screen menu. If the HDMI output port is configured to show Device info, the status is viewable there instead; otherwise use the Admin panel only. --- ## View system information using the Admin panel id: pearl-family/view-system-information-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View system information using the Admin panel *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* Get useful information about the device on the Info page from the Configuration menu. You can view your current firmware level, the system hardware version (if available), and currently configured settings for a channel. **View system information using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Info**. The system information page opens. The Bitrate / Actual bitrate values show the total of the video bitrate plus audio bitrate. --- ## View system information using the touch screen id: pearl-family/view-system-information-using-the-touch-screen · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View system information using the touch screen *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini* Find the serial number, check the installed firmware version of your device and more on the System Status screen using the touch screen. The System Status screen displays basic system information that's useful when first setting up your device. | **Label** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | | Device Information: Serial number, Video grabber number, Firmware version | | | Network Information: IP Address, MAC Address | | | Device Status: System date, System time, Uptime, CPU load (%) and Temperature (°Celsius) | | | Storage Information (when available): Disk space available, Pictogram of available disk space | **Open the System Status screen** - Tap the **gear** icon. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **System Status** to see the System Status page. - Tap **CPU load** to toggle between the operating temperature (°Celsius) and CPU load (%). - Tap **Back** to return to the **System Settings** screen, or the **Home** icon to return to the channel view. If the system settings control icon won't appear when you tap the touch screen, it may be disabled. --- ## View the AFU log id: pearl-family/view-the-afu-log · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View the AFU log *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* A log is kept of automatic file uploads. You can view the AFU log using the Admin panel if you want to view the AFU status. **View the AFU log using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Automatic File Upload**. The Automatic File Upload configuration page opens. - Click **Show log of automatic file upload**. The log page opens. If no logs are present, the page is blank. - Click the browser's back button when you are done. --- ## View the video output port status id: pearl-family/view-the-video-output-port-status · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # View the video output port status *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* The current status of the video output port and attached video display appears at the top of the video output port configuration page. You can view the status using the Admin panel. **View the video output port status using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Output port(s)** menu, click the output port. The video output port configuration page opens. **Possible video output status messages** | **Message** | **Description** | | Disabled | This video output port is disabled in the configuration. | | Display is not connected | There is no display connected to the video output port or the connected display is not powered on or not functioning. | | Source is currently unavailable | The video output port is configured to display a source that no longer exists. Change the source. | | Starting ... | The video output port is configuring the display and will shortly output the first frame. | | Running at w×h | The video output port is functioning at the specified resolution. | You can also view video output status using the Epiphan Live control interface. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** this content is filed as a sub-heading (`### View the video output port status`) nested under "Status and monitoring" rather than as its own top-level page as on Pearl-2/Mini/Nexus. Pearl Nano's version also omits the closing "You can also view video output status using the Epiphan Live control interface" sentence — consistent with Pearl Nano having no Epiphan Live dashboard. --- ## Viewing a channel's live broadcast stream id: pearl-family/viewing-a-channels-live-broadcast-stream · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Viewing a channel's live broadcast stream *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano* When you set up a channel, the system automatically generates and displays a list of available live broadcast streams. You can share the channel's stream URLs with people on the same local network as the device so they can watch a live broadcast of the channel. All you need to do is provide them the channel's stream URL and log in credentials if you've set one for viewers. To stream video outside your LAN using the channel's live broadcast streams, you must configure port forwarding on your router. Consult with your Network Administrator. The live broadcast stream URLs for a channel are available from the Channel menu in the Admin panel when you select **Status**. The audio and video codecs configured for the channel affect which live broadcast formats are listed. Just copy the live broadcast URL and share that with viewers so they can watch the channel stream using a web browser, or choose one of the other channel stream URLs if your viewers prefer to watch using a media player. If the channel is configured with 48 kHz audio, some web browsers may not work. In this case, we recommend using one of the channel's other URL formats and viewing the channel steam using a media player instead. ### View the live broadcast URL using a web browser You can share a channel's live broadcast URL with viewers so they can watch your live stream using their favorite web browser. Your viewers must be on the same network as the device to watch a live broadcast using the channel's live broadcast URL. If the channel you're streaming is configured with 48 kHz audio, some web browsers may not work. In this case, we recommend viewing the channel steam using a media player instead. The live broadcast URL appears in two places in the Admin panel: - On the channel's status page. - On the Info page from the Configuration menu. If a viewer password is configured, provide participants with the password to log in, along with the URL of the stream. If HTTPS is enabled on the device, replace *http* with *https* in the URL of the stream. **Share the live broadcast URL with viewers** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Status**. The **Live broadcast** link is listed under **Stream info**. You can copy the Live broadcast URL and share that with your viewers. - Alternatively, open the **Info** page to get the live broadcast URL. From the Configuration menu, click **Info** and then click **View** on the far right of the channel you want to share the broadcast URL. A page opens displaying the live broadcast and the broadcast URL. Copy the URL and share that with your viewers. **Watch a stream using a web browser and the live broadcast URL** - From your web browser, enter the IP address of the live broadcast stream. If the IP address of the broadcast is 172.20.1.33, then browse to: http://172.20.1.33/preview.cgi?channel= - Enter **viewer** as the user name and the password when prompted and press **Enter**. The stream plays in a new tab in your web browser. ### View the streaming URL using a media player You can share a channel's streaming URL with viewers so they can watch your live stream using their favorite media player, like VLC. Your viewers must be on the same network as the device to watch a channel stream using a stream URL. The type of stream URL you provide to your viewers can affect their choice of media player needed to watch the stream. This procedure assumes that the VLC media player is used. The different stream types available for channels include: RTSP, MPEG-TS, and Flash streams. The URL contains either the IP address of the device or the serial number. If a viewer password is configured, provide participants with the password to log in, along with the URL of the stream. **Share the channel's stream URL with viewers** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Status**. You can copy the Live broadcast URL and share that with your viewers. **View the channel's stream URL using a VLC** - Launch a media player. - Click the **Media** tab and select **Open Network Stream** from the drop-down menu. - Enter the stream URL. - Press **Play** to watch the stream in the media player window. **Device differences** - **Pearl Nano:** Uses "Channel" (singular) instead of "channels"/"Channel(s)" in menu names and in the "different stream types available for..." sentence, reflecting its single-channel design. --- ## What a Default Configuration reset changes id: pearl-family/what-a-default-configuration-reset-changes · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # What a Default Configuration reset changes *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* All Pearl devices support configuration presets, including the Default Configuration preset. Applying the Default Configuration preset resets the Pearl device password, and it also resets all other device settings. Recordings and existing configuration presets are left unchanged by the Default Configuration preset. Because applying the Default Configuration preset resets all other settings, be aware of the potential for lost configuration before applying it. If a PIN is set on the device screen, the PIN must be entered before the Default Configuration preset can be applied from the screen. Pearl Nexus is headless and has no screen or PIN — apply the Default Configuration preset on Pearl Nexus using the reset pin hole on the front of the device. --- ## Where Pearl devices store recordings id: pearl-family/where-pearl-devices-store-recordings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Where Pearl devices store recordings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* Pearl devices always record to internal storage first. Completed recordings can then be transferred to USB storage or to network storage. Recording directly to USB storage is not supported, and recording directly to network storage is not supported. Recording to internal storage first is for reliability and redundancy. Automatic File Upload (AFU) can be configured to transfer completed recordings off the device automatically, and recordings can also be downloaded manually from the Admin panel. --- ## Which Pearl system to choose id: pearl-family/which-pearl-system-to-choose · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-comparison.md # Which Pearl system to choose *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, Pearl Nexus.* **Choose Pearl-2** when the production needs more than three channels, 4K encoding, 12G SDI inputs, full-bandwidth NDI input, or the widest input selection. Pearl-2 is the only Pearl system that combines 4K with multiple encoded channels, and it is available in both desktop and rackmount forms. **Choose Pearl Mini** for Full HD productions of up to three channels where an operator works at the device. Pearl Mini has a built-in touch screen for local operation and switching, and it is VESA mountable for studio or classroom installation. **Choose Pearl Nexus** for Full HD productions of up to three channels in a rack, where no local operator interaction is needed. Pearl Nexus matches Pearl Mini's channel count and input complement but is headless and ships with storage preinstalled in a 1RU chassis. **Choose Pearl Nano** for portable, single-channel 4K capture and streaming, especially where PoE+ power is convenient and rack space or desk space is limited. Pearl Nano is the smallest, lightest Pearl system and the only one that can be powered over Ethernet. **Pearl Mini compared with Pearl Nexus:** both encode up to three Full HD channels with the same video and audio inputs. Pearl Mini adds a touch screen and VESA mounting and takes user-supplied storage. Pearl Nexus is a 1RU rackmount unit with no display and preinstalled storage — a 256 GB SD card on the current model, or a 1 TB internal SSD on the earlier model. Pearl Mini suits operator-attended setups; Pearl Nexus suits unattended rack installations. **Pearl Nano compared with Pearl Mini:** Pearl Nano encodes 4K but only one channel and has no USB video inputs or NDI support. Pearl Mini encodes up to three Full HD channels, accepts NDI|HX, and has a touch screen. Choose Pearl Nano for 4K in a small package, and Pearl Mini for multi-channel Full HD production. --- ## Your recordings id: pearl-family/your-recordings · product: pearl-family · source: pearl-family-common.md # Your recordings *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus* All recordings made using Epiphan Live are saved to the **Your recordings** panel. After recording a file, you can manage it and any other files using the following tools on the page: | **Number** | **Title** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Date selector** | Select a **From **and a **To** date from the pop-up calendar to create a date range. Then tap **Apply**. Only recordings that were recorded within that time frame appear in the list below. | | 2 | **File details** | Each heading in the list gives information about that category. Selecting **Date** organizes the list chronologically by the date the recording began. | | 3 | **Files** | Each recorded file that falls within the search parameters appears in this list, including important metadata about the file. Tap or click on the file selects it so that it can be managed through the other tools on the page. You may also download or delete an individual file by using the action items at the end of the file line. Tap the file name to rename the file. | | 4 | **Page indicators** | The page number indicates which page of results you are currently viewing, and how many pages of results are there. The buttons allow you to move between pages one at a time, or straight to the beginning or end of the list. You can also change which page you are on by typing a valid page number into the text box. | | 5 | **Select all** | Tap to select all files on the page. | | 6 | **Delete all** | Tap to delete all files on the list. **Warning**: Deleted files can not be recovered. | | 7 | **Delete** | Tap to delete all selected files. **Warning**: Deleted files can not be recovered. | | 8 | **Download** | Click this button to download all selected files to your local hard drive. | --- ## About video output ports id: pearl-mini/about-video-output-ports · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # About video output ports **Pearl Mini** An HDMI video output port is located on the rear panel of Pearl Mini. The output port is set to display HDMI A input port by default, but you can change this using the Admin panel. The video output port is configured to maintain aspect ratio, use the display's default resolution, and include audio at 100% volume. However, the audio meter is not shown by default. Using the video output port takes CPU cycles and adds to the overall load on your Pearl Mini. For optimum performance, keep displays disconnected from the video output port if you're not using them. Setups that already put a heavy load on the system's CPU may be negatively impacted if the external video output port is used. You can use the Admin panel to configure the video output port parameters. If you're simply selecting a video source or channel and enabling/disabling audio for the output port, you can use your choice of either the Admin panel, the Pearl Mini screen, or Epiphan Live. For channels that have audio, the audio is enabled by default. **Important considerations** - When changing encoding parameters for a channel that's displayed on the video output port, it may revert to the display's default resolution if the output resolution is set to "Same as source". To resolve this, change the video output to a different resolution then back to "Same as source". - When using the video output port for confidence monitoring, some delay can be expected. For a 1080p video source, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 100 ms. For a 1080p channel, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 300 ms. The actual amount can vary, depending on the setup. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. **Pearl Mini** -If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - **Pearl Mini** - Using the video output ports adds to the overall system load on the Pearl Mini. If your system has a high system load and you're using the video outputs, monitor the frame rate of your channels on your Pearl Mini and adjust your setup if there's an unacceptable drop in the frame rate. Remedial measures you can take include eliminating video scaling at the inputs, adjusting the encoding bitrates, and (for Pearl Mini) deleting extra layouts and channels that are no longer being used. - Use MultiViewer to preview multiple sources, including system information like channel status and audio information, on the video output port in a grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to system loading. | **Numberof Displays** | **Cable 1** | **Cable 2** | **Output resolution** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | passive converter | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 1 | | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | passive converter | passive converter | | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | active converter or DisplayPort cable | Displays can be set independently to any resolution up to 1080p (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | passive converter | One of the two displays will fail to receive a signal. Do not mix passive converters with active converters and DisplayPort cables. | | 2 | passive converter | active converter or DisplayPort cable | | --- ## AFU or copy to USB id: pearl-mini/afu-or-copy-to-usb · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # AFU or copy to USB The Pearl Mini has USB 3.0 ports that you can use to copy recordings to external USB flash drives or hard drives. Use this to conveniently provide speakers with a copy of their presentation before they leave the presentation venue. A USB port is available on the back panel of the Pearl Mini. Pearl Mini has an additional USB port on the front. The USB storage device must be formatted with one of the following file systems: | FAT16 | FAT32 | XFS | | --- | --- | --- | | EXT2 | EXT3 | EXT4 | | NTFS | exFAT | | We recommend you only connect one USB device to a Pearl Mini at a time. Only one copy or move to USB operation is permitted at a time, even though the UI may appear to let you start a second one. Please wait until the first is complete before starting a new operation. AFU to a USB storage device Transfer recordings to a USB storage device automatically when you select an external USB device as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on the Pearl Mini. - Channels and/or recorders are already added for AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **External USB Drive **as the protocol transfer type. If your Automatic File Upload setting conflicts with your new USB device setting, a message is displayed. Click the **fix it** link and click **Apply**. The fix it link disables any other type of automatic file upload you have configured. When you are done with USB uploads, return to the **Automatic File Upload **configuration page and reconfigure your AFU settings. - (Optional) Select **Create a subfolder for each channel** to have recordings organized by channel. - Click **Apply**. Do a one-time move/copy all recordings to USB storage device When one-time move/copy of files is configured, the Pearl Mini automatically starts copying files as soon as you connect a USB storage device to the USB port. Newest recordings are copied first. Files continue copying over until one of the following events occur: - all files are copied - the specified maximum number of files are copied - the target drive runs out of storage space File that are currently recording do not transfer until recording ends. The following table describes the options available for a one-time move/copy of recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 65 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | remove after copying | If checked, the file(s) are removed after being copied to the USB drive. Checking this box makes the transfer a move instead of a copy. | | mark file as downloaded | If checked, the files that are downloaded are marked with a downloaded icon when viewing file lists. This has no effect if remove after copying is checked. | | ignore already downloaded files | If checked, files that were previously downloaded or marked as downloaded are not included in subsequent downloads. | If your USB drive has no activity indicator to let you know when the transfer is complete, select the one-time move/copy option to **remove after copying** or **mark the file as downloaded** so that you know when the transfer has finished. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on Pearl Mini. **Configure a one-time copy of all recorded files to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used for one-time move/copy of the recorded files (upon insertion)**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload settings, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and either disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Check the options you want to use for the one-time move/copy file transfer and click **Apply**. - Insert the USB storage device into the USB port on Pearl Mini. File transfer starts automatically. - Follow the steps to Safely eject the USB storage device when the activity light on the USB storage device stops flashing. If your USB device doesn't have activity indicators: - Check the **Recording **list for each channel and the **Recorded Files **list for each recorder to verify if there are files that have yet to be copied. - Safely eject the USB storage device when you are satisfied all files have been copied, or if you notice the USB storage device is out of space. Manually copy recordings to USB storage device You can manually copy recordings to a USB storage device that is connected to Pearl Mini. This procedure is separate from automatic file upload and does not need any pre-configuration in the automatic file upload page. The following table describes the options available when manually copying recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 66 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | File already exists | Choose the action to take if a file with the same name already exists in the copy location: replace (default) skip rename | **Manually copy recorded files to a USB device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive link**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used to manually move/copy selected files via the Admin panel **and click **Apply**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Insert your USB storage device into an available USB port on Pearl Mini and do one of the following: - To download files for a specific channel, click **Recording** from the Channels menu. - To download files for a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - Check the files you want to download and do one of the following: - Click **Copy Selected to external drive** to copy the files to the USB drive. - Click **Move Selected to external drive** to move the files and delete them off of Pearl Mini. In this example, the first file is currently recording and cannot be downloaded. - Follow the steps to Safely eject USB storage device when you're done. View file transfer status and cancel file copy to a USB device During a file transfer to an External USB drive, you can monitor the file transfer progress and cancel the file transfer using the Admin panel. You can only cancel the transfer of a file while it is in progress. **View file transfer to USB device status and cancel using the Admin panel** - While the file transfer is in progress, select **External USB Drive link** from the Configuration menu in the Admin panel. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - View the current file transfer status under the **Status** section. To cancel the current file transfer, select **Cancel** and confirm when prompted. The option to cancel only appears while the file transfer is in progress. The file that is highlighted in green is currently being transferred. View available USB storage space When you insert a USB storage device into a USB port and select an **External USB Drive **action other than **ignored** (i.e. manual copy, automatic copy, etc), the total and free space are calculated and displayed in the Admin panel. When you insert your USB storage device into an available USB port, an External storage usage information tab appears at the bottom of the menus panel in the Admin panel. Safely eject the USB storage device When you're done saving recordings to the USB storage device, you can safely eject it using the link at the bottom of the Admin panel page. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - At the bottom of the menus panel, click **eject** and click **OK** when prompted. It's now safe to disconnect the USB storage device from Pearl Mini. --- ## Assign administrator privileges to operators id: pearl-mini/assign-administrator-privileges-to-operators · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Assign administrator privileges to operators Administrators can assign additional administrative-level privileges to operators from the Security menu in the Admin panel. The following table lists the available options and their associated privileges. **Table 31 Options with additional operator privileges** | **Option** | **Operator admin functions** | | --- | --- | | **Channel configuration** | Add, remove, and rename a channel | | | Configure channel encoder settings | | | Create and configure a custom layout for a channel | | | Configure, remove, rename, and publish a stream for a channel | | | Configure channel metadata | | | **Pearl Mini** - Add, duplicate, configure, and delete recorders | | | Upload, download, and delete media files | | **Input configuration** | Add and rename video and audio inputs | | **Network configuration** | Configure network address | | | Configure 802.1x and manage CA certificates | | | Enable and disable DHCP Option 81 | | | Configure Dynamic DNS (DDNS) | | | Reboot the Pearl Mini. | | **Configuration presets control**1 | Create, delete, and apply configuration presets | | **System configuration** | Configure the video output settings | | | Enable CMS and register | | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | Select external USB drive behavior | | | Configure the date and time preferences | | | Configure the device screen | | | Configure the serial port flow control | | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature for remote control and remote login | | | Video output configuration | | **System maintenance** | Apply configuration presets2 | | | Format the SD card | | | Upgrade firmware | | | Enable remote support | | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | Shutdown device (Admin panel) | | | Restore factory configuration | | | Configure the name, location, and description | 1Only configuration presets that don't include the System group are allowed. 2Allow operators to apply configuration presets that include the System group, as well as apply the factory default configuration preset. **Assign administrative privileges to operators using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under **Additional operator privileges**, check options to assign those administrator privileges to operators, and then click **Apply**. --- ## Audio input ports id: pearl-mini/audio-input-ports · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Audio input ports You can connect external audio devices like mixers (and microphones for Pearl Mini) directly to the dedicated audio input ports on Pearl Minis. Each Pearl Mini has a unique set of audio input ports. **Pearl Mini** - Two XLR/TRS combo jacks (Mic/Line 1 and Mic/Line 2). These two ports are configured as a left/right stereo pair by default. - XLR mic-level inputs (balanced) - TRS 1/4" line-level inputs, + 4.0 dBu (balanced/unbalanced) - One 3.5 mm stereo mic-level for electret microphones - One RCA stereo pair consumer line-level input (-10 dBV) The two XLR/TRS combo jacks on Pearl Mini are configured as a stereo pair by default. You can configure the two combo jacks as two separate mono audio inputs using the Admin panel. You can also enable or disable phantom power for the two XLR ports. The RCA and 3.5 mm audio sources share the same resource and appear under the label RCA/3.5 mm Audio. You can assign one or both audio sources to the RCA/3.5 mm Audio input. ### Enable or disable phantom power on Pearl Mini Phantom power is not enabled on the XLR audio input ports by default on Pearl Mini. You can enable 48 V Phantom power for the two XLR ports using the Admin panel. When phantom power is enabled: - 48 V phantom power is applied to both XLR port 1 and XLR port 2. - The phantom power LED beside the XLR/TRS combo jacks on the rear panel of Pearl Mini is solid on. Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled for the two XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. A direct box can be used to provide the correct mic-level signal to the XLR port and offers some isolation protection in case of accidental exposure to 48 V phantom power. **Enable or disable phantom power using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **XLR/TRS Audio**. The XLR/TRS Audio page opens. - Check **Phantom power 48V**, then click **Apply**. ### Configure audio ports for stereo or mono Using the Admin panel, you can configure ports to function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as separate mono ports. **Pearl Mini** The two combo XLR/TRS audio input ports are configured to work together as a stereo pair by default. - XLR/TRS 1 = left - XLR/TRS 2 = right **Configure audio ports as stereo or mono using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the configuration page from the Inputs menu: - **Pearl Mini**: click **XLR/TRS Audio**. The XLR/TRS Audio configuration page opens. - Do one of the following. - To make the ports function as a stereo pair, check **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. - To make the ports function as separate mono ports, uncheck **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. When mono is selected, two sets of parameters and two audio VU meters appear in the interface - one for each audio input port on the Pearl Mini. Parameters that are listed only once apply to both ports. ### Assign audio sources to an input Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Mini. These shared audio sources appear in the same configuration menus in the Admin panel and appear under the same audio input label in the user interfaces. The audio sources that share resources are: **Pearl Mini** - RCA (left and right ports) - 3.5 mm (stereo port) Both the RCA and 3.5 mm audio sources appear under the label **RCA/3.5 mm Audio**. You can assign one or both audio sources to **RCA/3.5 mm Audio**. Choosing one audio source for the shared input disables the other audio source. This means that when you select RCA/3.5 mm Audio as the audio source for a layout using the custom layout editor, only the audio source you assign to RCA/3.5 mm Audio is used. Both audio sources are assigned by default. To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain when RCA or XLR+3.5mm is selected. **Assign the audio source to an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the shared audio source. The audio configuration page opens. - From the **Input** menu, select the audio source and click **Apply**. ### Adjust audio gain and delay Pearl Minis do not introduce audio delay and have near-zero latency when capturing. However, other external factors can cause audio to become de-synchronized, such as the length of audio cables or the configuration of your equipment. The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay to any audio source using the Admin panel. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. Adjusting the **Input Gain** for an analog audio source affects the volume for that audio source in recordings, streamed output, video output ports, and in the headphone jack. Be aware that excessive amounts of gain can increase the perception of any noise that may be present in the audio signal. If the gain of your analog audio signal needs adjustment, connect your headphones and use the VU meters to monitor the audio level while you add some gain. As a rule, each 10 dB of gain doubles the perceived loudness of the audio signal. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain at the audio input port of Pearl Mini for common types of audio input devices. You should add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table 26 Audio input port gain guidelines** | **Audio source** | **Input port** | **Gain** | | --- | --- | --- | | Dynamic microphone | XLR | Add +50 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Electret microphone | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Wireless microphone receiver | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Condenser microphone with phantom power | XLR | Add +40 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | TRS | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | XLR | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA1 | Nominal | | Professional mixer | TRS | Nominal | | | XLR | Nominal | | | RCA | Not recommended. | 1 To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA ports or when RCA/3.5 mm is used. Ensure the audio input source is connected to an analog audio input port on Pearl Mini before proceeding. **Adjust the gain and delay for an audio source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - In the **Input Gain** field, select the amount of gain to apply to the audio source. - In the **Audio delay** field, enter a value between 300 and -300 ms. A positive value adds delay to the audio signal. A negative value adjusts the audio to start earlier. - Click **Apply**. ### Mute audio You can mute any audio input port using the Admin panel. For analog audio ports that are configured as mono inputs, you can mute each port separately. Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Mini. Muting an audio input that shares internal resources mutes all the associated audio sources. The following table lists the audio input ports that share internal processing and the results of applying mute. **Table 27 Muting audio inputs that share resources** | **Device** | **Audio input** **(Admin panel)** | **Shared audio input resources** | **Results** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl Mini** | XLR/TRS Audio | XLR/TRS 1 (left) XLR/TRS 2 (right) | **In stereo mode:** Both XLR ports (left and right) are muted. Both TRS ports (left and right) are muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/TRS audio 1 muted):** The XLR 1 (left) and TRS 1 (left) ports are muted. The XLR 2 (right) and TRS 2 (right) ports are not muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/TRS audio 2 muted):**The XLR 2 (right) and TRS 2 (right) ports are muted. The XLR 1 (left) and TRS 1 (left) ports are not muted. | | | RCA/3.5 mm Audio | RCA (left/right) 3.5 mm (left/right) | Both RCA ports (left and right) are muted. Both 3.5 mm ports (left and right) are muted. | **Mute an audio source using the admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - Check **Mute** to mute the audio source or uncheck **Mute** if you no longer want the audio source muted, then click **Apply**. --- ## Capturing video and audio with Pearl Mini id: pearl-mini/capturing-video-and-audio-with-pearl-mini · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Capturing video and audio with Pearl Mini Capturing is the process of taking the signals from your video and audio sources and encoding them so they're ready for streaming and recording. You add the captured video and audio to channels, which you customize for live streaming, switching, and recording. This section covers how to create channels and add custom layouts so that you can capture, stream, and record exactly what you want - how you want! Whether that's a simple channel with a single video and audio source or channels that have multiple video and audio sources and custom layouts like picture in picture. --- ## Configuration preset considerations id: pearl-mini/configuration-preset-considerations · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configuration preset considerations There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including: - Access to presets and privacy considerations - Recording and streaming states - Recorded files in a channel or recorder - The potential to lock the device screen - Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources - Channel and recorder index number behavior on Pearl Mini - Deleting channels and recorders - and more **Access to presets and privacy considerations** - Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Pearl Mini has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset. - Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset. - Applying a configuration preset does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private. - Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users. **Locking out the touch screen on Pearl Mini** The **touch screen** configuration group includes all the security settings for the touch screen. It's possible to apply a preset that effectively locks out all further use of the touch screen. If this happens, use the Admin panel to re-enable the touch screen. **Channel and recorder index number behavior (Pearl Mini)** Each channel and recorder has an index number. The first channel created on a system is channel 1, subsequently channel 2, 3, 4, etc. Recorders are also created starting at index 1 with numbers incrementing as new recorders are created. The channel (or recorder) index number is found to the left of the channel or recorder name in the Admin panel: Configuration presets that contain the **channels **configuration group specify the channels in the preset by their index number. This means if you have channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 when you save your preset, applying that preset will overwrite the configuration of your current channels with indexes 1, 2, 3 and 4. If prior to applying that preset you also had channels with indexes 5 and 6, the configuration settings for those two channels are erased when the preset is applied (because the preset only has 4 channels). There are three areas where channel (and recorder) index numbers affect what happens when applying configuration presets. --- ## Configuration presets id: pearl-mini/configuration-presets · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configuration presets Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration so you can restore later when needed. They are also useful if you have changing configuration requirements for Pearl Mini or are managing multiple systems and you want them to have similar configurations. ### About configuration presets Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to the system, leaving other important settings intact. They make it easy to manage multiple Pearl Mini setups in shared spaces, like a studio, and ensures a consistent setup each time you go to use Pearl Mini. You can even export a configuration preset and upload it to another Pearl Mini system. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between Pearl Minis and Unify projects. The system's settings are divided into the following configuration groups. You can choose to include any number and combination of configuration groups in a preset and create as many different configuration presets as you need. **Pearl Mini configuration group list** - System - Network - Inputs - EDID - Channel - Automatic File Upload - Content Management System - Epiphan Edge - Touch screen - Output port You can create and apply any saved configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** using the Admin panel. A special **Factory default **configuration preset, which cannot be erased, is included in the list of configuration presets. Use that to return to the factory setup without destructively erasing any saved recordings or media files you've uploaded. It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the settings groups included in the preset. All other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration preset considerations section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets. **Example of presets in action** You could upload custom background images to Pearl Mini in advance of a conference and create custom channel configuration presets for several different keynote speakers, each with a different setup, and then apply them later when you need them. For example, you could create two configuration presets called Session 1 and Session 2. Each session could include things like custom backgrounds, images and logos, channels and layouts, metadata, streaming settings, and automatic file upload (AFU) locations. Then download those presets to your local computer so you can upload them to your entire fleet of Pearl Mini systems. Channel configuration includes any applied backgrounds and image files. If these files aren't present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when deleting background images and logo files. At the conference, simply apply the configuration preset that you need for the appropriate session using the Admin panel or the Pearl Mini screen. When applying the configuration preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged. The preset only affects channels and their configuration. After applying a configuration preset, recorded files from the previous session remain present on the system. If AFU is configured, the recorded files continue to upload even after the new configuration preset is applied (if AFU is not yet complete), but the channels reflect the newly loaded session's background file name and presenter name. --- ## Configure a video input source id: pearl-mini/configure-a-video-input-source · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure a video input source Captured video sources don't usually need configuration, but you can change some of the video settings using the Admin panel. **Open the configuration page for an input source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Ensure a source is connected to the input port. - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. **Video settings** | **Value** | **Input type** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | Enable deinterlacing | HDMI, DVI | Enable this feature to convert an interlaced source signal to a non-interlaced signal. | | Image | HDMI, DVI, SDI | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | HDMI, DVI, SDI | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | **SDI video settings** The following options are available for signals via the SDI port. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Image | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | For USB video and web camera settings, see USB video and web camera settings in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Configure DHCP id: pearl-mini/configure-dhcp · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure DHCP If you need to switch Pearl Mini from using static IP address allocation to using dynamic allocation with DHCP, you can do this three different ways: - Load a configuration preset file that uses DHCP networking. - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel - Change the network settings manually using either the device screen or the Admin panel. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. - Toggle DHCP and change the MTU Size if needed, then click save. **Table 20 DHCP Fields** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Use DHCP | Select this option to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up using DHCP | | Use static address | Only select this option if you want to use the configured static IP address instead. | | MTU Size | The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at the network layer. It’s best for all nodes in your network to use the same value. Only change this value if you know that other nodes use a different value. | - Reboot the Pearl Mini when prompted. From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance** and click **Reboot Now** on the maintenance page. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as **admin** and verify that all changes were applied. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the touch screen on Pearl Mini** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **Network**. The Network settings page appears. The currently enabled network type (DHCP or static) is highlighted green. - Tap **DHCP**, and then tap **OK** to confirm. - Reboot the Pearl Mini to apply the network changes. --- ## Configure encoding id: pearl-mini/configure-encoding · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure encoding You can modify the encoding settings for a channel. The encoding settings let you fine tune your channel recording or live stream. You can select a specific frame size, bitrate, audio or video codec, and more. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using the Pearl Mini with a Content Management System. ### Codecs and file format compatibility Pearl Mini supports the following codecs: **Table 37 Supported video codecs ** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. This is the default and preferred codec for the Pearl Mini. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | **Table 38 Supported audio codecs and bitrate guidance** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | AAC is comparable to MP3 and may even provide better sound quality at a similar sample bitrate. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. Web browsers that use Flash (FLV) do not support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this encoding, you must use a web browser that supports HTML5 or a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computer and other devices such as, digital telephone systems. Setting the level to match the audio source's level provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. | **Format compatibility** Not all streaming and recording protocols support all combinations of video and audio codecs. The following table lists any video/audio codec compatibility considerations for the supported streaming formats on Pearl Mini. **Table 39 Video/audio codecs and formats for streaming** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **RTSP** | **FLV** | **MPEG-TS** | **MJPEG** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | MJPEG | No audio codec | | | | ✔ | The following table displays the compatibility between the video/audio codecs and the supported recording formats. **Table 40 Video/audio codecs and formats for recording** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **MP4 and MP4-Fragmented** | **AVI** | **MOV** | **MPEG-TS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | H.264 | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | MJPEG | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | --- ## Configure network settings id: pearl-mini/configure-network-settings · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure network settings Pearl Minis use DHCP to obtain an IP Address over an Ethernet-based network by default; however, you can easily change the network settings. ### Network ports used by Pearl Mini The following table lists the default incoming and outgoing network ports. Do not block traffic over these ports. If you want Pearl Minis to operate properly, make sure that your firewall is configured to open these ports. Blocking a port will cause the service that uses that port to fail. It is possible to use the Admin panel to change the default ports that are used for some services. **Table 17 Default incoming network ports for Pearl Minis** | **Port (or range)** | **Protocol** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 22 | TCP | SSH for remote support. See Support. | | 80 | TCP | HTTP/HTTPS for web-based access to the Admin panel and Epiphan Live, Legacy HTTP/HTTPS API, REST API, HLS streaming (if enabled) and the live channel preview. You can change the default HTTP port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. | | 123 | TCP/UDP | NTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 319 and 320 | UDP | PTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 443 | TCP | HTTPS for the Admin panel and HLS streaming if enabled. Port is open only when HTTPS is enabled. You can change the default HTTPS port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. Checks for new firmware versions are over this port, as well as downloading firmware files. | | Pearl Mini: 554 to 554+(x-1) | TCP | For RTSP/TCP and RTSP/HTTP streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with RTSP streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Note that client video players choose whether they are using RTSP/TCP, RTSP/HTTP or RTSP/UDP. Port 554 (and port 555 for Pearl Mini) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | | Random in range 32768 - 61000 | UDP | If the client video player chooses RTSP/UDP, it will negotiate 4 random UDP ports (two for audio and two for video). The port range is dependent on the OS of the client video player and can change with updates to that OS. | | 5353 | UDP | For multicast DNS discovery. See Connect using a DNS-based service discovery. | | Pearl Mini: 8000 to 8000+(x-1) | TCP | For Flash (FLV) live stream and MPEG-TS streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Port 8000 (and port 8001 for Pearl Mini) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled for the channel from Channel > Streaming using the Admin panel, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | In addition to the incoming ports, Pearl Minis use some outgoing connections as follows: - **Port 443** - used for firmware update checks and downloads. - **Publishing/streaming port** - the actual ports used for streaming to a server depends on the server and protocol used. See Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices. - **AFU file recording transfer port** - the actual ports used for AFU depends on your configuration. See Automatic file transfers. --- ## Configure system settings id: pearl-mini/configure-system-settings · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure system settings Pearl Minis use the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. You can also add information like a unique device name, description, and location. ### Configure date and time Pearl Mini uses the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. #### View the current date and time settings There are two ways to view the current date and time settings: - From the Date and Time page using the Admin panel. - From the Settings menu using the touch screen on Pearl Mini. You can also set up a local Network Time Protocol (NTP) server on all Pearls. **View the current Date and Time settings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. **Table 23 Date and Time configuration options** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Time Zone | The currently selected time zone. | | Enable local NTP server | Select to enable local NTP server. | | Enable time synchronization | Whether or not a time synchronization protocol is being used for setting time. If not selected, time is set manually. | | Protocol | The time synchronization protocol. | | Service IP Address | The time synchronization server address. | | Set time manually | Whether or not time is set manually. If time is not being set manually, a time synchronization protocol is used. | | Date | The current date. This is the current date even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | | Time | The current time. This is the current time even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | **View the current date and time settings using the touch screen on Pearl Mini** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap **System Status **to see the System Status page. - Tap **Back** to return to the **System Settings** screen, or the **Home** icon to return to the channel view. If the system settings control icon won't appear when you tap the touch screen, it may be disabled. ##### Configure a time server Pearl Mini uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) server from the National Research Council of Canada by default. You can change to a different time server using the Admin panel. Contact your system administrator for the time synchronization server settings you should use. The following table lists the time server types that Pearl Mini supports. **Table 24 Supported time server types** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | NTP | Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers are used to synchronize system time. Many NTP servers are available on the Internet. Pearl can also act as a local NTP server. All you need is the IP address of the NTP server and network access to the server to use that as the time synchronization source for Pearl Mini. For more information about NTP and to find NTP servers, refer to [http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome](http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome). A local Windows NTP server is not supported. | | PTP v1 | The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used for clock synchronization over the Internet. It has clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it more granular than NTP. | NTP sends UDP packets over port 123 on Pearl Mini and PTP sends UDP packets over ports 319 and 320. If the Pearl Mini is behind a firewall, you must open these ports to allow traffic when the Pearl Mini is configured to use either an NTP or a PTP server to obtain its time and date information. **Set the time synchronization method using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time **. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - To use Pearl as a NTP server and provide timing to other NTP clients like IP cameras, check **Enable local NTP server**. Otherwise, skip this step. - Select **Enable time synchronization** and choose the time synchronization protocol from the **Protocols **drop down. - If **NTP **is selected, enter the IP address or server name for the NTP server in the **Server IP Address **field. - If **PTP v1 **is selected, choose a multicast address for the PTP v1 server from the **PTP domain** field. **Table 25 PTP multicast addresses** | **PTP Domain** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Default | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.129 | | Alternative 1 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.130 | | Alternative 2 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.131 | | Alternative 3 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.132 | - Click **Apply**. ##### Manually set the date, time, and time zone Pearl Mini uses NTP for time synchronization by default. You can manually set the date, time, and time zone. Pearl Mini uses the Eastern (Canada) time zone by default. **Set the date, time, and zone manually using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - Enter the current date in the **Date **field using the format *yyyy-mm-dd* and enter the current time in the **Time **field using the format *hh:mm:ss*. - Select a time zone from the **Time Zone **field. - Click **Apply**. ### Configure device info, name, description, and location You can assign a unique device name to the Pearl Mini using the Admin panel and add information such as a description and location. Alphanumeric characters and hyphens are supported. The serial number of Pearl Mini is the default device name. For AFU and USB file transfers that are configured to create a folder upon file upload, the device name you set for the Pearl Mini is used for the folder name instead of Pearl's serial number. For CMSs, the device name you set here for the Pearl Mini appears as the registered name for this device. **Configure the device name, description, and location using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Info**. The system information page opens. - Under **Device info**, do any of the following and then click **Apply**: - Enter a name using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 64 characters. - Enter a description using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. - Enter a location using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. --- ## Configure video encoding id: pearl-mini/configure-video-encoding · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Configure video encoding You can configure the video encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel. Video encoding settings include: - **Video codec**: The video codec determines the type of compression and decompression, and also affects the video quality. - Pearl Mini options are H.264 (default) and Motion JPEG. - **Hardware or software encoding**: Hardware encoding is the default setting and is the recommended encoding. - **Video encoding profile**: This can be set to High, Main, or Baseline. - **Frame size:** The resolution applied to the channel when you stream, record, or output video to a confidence monitor. This can be set to automatically match the input video's resolution or set to a fixed resolution. - **Key frame interval**: How often a key frame that contains all the pixels is sent when streaming. The longer the key frame interval, the smaller the video file size (and vice versa). - **Limit frame rate**: You can limit the frame rate for the channel. - **Bitrate**: Increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the channel's **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as sporting events, requires a higher bitrate. This does not work with Motion JPEG. By default, Pearl Mini automatically uses the incoming video source frame size as the frame size for streaming and recording when the channel has only one layout with a single video source. If you're channel has multiple video sources or layouts, you must manually set a frame size for the channel. If you plan to switch layouts during a live stream, a fixed frame rate is recommended. This avoids the stream from stopping and restarting due to frame size changes when switching between single-source layouts that use different frame sizes. **Important considerations** - For optimum system performance, the frame size of the channel should be set to match the frame size of your video input source to avoid scaling. - If your channel has a custom layout with only one source and your source and stream aspect ratios differ, then your source appears centered in the frame and matte bars are added automatically to the top and bottom (or left and right sides) of the frame to make up the difference. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - The larger the channel's frame size, the more bandwidth is needed for streaming and the recorded files are bigger. Instead of using the same frame size as the original video source, you can configure a smaller frame size for the channel and let Pearl Mini downscale the video. For example, if the input video signal resolution is 1920×1080 (a 16:9 aspect ratio) and the channel's frame size is set to 1280×720, Pearl Mini downscales the video and streams/records the channel at the lower frame size, using less bandwidth and producing smaller recorded files. - If you have unchecked all the manual resizing and positioning boxes in the custom layout editor and you downscale the video source using the frame size setting on the **Encoding** tab (for example, select 1280×720 frame size for a full HD video source), then the source appears cropped within the frame instead of scaling to fit the frame. You can add black bars around your video source by adjusting the frame size. For example, if your video source has a 16:9 widescreen/HD format but you need a 4:3 frame size on your output, Pearl Mini automatically adds black bars to the top and bottom of the frame if you choose a frame size for the channel that has a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is some trade off between video quality and bandwidth size, depending on the encoding settings you choose. The following table lists some additional considerations when choosing video encoding settings. **Table 41 Video encoding settings** | **Setting** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. This is the default and preferred codec for the Pearl Mini. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | | Key frame interval | The key frame interval feature specifies how often a key frame (a frame that contains all the pixels) is sent when streaming the video. This setting also impacts how quickly a video moves through the frames when a viewer uses the search function of their media player. Increasing the number of seconds between key frames can significantly reduce your bandwidth and system resource usage with minor impact to your video quality. A good rule of thumb is to keep the interval between 2 to 3 seconds and decrease the key frame interval as the motion increases. Try different settings and note changes in the video quality. If your video quality is poor and jittery you may need to decrease the interval between key frames. If you have unlimited bandwidth and system resources you can choose an option to stream key frames only. | | Frame rate | Frame rate reflects the number of images that are encoded per second. Reducing the frame rate for a channel reduces bandwidth usage, and vice versa. The system's ability to maintain a set frame rate is based on several factors, for example: overall system load affects the ability for the device to process pixels; available network bandwidth; the source and stream frame size (resolution); the type of motion that is captured; and number of users accessing the stream. When adjusting the frame rate, you may need to try different values to achieve the best outcome. | | Bitrate | In general, higher bitrates mean higher image quality, but more bandwidth is needed for streaming and video recordings are larger. You can set the bitrate to improve the image quality (this does not work with Motion JPEG encoding). For example, an HD Blu-ray video is typically in the range of 20 Mbps, whereas a standard-definition DVD is usually 6 Mbps. If you're unsure what bitrate value to use, start at 5000 kbps (slightly less than a typical DVD) and test to see how this looks for your viewers. | **Configure video encoding for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - Select a video **Codec** and do one of the following: - If **H.264** is selected, select a **Video encoding preset** and a **Video encoding profile**. - **Pearl Mini** - If **Motion JPEG **is selected, click **Page refresh time** and enter a time in seconds. | **Item** | **Options** | | --- | --- | | Video encoding preset | **Hardware Accelerated**: This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. **Software**: This matches the default from previous generations of Epiphan products. Only select this if you need software encoding or X.264 encoding to match results created with previous generations of Epiphan products or firmware | | Video encoding profile | **Baseline**: Choose this option when streaming to an application that requires robustness and cannot tolerate data loss, for example video-conferencing. **Main**: Choose this option for standard-definition broadcasts. **High**: This is the default. Choose this option when video is viewed for broadcast and disk storage applications, particularly for high definition television application such as Blu-ray disk storage format and HDTV broadcast service. | - Configure the frame size, do the following: - Uncheck **Use current signal resolution as the frame size**. Enabling **Use current signal resolution as the frame size** is not recommended if the video input resolution changes frequently. An unstable cable or other disturbance that causes the resolution of the video input signal to change during a live stream can cause the stream to drop. Unchecking this feature helps prevent that. - Select a **Frame size** from the list of options or enter a custom frame size in pixels. - Change the **Limit frame rate**. The default should be adequate in most applications. While decreasing the limit may improve system performance, you may need to test different values to balance video smoothness and processing power - Change the **Bitrate**. You can increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the target **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as a sporting event, requires a high bitrate. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Connect an RTSP source id: pearl-mini/connect-an-rtsp-source · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Connect an RTSP source You can connect an RTSP source (such as an IP camera or another Pearl Mini) to Pearl Mini over a network using the Admin panel. RTSP video encoding is supported with H.264 video codec and MP3 or AAC audio formats. We recommend using the hardware acceleration option for improved performance (enabled by default). **Important considerations** - If an RTSP source is connected but unused in any channel, only key frames are encoded to preserve CPU resources. - **Pearl Mini** - Two RTSP sources can be used with Pearl Mini. - **Pearl Mini** - Supports connection of a USB source or an RTSP source, but not both at the same time. - To synchronize timestamps between your RTSP source and Pearl Mini, the same time synchronization server should be used for both. We recommend that you configure an NTP server on your Pearl Mini and use it as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. The timestamps of an RTSP source and Pearl Mini tend to gradually go out of sync. If there's a **2500 –3000 ms** difference between the timestamp of your RTSP source and the Pearl Mini, a "no signal" image displays and your RTSP source won't stream audio. Re-connect your RTSP source to reset any time synchronization issues. **Connect an RTSP source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**, and then click **Add RTSP input** The RTSP input page opens. - Enter the **Input URL**, **Username **and **Password **for your RTSP source and select either **UDP** or **TCP** as the Preferred transport. - (Optional) Select **Use hardware acceleration** for improved performance (default). - (Optional) Rename the RTSP source. - (Optional) Configure a custom "No signal" image. - Click **Apply **to save your settings and connect your RTSP source. After your RTSP source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the **Status **header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with your RTSP stream are also displayed on this page. Alternatively, you can view stream connection information when you click **check **at the bottom of the page. Hardware encoding is the default setting for a channel and is the recommended encoding for use with Pearl Mini. However, if you are ingesting an SRT stream as a video input for a channel and Pearl Mini does not recognize the signal, switch to using software encoding for that channel. ### Connect an SRT stream as an input Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders. You can configure Pearl Mini as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layouts for switching, recording, and streaming. - **Pearl Mini** - It is recommended that up to two video inputs on Pearl Mini be from an SRT source. When adding an SRT input, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input in the Admin panel to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input in the Admin panel to listener mode. **What's needed for this setup** - The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode. - For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input to use the same port value as the SRT source. - For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Pearl Mini to use the corresponding mode. - Caller mode can be used only for connection with the publicly accessed destination/source. - Listener mode can be used for connection with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall). - For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. - If AES encryption and a passphrase is required, consult your IT administrator for this information. Pearl Mini supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase. If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values. **Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select **Add input** and select **Add SRT input**. The SRT input configuration page opens. - In the **Connection mode** field, select the SRT mode: - For **Caller** mode, enter the following: - **URL **- the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be a Pearl Mini sending an SRT stream. - **Source port** - enter the port number for Pearl Mini to use for SRT traffic. - **Stream ID** - In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - For **Listener** mode, optionally enter the following: - Enter the **Port** number for this device to use for SRT traffic. - For **Rendezvous **mode enter the following: - **URL **of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the SRT encoder device. - Enter the following optional settings: - **Encryption** - select the check box and choose the AES **Key length** if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device. - **Passphrase** - Enter a passphrase if one is required along with AES encryption. - **Latency** - Add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. If you require real-time responses from your audience, you should use as little latency as possible. - **Audio delay** - The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. - **Use hardware acceleration** - This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. - **Disable color range conversion** - Color range conversion ensures that the ingested SRT video signal is full-range RGB (0-255), even if the signal was sent with limited RGB color range. By default, color range conversion is enabled. - **No signal image** - Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the SRT stream. from the dropdown list. The **DEFAULT** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout** - Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No signal image** appears. - Click **Apply**. We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. --- ## Firmware upgrade id: pearl-mini/firmware-upgrade · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Firmware upgrade When you register your product with Epiphan, you can choose to receive email notifications whenever firmware updates are available. To take advantage of exciting new features and important fixes for your Pearl Mini, install new firmware whenever the system indicates that a firmware update is available. ### Check for firmware updates Your Pearl Mini automatically checks for firmware updates if the **Enable connection to maintenance server** option is checked on the **Maintenance** page of the Admin panel. You can also manually check for updates If your Pearl Mini has internet access. Don't miss out on any feature enhancement. Register your Pearl Mini and be eligible to download firmware updates. When **Enable connection to maintenance server** is checked, the built-in firmware update mechanism checks for updates for your specific product and hardware version automatically. **Manually check for new firmware using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Click **check for updates** beside the current firmware version. If an update is found, a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel with a link to download and install the firmware. #### Update the firmware If your Pearl Mini has internet access, the easiest way to install a firmware update is to use the download link that's provided when you check for new firmware. If you have a Pearl Mini firmware file that was provided to you by Epiphan Video, you can install the new firmware using the web-based Admin panel. You cannot install new firmware from a locally saved file using the local console on Pearl Mini. While the firmware is updating, the touch screen displays a firmware update in-progress notice. All streaming and recording functions stop until after the firmware upgrade is complete. Installing new firmware takes a few minutes, after which the system reboots. Depending on the upgrade, a disk rebuild may be required, causing the restart process to take more time. Please be patient and wait for the system to finish rebooting. Do not interrupt power to the system during a firmware upgrade. **Before you begin** Schedule a time to when you can update the firmware without negatively impacting viewers or automatic file upload and recording schedules. It's good practice to make a backup of your current configuration before applying a firmware update so that you can revert to the previous firmware if needed, see Create a configuration preset in the Pearl Family shared guide. You should also clear your web browser's cache after the update is complete. **Perform a firmware update using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - (Optional) Save a copy of the current system configuration. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Do one of the following: - Click **check for updates**. If a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel, click **Download and install**. - Click **Choose File** and select the firmware upgrade file that's located on your admin computer, then click **Apply**. The system unpacks and verifies the file. If the file is valid, the upgrade begins. If the touch screen is enabled, a notice that the firmware update is in progress appears. Do not interrupt power to the system during the firmware upgrade. - When the firmware update is complete, a message lets you know that Pearl Mini is going to reboot. Wait for the system to restart. - After the system reinitializes, go to the settings for your web browser and clear your web browser's cache. - Connect to the Admin panel and log in as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. Verify that the firmware version is the expected new version. If in the rare occasion the firmware update fails, the touch screen reports the failure. Please collect system information such as the serial number of Pearl Mini, the previous firmware version (if known), and the new firmware version and contact **info@epiphan.com** --- ## Format the SD card id: pearl-mini/format-the-sd-card · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Format the SD card Before you can use your SD card for recording video with a Pearl Mini, you must format the SD card for the Linux operating system. Simply insert the SD card into the Pearl device and format it via the touch screen or Admin panel. We recommend using a minimum class 10 SD card that is EXT4 formatted. The SD card should have at least 64 GB capacity and should not exceed 512 GB. If you're only using the Pearl Mini for switching video or live streaming, you don't need to install an SD card. If you're using a Pearl Mini with a Content Management System (CMS), we recommend using large capacity SD cards such as 256 GB or more. After an SD card is formatted using a Pearl Mini, do not manually change the default file folder structure on the SD card. Any content that's contained on the SD card is lost when the SD card is formatted. The Linux formatted SD card cannot be used to transfer files to Mac or Windows systems. Use a USB memory device to transfer files instead or set up Automatic File Upload (AFU) to USB or a network location. Ejecting the SD card while recording is in progress may corrupt the SD card and cause loss of data. If you install a SATA M.2 2280 SSD in the Pearl Mini, the device no longer detects the SD card. If you want to format the SD card using the Admin panel, you need the IP address of your Pearl Mini and an admin computer connected to the same network. Otherwise, you can use Local Console or REST API (advanced). **Format the SD card using the Admin panel** - Insert the SD card into the SD card slot on the front panel. - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select **SD Card**. The SD Card configuration page opens. - Select either quick disk format or the full disk format, then click **Format card**. A full disk format checks for bad blocks on the SD card and marks any that are found on the EXT4 partition. - You must wait for the formatting to finish before removing or recording to the SD card. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SD card and if you select quick disk format or the full disk format. - You can check if the SD card is formatting using Pearl Mini's touch screen when you select the Settings gear icon and tap **System Status**. - Do not remove the SD card while it is being formatted. Very large SD cards can take a while to format. Please be patient and wait for the formatting message to disappear. **Format the SD card using the touch screen** - From Pearl Mini's touch screen, tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen several times to go to the third Settings page, and then tap **SD card**. - Select either quick disk format or the full disk format, then tap **Format Card**. Do not eject the SD card while it is formatting. --- ## Manage recorded files id: pearl-mini/manage-recorded-files · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Manage recorded files Pearl Mini saves recordings by default to the SD card (or SATA M.2 2280 SSD). When the SD card is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. You can not manually transfer recordings off the SD card to iOS or Windows systems. There are a variety of ways to automatically transfer files from the system to local network storage. You can also manually select individual recordings to transfer or delete using the Admin panel. **Manage the recordings for a channel (or recorder on Pearl Mini) using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - **Pearl Mini** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or recorder. - To *download an individual file*, select the recording filename to download it. - To *download multiple files*, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. - To *rename a recorded file*, select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. - To *view a recorded file*, click on the triangle Play button next to the file you want to play back. This will open the video file in an HTML5 player within the browser for viewing. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. - To *delete a single recording*, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete multiple recordings*, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete all recordings* for the channel or recorder, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the recorder settings page (for recorders). ### View list of recorded files You can view all the recordings for a channel using the Admin panel. Recordings for the Pearl Mini are stored for each channel and each recorder separately. You can also view the list of recordings using Epiphan Live — see Your recordings in the Pearl Family shared guide. **View the recordings for a channel or recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - **Pearl Mini** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or recorder. ### Download recorded files manually You can manually download recordings using the Admin panel. Files you download are saved to your connected admin computer. This feature is not available using the local console on Pearl Mini. **Download recordings to your admin computer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - **Pearl Mini** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To download an individual file, select the recording filename to download it. - To download multiple files, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. #### What's next? To free up space for new recordings, consider deleting recordings off of Pearl Mini. ### Join recorded files together After recording files on Pearl Mini, you can join two or more files together. This is useful when a recording exceeds the maximum recording time limit and the recording is split into multiple files. You can use the third-party tool called ffmpeg to join the files. **Download ffmpeg from the Internet and join multiple recorded files** - Download the files that you need from Pearl Mini and make sure you have the right paths and file names. For example: *C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Use the command **ffmpeg -i** to specify the input file. For example: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Repeat the process and specify the file you want to join to the first file. You can keep adding as many files as you want to join together. For example, specifying a second file looks like this: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi* - Use the **-c copy **command to specify the output file. After the command, type in the location, file name and file extension that you want for the concatenated file. The full line looks like this: **ffmpeg -i** C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi **-i **C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi **-c copy** C:\Users\JoesComputer\Desktop\Concatenated_File.avi - After completing the process, you will be able to access your new file in the location you specified. The file moves straight from the first video into the second without a pause. You can this process to join multiple files; however, the more files you join, the greater the chance that some audio desychronization can occur between the clips. #### Extract tracks from a recording Recorders combine multiple channels and audio sources together in a single multi-track file. You can create a copy of a recording using only select tracks. This feature is supported for .AVI, .MP4 and .MOV recordings only. MPEG-TS does not support track extraction. Specific track versions of recorded files are not included in any automatic file transfers and need to be downloaded manually. Click the extracted track filename to manually download. It's good practice to check that there's enough storage space for the extracted files before you start this procedure. **Create a duplicate recording file with only select tracks using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder page appears. - Click the multi-track icon beside the recording. A list of tracks appears. - Select the tracks you want to extract. ** Tip**: To deselect all tracks, click the check box for the top track, then hold SHIFT and click the check box for the bottom track. - Click **Extract tracks**. A copy of the recording is created with only the selected tracks. Only one copy is saved per original recording. If you create a second copy, it will overwrite the previous one. Download the extracted copy of the recording with your chosen tracks to preserve it. #### Rename recorded files Recordings are named based on the file name prefix specified during configuration. You can change the recording file name using the Admin panel. You can also change the default name that Pearl Mini assigns to recordings. **Rename a recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. - Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. #### Delete recorded files You can delete recordings using the Admin panel. You can delete one file at a time, select multiple files for the channel or recorder and delete those, or you can delete all recordings for the channel or recorder. Deleted recordings cannot be recovered. **Delete recordings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To delete a single recording, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To delete multiple recordings, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To delete all recordings for the channel or recorder, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the recorder settings page (for recorders). --- ## Monitoring audio id: pearl-mini/monitoring-audio · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Monitoring audio The front panel includes a 3.5 mm headphones audio jack for monitoring audio. To monitor the audio for a channel, just select the channel using the device screen. The audio you hear depends on the audio source configured in the live channel layout. On Pearl Mini different layouts can have different audio sources configured. Increasing the volume to 100% may cause you to hear distortion that is not actually present in the audio signal being recorded and streamed. **Adjust the volume on Pearl Mini** Tap the headphones icon on the touch screen to adjust the volume. Each tap increases the volume by 25% to a maximum volume of 100%. Tapping the headphones icon when the volume is at 100% mutes the volume. You can also long press the headphones icon to mute and unmute the volume. At 75% volume, what you hear corresponds to the nominal audio level in the VU meter at approximately where the green bars change to yellow. | **Volume is muted.** | **25%** ** volume.** | **50%** ** volume.** | **75%** ** volume.** | **100%** ** volume.** | **Audio VU meter** A VU meter on the device screen shows the audio levels for the channel you are monitoring. The value is displayed in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). Colored bars represent the audio level. Channels that have stereo audio display two bars. The top bar is the left audio channel and the bottom bar is the right audio channel. | Pearl Mini | VU meter (mono) | | | --- | --- | --- | | | VU meter (stereo) | | **Table 3 Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | The VU meter appears in several different places so you can visually check audio levels: - **Touch screen**: On the individual channel view and the grid view. If the audio meter isn't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen to turn on the control icons. - **Admin Panel**: On the audio input source's configuration page when you select the input source from the Inputs menu. You can also add the VU meter to appear on the video output ports. - **Epiphan Live**: See Monitor video and audio input sources using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Multicast streaming id: pearl-mini/multicast-streaming · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Multicast streaming You can add multiple multicast streams to a channel in Pearl Mini. A multicast stream consists of one stream distributed to many viewers via a multicast-capable network. You can stream to several multicast networks and at the same time, stream to non-multicast CDNs. Pearl Mini supports multicast streaming to an IP TV or a set-top box playlist using SAP when the stream format is MPEG-TS. ### MPEG-TS streams using UDP push When you configure an MPEG-TS stream using UDP push, you have the option to enable SAP and multicast over a local network at the same time. Before configuring your channel for MPEG-TS streaming, ensure the following codecs are configured in the encoding section: - Video – H.264 - Audio – MP3 or AAC, if audio is configured. **To configure MPEG-TS with UDP push and enable SAP:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **MPEG-TS UDP push**. - Enter the destination multicast IP address where the broadcast can be viewed. A IPv4 multicast address range is an address between 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Contact your System Administrator for the specific address to use. - Enter the destination port number through which the media will stream. - (Optional) To advertise your stream to a media player over a local network, do the following: - Check **SAP announcement** to enable advertising your stream over a local network. When this is enabled and a multicast IP address is configured, your stream is displayed in the playlist of the local media player. - Enter a multicast IP address in the** SAP announcement IP** field. If your media player is configured to receive multicast streams from an IP address that is different from the default address 224.2.127.254, you may need to contact your system administrator for a specific multicast IP address. - Enter a channel number in the **Channel number** field to identify your stream in the media player. By default, the Channel number is the channel identifier. When a channel number value is not specified, viewers cannot select a channel from the set-top box or Smart TV. - Enter a name for a group of streams in the text box next to **Group name**. Since media players simply present a list of available streams, you can organize your streams into multiple folders or in cases where folders are not displayed, use dot separator hierarchy to help your viewers filter out unwanted streams by category. - Click **Apply**. - Select **Start** when you're ready to start streaming. **View the MPEG-TS UDP stream ** To view the stream from a media player, open the URL in the media player, for example: udp://@ip:port **For example:** udp://@226.10.24.32:7000 To view the stream when SAP announce has been set and the stream is advertised from a media player, set-top box or Smart TV, refer to Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP). If you're streaming to 10/100 Mbps set-top boxes over Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream. ### Set up traffic shaping If you're multicasting to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for the lower bandwidth set-top boxes. Only multicast streams support traffic shaping: MPEG-TS USP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. If you need traffic shaping configured differently than what the Admin panel allows, contact support@epiphan.com. When traffic shaping is enabled, the default bitrate limit is set to auto. In auto mode, the bitrate is limited to the sum of the channel's configured bitrate plus 4 Mbps and is adjusted to fit within the range of 4 Mbps minimum to 95 Mbps maximum. You can also set a bitrate limit for the maximum amount of bandwidth that gets streamed using the Admin panel when traffic shaping is enabled. When you do, the streamed video won't exceed the maximum bitrate you set. The valid bandwidth limit bitrate range is 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps. We recommend that you set the bitrate to a value no less than the channel encoding bitrate plus 4 Mbps. For example, if the bitrate for the channel is set to 10 Mbps in the encoding settings, the minimum value we recommend for the bandwidth limit bitrate is 14 Mbps. **Important considerations** - Traffic shaping works for the local switch. Switches connected to the local switch don't respect the policy. - If the channel encoding bitrate is set to a value that's less than 4 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the minimum bandwidth limit does not drop below than 4 Mbps. - If the channel encoding bitrate value is greater than 95 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. - If the bandwidth limit is set to auto and the total of the channel bitrate plus 4 Mbps exceeds 95 Mbps, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. After traffic shaping is enabled, we recommend that you first test a multicast stream using the auto traffic shaping settings. If your low bandwidth network device is displaying poor video quality, then go ahead and manually set the limit bandwidth bitrate according to the bandwidth of your particular network device. **Set traffic shaping for a multicast stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select a multicasting stream as the type: **MPEG-TS USP**, **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP**, or **RTP/UDP**. The new stream is created with the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - Check **Limit bandwidth**. The default bitrate is set to **auto**. - (Optional) Set the **Limit bandwidth rate** and enter a bitrate value from 4,000 kbps to 95,000 kbps. - Click **Apply**. ### Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) When SAP Announce is configured for a stream that uses UDP streaming, the stream is advertised over the local network. Local viewers can view the stream using a software or hardware media player. Viewers are presented with a list of available channels, similar to a television menu. Viewers need only click on a stream and the video is streamed to their desktop, mobile or tablet. Your stream is advertised by the metadata title, if one was configured; otherwise, the stream is identified by its channel identifier. For a description of how to set the metadata, refer to Add or remove channel metadata. When browsing from a VLC media player, streams are advertised by their channel identifier and are organized by the group name. When browsing from an XBMC media player, streams are advertised by the stream's metadata title (if configured); otherwise, streams are advertised by their channel identifier. **View the Session Annoucement Protocol (SAP) stream** - Ensure the stream has SAP announcement enabled; otherwise, it is not advertised in the media player's playlist. - Ensure the SAP announcement IP is a multicast IP address. Some media players, for example Exterity receivers, listen for SAP announcements on a specific multicast address 239.255.255.255. If your audience is using Exterity to view your stream, you must change the SAP announcement IP address to 239.255.255.255. - Launch a media player and play the streams. - Using VLC, click **View **and select Playlist. The right-hand panel indicates the playlist is empty. - From the side menu, click **Network streams (SAP)**. The playlist is populated with all streams in your network that are SAP announcement enabled. If you specified a Group Name when you configured the publish stream the stream will be listed in folder identified by the group name. - Click on a live stream in the playlist to play the stream. This VLC example shows two streams D2P83658.vga and D2P83658.video, which are organized in a folder by their group name. --- ## MultiViewer system information id: pearl-mini/multiviewer-system-information · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # MultiViewer system information MultiViewer can display system information, including channel and audio input information. To display system information in the MultiViewer, select **Channels** or **Audio Inputs** in the **Source** drop-down on the HDMI outputs page. **Channels** If **Channels** is selected, the following information is displayed on the MultiViewer: - **Channel** - the status of the channel status - There are no errors or warnings, and the channel is ready to use. - There is an error with either the channel's recorder or any of the channel's publishers. - There are publishing warnings. This is also shown if the channel is not in running state. - **Recording** - The recording status of the channel - Currently recording - Recording error - **Stopped** - Not currently recording - **Streaming** - The streaming status of the channel - There are active publishers. The numbers show how many publishers are active. - Publishing errors, and the number of publishing errors. - **Actual FPS** - The current rate of frames per second **Audio Inputs** A list of the active audio inputs on the Pearl Mini. - **Input name** - the name of the audio input - **Audio meter** - - the audio is live and the input is being monitored --- ## Pearl Mini tech specs id: pearl-mini/pearl-mini-tech-specs · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Pearl Mini tech specs The input and output connectors are listed for Pearl Mini. **Table 6 Specifications for Pearl Mini** | Video inputs | Local video inputs1 | (1) 3G-SDI (2) HDMI™ 1.4a2 (2) USB 3.0 (UVC)3 - rear panel | | --- | --- | --- | | | Video over Ethernet | SRT (push), RTSP, and NDI|HX sources — up to two 1080p30 IP sources in total recommended (1) Web graphic | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI type A (female) (1) BNC (female) (2) USB-A (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Aspect ratios | 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, and custom aspect ratios | | | Standard resolutions | PAL, PAL wide, NTSC, NTSC wide | | | Resolution range | 640×480 to 1920×1200 | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Input color spaces | HDMI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2, YCRCB 4:4:4 SDI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2 | | | Interlacing | Yes | | | Maximum cable length for 3G SDI | 300 ft | | | Maximum cable length for USB 3.0 | 6 ft | | Audio inputs | Analog audio inputs | (2) XLR mic level/pro line level (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or L/R stereo pair) - Phantom optional (2) 1/4" TRS pro line level (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or two L/R stereo pairs) (1) RCA consumer line level - 10 dBV (L/R stereo pair) (1) 3.5 mm stereo input for electret microphones (unbalanced) | | | Connectors | (2) XLR/TRS combo jacks (female) (2) RCA (female) (1) 3.5 mm (female) - rear panel | | | Digital audio inputs4 | (1) SDI5 (2) HDMI (2) USB (rear panel) (2) RTSP (embedded over Ethernet) (2) SRT (embedded over Ethernet) (2) NDI|HX (embedded over Ethernet) (2) Dante over Ethernet (2 channels, one stereo input; requires the Dante audio feature add-on and firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI type A (female) (1) BNC (female) (2) USB-A (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Gain control | 0 dB to +30 dB | | | Mute | Yes | | | Configurable audio delay | -300 ms to +300 ms | | Video processing | Video output color space | 4:2:0, 8 bits per color | | | Video codec | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 Motion JPEG | | | Bitrate | 1 to 50 Mbps (selectable) | | | Bitrate control | Constant | | | Hardware accelerated video encoding | Optional | | | Video scaling | Software | | | Key frames | 1/2 s, and 1 s up to 5 s in 1 second intervals | | Audio processing | Compression | MP3, AAC, and PCM | | | Sampling rate | MP3: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz AAC: 16 kHz, 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz PCM: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz | | | Bitrate | 64 to 320 kbps (MP3 and AAC) | | Video output | Signal types | (1) HDMI 1.4a (3) H.264/AVC digital video over Ethernet | | | Connectors | (1) HDMI (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Encoded channels | Up to three 1080p channels at 30 fps with one full HD video source per channel (recommended) | | | Streaming protocols | MPEG-TS, and FLV RTSP over TCP/UDP SRT (push) over UDP HLS (push) over HTTP/HTTPS Multi-Publish to Streaming Server / CDN (SRT, RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS) HLS (pull) - Native Apple HTTP/HTTPS stream for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch | | | Multicast streams | RTP/UDP, MPEG-TS & RTP, and MPEG-TS over UDP SAP | | | Stream encryption and authentication | SRT: 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption (negotiated) and configurable passphrase HLS (push): MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 RTMPS: encryption plus CA certificate negotiation | | | Resolution ranges | Recorded: 480p to 1920×1200p Confidence monitoring: 480p to 1920×1200p Streamed: 480p to 1920×1200p | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Formats | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 Motion JPEG | | | Network traffic shaping (multicast streams) | 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps (configurable) | | Audio output | Analog audio output | (1) 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack - front panel | | | Digital audio outputs | RTSP and SRT audio over Ethernet HLS audio over HTTP/HTTPS HDMI audio (embedded) | | Monitor and control | Touch screen | 7 inch touch screen monitor (built in) resolution: 800x480 | | | USB keyboard | Connect a standard USB keyboard (optional) | | | USB status light | Connect a single USB status light (optional), supported models: -Kuando BusyLight models: UC Alpha and UC Omega -Delcom Products USB HID single color and multi-color signal indicators | | Recording and storage | Record formats | AVI, MOV, MP4, and MPEG-TS | | | File upload formats | JPEG, PNG | | | Storage | SATA M.2 2280 SSD8 up to 1 TB or SD card Up to 512 GB6 | | | File system for storage media | EXT4 | | | File transfer protocols | FTP, SFTP, SCP, AWS S3 client, and WebDAV client RSync | | | Network file share protocols | CIFS/SMB2+ | | | File system for USB storage | FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, XFS, EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, NTFS | | | External USB ports | (1) USB 3.0 0.9A - front panel (2) USB 3.0 0.9A (UVC/UAC) - rear panel | | | Bitrate | Up to 50 Mbps | | Communication | USB standards | USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured | | | Serial port | (1) Bidirectional RS-232 (via a USB to serial adapter) | | | Serial protocols | **Data bits**: 7 or 8 (default) **Stop bits**: 1 **Parity**: None **Flow control**: None, Hardware or Software | | | Serial port baud rate | 19200 bps | | | Ethernet host port | (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Ethernet data rate | 10/100/1000 Base-T, half/full duplex with autodetect | | | Maximum Transmission Unit | 68 to 1500 MTU (configurable) | | | Protocols | DHCP Option 81, TLS 1.2, LDAP, mDNS, DDNS, SAP, RTP, MPEG-TS & RTP and MPEG-TS/UDP, 802.1x, EAPOL, EAP-TTLS, EAP-TLS, PEAP, HTTP, HTTPS, NTP, PTP, FTP, SFTP, SCP AWS S3 | | | Network discovery/Announce | SAP | | Network security | 802.1x EAP methods | PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS | | Administration and control | Admin panel | Local web UI for full administration. On-screen display and mobile UI for confidence monitoring, administration, and control. Local Admin panel access using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to Pearl Mini with built-in virtual keyboard and touch-screen monitor support. | | | Epiphan Live | Local web-based UI to easily control streaming, recording, and switching. | | | Epiphan Edge | Cloud-based platform to remotely manage and control Pearl Mini devices. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor channels and alert dashboard, remotely log in to Admin panel for rescue troubleshooting, update firmware and more from the Internet. | | | Secure access | Multiple user accounts and passwords. HTTPS for secure Admin panel and Epiphan Live access, as well as local network access to the live channel broadcast. | | | Remote access | Remote login7 to cloud versions of the Admin panel and Epiphan Live. | | | API | Yes (HTTP/HTTPS or RS-232) | | | Crestron driver | Yes See [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-mini-software-documentation/#control-modules](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-mini-software-documentation/#control-modules) | | | Q-SYS plugin | Yes. See [https://www.qsys.com/alliances-partnerships/epiphan-video/](https://www.qsys.com/alliances-partnerships/epiphan-video/) | | Integrations | Content Management Systems | Kaltura Panopto YuJa Opencast EchoVideo (Echo360) | | | Cloud access and management | Epiphan Edge | | General | Operating temperature: | 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° Celsius) | | | Cooling: | Fan air flow: Left to right | | | Enclosure: | Metal | | | Form factor: | Portable desktop model. VESA mountable | | | Dimensions (W × D × H) | 10 1/4" × 6 3/4" × 2 3/8" (261 mm × 172 mm × 60 mm) | | | Weight | 3.8 lbs (1.7 kg) | | | Power supply | External AC/DC power adapter: 1.5 A, 100-240 VAC/12 VDC, 50 to 60 Hz (60W); 1.3 A, 100-240 VAC/12 VDC, 50 to 60 Hz (84W) | | | Input power rating | 12 VDC, 5.0 A (maximum / 60W PSU); 12 VDC, 7.0 A (maximum / 84W PSU) | | Regulatory compliance | **FCC compliance**: Part 15 | | | **CE compliance**: Directive 2014/30/EU - Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/35/EU - Low Voltage Directive Directive 2011/65/EU - RoHS | | Time synchronization | NTP, TIME (RFC 868), PTP v1 (IEEE-1588-2002 V1) | | Country of origin | Made in Taiwan | 1Pearl Mini supports up to three HD video sources in a single channel with two picture in picture layouts under certain conditions. 2HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI 3You can connect a USB, RTSP, SRT, or NDI|HX source to Pearl Mini; however, using multiple digital sources can affect performance depending on your setup. If you experience performance issues, check CPU usage and take remedial actions like: remove some configured layouts, reduce the channel's frame rate, or remove a video input. 4Digital audio is de-embedded from the digital source. 5SD-SDI audio is not supported. 6SD card is reserved for system use and cannot be used to transfer files to other devices like a laptop. Use a USB memory device to manually transfer files instead. 7Remote login requires an Epiphan Edge Premium account. 8 Only Pearl Mini devices purchased after June 1st, 2024 are eligible for SSD ### Optimum System Load **Recommended maximum channels and inputs** For best performance, Pearl Mini supports up to three 1080p30 channels and up to three 1080p video inputs. HDMI and SDI inputs support up to 60 fps at 8-bit color; 3G-SDI and HDMI 1.4a support 1080p60 4:4:4 at 8-bit. 1080p30 is the recommended and safe limit for IP and USB inputs when ingesting up to two sources. Higher frame rates (1080p60 and above) can be ingested from an IP or USB source in some configurations, but the achievable combination varies significantly by setup and is not guaranteed; contact Epiphan support to evaluate a specific higher-frame-rate use case. Mixing input types is supported — for example, 1 HDMI, 1 NDI|HX, and 1 USB. USB and IP inputs should be counted at 1.5× the load of a standard HDMI or SDI input. Exceeding these recommendations may be possible depending on your setup; contact Epiphan support to evaluate your use case. These recommendations are fairly strict for Pearl Mini, with limited headroom beyond them. While Pearl Mini is powerful, there is a limit to the number of concurrent tasks the onboard CPU can perform efficiently. The number of concurrent tasks depends on many factors, such as: - the number of video sources - what frame rate and bitrate is used for a channel - if the video output ports are used - if a live monitor is connected to the HDMI output port (about the equivalent of an encoded 1920×1080@30 fps channel) **Other limiting factors** - how many channels you have - how many layouts you have per channel - how often you switch layouts - if the system is resizing (scaling) video sources For best results, we recommend keeping System load usage under 70%. **Check CPU usage on the touch screen of Pearl Mini** To check the CPU usage from the touch screen, tap the gear icon and select **System Status**. **Recommendations** If the system load is higher than recommended, you can: - Disable the video output port (if unused). - Remove unused channels or layouts. - Reduce the number of channels created. - Stop channel(s) that are streaming or recording. - Ensure video sources come in at the right resolution so that Pearl Mini doesn't have to up scale or down scale the video source. ### Vesa mounting the device The rear panel of the Pearl Mini has vesa mounting holes to fit a standard, 75mm × 75mm vesa mount. Use four M4 screws with a maximum length of 5mm to mount the plate to the rear panel of the Pearl Mini. Do not insert screws longer than the recommended 5mm. Using longer screws can damage the device. --- ## Power down and system restart id: pearl-mini/power-down-and-system-restart · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Power down and system restart You can do the following to power off Pearl Mini or reboot the device: - Choose **Reboot** or **Shutdown Now** from the Maintenance page using the Admin panel. - Power off the device using the power button. **Reboot the device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Reboot Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the Admin panel** You can use the Admin panel to power off Pearl Mini. The power button on Pearl Mini is a toggle switch. If you power off the device using the Admin panel, the power switch remains in the on state. To power back on, you must double press the power button. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Shutdown Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the power button** You can manually shut down Pearl Mini using the power button. The power button for the Pearl Mini is located on the rear panel beside the power input jack. --- ## Quick start id: pearl-mini/quick-start · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Quick start After you've unpacked your Pearl Mini, you're ready to get started. This quick start uses the default settings where possible so you can quickly start using your Pearl Mini. **Before you begin, make sure you have:** - A video source such as a camera or computer and cables to connect them to Pearl Mini. For HDMI, the video source must not be HDCP protected. - An audio source coming from either your SDI or HDMI video source (must not be encrypted). Optionally, audio from a different source such as an audio mixer that you connect to the audio input ports can be used. - The Pearl Mini can use USB for video input. - Local area network that uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is preferable. - Computer with a web browser connected to the same network. We'll call it the “admin” computer. - Ethernet cables to connect Pearl Mini and the admin computer to the network. - To record video using Pearl Mini, you need to install a storage medium. Pearl Mini has a standard SD card slot on the front panel that you can use. - We recommend an SD card that is at least a class 10 with up to 512 GB of capacity. - Pearl Mini (**bought after June 1st 2024**) also has a SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage expansion slot that's accessible from the underside. Your Pearl Mini comes shipped with an AC/DC power adapter and a registration card that contains brief instructions to connect the Pearl Mini to the network, log in to the Admin panel, and format an SD card. The instructions in this quick start provide more details. **Start up the Pearl Mini for the first time** - Turn on your camera or video source and connect the output to the back panel of Pearl Mini. - Connect the Ethernet cable to the Pearl Mini and to your network. - Attach the power cable and plug it into a power source. - Turn on the system: - **Pearl Mini** - power button is on the back of the unit. Wait for the power-up cycle to complete. The Grid view showing both channels appears on the touch screen. The video source you connected to the HDMI-A port appears in channel HDMI-A, and the video source connected to the HDMI-B port appears in channel HDMI-B. - (Required for recording on Pearl Mini) Install and format a storage solution. - (Optional) Plug headphones into the 3.5 mm headphone jack at the front of the Pearl Mini to monitor the video signal's embedded audio. - (Optional) Start recording: - **Pearl Mini** - tap the red dot that appears in the top right corner of the screen to start and stop recording the channel. The dot flashes while recording. You can also pause and resume the recording (firmware 4.24.6 or newer). Recordings are saved to the SD card or SSD on Pearl Mini by default. When the SD card is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. Do not eject the SD card while recording is in progress as that may corrupt the SD card. --- ## Recorders id: pearl-mini/recorders · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Recorders Using recorders with Pearl Mini you can record multiple channels together in a single multi-track file. Recording multiple channels at the same time ensures that all your recordings start, pause, resume, and stop at the same time. After recording stops, you can automatically use one of the system's file synchronization methods to copy the recordings off the server, or you can use our built-in tool to split the file into individual tracks for post-processing. We do not recommend using Recorders for manual (ad hoc) recordings to the Kaltura Content Management System (CMS). You only need to create recorders for multi-track recordings. ### Add a multi-track recorder Each channel has its own built-in recorder which you access from the channel's Recording page. However, if you want to record several channels simultaneously to a multi-track file, you need to add a recorder using the Admin panel. Each new recorder is automatically assigned a number, for example: Recorder 1, Recorder 2, etc. and is set to record all configured channels by default. **Add a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Multitrack recorders menu, click **Add multitrack recorder**. ### Select channels to record When you create a new recorder, it records all the channels configured on the Pearl Mini in the single multi-track file by default. If you create new channels, they are automatically added to the recorder. You can choose which channels the recorder includes in the multi-track file using the Admin panel. **Select the channels recorded by a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **change **next to the list of channels to record. - Check the boxes next to the channels you want to include, and click **Apply**. Channels with no active video source are displayed in italics. You can include these channels in your channel selections for the recorder. ### Start and stop a recorder You can start, pause, resume, and stop recorders from the recorder's configuration page using the Admin panel. Pausing and resuming requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. You can also start and stop recorders using the One Touch control feature and using Epiphan Live. The recorder number turns red to indicate it is recording. If the system runs out of storage space, the oldest recorded file is deleted to make room for the new recording. You can have multiple recorders and multiple channels recording all at the same time. The number of channels being recorded is shown below the Start and Stop buttons on the recorder's configuration page. **Start and stop a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Start** to begin recording and click **Stop** to end recording. To pause the recording, click **Pause**; click **Resume** to resume recording to the same file. You can navigate away from the page without affecting the recording. ### Rename a recorder **Rename a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click the recorder name and type the new name for the recorder. - Press **Enter** to save the new name. You must press Enter to save the recorder name change. ### Duplicate a recorder You can duplicate any recorder you've created. All settings in the recorder you duplicate are recreated. **Duplicate a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Duplicate this recorder **. The duplicate recorder is created and assigned the next recorder number in your list of recorders. ### Delete a recorder When you no longer need a recorder, you can delete it. Deleting a recorder deletes all the recorded files for the recorder. Be sure you have a copy of any important recorded files before proceeding. **Delete a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Delete this recorder** and click **OK** when prompted. --- ## Recording with Pearl Mini id: pearl-mini/recording-with-pearl-mini · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Recording with Pearl Mini Pearl Mini encodes the video and audio it captures. You can stream your content and record it at the same time. You can even stream your switched program using a lower quality stream (i.e. 1280×720 at 2Mbps) and at the same time make a high quality recording of the second channel (i.e. 1920×1080 at 4 Mbps). There are different ways to download recordings, like automatically downloading recordings to a USB memory device. For Pearl Mini, an SD card must be installed to record content using Pearl Mini. --- ## Run diagnostic tests using the device screen id: pearl-mini/run-diagnostic-tests-using-the-device-screen · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Run diagnostic tests using the device screen You can access useful diagnostic tools from the device screen when you select **Settings > Network** and select **Connectivity Status**. The Pearl Mini has additional diagnostic tools found on the second page under **Network Tools**. **Available diagnostic tools for all Pearl Minis:** - **Connectivity status**: Display the status of critical network connections and features like 802.1x. **Available diagnostic tools on Pearl Mini** - **Ping**: Test if the Pearl Mini can reach a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support ping. - **Trace route**: Trace the route that packet traffic takes to get from the Pearl Mini to a specified destination server on the network. Not all networks support traceroute. - **Bandwidth test**: Display the available upload and download bandwidth speed in Mbps up to a maximum bandwidth of 1000 Mbps. - **Domain name resolution**: Confirm that the Pearl Mini can resolve a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using the DNS server that is configured for the Pearl Mini. - **Probe**: Check if Pearl Mini can establish communication to a specific port on a network host using a network protocol that you specify. Supported network protocols are: TCP, HTTP, HTTPS, RTSP, RTMP, and RTMPS. To troubleshoot networking issues yourself, try to ping the IP address of your Pearl Mini or do a traceroute to a server such as 8.8.8.8. If you are unable to resolve your networking issues, contact your network administrator and provide them the IP address and MAC address of your Pearl Mini or contact Epiphan support. **Run diagnostics ** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Select **Network**. The Network settings page opens. - To run the connectivity status diagnostics, select **Connectivity status** and then select **Start** on the Connectivity status screen. **Use Network Tools on Pearl Mini** - To run other diagnostic tools, tap the chevron icon in the bottom right of the screen to go to the second page of network options, and then tap **Network Tools**. - Do one of the following: - If **Ping** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name in the empty field. - If **Trace route** is selected, enter the destination server IP address or domain name to route trace in the empty field. - If **Bandwidth test** is selected, the measured upload and download bandwidth displays after you click **Start**. - If **Domain name resolution** is selected, enter the IP address or server name to resolve in the empty field. - If **Probe** is selected, choose the transport protocol from the drop-down menu and then enter the destination server IP address or server name along with the port in the empty field. For example, enter: *10.100.10.1:1234* or *domain.example.com:1234* - Tap **Start**. --- ## SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage id: pearl-mini/sd-card-and-sata-m2-2280-ssd-storage · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage ### Install and format a SATA M.2 2280 SSD for Pearl Mini You can install a user-supplied SATA M.2 2280 SSD for storing recorded video. Pearl Mini automatically formats the SSD using the EXT4 format for the Linux operating system the first time you power on. So please be patient while the formatting completes. When you install a SATA M.2 SSD, Pearl Mini no longer detects the SD card slot and the SD card option is removed from the Admin panel's Configuration menu. Any existing content on the SSD is lost when the SSD is formatted. Only Pearl Mini purchased after June 1st are eligible for user to install SATA M.2 drive. Installing a SATA M.2 driver in older Pearl Miniwill damage the device. **Before you begin** Gather the tools you need: - #1 Phillips screwdriver - Appropriate screwdriver that is appropriate for a screw of size M3x.0.5 - (Optional) a pair of tweezers **Install and format the SATA M.2 2280 SSD** - Disconnect the power cable and ensure Pearl Mini is powered off. . - Permanent damage to the SSD and/or Pearl Mini can occur if you install, remove, or replace the SSD while the device is powered on. - On a clean and level surface, turn Pearl Mini over to expose the bottom panel. - Use a #1 Phillips screwdriver to remove the SSD expansion slot cover plate. Set aside to for later. - Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver (if present)to remove the screw that's in the post farthest away from the M.2 socket. Set aside for later. - Hold the SSD by the edges and insert firmly into the M.2 socket at approximately a 30° angle. Make sure you align the key notch in the SSD with the notch in the M.2 socket. - Use one hand to gently press and hold the SSD down so that it rests atop the post. Align the notch on the SSD with the post hole. - With your other hand, use a screwdriver appropriate for a screw of size M3x.0.5 to reinstall the post screw and secure the SSD in place. - **TIP**: Use the tweezers to pick up the screw if it falls behind the SSD. - Reinstall the SSD slot cover plate and power up Pearl Mini. - The SSD is formatted automatically the first time you power on. Please be patient while formatting completes. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SSD. You must wait for the formatting to finish before recording video to the SSD. - Powering off Pearl Mini while the SSD is formatting could damage or corrupt the SSD. --- ## SD card installation and file management id: pearl-mini/sd-card-installation-and-file-management · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # SD card installation and file management Pearl Mini comes with a standard SD card slot on the front panel. An SD card is needed when recording video. If you're only switching video or live streaming, then you don't need to install an SD card. We recommend using a minimum class 10 (C10) SD card that's at least 64 GB capacity but does not exceed 512 GB; however, most SD cards that are at minimum a C10, a UHS class 1 (U1), or a video speed class 10 (V10) should work. We've tested various SD cards with Pearl Mini, including: - Kingston 16 GB U1 / C10 - Sony 32 GB U3 / C10 - SanDisk 64 GB U1 / C10 - PNY 256 GB U3 / C10 - AData 128 GB U3 / V90 If you're using Pearl Mini with a Content Management System (CMS), we recommend using large capacity SD cards such as 256 GB or more. When the SD card is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. Do not eject the SD card while recording is in progress as that may corrupt the SD card. The SD card must be EXT4 formatted for the Linux operating system. You can format the SD card from the touch screen or using the Admin panel. The Linux formatted SD card cannot be used to transfer files to iOS or Windows systems. Any content that's contained on the SD card is lost when the SD card is formatted. --- ## Set channels and recorders to include in AFU id: pearl-mini/set-channels-and-recorders-to-include-in-afu · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Set channels and recorders to include in AFU When configuring automatic file upload (AFU), you need to tell the system which channels and recorders you want included in the upload schedule. If no channels or recorders are configured as a part of AFU, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. You must enable Automatic File Upload (AFU) for the channel before you can include channel recordings in the upload schedule. If AFU is not enabled for the channel, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. ** Set a channel or recorder to include in the AFU schedule using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Click **Recording** in the Channel(s) menu. - **Pearl Mini** - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - Under **Recorder Setup**, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Check **Automatic file upload **and click **Apply**. **What's Next** After you've enabled AFU for your channels and recorders, enable AFU and configure the AFU settings for the location type (i.e. FTP, USB, AWS, etc). --- ## Set up and enable MultiViewer id: pearl-mini/set-up-and-enable-multiviewer · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Set up and enable MultiViewer MultiViewer displays a custom mix of video sources including channels on the HDMI output port in a convenient grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to the system's processors. MultiViewer features differ by Pearl Mini: - **Pearl Mini** - four video sources. Grid options include: 1x2 video sources, 2x2 video sources. Save processing power so you can do more with your Pearl system while previewing multiple video sources on the HDMI output port. With MultiViewer, the video output displays at a lowered frame rate to economize CPU usage. Using MultiViewer does not lower the frame rate of channel recordings and live streams. No audio signal present at the output port, but audio meters do display for channels and video sources that have embedded audio signals. Use the Admin panel to choose which video sources appear in the pre-configured MultiViewer grids and to set the video output port resolution. You can enable MultiViewer for the output port using the Admin panel, the Pearl Mini screen, and using local console. Deleted network sources or channels may appear in MultiViewer. **Set up and enable MultiViewer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI** for Pearl Mini). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select **MultiViewer**. - In each cell of the grid, select a channel, video source, or system information. - **System Information** > **Channels** : provides you with information on **Channel** status or **Audio Inputs** status. - **Show information about upcoming and ongoing CMS events** (optional) - Select the check box and MultiViewer displays the name of upcoming or ongoing events, time remaining before upcoming events, and the time remaining of an ongoing event. - **Text size** (optional) - Increase or decrease to change the size of the display text in MultiViewer. - In the **Output Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port and then click **Apply**. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | All devices: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | **Enable MultiViewer using the touch screen on Pearl Mini** - From the device's touch screen, tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to go to the second Settings page. - Tap Output port(s) and select a video output port. - From the Output port's screen, select **MultiViewer** and tap **Apply**. --- ## Set up the video output port using the Admin panel id: pearl-mini/set-up-the-video-output-port-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Set up the video output port using the Admin panel You can send a channel or a video source to the video output port using the Admin panel. You can also adjust the video output resolution, aspect ratio, and choose to include audio. The video output port frame rate is set automatically to the channel's configured frame rate for that video source. When outputting a channel that has audio or a video source with embedded audio, you can adjust the volume and choose to include the audio meter. The audio meter is set to a fixed size of 15% of the width (or height if displayed horizontally) of the display. **Important considerations** - **Pearl Mini** - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - **Pearl Mini** - Default auto channels have the related HDMI (or SDI) port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the auto channel's custom layout. Changing the auto channel's frame rate or deleting the auto channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the auto channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. **Set up a channel or video source to display on the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port. The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select a channel (prefixed by the word **Channel**) or a video source (prefixed by the word **Input**). - In the **Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port. | **Device** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **All** | Same as source | Set the output to the same resolution as the channel or video source. If that resolution is not supported by the display, the video output port will negotiate a new resolution with the display (generally this ends up being the display's default resolution). | | **All** | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | **Pearl Mini** | 640×360, 640×480, 960×540, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | - Do one of the following: - Check **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system maintain the correct aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio is different between the source and the chosen display aspect ratio, black bars are automatically inserted at the top and bottom or left and right sides of the video. - Uncheck **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system stretch the source to fit the aspect ratio of the display. - For a channel, do the following: - Check **Enable audio ** to include audio in the output. Leave this unchecked for no audio with the video. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - For an input source, do the following: - Select an **Audio source** from the drop down list. - (Optional) Adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) Choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - Click **Apply**. The audio meter can be displayed even if you are not playing audio over the video output port (i.e. even when the **Enable audio **check box is not checked). --- ## Storage capacity and maintenance id: pearl-mini/storage-capacity-and-maintenance · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Storage capacity and maintenance Pearl Mini has support for removable SD cards, which are formatted to use the ext4 file system and can only be read with a computer running Linux. Video recordings that you make are saved to the SD card. You can check how much space you have left on the SD card using the Admin panel and from the touch screen. Pearl Mini has local storage for internal processes and 2 GB of that space is allocated for uploaded media, like image files that you add to your channel layouts. You can see how much space you have for media files from the Media menu using the Admin panel. ### Check storage capacity Using the Admin panel, the amount of available storage space on the SD card is shown at the bottom of the menu panel, as well as on the SD card configuration page. You can also check available storage capacity using the touch screen on Pearl Mini. The total amount of storage capacity depends on the size of storage device you install. It’s good practice to check how much storage you have available. If the amount of storage is low, you can swap SD cards or remove some of the recorded files. **Check internal storage space using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Using the Admin panel, view the **Internal Storage** section at the bottom of the menu panel. The bar will be mostly green if there is lots of space left, or mostly red if storage space is nearly full. - If no SD card is installed, the following appears: **Check SD card storage capacity using the touch screen** - Tap the **Settings** gear icon on the touch screen and select **System status**. #### Check media storage capacity Pearl Mini has 2 GB of internal storage that's allocated for uploaded media, like image files that you add to a channel layout. You can see how much space you have for media files using the Admin panel. **Check media storage capacity using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**, - From the Configuration menu, select **Media**. The Media configuration page opens with the amount of capacity listed at the top of the page. --- ## Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices id: pearl-mini/streaming-to-servers-cdns-and-other-devices · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices Pearl Mini can stream to CDNs, local media servers, and even to other Pearl Mini devices that are acting as a streaming ingestion point. Pearl Mini supports many streaming protocols. Use the Admin panel to set up individual channels for streaming. ### Set up an RTMP or RTMPS (push) stream Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is the most common way to stream to a CDN, including to Facebook Live and YouTube. Use Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS) on your Pearl Minis to encrypt content before it's streamed over a TLS/SSL connection for secure live streaming. When enabled, Pearl Mini will always attempt to validate the digital certificate it receives from the CDN to establish a secure RTMPS connection. The connection will fail if Pearl Mini can't find the CA certificate of your CDN in it's list of certificates. Pearl Mini has the CA certificates for many of the major CDNs already installed. For RTMPS streaming to work for your particular CDN, or if you're using a proprietary RTMPS server, ensure that your streaming server's CA certificate is uploaded to Pearl Mini. **Set up an RTMP or RTMPS stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTMP push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want this stream to be started and stopped using Single Touch streaming and recording control. This is enabled by default. - Enter the **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - For RTMP push, enter **rtmp** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmp://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - For RTMPS, enter **rtmps** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmps://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - Enter the stream name or stream key in the stream name / key field - (Optional) Enter a **User name** and **Password**. The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your login credentials. Some CDNs, like YouTube and Facebook Live, do not require you to enter your login credentials here. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) achieves high-quality, low-latency streaming across unreliable Internet connections via UDP packets. If packets are lost in transit to the SRT destination, a request to retransmit the lost packets is sent back to Pearl Mini. Using the Admin panel, you can adjust the latency to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of the stream and reduce the number of dropped packets. During the SRT stream, you can view the stream statistics using the Admin panel and adjust the amount of latency based on the packet loss % and Round Trip Time (RTT). SRT stream statistics are provided on the streaming configuration page for a channel when Pearl Mini is configured as an SRT source. If Pearl Mini is configured as an SRT destination with an SRT input, then SRT statistics are available on the SRT input configuration page. The following example shows SRT statistics for an SRT stream. The statistics section appears only while an SRT stream is active. It takes about 30 seconds for the statistics to appear after the SRT connection is established. You can add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. Latency can be configured at the source and at the destination. SRT uses the highest of the two latency values. The formula to calculate latency is: *SRT Latency* = *RTT Multiplier* ´ *RTT* where the recommended range of the *RTT Multiplier* is a value from 3 to 20. The following table provides guidelines for what values to use when calculating latency. An RTT multiplier value less than 3 is too small for SRT to be effective and a value above 20 indicates a network with 100% packet loss. Ensure the measured **buffer** is less than or equal to the latency value you use. **Table 54 Suggested SRT latency values** | **Packet loss %** | **RTT multiplier** | **Recovery bandwidth overhead** | **Minimum SRT latency** **(for RTT ≤ 20 ms)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | % is ≤ 1 | 3 | 33 | 60 | | % is ≤ 3 | 4 | 25 | 80 | | % is ≤ 7 | 5 | 20 | 100 | | % is ≤ 10 | 6 | 17 | 120 | These values are from the SRT Deployment Guide. For up-to-date calculations, visit [www.srtalliance.org](https://www.srtalliance.org/). For example, if the % of packet loss is 0.53 and the measured RTT is 16.506 ms, the latency calculation is: 49.518 = 3 ´ 16.506 ms or 50 ms of latency (rounded up). **Adjust latency and recovery bandwidth overhead for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - View the SRT statistics for the active stream. Do one of the following: - To open the SRT statistics from the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. Then select the arrow beside the SRT stream to reveal the SRT stream statistics. - To open the SRT statistics from the Inputs menu, select the SRT input. Then on the SRT input configuration page, select the arrow beside Statistics. The statistics section only appears while an SRT stream is active. - In the **Latency** field, enter a numerical value from 80 ms to 8000 ms. - Click **Apply**. We recommend testing your settings. Start the SRT stream and use the stream statistics to evaluate the effect the latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values have on the packet loss % of the stream. ### Set up an HLS (push) stream HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an adaptive, HTTP-based streaming protocol that sends video and audio content over the network in small, media segments that get reassembled at the streaming destination. Media segments stream over HTTP port 80 or port 443 for HTTPS, which are typically open for network access. As such, the content can easily traverse firewalls with little to no IT involvement. Pearl Mini can send a single resolution and bitrate HLS stream as an HTTP POST (or HTTP PUT) to HLS ingestion servers and CDNs such as Akamai and YouTube. The default is HTTP POST. Your channels on Pearl Mini must be configured for H.264 and AAC audio codec to stream using HLS. Pearl Mini supports MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashing algorithms to authenticate the stream. HLS uses an MPEG2-TS transport stream container with a configurable media segment duration, as well as a configurable playlist size for reassembling the media segments at the ingestion server. Because HLS favors Quality of Service (QoS) over low-latency, lag times that can be high. If a specific media segment size isn't required by the ingestion server, then you can shorten the duration of the media segment to decrease latency. The default segment duration is six seconds. Using the Admin panel, you can add advanced features like a master manifest, which is an address applied to each individual media playlist in the stream. You can also assign the HLS stream a user name and password. If security and authentication credentials are required to stream to the ingestion server, consult the ingestion server provider. **Important considerations** - Only a single resolution and bitrate stream is supported. Fragmented MP4 is not supported. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a custom user-agent name, add that to the HLS stream in the Advanced settings using the Admin panel and ensure the agent-name is added to the HLS ingestion server's white list. Contact the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a user name and password, you can get those credentials from the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. **Set up an HLS (push) stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **HLS push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. To see the settings, click the stream name. - In the **Media Playlist URL field**, enter the URL of the destination server that is ingesting the stream. For example: *http://p-ep721023.i.akamaientrypoin.net/722223/hlsQualification/my_video.m3u8* - (Optional) In the **Segment template** field, enter the naming format used for the names of media segments. For example: *chunk-$Number%05d$.ts* - (Optional) Enter a **Username** and **Password** if required for this stream. Get this from the ingestion server provider. - In the **Method** field, select **POST** or **PUT**. This selection must match the requirements of the ingestion server. - In the **Segment duration** field, enter the length of the media segment in seconds. The default duration is six seconds. Fractions and periods are not supported. - In the **Playlist size** field, enter the number of .ts segment files in each segment. The default playlist size is six. - (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, you can set the following: - **Master manifest**: Enter the URL (including the master playlist file name) of where Pearl Mini will upload the master manifest file. The master playlist also provides the bitrate, resolution, and codec. - **User-agent**: Enter a user-agent name using alphanumerical characters only if the ingestion server requires a specific value in the user-agent header to allow the incoming stream from this device. - Click **Apply**. - When you're ready to start streaming this channel, click **Start**. ### Set up an RTSP announce stream Pearl Mini can stream using RTSP announce. Viewers can copy and paste the URL of the RTSP stream into a media player and watch the stream on their local network. **Setup an RTSP announce stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTSP announce**. The new stream is created using the default name Stream 1. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) To rename the stream, click the current name and type a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - (Optional) Uncheck **Single touch control** if you don't want this stream to be started and stopped using Single Touch streaming and recording control (checked by default). - Enter the following parameters: - The **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - Select the **Transport type** as either UDP or TCP. Consult your CDN provider to find out which transport protocols the CDN supports. - The CDN **User name** and **Password** (if required). The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your login credentials. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Start and stop streaming to a CDN After your stream to a CDN is configured on the channel, you can start and stop streaming. Start and stop your stream using: - the admin panel - Epiphan Edge - Epiphan Live. - the touch screen. **Start and stop streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. To set up a stream using the Admin panel, click **New stream** and follow the instructions for how to **Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations**. - Click **Start** at the top right corner to start that stream, or click **Start all** at the top of the page to start streaming all streams that are configured for the channel. - Click **Stop** at the top right corner to stop that stream, or click **Stop all** at the top of the page to stop streaming for all streams that are configured for the channel. **Start and stop streaming using the touch screen** You can tell if your channel is streaming from the touch screen on Pearl Mini when you look at the channel view or the Grid view. The following shows an example Grid view. The streaming LED on the front panel of Pearl Mini is solid on when streaming is in progress. - A blue dot in the top right corner means the channel is currently streaming. - A yellow dot with an exclamation mark means a problem with streaming occurred that requires attention. --- ## The Admin panel id: pearl-mini/the-admin-panel · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # The Admin panel The Admin panel is used primarily to set up Pearl Mini and perform administrative tasks. Most tasks in this user guide are performed using the Admin panel. This section contains what you need to get started using the Admin panel. ### About the Admin panel The Admin panel is a web-based user interface that's used primarily to set up your Pearl Mini and perform administrative tasks. **Table 12 The Admin panel** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **1** | **Channels** menu | The channels that are available for the current configuration of your Pearl Mini are listed. Select a channel to access the drop down list of options that are available to configure channel encoding, add video and audio sources, create layouts, perform confidence monitoring, record the channel, and more. | | **2** | **Multitrack recorders menu** | Recorders you add to your Pearl Mini are listed. Select a recorder to open the status page and list of related recordings for that recorder. You can start and stop recording, as well as configure the recorder settings from this page. | | **3** | **Inputs menu** | The available video and audio input ports on your Pearl Mini are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **4** | **Output ports menu** | The output ports available on your Pearl Mini are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **5** | **Events menu** | Access the Content Management System (CMS) events list containing up to three months of scheduled CMS events, in progress events, and completed ah hoc and scheduled events. | | **6** | **Configuration menu** | A list of all the available configuration options. | | **7** | **Internal storage and system information menu** | System details are displayed in this area, such as the total amount of internal storage, how much space is currently used, and how much free space is available. | | **8** | **Main panel** | The main panel is where the selected menu information displays. What's displayed depends on which menu item you select. | | **9** | **Link to Epiphan Live** | Click to open Epiphan Live in a new tab. | | **10** | **Log out** | Click to log out of the Pearl admin panel. Click icon again to display the log in window. The role of the currently logged in user displays beside the icon. | You can access the Admin panel using these methods: - Any web browser. - Using a connected USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor. - Remotely using Epiphan Edge. ### Connect to the Admin panel You can access the Admin panel several ways. The most common way is using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as Pearl Mini. All you need is the IP address of the device, which you can get from the settings using the Pearl Mini's touch screen. Another way to access the Admin panel is to remotely log in over the Internet. An Epiphan Edge premium plan is required for remote login. **Get the IP address of Pearl Mini** To find the IP address of Pearl Mini do one of the following: - From a single channel view or grid view, tap the system settings (**gears**) icon, then tap **System Status**. If your system doesn't have any channels showing, tap the touch screen anywhere to go to the system settings screen, then tap **System Status**. - If your system doesn't have any channels showing, tap the touch screen anywhere to go to the system settings screen, then tap **System Status**. **Access the Pearl Admin panel** - When you have the IP address of the Pearl Mini, enter the URL for your Pearl Mini into a web browser and include **/admin** to access the Admin panel. http://<*IP Address of Pearl Mini*>/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Mini, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - When prompted, log in using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK**. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time login as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. Optionally, you can connect to your Pearl Mini using the following methods: - For networks with DHCP, you can Connect using a DNS-based service discovery - For networks without DHCP, you can Connect using persistent static IP address ### Enable local console access to the Admin panel Operators and administrators can access the Admin panel locally to reconfigure the Pearl Mini without needing a laptop. With the local console feature, you can connect a USB mouse, keyboard, and a monitor directly to Pearl Mini. Or you can connect a touch screen monitor. The Pearl Mini also supports connection of a USB wireless RF receiver for local console. Pearl Mini also supports the connection of a USB hub. A built-in virtual keyboard is readily available, but you can also connect an external USB keyboard. When you enable local console, you must also enable the **External keyboard** option. Use the Admin panel or the Pearl Mini screen to enable local console and the external USB keyboard. Once enabled, simply connect your USB mouse, USB keyboard, and an HDMI monitor to the HDMI OUT port that has local console enabled. You cannot use the HDMI pass-through port for local console. Optionally, you can disable whether or not users must log in to the Admin panel when they access the local console. Login is enabled by default. You can also change the layout of the built-in and external keyboards to any of the supported languages. If you select multiple languages, you can toggle between languages using Ctrl+Shift (or Ctrl+Alt). - American English - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Netherlands - Portuguese (European) - Spanish (Spain) - Swiss - Norwegian (Bokmal) - Russian **Important considerations** - Epiphan Live is not accessible from the local console. - The live preview link is not accessible from the Channel Status page using the local console. - Viewing recordings from the Recording section of a Channel is not possible. - You cannot upload/download the following types of media using the local console: - Images - Channel recordings - EDID files - Configuration files - Firmware update files Use the web-based Admin panel from your administration computer for full access to all Admin panel functions. **Enable local console and the external keyboard option using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens. - Select **Local console** as the Keyboard application and click **Apply**. - (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layouts. The default layout is American English. - (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layouts if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**. - From the Output ports menu, select the output port (**HDMI**). The video output port configuration page opens. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu and click **Apply**. - If you skipped the steps to configure the external keyboard for local console, an error message appears. Click the link to fix it. - (Optional) Check **Disable authentication** if you don't want users to have to use their credentials to log in before using the local console to access the Admin panel on the Pearl Mini. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu. - Click **Apply**. **Enable local console using the touch screen** - Tap the **gear** icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen. - Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to go to the second Settings page. - Tap Output port(s) and select an output port. - From the Output port's screen, select **Local console** as the Source and tap **Apply**. **What's next?** Connect your USB mouse, keyboard, and connect an HDMI monitor to the output port that has local console enabled to access the local console directly from the Pearl Mini. ### Connect using a DNS-based service discovery Pearl Minis use DNS-based messages to advertise details about itself, including its host name. With a compatible utility installed on your computer, you can access the system simply by typing its serial number and the suffix ".local" into the address bar of your browser. The following table lists the compatible systems and Bonjour Print Services software needed. **Table 13 Install Bonjour Print Services** | **System** | **Action Needed** | | --- | --- | | Microsoft Windows | You must install Bonjour Print Services: Use the following URL [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999](http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999) Click Download. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application. | | Mac OS X | The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built into the Mac OS. No special actions are needed. | | Linux | The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the Avahi package installed. | **Access the Admin panel of the Pearl Mini using DNS discovery** - Find the system’s serial number that's printed on a label attached to the device. To find the system serial number using the device screen, do the following: - **Pearl Mini**: Tap the system information gear icon to display the System information screen. If needed, tap the screen once to display the control icons. - Enter the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer, where *<**serial**>* is the serial number of your Pearl Mini: http://*<**serial**>*.local/admin **For example:** http://95dd40d5.local/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Mini, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time login as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - (Optional) From the Configuration menu, click **Network **and note the **IP address** of the system from the network configuration page. ### Connect using persistent static IP address Your Pearl Mini has a default persistent static IP address, also known as the **recovery IP address**. To set up a Pearl Mini on a network that does not support DHCP, or to recover from a previous static IP address setting, use this procedure to connect directly to the device for configuration. A workstation computer with access rights to modify your network settings is required. Pearl Mini static IP address defaults are: - I**P Address**: 192.168.255.250 - **Netmask**: 255.255.255.252 - **Username**: admin - **Password**: your admin password (by default there is no password assigned) **Access the Admin panel using the persistent static IP address** - Establish an Ethernet connection between Pearl Mini and the workstation using one of the following methods: - Connect the Pearl Mini to a local Ethernet network shared with the workstation. - Connect the Pearl Mini directly to the workstation’s Ethernet port using either a regular or a crossover Ethernet cable. - Record the network settings of the workstation that are used to connect to the Pearl Mini so that they can be restored later. - Temporarily change the network configuration on the workstation to the following: - Use Static IP assignment - IP address: 192.168.255.249 - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 - Start a web browser on the workstation and go to: **http://192.168.255.250/admin/** If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Mini, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time login as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - From the Configuration menu, click **Networking**. - Click ** use a static address** and enter a static IP address and network settings you want for the Pearl Mini. - Restore the previously saved network configurations on the workstation. ### Switching / mixing using the Admin panel Switching live video inputs, or video mixing, is fast and easy using the Admin panel. For best results, you may wish to be in a location where you can see the live action, and have a solid understanding idea of what is in each of your layouts. Good layout names can help with this. Performing live switching using one interface, like the Admin panel, does not dynamically update the visuals in the other interfaces (e.g. the touch screen and Epiphan Live). The other interfaces must be manually refreshed to accurately reflect the current live switching layout information. **Perform live video mixing** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The layout editor page opens. - In the layouts list, the layout with the big red circle beside it is the currently chosen "live" layout. - To switch to a different layout as the active "live" layout, click the gray circle beside the layout you want to make go live. The circle turns red to indicate that it's now the active "live" layout. --- ## The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset id: pearl-mini/the-factory-default-configuration-preset-and-factory-reset · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset Administrators can apply the default factory configuration preset to Pearl Minis or Unify projects, which resets most of the settings in each of the main configuration groups. Applying the factory default configuration preset is similar to a factory reset, but a **Factory reset ** is more invasive. This table describes the differences. **Table 36 Factory default configuration preset vs a factory reset** | **Item** | **Factory default ** **configuration preset** | **Factory reset function** | | --- | --- | --- | | Deletes all created channels | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all recorded files in the channels | | ✔ | | **Pearl Mini** - Deletes all created recorders | ✔ | ✔ | | **Pearl Mini** - Deletes all recorded files in recorders | | ✔ | | Resets network configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | **Pearl Mini** - Resets touch screen configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets user passwords | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all created configuration presets | | ✔ | | Removes all CMS including Epiphan Edge registration information | ✔ | ✔ | | Removes records for all scheduled and completed CMS events | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all uploaded media files | | ✔ | | Resets all Source settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets EDID to factory | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all SCP/SFTP identities | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all LDAP settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all Automatic file upload settings | ✔ | ✔ | There are different ways you can apply the **Factory default** configuration preset to the Pearl Mini, you can: - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel A reboot is required to apply the factory default configuration preset. Operators who are assigned certain administrative-level privileges can apply the Factory default configuration preset and perform a factory reset. --- ## Troubleshooting Quick Reference id: pearl-mini/troubleshooting-quick-reference · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Troubleshooting Quick Reference Use the follow quick reference table for help if you are experiencing problems or unexpected behavior from your Pearl Mini. **Table 78 Troubleshooting Quick Reference** | **Problem** | **Action(s) to Resolve** | | --- | --- | | Not sure if the connected video inputs are being captured. | Check each source's input from the source preview in the Admin panel. OR Check the touchscreen interface to view confidence monitoring for each channel. OR Check the Dashboard interface in Epiphan Live. | | No sound is coming from an audio source. | Verify that you are using the correct audio input by following the steps in Configure encoding. OR Check the touchscreen interface for audio monitoring or use the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the front panel of Pearl Mini to verify audio. OR Check the audio meter from the Dashboard view in Epiphan Live. | | Captured SDI audio contains audible "clicking" sound or other audio distortions upon playback. | Ensure audio sample rate is set to 48 kHz. Lower sample rates (i.e. 32 kHz and 44 kHz) can sometimes cause audio distortion. | | When previewing a channel using the Live broadcast link or the preview link in the Admin panel, some web browsers do not play audio. | The Flash (FLV) plugin must be installed for your web browser to play back audio that's encoded as PCM. Web browsers that use Flash players to preview video do not support audio that's encoded using 48 kHz MP3 or 48 kHz PCM. | | All my input names don't look normal in the Admin panel menu after I applied the default preset | Refresh your browser to clear the cache and restore the proper input names displayed in the Admin panel. | | Time stamps between Pearl Mini and an RTSP source are not synchronized. | Reconnect your RTSP source to reset desynchronized time stamps. Verify that you are using a local NTP server on your Pearl Mini as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. | | My NDI|HX source keeps connecting & disconnecting. | The timecode sent from the source may not be stable. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source. | | My NDI|HX source won't connect. | The NDI source may not send a timecode. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source. | | My NDI|HX source isn't detected. | Pearl Mini supports different versions of NDI|HX depending on the firmware version. There may be an incompatibility between Pearl Mini and your NDI|HX source. Contact Epiphan support to determine which version of NDI|HX your Pearl Mini currently supports. Then check with the manufacturer of your device to see which version of NDI|HX it supports. Some NDI|HX devices using version HX 1 may use non-standard discovery protocols and you may need to use other mechanisms to discover their existence, such as manually adding the IP address or using an NDI Discovery Server if the device supports that. | | My RTSP (or SRT) video source isn't detected. | Hardware encoding is the default setting for a channel and is the recommended encoding for use with Pearl Mini. However, if you are ingesting an RTSP (or SRT) stream as a video input for a channel and Pearl Mini does not recognize the signal, switch to using software encoding for that channel. | | There's an audible clicking noise in recordings and live streams of my RTSP video source | Remove the RTSP source using the Admin panel and recreate it to resolve the issue. | | Too much noise is present in the audio output. | Check the input level of the audio source to make sure it's the correct level. Modify the input **gain** if necessary. | | Video playback is fine, but when I play the clip in Adobe Premiere Pro the audio and video are out of sync. | Adobe Premiere Pro has a known issue handling video that is recorded using a variable frame rate. Convert the clip to a constant frame rate using a third-party software, such as Handbrake, before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. | | Adobe Premiere Pro won't load my .mp4 recording from Pearl Mini. | Check if the selected recording format in Pearl Mini is MP4-Fragmented. Adobe Premiere Pro does not currently support fragmented .mp4 files. Before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, convert the clip to progressive .mp4 format. Run the file through ffmpeg or a third-party software such as Handbrake to preserve both audio and video output. | | I can't preview my channels using the Epiphan Live Dashboard on Chrome even after I updated the security certificate for my website | Some versions of Chrome and Microsoft Edge don't display channel previews from the Dashboard if you're on an HTTPs network and your website has an insecure or invalid security certificate, even after you update the security certificate. Use a different web browser such as Firefox or update the version of your web browser, then add the security certificate for the website to the exceptions list. | | Image quality is poor or insufficient. | The following tips can help improve image quality: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. | | Frames per second are lower than expected. | The following tips can help improve frames per second (fps): Increase **the Limit frame rate **value and/or decrease the **Bitrate **value in the Encoding menu. Reduce the number of actions happening simultaneously on the system (i.e. if streaming, recording, and copying files, consider waiting to copy files until after streaming and recording are complete). Enter a low negative value (i.e. -5) in the Frame Grabber's Vertical Shift field. Reduce the number of channels encoding data. Ensure the hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding preset is chosen for all channels. | | Stream won't play in my media player or browser. | Verify that the Stream Type matches with the media player used and that you have the correct url or SDP file for the player. If you still cannot see the stream, try disabling your local computer firewall. If the issue is still not resolved, contact Epiphan Support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | The stream interrupts or the image breaks up. | The following tips can help diagnose image problems: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. Check network settings including filters, routers and application settings. Packet loss can result in stream failure. | | The video streamed to my set-top box is dropping frames. | If you're streaming to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for lower bandwidth set-top boxes and prevent frame drops. | | Recording won't start. | If recording will not start, check the Disk Status Information to see if the system is out of storage space. | | AFU to my CIFS server doesn't work. | Pearl Mini supports Automatic File Transfer (AFU) to CIFS servers (also known as SMB or samba) with samba version 1. | | Firmware upgrade fails. | Reboot the system and try again. If the problem persists, contact Epiphan support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | Certain Media players won't play encoded videos but others will. | Depending on the media player used, there could be different issues. If you encounter a playback issue, try using a different media player. Some issues we know of include: On Windows 10, the Movies & TV app sometimes fails to playback MP4-fragmented files with MP3 audio: try changing your MP4 audio encoding to AAC. VLC doesn't play MP4-fragmented files normally. Streams and recordings at very low frame rates (e.g. 1 fps) are not playable in VLC media player, use Windows Media Player and Quicktime Player instead. | | Certain Media players won't play MOV videos. | Some media players won't play MOV videos that are recorded with MP3 audio encoding, including: VLC 2.2.4 (Microsoft Windows) if MP3 audio encoding is at 48 kbps. Movies & TV 10.16122.1029 on Windows 10. Windows Media Player 12. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MOV files or use a different media player to playback the recording. The MOV file type on Pearl also has a time limit of 13h15m, exceeding this limit will render the file unplayable. | | There's no audio when I playback an MP4 file in QuickTime 10. | Apple doesn't support MP3 audio. If your MP4 file is created with MP3 audio, you will not hear the audio during playback in QuickTime 10. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MP4 files or use a different media player to playback the recording. | | I can't hear the audio in VLC or the video won't play. | VLC version 3.0.3 won't play audio for MP4 fragmented files. In VLC's Input/Codecs settings page, you can try increasing the file caching parameter. VLC version 3.0.6 (windows) won't play MP4 fragmented video files. This is a VLC issue. | | There's noticeable latency on the video output port. | Disabling the audio on the video output port improves latency for the port. | | Pearl Mini does not boot up when powered on. | Confirm that the power cable is connected to a working power source. If Pearl Mini is still not powering up, remove any HDMI cables connected to the output ports on Pearl Mini and try again. If you're still unable to power up Pearl Mini, contact Epiphan Support. | | System is not starting up correctly. | Ensure there is no USB stick inserted into a USB port during power up. A potential conflict with the internal hard drive could cause unexpected behavior. | | Web camera is not working correctly. | There are several possible causes of poor performance on web cameras: The camera itself might be malfunctioning. Try hooking it into a computer to see if the problem remains. Check that your web camera is on our list of supported models. If it is not, try using a supported camera, and if the problem persists, contact our support team. | --- ## User administration id: pearl-mini/user-administration · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # User administration Pearl Mini has different types user accounts. Depending on the type of user, you will have different privileges. ### User types and privileges There are different types of user accounts: - Administrator - Operator - Viewer No password is assigned to the user accounts by default. The first time you log in to the Admin panel using the administrator-level account, you're prompted to set passwords for all three user accounts. The Pearl administrator can change passwords at any time using the Admin panel. You cannot change the default user names or disable user levels. When you log in to the Pearl Mini, you must log in as one of the three user levels. Private profiles with individually set passwords are not used. Admin and operator-level users have access to the Admin panel to control the Pearl Mini. When logged in to the Admin panel, the user level is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. **Administrator** The administrator account is used for all system configuration and has full access to all configuration features with full access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote login access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Mini is **admin**. **Operator** The **operator** account allows users limited configuration control with limited access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote login access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Mini is **operator**. Operators can to do the following: - Configure inputs - Control recordings (start and stop) - Rename, download and delete recordings - Perform network diagnostics - Switch layouts while live streaming If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the **Apply **button appears grayed-out in color and is not selectable. Administrators can grant operators permission to perform some administrator tasks. **Viewer** The global **viewer **account is exclusively used to view streamed channels. You're prompted to enter the default user name **viewer** and password to view a channel's live broadcast. In addition to the global viewer account, each channel can set a viewer password that overrides the global value. **User privileges** The following table outlines the default privileges for each user level. **Table 30 User privileges in the Admin panel** | **Action or Menu Option** | **viewer** | **operator** | **admin** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | View channel output | ü | ü | ü | | **Channel Operations** | | View channel configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename a channel | | | ü | | Configure stream channel | | | ü | | Configure stream sources | | | ü | | Start/stop recording | | ü | ü | | Start/stop a stream | | ü | ü | | Configure channel metadata | | | ü | | Switch layouts while streaming/recording | | ü | ü | | Add, duplicate, configure and delete recorders | | | ü | | Start the stream recorder | | ü | ü | | Stop the stream recorder | | ü | ü | | View recorded files list | | ü | ü | | Rename recorded files | | ü | ü | | Download recorded files | | ü | ü | | Delete recorded files | | ü | ü | | **Input Source Operations** | | View input source configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename input | | | ü | | Configure input | | ü | ü | | View input snapshot | | ü | ü | | **Network & security** | | Configure static IP address | | | ü | | Configure DHCP (including Option 81) and DDNS | | | ü | | Change HTTP/HTTPS port values | | | ü | | Configure 802.1x | | | ü | | Configure HTTPS | | | ü | | **CMS Operations** | | Start/stop scheduled events from the device screen | ü | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events from the touch screen (Pearl Mini) | ü | ü | ü | | Enable CMS and register | | | ü | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | ü | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | ü | | Start/stop scheduled events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | View the Events page | | ü | ü | | **System Configuration Operations** | | View system configuration | | ü | ü | | Format the SD card (Pearl Mini) | | | ü | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | ü | | Select External USB drive behavior | | | ü | | Cancel USB file transfers | | ü | ü | | Configure network address | | | ü | | Configure date and time preferences | | | ü | | Set or change user passwords | | | ü | | Configure the touch screen (Pearl Mini) | | | ü | | Configure serial port flow control | | | ü | | Upload and delete media | | | ü | | Enable remote support | | | ü | | Backup device configuration | | | ü | | Restore device configuration | | | ü | | Restore factory configuration | | | ü | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | ü | | Shutdown device from the Admin panel | | | ü | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature | | | ü | | Upgrade Firmware | | | ü | | View System Information | | ü | ü | | **Network Diagnostics** | | Bandwidth test | | ü | ü | | Connectivity status | | ü | ü | | Domain name resolution | | ü | ü | | Ping | | ü | ü | | Probe | | ü | ü | | Trace route | | ü | ü | --- ## User interfaces and remote access id: pearl-mini/user-interfaces-and-remote-access · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # User interfaces and remote access Pearl Minis have several user interfaces: - **Touch screen**: Easily accessible on the front panel of Pearl Mini, the touch screen is primarily used for confidence monitoring, live switching, and Single Touch streaming and recording control. - **Admin Panel**: A web-based user interface that's primarily used to perform system set up and administrative tasks for your Pearl Mini. You can access the Admin Panel using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as your Pearl Mini, or locally using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to the Pearl Mini. - **Epiphan Live**: A web-based user interface that is primarily used for confidence monitoring, statistics, live switching, and recording control. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor video sources, view status and alerts, remote rescue troubleshooting and more over the Internet using Epiphan Edge. --- ## Video output port resolution id: pearl-mini/video-output-port-resolution · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # Video output port resolution The video output port's ** resolution** (also known as frame size or display mode) defines the number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically. For example, the resolution 1920×1080 (1080p) produces an image that is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. Pearl Minis always assume that the output display uses square pixels. The** aspect ratio** (eg. 4:3 or 16:9) describes the proportional relationship between the video output's pixel width and height. The resolution 1920×1080 (1080p), for example, is quite a bit wider than it is tall. The ratio of its width to height is 16 to 9, which has an aspect ratio that is 16:9. By default, you can choose from the following output resolutions in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios for your video output ports, but you can also change settings to allow a variety of other resolutions through. 4:3 resolutions | **1024×768** | **1280×960** | **1400×1050** | | --- | --- | --- | 16:9 resolutions | **1280×720** | **1360×768** | **1920×1080** | | --- | --- | --- | --- ## What is a channel on Pearl Mini? id: pearl-mini/what-is-a-channel-on-pearl-mini · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # What is a channel on Pearl Mini? A channel is an encoding instance associated with your video and audio inputs to produce video recordings and/or live streams. Your video and audio sources can be combined and added to a channel, which you can stream and record. - **Pearl Mini** - we recommend configuring up to three channels for best performance. - Pearl Mini comes with two channels already preconfigured: HDMI-A and HDMI-B. The HDMI-A video input port on Pearl Mini is assigned to the HDMI-A channel and the HDMI-B video input port is assigned to the HDMI-B channel by default. But you can easily change that and add whichever video and audio sources you want to a channel. You can even change the name of the channel using the Admin panel. Default auto channels have the related HDMI port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the channel's custom layout. Changing the channel's frame rate or deleting the channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. ### Channel layout examples Here are some examples of different layouts you can create using the custom layout editor with just two video input sources and two media image files. In the Epiphan products column, "All" means the layout can be created with Pearl Mini. | **Layout example** | **Epiphan products** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | All | One video source (a slideshow presentation in this case), at the full size of the channel. **To get this look:** Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. | | | All | One video source with a logo (.png with transparency) in the bottom left corner. **To get this look:** Upload an image with transparency. Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. Then, add the image to the layout and drag it where you want it to appear on screen. | | | All | One source with a text overlay in the bottom right corner. **To get this look:** Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. Then, add a text overlay to the layout and drag it where you want it to appear on screen. | | | All | One video source (a slideshow presentation in this case), with a green background matte. **To get this look**: Using the custom layout editor, select a background color. Add a video source to the layout and size appropriately, leaving the background matte visible. | | | All | Two video sources (a slideshow and a presenter cropped to a new aspect ratio using the tool to Crop a video source), a background image, and a logo. Make sure the background image has the correct aspect ratio. **To get this look:** Upload your background and logo images (you can do this from the Media page or the Layouts page for the channel). Using the custom layout editor, add the background image to the layout and stretch it to fill the entire layout area. Then add your two video sources to the layout, adjusting their size and position as needed. Lastly, add the logo to the layout and move it in to position. For the second video source, use the **Crop tool** to crop the second source to a square aspect ratio. | Examples including a 4x3 video source. | **Layout example** | **Pearl Minis** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | Pearl Mini | One 4x3 video source at the full size of the channel. **To get this look:** Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. The channel broadcasts in 4x3 if you have **Use current signal resolution as frame size** selected on the encoding page. | | | Pearl Mini | One 4x3 video source in a 16x9 frame with a green background matte. **To get this look**: From the Encoding page for the channel, make sure that the 16x9 frame size is selected. Then using the custom layout editor, select a background color. Add a video source to the layout and stretch to the full height of the screen, leaving the background matte visible. | | | Pearl Mini | One 4x3 video source and a cropped 16x9 video source together with a background image. Make sure the background image has the correct aspect ratio. **To get this look:** Upload your background image (you can do this from the Media page or the Layouts page for the channel). Follow the steps from the first 4x3 example to add the video sources, then use the **Crop** tool to crop the second source to a square aspect ratio. | --- ## What is Pearl Mini? id: pearl-mini/what-is-pearl-mini · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # What is Pearl Mini? # Pearl Mini Information Pearl Mini is a versatile multi-channel video encoder, video streamer, live switcher, and video recorder all in one. It supports up to three 1080p30 video channels for separate, simultaneous and isolated recording/streaming and video switching (video and layout). It allows multi-streaming up to 10-20 endpoints simultaneously and supports HDMI, SDI, RTSP, SRT, NDI|HX, and simple Web Graphic inputs. Up to two 1080p30 IP inputs in total (SRT, RTSP, NDI|HX, or Web graphic) are recommended; more can be ingested, but performance issues can occur — Epiphan support can recommend adjustments for larger IP-ingest use cases. Only one Web graphic input is supported. High bandwidth NDI and NDI output streaming are not supported. Dante audio input (two channels, one stereo input) is supported with firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on. The Pearl Mini does not support resolutions above 1920x1200. Pearl Mini does not support chroma keying. Mp4 video playback in a channel layout is supported. Live video playback, scrubbing, or playback of recordings via HDMI is not supported. The rear USB ports support UAC and UVC devices like webcams, USB storage, peripherals, status lights, and up to one ethernet dongle/network adapter with firmware 4.24.0+. USB webcam output is not supported. The front USB port does not support video input or output. Pearl Mini supports SATA SSDs (m.2 2280 form factor) up to 1TB storage for devices purchased since June 2024. NVMe is not supported. If using an SD card, Class 10 U3 SD cards up to 512GB are recommended, but the SD card port is disabled if an SSD is installed. With Pearl Mini, you can capture, record and stream computer monitors, radar displays, or anything with a wide variety of supported video input signals, including: - SDI - HDMI™ - DVI-I (single link) via HDMI™ - USB - SRT and RTSP - NDI|HX Capture audio via XLR, ¼ TRS, USB, RCA, 3.5 mm, SDI, HDMI, and network sources (SRT, NDI|HX, and RTSP). Simultaneously capture up to three audiovisual sources and choose how you want to record and stream them. Have separate ISOs or create custom layouts with multiple video sources for live switching. You can do all that using Pearl Mini. Stream to Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) worldwide using modern protocols SRT and HLS. At the same time, you can stream to other destinations using RTMP/RTMPS or RTSP. Even multicast directly to viewers on your LAN so they can watch the live channel broadcast using a web browser or media player on smart devices connected to the same private network as Pearl Mini. Download recordings using your web browser, or set Pearl Mini to automatically upload recorded files directly to a network server using FTP, RSYNC, CIFS, WebDav, and more. Pearl Mini is also fully integrated with Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and EchoVideo (Echo360) Content Management Systems (CMSs) and can be registered as a video remote recorder resource for seamless lecture capture plus user authentication directly from Pearl Mini's touch screen. Network security compliance with 802.1x protocols, passwords, and certificate authentication means an easier setup for IT friendly live streaming over enterprise networks. Pearl Mini is HTTPS enabled for secure administration and control over the LAN, and supports secure live streaming protocols like SRT with AES encryption and RTMPS. Pearl Mini does not capture from HDCP encrypted sources. * Pearl Mini supports up to three video inputs with certain conditions. Create dynamic content for your viewers to watch while you record and stream your program. Using the custom layout editor, you can create different layouts, like picture in picture or side-by-side views of a camera and slides, then easily switch between layouts with either a tap on the touch screen, using Epiphan Live on a mobile device, or from the Admin panel. --- ## What is streaming? id: pearl-mini/what-is-streaming · product: pearl-mini · source: pearl-mini-userguide.md # What is streaming? After you connect your camera, audio source, and set up a channel, it’s time to stream your content live and share that with your viewers. Epiphan products provide many different streaming options and supports a variety of streaming protocols. The easiest way to stream a single channel directly to viewers on the same local network is to share the channel's live broadcast URL. Various stream types are available so users can watch using their favorite devices, including: HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP FLASH (.FLV), MPEG-TS (HTTP), HLS (pull) (enable HTTP streaming on the Streaming page of the Channel), and RTSP. At the same time, stream to a multicast server or CDN and reach viewers across the globe. You can even stream to smart TVs in overflow rooms using SAP. The streaming method you choose depends on factors like the number of viewers of your stream, are you broadcasting live over a local TCP-based network or streaming to a CDN over the Internet, how much bandwidth do you have available, and is live streaming security a concern? Pearl Minis can stream to a CDN or media server using any of the following streaming protocols: - SRT (push) - HLS (push) - RTMP/RTMPS (push) - RTSP Announce A channel can support multiple streams. That means you can stream a channel to multiple destinations using different streaming protocols. Unicast and multicast streams are also supported. - **Pearl Mini** - start and stop streaming by using One touch control from the touch screen, or control the channels individually in the top left corner when viewing a single channel on the touch screen, or directly from the Admin panel. You can also control streaming using Epiphan Edge, using Epiphan Live from a mobile device, tablet, or computer, or via external control via Qsys, Crestron, and more. A full REST API is available for these particular use cases. In addition to streaming from the Pearl Mini, the following streaming formats are supported as input sources that the Pearl Mini can ingest: - SRT - RTSP - NDI|HX - Web Graphics ### Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations A Content Delivery Network (CDN) relies on geo-diverse CDN servers to receive and disperse web content to the CDN server closest to the user. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. Streaming your content through a CDN allows you to stream any time, anywhere, regardless of the viewing device and you don't have to worry about maintaining your own video streaming servers on site. Streaming content to a multicast IP address is different than streaming to a CDN. Multicasting lets you directly share the stream with multiple viewers on the same LAN. All viewers receive the same stream at the same time. Similar to turning on a radio station where all listeners hear the same music at the same time. Multicasting is useful for training sessions when there is a specific time frame for the audience to view the content live. Pearl Mini can publish to multiple destinations at the same time. Do not use Motion JPEG (MJPEG) encoding when streaming a channel to CDNs and multicast streaming at the same time. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | Content Distribution Network (CDN) | Stream web content to many viewers on different Content Delivery Networks simultaneously to any geographical location. Using a CDN to host your broadcast is highly scalable and saves you from having to purchase and maintain your own servers to host and deliver video content. Using one or more CDNs to stream live content allows you to reach a large geographically diverse audience and because CDNs perform format conversion, the stream is platform independent. Streaming protocols supported include: SRT (push), HLS (push), RTMP/RTMPS. | | Multicast Streaming | This delivery method relies on network equipment that supports multicasting and is usually used on high bandwidth corporate LANs and not on Internet-based architectures. Multicasting is what's typically used to stream video and audio to an IP TV or set-top box playlist. If you're streaming over a Gigabit Ethernet network to a 10/100 Mbps set-top box that is dropping frames, you can limit the stream's bandwidth using traffic shaping (see Set up traffic shaping). Multicast streaming protocols supported include: MPEG-TS UDP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. | To stream video outside of your LAN, use a CDN or configure port forwarding on your router. Consult your Network Administrator to set up port forwarding. By default, no streaming is configured for the channels configured on Pearl Mini. **Publishing to a CDN** When you publish a stream to a CDN provider, make sure you use a streaming protocol that the CDN supports. Contact your CDN for a list of supported streaming protocols and audio codecs they support. To publish content to a CDN provider, ensure you have: - the URL (or path) to the mount point or an XML configuration file (provided by the CDN provider) - the supported transport protocols, audio codecs, and any other settings like key frame rates and bit rates recommended by the CDN provider You can control streaming to a CDN using the Admin panel. You can also use: - Pearl Mini - touch screen **Streaming to multiple destinations** There are a few different ways to stream to multiple destinations using Pearl Mini. One option is to configure a channel on Pearl Mini as your switched program channel, then use the Admin panel to create multiple streaming destinations for that channel. You can add multiple RTMP streams to different CDNs, configure multicast streaming, and even share the live broadcast link with viewers on your network all at the same time. But remember, the more streams you configure, the more network bandwidth you need. To stream to CDNs and multicast a channel at the same time, the channel must have H.264 configured as the channel encoding Another option is to set up multiple channels on Pearl Mini and stream those using the Admin panel. That way, you can configure each channel with different encoding settings. For example, you can configure one channel with the streaming specifications for YouTube and configure the second channel for streaming to Facebook. Using one channel as your main switched program, use Pearl Mini's channel as a source feature to feed that channel into your second channel. That way, you're streaming the exact same switched program to different destinations at different encoding settings. As you can see, setting up streaming to multiple destinations is very flexible with Pearl Mini. ### Directly sharing channel stream URLs with viewers People on the same local network as Pearl Mini can easily view a channel's live broadcast stream. All you need to do is provide the channel's stream URL and login credentials for viewers. - **Pearl Mini** - You can provide people separate URLs for streams coming from each channel, or one URL that includes all the streams for the channel. Choose the right type of URL for the type of device the person will use to watch the stream. Viewers can watch the stream using a digital media player or browser. HTTP is used for MPEG-TS and FLV streaming. HTTPS is not supported for these protocols. ### About streaming using SRT Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low-latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) transport and additional error checking. Low-latency SRT is particularly good for real-time, two-way communications between a remote guest and a local on-site host. You can configure Pearl Mini as an SRT source encoder and stream video using SRT. You can also configure Pearl Mini as an SRT decoder and ingest SRT streams as video inputs. Up to one of the video inputs you configure for Pearl can be from an SRT source and Pearl Mini can stream up to three SRT streams. Pearl Mini as SRT source encoders in a multiple-source setup. Before content is streamed between the SRT source and destination, a communication link must be established between them for SRT control and recovery packets. Any firewalls blocking the path must be traversed. **SRT streaming modes and firewalls** Streaming through firewalls can be a challenge. With SRT you get easy firewall traversal with little to no IT involvement. SRT offers three modes to simplify the process: Rendezvous, Caller, and Listener. - Rendezvous mode is the easiest to setup and usually doesn't need any intervention from your IT administrator for the SRT stream from the source to traverse the firewall to the destination. The SRT source and destination devices must use the same SRT port value. - Caller and Listener modes work together to establish the SRT connection between your source and destination devices when traversing the firewall is difficult. In this case, your IT network administrator must configure the network to allow traffic that comes in on the port configured for SRT streaming and forward the traffic to the destination device. The device you set as the Caller (or Listener) is arbitrary, as long as one device is a Listener and the other is a Caller. To establish the SRT connection between a source and destination device in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. **SRT latency controls** SRT includes latency controls to adjust for poor network quality while maintaining an acceptable amount of delay. Pearl Mini provides statistics to determine the amount of packet loss. Using the Admin panel, you can increase or decrease the amount of latency applied to the stream to help mitigate any Quality of Service (QoS) issues. The default latency values are 125 ms for an SRT stream and 80 ms for an SRT input. ### Secure streaming Secure streaming is a great option for confidential content, such as corporate meetings or internal employee training. There are several ways to secure your live stream. - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT). - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS). - Stream HLS (push) over local HTTPS networks. SRT streaming includes additional AES encryption settings for even more security. You can set the SRT stream for 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. Encryption settings must be set to the same values on both the SRT encoder sending the stream and the SRT decoder that's receiving the stream. RTMPS wraps the RTMP stream in TLS/SSL packets before it's transported over a TCP connection between the network server and the Pearl Mini(i.e. the client). ### Suggested stream settings When you're setting up your live stream, you would typically consult your CDN or publishing destination for their recommended settings to use. Stream setup can be a matter of balancing quality and system resources. When choosing your stream settings, it's important to consider the type of content you're streaming and the streaming protocol you've chosen. For streaming fast moving video, a higher bitrate and frame rate delivers a better image. If you're streaming a slide presentation, you can save bandwidth and system processing by lowering the bitrate and frame rate without any noticeable image degradation. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your video quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming video content from Pearl Mini. **Table 47 Suggested stream settings for video** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Mini - H.264** | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Mini** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec1 | | Limit frame rate | 301 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Mini**: 4000 kbps for HD 6000 kbps for Full HD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz1 | 1For HLS streaming, the key frame interval should be set to 2s and the frame rate should be set to 30 fps for live NTSC content. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your stream quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming a slide presentation from a PC, Mac, or tablet. **Table 48 Suggested stream settings for slides** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Mini** - H.264 | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Mini** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec | | Limit frame rate | 30 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Mini**: 1000 kbps for HD 2000 kbps for Full HD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz | --- ## About 4K on Pearl Nano id: pearl-nano/about-4k-on-pearl-nano · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # About 4K on Pearl Nano Pearl Nano supports resolutions from low-res SD to 4K, which means that you can use it to capture 4K UHD digital signals. A 4K feature add-on is required to capture resolutions over 1920x1200. To purchase, install, and activate the 4K feature add-on, see "Purchase, install, and activate feature add-ons." Pearl Nano does not support the Dante audio feature add-on. **4K feature add-on** The 4K feature provides Pearl Nano with the following 4K features: | **Specification** | **Pearl Nano** | | --- | --- | | 4K video inputs | 2 (1 HDMI and 1 SDI) | | 4K Hardware scaling (4K down to full HD) | 2 | | 4K video outputs (HDMI) | 1 pass through port | | 4K video encoding | 1 | --- ## About automatic Channel id: pearl-nano/about-automatic-channel · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # About automatic Channel **Pearl Nano** To get you started as quickly as possible, Pearl Nano comes pre-configured with an automatic channel called Auto. Simply plug a source into one of the video inputs and Pearl Nano automatically configures the channel's frame size to match the source resolution and configures a frame rate and bitrate. The detected video source's audio is also automatically added to the channel. Embedded audio from a DVI source that is connected to the HDMI input using an adapter is not detected on automatic Channel. You must manually add the audio to the channel's layout using the custom layout editor. You can start viewing the automatic channel immediately on the device screen or using a web browser on the same local network as the Pearl Nano. Browse to the following URL: **Pearl Nano** http://.local/preview.cgi?channel=1 **For example:**http://d560515f.local/preview.cgi?channel=1 If Bonjour services, which permits browsing by serial number, are not installed on your admin computer, you can get the IP address of your Pearl Nano by doing the following: **Pearl Nano** Use the front screen to select System status screen and browse to: http:///preview.cgi?channel=1 Links for other channel streams (i.e. RTSP or MPEG-TS) can be found by logging into the Admin panel and selecting **Status** in the Channel menu. **Important considerations** - The default auto channel has the related HDMI (or SDI) port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the auto channel's custom layout. Changing the auto channel's frame rate or deleting the auto channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the auto channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. - If you delete the auto channel, it will re-appear upon factory reset or when loading the default configuration preset. - **Pearl Nano** - If you modify the automatic channel's video input source manually using the custom layout editor, the channel no longer functions as an automatic channel and the channel name changes to the name of the video source. To revert a channel back to an automatic channel, add **Auto** as the sole video source for the channel using the custom layout editor and delete the current channel name. When you press **Enter** using your keyboard to save the blank channel name, the channel reverts to the default automatic channel. Alternatively, you could perform a factory reset or apply the default configuration preset to restore the automatic channel; however, other important system settings and configurations will also revert to their default settings. **Which signal does the auto channel use?** The Pearl Nano has video input sensing, which means that it knows when a video signal is received from an attached source. If you attach more than one video source to the video inputs while the Pearl Nano is powered on, the first source you attach has the highest priority. If you attach more than one source before powering on the Pearl Nano, the following priority is used: | **Priority** | **Pearl Nano** | **Connector Type** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | All | HDMI (with HDMI Audio) | | 2 - Pearl Nano | All | SDI (with SDI Audio) | The auto channel uses a source until that source no longer has a signal. Then, it switches to the next highest priority signal. If all the connected sources lose signal at the same time (i.e. for example, is SDI loses video signal and no other video signal is found) no change is made and the auto channel continues to use the current source. In this case, a no signal image is displayed for viewers. Before using a channel, you should check the channel settings. You can fine-tune your channel to maximize the quality of your live streams, minimize the amount of bandwidth used, and ensure your video and audio encoding settings are optimized for your event. You can control exactly how the video is presented and streamed to shared destinations and multiple viewers. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using a Pearl Nano with a Content Management System. --- ## About video output ports id: pearl-nano/about-video-output-ports · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # About video output ports **Pearl Nano** An HDMI video output port is located on the rear panel of Pearl Nano. The HDMI OUT port is set to display the Auto channel by default, but you can change this using the Admin panel. The video output port is configured to maintain aspect ratio, use the display's default resolution, and include audio at 100% volume. However, the audio meter is not shown by default. Pearl Nano also has an HDMI video pass through port that outputs the HDMI IN signal with no added latency. The HDMI PASS-THROUGH port is not user configurable and does not modify the input video signal that is passed through. Using the video output port takes CPU cycles and adds to the overall load on your Pearl Nano. For optimum performance, keep displays disconnected from the video output port if you're not using them. Setups that already put a heavy load on the system's CPU may be negatively impacted if the external video output port is used. You can use the Admin panel to configure the video output port parameters **Important considerations** - When changing encoding parameters for a channel that's displayed on the video output port, it may revert to the display's default resolution if the output resolution is set to "Same as source". To resolve this, change the video output to a different resolution then back to "Same as source". - When using the video output port for confidence monitoring, some delay can be expected. For a 1080p video source, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 100 ms. For a 1080p channel, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 300 ms. The actual amount can vary, depending on the setup. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. - Using the video output ports adds to the overall system load on the Pearl Nano. If your system has a high system load and you're using the video outputs, monitor the frame rate of your channel on your Pearl Nano and adjust your setup if there's an unacceptable drop in the frame rate. Remedial measures you can take include eliminating video scaling at the inputs and adjusting the encoding bitrates. - Use MultiViewer to preview multiple sources, including system information like channel status and audio information, on the video output port in a grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to system loading. | **Numberof Displays** | **Cable 1** | **Cable 2** | **Output resolution** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | passive converter | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 1 | | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | passive converter | passive converter | | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | active converter or DisplayPort cable | Displays can be set independently to any resolution up to 1080p (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | passive converter | One of the two displays will fail to receive a signal. Do not mix passive converters with active converters and DisplayPort cables. | | 2 | passive converter | active converter or DisplayPort cable | | --- ## Access network IP address and Admin panel id: pearl-nano/access-network-ip-address-and-admin-panel · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Access network IP address and Admin panel You can get the network IP address of your Pearl Nano from the front screen menu. With the device IP address, you can access the Admin panel to do things like configure the Pearl Nano, start/stop recording, and more. Make sure that your admin computer is connected to the same network as Pearl Nano and that the network uses DHCP. If your network requires you to assign the Pearl Nano a static IP address instead of using DHCP to obtain one, contact your network administrator and provide them with the IP address and MAC address of your Pearl Nano; otherwise, contact Epiphan Video support for assistance. **Obtain the IP address of the Pearl Nano and access the Admin panel** - Press the **left arrow** on the interface until the **System status** screen appears. - Using a browser on the admin computer, enter the URL for your Pearl Nano and include **/admin** to access the Admin panel. http://*<**IP Address for Pearl Nano**>*/admin **For example:** http://192.1.10.100/admin - When prompted, log in using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl Nano administrator. For a first-time set up, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - (Optional) Open a new tab in your browser and enter the URL to preview a channel. http://*<**IP Address for Pearl Nano**>*/preview.cgi?channel=1 **For example:** http://192.1.10.100/preview.cgi?channel=1 --- ## Add video sources id: pearl-nano/add-video-sources · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Add video sources **Pearl Nano ** You can add up to two video sources to the custom layout for your channel using the custom layout editor. If more than one video source is added to a channel, we recommend configuring the channel encoding to use a fixed resolution as the frame size instead of automatically using the resolution of the video source as the frame size (default). A fixed channel resolution ensures that your channel displays properly at a fixed resolution. **Add a video source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel menu, select the channel and click **Layout**. The custom layout editor opens. - Below the Layout editing area, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. The Source settings appear. - Under **Source settings**, select either a video input or a channel in the **Source** drop-down menu. - Under **Source settings**, select a video input in the **Source** drop-down menu. For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **in the **Source settings**. The selected video source appears in the layout editing area. When adding an RTSP network source, a preview image may not display in the layout area until you Save the layout. The preview can also appear to have no signal if the RTSP source is not currently sending content. - Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the source to re-size it in the layout editor area. Alternatively, enter a value in the fields along the side and bottom of the layout editing area to resize the selected item. To layer video sources over top of each other, like for picture in picture, you can click and drag the video sources that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. - Select an audio source from the list of audio sources. If a channel is selected as the video source, the corresponding audio for that channel is selected automatically by default. - Click **Save**. To layer multiple video sources on Pearl Nano for picture in picture or add other items like logos and images, you can click and drag the video sources that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. --- ## AFU or copy to USB id: pearl-nano/afu-or-copy-to-usb · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # AFU or copy to USB The Pearl Nano has USB 3.0 ports (a single port on Pearl Nano) that you can use to copy recordings to external USB flash drives or hard drives. Use this to conveniently provide speakers with a copy of their presentation before they leave the presentation venue. A USB port is available on the back panel of the Pearl Nano. The USB storage device must be formatted with one of the following file systems: | FAT16 | FAT32 | XFS | | --- | --- | --- | | EXT2 | EXT3 | EXT4 | | NTFS | exFAT | | We recommend you only connect one USB device to a Pearl Nano at a time. Only one copy or move to USB operation is permitted at a time, even though the UI may appear to let you start a second one. Please wait until the first is complete before starting a new operation. ### Automatic File Upload to a USB storage device Transfer recordings to a USB storage device automatically when you select an external USB device as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on the Pearl Nano. - Channel is already added for AFU, - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured. **Configure AFU upload to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **External USB Drive **as the protocol transfer type. If your Automatic File Upload setting conflicts with your new USB device setting, a message is displayed. Click the **fix it** link and click **Apply**. The fix it link disables any other type of automatic file upload you have configured. When you are done with USB uploads, return to the **Automatic File Upload **configuration page and reconfigure your AFU settings. - (Optional) Select **Create a subfolder for each channel** to have recordings organized by channel. Pearl Nano only has a single channel. - Click **Apply**. #### One-time copy all recordings to USB storage device When one-time move/copy of files is configured, the Pearl Nano automatically starts copying files as soon as you connect a USB storage device to the USB port. Newest recordings are copied first. Files continue copying over until one of the following events occur: - all files are copied - the specified maximum number of files are copied - the target drive runs out of storage space File that are currently recording do not transfer until recording ends. The following table describes the options available for a one-time move/copy of recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 67 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for the channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for the channel into which the files are copied (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). | | remove after copying | If checked, the file(s) are removed after being copied to the USB drive. Checking this box makes the transfer a move instead of a copy. | | mark file as downloaded | If checked, the files that are downloaded are marked with a downloaded icon when viewing file lists. This has no effect if remove after copying is checked. | | ignore already downloaded files | If checked, files that were previously downloaded or marked as downloaded are not included in subsequent downloads. | If your USB drive has no activity indicator to let you know when the transfer is complete, select the one-time move/copy option to **remove after copying** or **mark the file as downloaded** so that you know when the transfer has finished. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on Pearl Nano. **Configure a one-time copy of all recorded files to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used for one-time move/copy of the recorded files (upon insertion)**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload settings, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and either disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Check the options you want to use for the one-time move/copy file transfer and click **Apply**. - Insert the USB storage device into the USB port on Pearl Nano. File transfer starts automatically. - Follow the steps to One-time copy all recordings to USB storage device when the activity light on the USB storage device stops flashing. If your USB device doesn't have activity indicators: - Check the **Recording **list for the channel to verify if there are files that have yet to be copied. - One-time copy all recordings to USB storage device when you are satisfied all files have been copied, or if you notice the USB storage device is out of space. #### Manually copy recordings to USB You can manually copy recordings to a USB storage device that is connected to Pearl Nano. This procedure is separate from automatic file upload and does not need any pre-configuration in the automatic file upload page. The following table describes the options available when manually copying recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 68 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for the channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for the channel into which the files are copied (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). | | File already exists | Choose the action to take if a file with the same name already exists in the copy location: replace (default) skip rename | **Manually copy recorded files to a USB device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive link**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used to manually move/copy selected files via the Admin panel **and click **Apply**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Insert your USB storage device into the USB port on Pearl Nano, then click **Recording** from the Channel menu in the Admin panel. The Recording page opens. - Check the files you want to download and do one of the following: - Click **Copy Selected to external drive** to copy the files to the USB drive. - Click **Move Selected to external drive** to move the files and delete them off of Pearl Nano. In this example, the first file is currently recording and cannot be downloaded. - Follow the steps to Safely eject USB storage device when you're done. **View file transfer to USB device status and cancel using the Admin panel** During a file transfer to an External USB drive, you can monitor the file transfer progress and cancel the file transfer using the Admin panel. You can only cancel the transfer of a file while it is in progress. - While the file transfer is in progress, select **External USB Drive link** from the Configuration menu in the Admin panel. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - View the current file transfer status under the **Status** section. To cancel the current file transfer, select **Cancel **and confirm when prompted. The option to cancel only appears while the file transfer is in progress. The file that is highlighted in green is currently being transferred. **View available USB storage space** When you insert a USB storage device into a USB port and select an **External USB Drive **action other than **ignored** (i.e. manual copy, automatic copy, etc), the total and free space are calculated and displayed in the Admin panel. When you insert your USB storage device into an available USB port, an External storage usage information tab appears at the bottom of the menus panel in the Admin panel. You can also view the storage capacity when you select **Storage** using the front screen menu. **Safely eject the USB storage device using the Admin panel** When you're done saving recordings to the USB storage device, you can safely eject it using the link at the bottom of the Admin panel page. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - At the bottom of the menus panel, click **eject** and click **OK** when prompted. It's now safe to disconnect the USB storage device from Pearl Nano. --- ## Assign administrator privileges to operators id: pearl-nano/assign-administrator-privileges-to-operators · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Assign administrator privileges to operators Administrators can assign additional administrative-level privileges to operators from the Security menu in the Admin panel. The following table lists the available options and their associated privileges. **Table 27 Options with additional operator privileges** | **Option** | **Operator admin functions** | | --- | --- | | **Channel configuration** | Rename a channel. | | | Configure channel encoder settings | | | Configure a custom layout for a channel. Pearl Nano supports only one layout per channel, so there is no layout selector. | | | Configure, remove, rename, and publish a stream for a channel | | | Configure channel metadata | | | Upload, download, and delete media files | | **Input configuration ** | Add and rename video and audio inputs | | **Network configuration** | Configure network address | | | Configure 802.1x and manage CA certificates | | | Enable and disable DHCP Option 81 | | | Configure Dynamic DNS (DDNS) | | | Reboot the Pearl Nano. | | **Configuration presets control**1 | Create, delete, and apply configuration presets | | **System configuration** | Configure the video output settings | | | Enable CMS and register | | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | Select external USB drive behavior | | | Configure the date and time preferences | | | Configure the device screen | | | Configure the serial port flow control | | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature for remote control and remote login | | | Video output configuration | | **System maintenance** | Apply configuration presets2 | | | Format the SD card | | | Upgrade firmware | | | Enable remote support | | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | Restore factory configuration | | | Configure the name, location, and description | 1Only configuration presets that don't include the System group are allowed. 2Allow operators to apply configuration presets that include the System group, as well as apply the factory default configuration preset. **Assign administrative privileges to operators using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under **Additional operator privileges**, check options to assign those administrator privileges to operators, and then click **Apply**. --- ## Audio input ports id: pearl-nano/audio-input-ports · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Audio input ports You can connect external audio devices like mixers directly to the dedicated audio input ports on Pearl Nanos. Each Pearl Nano has a unique set of audio input ports. **Pearl Nano** - Two XLR professional line-level inputs + 4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS, (+24 dBu) that support balanced and unbalanced signals. - One stereo pair RCA consumer line-level input (-10 dBV) - One USB (UAC) audio port The XLR audio inputs are configured as a stereo pair by default: XLR1 (left) and XLR 2 (right). The XLR audio ports and the RCA audio ports are linked. You can configure Pearl Nano to use both or just one of the audio sources from the front screen menu or using the Admin panel. --- ## Capturing video and audio with Pearl Nano id: pearl-nano/capturing-video-and-audio-with-pearl-nano · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Capturing video and audio with Pearl Nano Capturing is the process of taking the signals from your video and audio sources and encoding them so they're ready for streaming and recording. You add the captured video and audio to channels, which you customize for live streaming and recording. ### What is a channel on Pearl Nano? A channel is an encoding instance associated with your video and audio inputs to produce video recordings and/or live streams. Your video and audio sources can be combined and added to a channel, which you can stream and record. - **Pearl Nano** - has a single channel already preconfigured as an Auto channel by default. - As soon as you connect a video source to one of the video input ports, it appears automatically in the channel's custom layout. - If you connect an HDMI video source to the HDMI IN port, the Auto channel automatically uses the HDMI video and embedded HDMI audio. - If you connect an SDI video source to the SDI port, the Auto channel automatically uses the SDI video and embedded SDI audio. - If both HDMI and SDI video sources are connected, the HDMI video source and embedded audio takes priority and is used in the Auto channel by default. - If no video sources are connected, a standard No Signal screen displays. - The Auto channel's frame size is set to match the video source by default and the best bit rate for the default frame rate of 30 fps is applied automatically. - Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Default auto Channel have the related HDMI port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the channel's custom layout. Changing the channel's frame rate or deleting the channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. --- ## Configuration preset considerations id: pearl-nano/configuration-preset-considerations · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configuration preset considerations There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including: - Access to presets and privacy considerations - Recording and streaming states - Recorded files in a channel - The potential to lock the device screen - Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources - and more **Access to presets and privacy considerations** - Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Pearl Nano has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset. - Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset. - Applying a configuration preset does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private. - Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users. **Locking out the front screen on Pearl Nano** The **front screen** configuration group includes the PIN security setting for the front screen. It's possible to apply a preset that effectively locks out all further use of the front screen. If this happens, use the Admin panel to reset or disable the PIN. ### Recording and streaming states The Channel **(single channel on Pearl Nano)** configuration group includes recording and streaming states for Channel. This means that if a channel is streaming or a channel is recording at the time you create a configuration preset, the channel will immediately start recording (or streaming) whenever you apply that preset to the channel. Similarly, if a configuration preset is created when a channel is not recording (or streaming), applying that preset later won't cause the channel to start recording (or streaming). This means a channel may stop recording or streaming as a result of applying the preset if the channel was actively recording or streaming before applying the preset. **Pearl Nano preset example** For example, when applying a preset to a channel set to record (the same example applies for streaming): - If the channel is already recording, the file continues recording uninterrupted unless the recording file type in the applied preset is different. In that case, a new file is started and recording resumes using the new file. - If the channel is not already recording, it immediately begins recording when the preset is applied. #### Recorded files in a channel A channel keeps a list of recordings in the **Recordings** section in the Admin panel. These files remain on the system even if the channel configuration is changed as a result of applying a configuration preset. **Pearl Nano example** If you delete any of the recordings, you are deleting the *only* instance of those files. For example, if you delete one of five recordings from the channel after creating a configuration preset, you'll find that even after applying the preset, the channel will still have only four recorded files. For details on orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources after a factory reset or configuration preset, see the Pearl CMS shared guide. --- ## Configuration presets id: pearl-nano/configuration-presets · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configuration presets Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration so you can restore later when needed. They are also useful if you have changing configuration requirements for Pearl Nano or are managing multiple systems and you want them to have similar configurations. ### About configuration presets Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to the system, leaving other important settings intact. They make it easy to manage multiple Pearl Nano setups in shared spaces, like a studio, and ensures a consistent setup each time you go to use Pearl Nano. You can even export a configuration preset and upload it to another Pearl Nano system. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between Pearl Nanos and Unify projects. The system's settings are divided into the following configuration groups. You can choose to include any number and combination of configuration groups in a preset and create as many different configuration presets as you need. **Pearl Nano configuration group list** - System - Network - Inputs - EDID - Channel - Automatic File Upload - Content Management System - Epiphan Edge - Front screen - Output port You can create and apply any saved configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** using the Admin panel. A special **Factory default **configuration preset, which cannot be erased, is included in the list of configuration presets. Use that to return to the factory setup without destructively erasing any saved recordings or media files you've uploaded. It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the settings groups included in the preset. All other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration preset considerations section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets. **Example of presets in action** You could upload custom background images to Pearl Nano in advance of a conference and create custom channel configuration presets for several different keynote speakers, each with a different setup, and then apply them later when you need them. For example, you could create two configuration presets called Session 1 and Session 2. Each session could include things like custom backgrounds, images and logos, Channel and a layout, metadata, streaming settings, and automatic file upload (AFU) locations. Then download those presets to your local computer so you can upload them to your entire fleet of Pearl Nano systems. Channel configuration includes any applied backgrounds and image files. If these files aren't present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when deleting background images and logo files. At the conference, simply apply the configuration preset that you need for the appropriate session using the Admin panel or the Pearl Nano screen. When applying the configuration preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged. The preset only affects Channel and their configuration. After applying a configuration preset, recorded files from the previous session remain present on the system. If AFU is configured, the recorded files continue to upload even after the new configuration preset is applied (if AFU is not yet complete), but the Channel reflect the newly loaded session's background file name and presenter name. --- ## Configure a video input source id: pearl-nano/configure-a-video-input-source · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configure a video input source Captured video sources don't usually need configuration, but you can change some of the video settings using the Admin panel, including: - Configure a video input source - SDI video settings Pearl Nano does not support USB video input, so USB video and web camera settings do not apply. **Open the configuration page for an input source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Ensure a source is connected to the input port, - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. **Video settings** | **Value** | **Input type** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | Scaling (Pearl Nano) | HDMI, DVI, SDI | Use this setting to scale the video input source. This is useful when adding multiple video sources in a custom layout such as picture in picture or side-by-side. The frame size selected for the video source is also what gets sent out the HDMI OUT port when you select the video input as the output source. | | Image | HDMI, DVI, SDI | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | HDMI, DVI, SDI | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | **SDI video settings** The following options are available for signals via the SDI port. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Scaling | Use this setting to scale the video input source. This is useful when adding multiple video sources in a custom layout such as picture in picture or side-by-side. The frame size selected for the video source is what gets sent out the HDMI OUT port. | | Image | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | --- ## Configure DHCP id: pearl-nano/configure-dhcp · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configure DHCP If you need to switch Pearl Nano from using static IP address allocation to using dynamic allocation with DHCP, you can do this three different ways: - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel - Load a configuration preset file that uses DHCP networking. - Change the network settings manually using either the device screen or the Admin panel. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Network**. The Network configuration page opens. - Toggle DHCP and change the MTU Size if needed, then click save. **Table 15 DHCP Fields** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Use DHCP | Select this option to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up using DHCP | | Use static address | Only select this option if you want to use the configured static IP address instead. | | MTU Size | The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at the network layer. It’s best for all nodes in your network to use the same value. Only change this value if you know that other nodes use a different value. | - Reboot the Pearl Nano when prompted. From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance** and click **Reboot Now** on the maintenance page. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as **admin** and verify that all changes were applied. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the front screen menu on Pearl Nano** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Network** to open the Network screen. - From the Network screen, use the arrow keys to highlight **DHCP** and press the **check mark** key to toggle the switch on. The DHCP acquired network addresses appear on the screen. - Reboot the Pearl Nano to apply the network changes. Return to the System screen and use the down arrow key to scroll down until Reboot appears. Then select **Reboot** using the **check mark** key and select **Reboot now** when prompted. --- ## Configure encoding id: pearl-nano/configure-encoding · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configure encoding You can modify the encoding settings for a channel. The encoding settings let you fine tune your channel recording or live stream. You can select a specific frame size, bitrate, audio or video codec, and more. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using the Pearl Nano with a Content Management System. ### Codecs and file format compatibility Pearl Nano supports the following codecs: **Table 36 Supported video codecs ** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. | | H.265 (Pearl Nano only) | H.265 provides the highest quality video while using a comparatively low bandwidth. Compare the quality and required bandwidth relative to H.264. | **Table 37 Supported audio codecs and bitrate guidance** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | AAC is comparable to MP3 and may even provide better sound quality at a similar sample bitrate. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. Web browsers that use Flash (FLV) do not support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this encoding, you must use a web browser that supports HTML5 or a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computer and other devices such as, digital telephone systems. Setting the level to match the audio source's level provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. | **Format compatibility** Not all streaming and recording protocols support all combinations of video and audio codecs. The following table lists any video/audio codec compatibility considerations for the supported streaming formats on Pearl Nano. **Table 38 Video/audio codecs and formats for streaming** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **RTSP** | **FLV** | **MPEG-TS ** | **MJPEG** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | H.265 (Pearl Nano only) | No audio codec | ✔ | ▪ | ✔ | | | | PCM | ✔ | ▪ | ▪ | | | | MP3 | ✔ | ▪ | ✔ | | | | AAC | ✔ | ▪ | ✔ | | The following table displays the compatibility between the video/audio codecs and the supported recording formats. **Table 39 Video/audio codecs and formats for recording** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **MP4 and MP4-Fragmented** | **AVI** | **MOV** | **MPEG-TS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 (and H.265 for Pearl Nano) | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 (and H.265 for Pearl Nano) | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | H.264 (and H.265 for Pearl Nano) | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 (and H.265 for Pearl Nano) | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ### Configure video encoding You can configure the video encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel. Video encoding settings include: - **Video codec**: The video codec determines the type of compression and decompression, and also affects the video quality. - Pearl Nano supports H.264 and H.265 encoding. - **Video encoding profile**: This can be set to High, Main, or Baseline. Main is only available on Pearl Nano if H.265 codec is selected. - **Frame size:** The resolution applied to the channel when you stream, record, or output video to a confidence monitor. This can be set to automatically match the input video's resolution or set to a fixed resolution. - **Key frame interval**: How often a key frame that contains all the pixels is sent when streaming. The longer the key frame interval, the smaller the video file size (and vice versa). - **Limit frame rate**: You can limit the frame rate for the channel. - **Bitrate**: Increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the channel's **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as sporting events, requires a higher bitrate. By default, Pearl Nano automatically uses the incoming video source frame size as the frame size for streaming and recording when the channel has only one layout with a single video source. If you're channel has multiple video sources or layout, you must manually set a frame size for the channel. If you plan to switch layout during a live stream, a fixed frame rate is recommended. This avoids the stream from stopping and restarting due to frame size changes when switching between single-source layout that use different frame sizes. **Important considerations** - For optimum system performance, the frame size of the channel should be set to match the frame size of your video input source to avoid scaling, - If your channel has a custom layout with only one source and your source and stream aspect ratios differ, then your source appears centered in the frame and matte bars are added automatically to the top and bottom (or left and right sides) of the frame to make up the difference. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layout in different Channel, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - The larger the channel's frame size, the more bandwidth is needed for streaming and the recorded files are bigger. Instead of using the same frame size as the original video source, you can configure a smaller frame size for the channel and let Pearl Nano downscale the video. For example, if the input video signal resolution is 1920×1080 (a 16:9 aspect ratio) and the channel's frame size is set to 1280×720, Pearl Nano downscales the video and streams/records the channel at the lower frame size, using less bandwidth and producing smaller recorded files. - If you have unchecked all the manual resizing and positioning boxes in the custom layout editor and you downscale the video source using the frame size setting on the **Encoding** tab (for example, select 1280×720 frame size for a full HD video source), then the source appears cropped within the frame instead of scaling to fit the frame. You can add black bars around your video source by adjusting the frame size. For example, if your video source has a 16:9 widescreen/HD format but you need a 4:3 frame size on your output, Pearl Nano automatically adds black bars to the top and bottom of the frame if you choose a frame size for the channel that has a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is some trade off between video quality and bandwidth size, depending on the encoding settings you choose. The following table lists some additional considerations when choosing video encoding settings. **Table 40 Video encoding settings** | **Setting** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. | | H.265 (Pearl Nano only) | H.265 provides a high quality video while using a lower bandwidth. Compare the quality and required bandwidth relative to H.264. | | Key frame interval | The key frame interval feature specifies how often a key frame (a frame that contains all the pixels) is sent when streaming the video. This setting also impacts how quickly a video moves through the frames when a viewer uses the search function of their media player. Increasing the number of seconds between key frames can significantly reduce your bandwidth and system resource usage with minor impact to your video quality. A good rule of thumb is to keep the interval between 2 to 3 seconds and decrease the key frame interval as the motion increases. Try different settings and note changes in the video quality. If your video quality is poor and jittery you may need to decrease the interval between key frames. If you have unlimited bandwidth and system resources you can choose an option to stream key frames only. | | Frame rate | Frame rate reflects the number of images that are encoded per second. Reducing the frame rate for a channel reduces bandwidth usage, and vice versa. The system's ability to maintain a set frame rate is based on several factors, for example: overall system load affects the ability for the device to process pixels; available network bandwidth; the source and stream frame size (resolution); the type of motion that is captured; and number of users accessing the stream. When adjusting the frame rate, you may need to try different values to achieve the best outcome. | | Bitrate | In general, higher bitrates mean higher image quality, but more bandwidth is needed for streaming and video recordings are larger. You can set the bitrate to improve the image quality. For example, an HD Blu-ray video is typically in the range of 20 Mbps, whereas a standard-definition DVD is usually 6 Mbps. If you're unsure what bitrate value to use, start at 5000 kbps (slightly less than a typical DVD) and test to see how this looks for your viewers. | **Configure video encoding for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - Select a video **Codec** and do one of the following: - If **H.264** (or H.265 on Pearl Nano) is selected, select a **Video encoding preset** and a **Video encoding profile**. | **Item** | **Options** | | --- | --- | | Video encoding preset | **Software**: This matches the default from previous generations of Epiphan products. Only select this if you need software encoding or X.264 encoding to match results created with previous generations of Epiphan products or firmware | | Video encoding profile | **Baseline**: Choose this option when streaming to an application that requires robustness and cannot tolerate data loss, for example video-conferencing. **Main**: Choose this option for standard-definition broadcasts. **High**: This is the default. Choose this option when video is viewed for broadcast and disk storage applications, particularly for high definition television application such as Blu-ray disk storage format and HDTV broadcast service. | - Configure the frame size, do the following: - Uncheck **Use current signal resolution as the frame size**. Enabling **Use current signal resolution as the frame size** is not recommended if the video input resolution changes frequently. An unstable cable or other disturbance that causes the resolution of the video input signal to change during a live stream can cause the stream to drop. Unchecking this feature helps prevent that. - Select a **Frame size** from the list of options or enter a custom frame size in pixels. - Change the **Limit frame rate**. The default should be adequate in most applications. While decreasing the limit may improve system performance, you may need to test different values to balance video smoothness and processing power - Change the **Bitrate**. You can increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the target **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as a sporting event, requires a high bitrate. - Click **Apply**. ### Configure audio encoding If your channel includes audio sources in any of the layout, then **AAC 48 kHz** is set as the default audio codec for the channel. You can choose a different audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel. The following table lists the supported audio codecs and bitrates. **Table 41 Supported Audio codecs and bitrates** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | The AAC (default) audio codec is comparable to MP3 and may produce better sound quality with a similar bitrate. Supported values are 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported values are 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. Flash (FLV) doesn't support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this value you'll need to use a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computer and other devices such as, digital telephone systems. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. Flash (FLV) doesn't support 48 kHz PCM audio. When selecting this value you'll need to use a media player to preview your channel. | **Change the audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Channel menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - In the Audio settings, ensure that **Enable audio** is checked to include audio in the channel. - From the ** Audio format** drop down, select an audio codec. - From the** Audio Channel** drop down, choose mono or stereo (default). Choose **Mono** to have left and right stereo Channel combined so that when you listen to the streamed or recorded audio, the same blended sound comes through both the left and right Channel. If you have only one mono analog input, use the left jack and select mono encoding to have the same sound come from both the left and right Channel. (If stereo sound is chosen, the sound will only come through on the left channel. **Pearl Nano** - XLR/RCA1 - From the **Audio bitrate** drop down, choose a bitrate. For stereo audio, we recommend 256 kbps or 320 kbps. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure network settings id: pearl-nano/configure-network-settings · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configure network settings Pearl Nanos use DHCP to obtain an IP Address over an Ethernet-based network by default; however, you can easily change the network settings. ### Network ports used by Pearl Nano The following table lists the default incoming and outgoing network ports. Do not block traffic over these ports. If you want Pearl Nanos to operate properly, make sure that your firewall is configured to open these ports. Blocking a port will cause the service that uses that port to fail. It is possible to use the Admin panel to change the default ports that are used for some services. **Table 12 Default incoming network ports for Pearl Nanos** | **Port (or range)** | **Protocol** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 22 | TCP | SSH for remote support. See Support. | | 80 | TCP | HTTP/HTTPS for web-based access to the Admin panel, HTTP/HTTPS API, REST API, HLS streaming (if enabled) and the live channel preview. You can change the default HTTP port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. | | 123 | TCP/UDP | NTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 319 and 320 | UDP | PTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 443 | TCP | HTTPS for the Admin panel and HLS streaming if enabled. Port is open only when HTTPS is enabled. You can change the default HTTPS port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. Checks for new firmware versions are over this port, as well as downloading firmware files. | | Pearl Nano: 554 | TCP | For RTSP/TCP and RTSP/HTTP streaming on your network. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Note that client video players choose whether they are using RTSP/TCP, RTSP/HTTP or RTSP/UDP. Port 554 is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | | Random in range 32768 - 61000 | UDP | If the client video player chooses RTSP/UDP, it will negotiate 4 random UDP ports (two for audio and two for video). The port range is dependent on the OS of the client video player and can change with updates to that OS. | | 5353 | UDP | For multicast DNS discovery. See Connect using a DNS-based service discovery. | | Pearl Nano: 8000 | TCP | For Flash (FLV) live stream and MPEG-TS streaming on your network. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). If streaming is disabled for the channel from Channel > Streaming using the Admin panel, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | In addition to the incoming ports, Pearl Nanos use some outgoing connections as follows: - **Port 443** - used for firmware update checks and downloads. - **Publishing/streaming port** - the actual ports used for streaming to a server depends on the server and protocol used. See Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices. - **AFU file recording transfer port** - the actual ports used for AFU depends on your configuration. See Automatic file transfers. --- ## Configure system settings id: pearl-nano/configure-system-settings · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Configure system settings Pearl Nanos use the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. You can also add information like a unique device name, description, and location. ### Configure date and time Pearl Nano uses the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. #### View the current date and time settings There are two ways to view the current date and time settings: - From the Date and Time page using the Admin panel. - From the System status page (or Info page) using the Admin panel. To change the server used for synchronizing time, you can also set up a local Network Time Protocol (NTP) server on all Pearls. **View the current Date and Time settings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. **Table 18 Date and Time configuration options** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Time Zone | The currently selected time zone. | | Enable local NTP server | Select to enable local NTP server. | | Enable time synchronization | Whether or not a time synchronization protocol is being used for setting time. If not selected, time is set manually. | | Protocol | The time synchronization protocol. | | Service IP Address | The time synchronization server address. | | Set time manually | Whether or not time is set manually. If time is not being set manually, a time synchronization protocol is used. | | Date | The current date. This is the current date even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | | Time | The current time. This is the current time even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | ##### Configure a time server Pearl Nano uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) server from the National Research Council of Canada by default. You can change to a different time server using the Admin panel. Contact your system administrator for the time synchronization server settings you should use. The following table lists the time server types that Pearl Nano supports. **Table 19 Supported time server types** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | NTP | Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers are used to synchronize system time. Many NTP servers are available on the Internet. Pearl can also act as a local NTP server. All you need is the IP address of the NTP server and network access to the server to use that as the time synchronization source for Pearl Nano. For more information about NTP and to find NTP servers, refer to [http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome](http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome). A local Windows NTP server is not supported. | | PTP v1 | The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used for clock synchronization over the Internet. It has clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it more granular than NTP. | NTP sends UDP packets over port 123 on Pearl Nano and PTP sends UDP packets over ports 319 and 320. If the Pearl Nano is behind a firewall, you must open these ports to allow traffic when the Pearl Nano is configured to use either an NTP or a PTP server to obtain its time and date information. **Set the time synchronization method using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time **. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - To use Pearl Nano as a NTP server and provide timing to other NTP clients like IP cameras, check **Enable local NTP server**. Otherwise, skip this step. - Select **Enable time synchronization** and choose the time synchronization protocol from the **Protocols **drop down. - If **NTP **is selected, enter the IP address or server name for the NTP server in the **Server IP Address **field. - If **PTP v1 **is selected, choose a multicast address for the PTP v1 server from the **PTP domain** field. **Table 20 PTP multicast addresses** | **PTP Domain** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Default | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.129 | | Alternative 1 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.130 | | Alternative 2 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.131 | | Alternative 3 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.132 | - Click **Apply**. ##### Manually set the date, time, and time zone Pearl Nano uses NTP for time synchronization by default. You can manually set the date, time, and time zone. Pearl Nano uses the Eastern (Canada) time zone by default. **Set the date, time, and zone manually using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - Enter the current date in the **Date **field using the format *yyyy-mm-dd* and enter the current time in the **Time **field using the format *hh:mm:ss*. - Select a time zone from the **Time Zone **field. - Click **Apply**. ### Configure device info, name, description, and location You can assign a unique device name to the Pearl Nano using the Admin panel and add information such as a description and location. Alphanumeric characters and hyphens are supported. The serial number of Pearl Nano is the default device name. For AFU and USB file transfers that are configured to create a folder upon file upload, the device name you set for the Pearl Nano is used for the folder name instead of Pearl's serial number. For CMSs, the device name you set here for the Pearl Nano appears as the registered name for this device. **Configure the device name, description, and location using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Info**. The system information page opens. - Under **Device info**, do any of the following and then click **Apply**: - Enter a name using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 64 characters. - Enter a description using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. - Enter a location using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. --- ## Connect an RTSP source id: pearl-nano/connect-an-rtsp-source · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Connect an RTSP source You can connect an RTSP source (such as an IP camera or another Pearl Nano) to Pearl Nano over a network using the Admin panel. RTSP video encoding is supported with H.264 video codec (and H.265 on Pearl Nano) and MP3 or AAC audio formats. We recommend using the hardware acceleration option for improved performance (enabled by default). **Important considerations** - If an RTSP source is connected but unused in any channel, only key frames are encoded to preserve CPU resources. - **Pearl Nano** - It is recommended to only use a single RTSP source for a Pearl Nano - To synchronize timestamps between your RTSP source and Pearl Nano, the same time synchronization server should be used for both. We recommend that you configure an NTP server on your Pearl Nano and use it as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. The timestamps of an RTSP source and Pearl Nano tend to gradually go out of sync. If there's a **2500 –3000 ms** difference between the timestamp of your RTSP source and the Pearl Nano, a "no signal" image displays and your RTSP source won't stream audio. Re-connect your RTSP source to reset any time synchronization issues. **Connect an RTSP source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**, and then click **Add RTSP input** The RTSP input page opens. - Enter the **Input URL**, **Username **and **Password **for your RTSP source and select either **UDP** or **TCP** as the Preferred transport. - (Optional) Rename the RTSP source, - (Optional) Configure a custom "No signal" image, - Click **Apply **to save your settings and connect your RTSP source. After your RTSP source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the **Status **header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with your RTSP stream are also displayed on this page. Alternatively, you can view stream connection information when you click **check **at the bottom of the page. ### Connect an SRT stream as an input Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders. You can configure Pearl Nano as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layout for recording, and streaming. - **Pearl Nano** - Pearl Nano cannot be used as a switcher. - **Pearl Nano** - Only one video input on Pearl Nano can be from an SRT source. When adding an SRT input, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input in the Admin panel to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input in the Admin panel to listener mode. **What's needed for this setup** - The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode. - For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input to use the same port value as the SRT source. - For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Pearl Nano to use the corresponding mode. - Caller mode can be used only for connection with the publicly accessed destination/source. - Listener mode can be used for connection with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall). - For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. - If AES encryption and a passphrase is required, consult your IT administrator for this information. Pearl Nano supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase. If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values. **Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select **Add input** and select **Add SRT input**. The SRT input configuration page opens. - In the **Connection mode** field, select the SRT mode: - For **Caller** mode, enter the following: - **URL **- the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be a Pearl Nano sending an SRT stream. - **Source port** - enter the port number for Pearl Nano to use for SRT traffic. - **Stream ID** - In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - For **Listener** mode, optionally enter the following: - Enter the **Port** number for this device to use for SRT traffic. - For **Rendezvous **mode enter the following: - **URL **of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the SRT encoder device. - Enter the following optional settings: - **Encryption** - select the check box and choose the AES **Key length** if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device. - **Passphrase** - Enter a passphrase if one is required along with AES encryption. - **Latency** - Add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. If you require real-time responses from your audience, you should use as little latency as possible. - **Audio delay** - The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. - **No signal image** - Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the SRT stream. from the dropdown list. The **DEFAULT** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout** - Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No signal image** appears. - Click **Apply**. We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. --- ## Firmware upgrade id: pearl-nano/firmware-upgrade · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Firmware upgrade When you register your product with Epiphan, you can choose to receive email notifications whenever firmware updates are available. To take advantage of exciting new features and important fixes for your Pearl Nano, install new firmware whenever the system indicates that a firmware update is available. ### Check for firmware updates Your Pearl Nano automatically checks for firmware updates if the **Enable connection to maintenance server** option is checked on the **Maintenance** page of the Admin panel. You can also manually check for updates If your Pearl Nano has internet access. Don't miss out on any feature enhancement. Register your Pearl Nano and be eligible to download firmware updates. When **Enable connection to maintenance server** is checked, the built-in firmware update mechanism checks for updates for your specific product and hardware version automatically. **Manually check for new firmware using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Click **check for updates** beside the current firmware version. If an update is found, a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel with a link to download and install the firmware. **Manually check for new firmware using the front screen menu** | Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Firmware**, then select **Check for updates**. | | --- | #### Update the firmware If your Pearl Nano has internet access, the easiest way to install a firmware update is to use the download link that's provided when you check for new firmware. If you have a Pearl Nano firmware file that was provided to you by Epiphan Video, you can install the new firmware using the web-based Admin panel. You cannot install new firmware from a locally saved file using the local console on Pearl Nano. While the firmware is updating, the front screen displays a firmware update in-progress notice. All streaming and recording functions stop until after the firmware upgrade is complete. Installing new firmware takes a few minutes, after which the system reboots. Depending on the upgrade, a disk rebuild may be required, causing the restart process to take more time. Please be patient and wait for the system to finish rebooting. Do not interrupt power to the system during a firmware upgrade. **Before you begin** Schedule a time to when you can update the firmware without negatively impacting viewers or automatic file upload and recording schedules. It's good practice to make a backup of your current configuration before applying a firmware update so that you can revert to the previous firmware if needed, see Create a configuration preset in the Pearl Family shared guide. You should also clear your web browser's cache after the update is complete. **Perform a firmware update using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - (Optional) Save a copy of the current system configuration. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Do one of the following: - Click **check for updates**. If a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel, click **Download and install**. - Click **Choose File** and select the firmware upgrade file that's located on your admin computer, then click **Apply**. The system unpacks and verifies the file. If the file is valid, the upgrade begins. A notice that the firmware update is in progress appears on the front screen. Do not interrupt power to the system during the firmware upgrade. - When the firmware update is complete, a message lets you know that Pearl Nano is going to reboot. Wait for the system to restart. - After the system reinitializes, go to the settings for your web browser and clear your web browser's cache. - Connect to the Admin panel and login as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. Verify that the firmware version is the expected new version. If in the rare occasion the firmware update fails, the front screen reports the failure. Please collect system information such as the serial number of Pearl Nano, the previous firmware version (if known), and the new firmware version and contact **info@epiphan.com** **Perform a firmware update using the front screen menu** - When a firmware update is available, a new option to update the firmware appears on the Menu screen. - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Press the **check mark** key to select **Firmware update** when that option appears on the front screen. - Press the **check mark** key to select **Reboot now** if prompted. --- ## Front and back view of Pearl Nano id: pearl-nano/front-and-back-view-of-pearl-nano · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Front and back view of Pearl Nano **Front panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | 3.5 mm audio output jack | For audio confidence monitoring. Plays the audio for the currently visible channel. | | | SD card slot and LED indicator | Used to store up to 512 GB of recordings and user uploaded media files. A small LED lights when Pearl Nano is powered on and an SD card is installed. If a SATA M.2 SSD is installed, the SD card slot is no longer detected and the LED indicator does not light. | | | Front screen display | Used for confidence monitoring and for displaying the front screen menu system and device information. | | | Control keys | Used to navigate the front screen menu system and select options when configuring system parameters using the front screen menu system. | | | Recording control key | Glows red when the device is recording. Flashing means that user action is required and recording has either stopped or won't start. Color is white when the system is powered on and not recording. | | | Streaming control key | Glows blue when the device is streaming. Flashing means that user action is required and streaming has either stopped or won't start. Color is white when the system is powered on and not streaming. | **Pearl Nano Table 2 back panel descriptions** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | 12V DC power jack | Connect the power supply here to power on the device. The port requires a 12 V DC power source (center-positive). Always use the provided power adapter and tighten the screw lock securely onto the socket. To power down the unit, disconnect the power adapter from the device. | | | Cable lock | Allows Pearl Nano to be locked to a desk or surface using a laptop cable lock. | | | USB | A USB 3.0 (UAC) port for connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB microphones, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. USB (UVC) devices are not supported. | | | HDMI OUT | An HDMI video output port, | | | PoE+ (RJ-45 Ethernet) | Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port with support for RTSP and SRT networked video inputs and PoE+ network power. | | | SDI | An SDI video input port that supports 12G SDI. | | | HDMI PASS-THROUGH | An HDMI pass-through port that outputs the HDMI IN signal with no added latency. | | | HDMI IN | An HDMI video input port that supports HDMI and DVI signals (using an adapter) up to 4K with the optional 4K add-on | | | RCA | RCA consumer line-level stereo pair (left/right) audio inputs. | | | XLR | Two XLR professional line-level, +4 dBu (balanced/unbalanced) jacks that can function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as two mono inputs. | --- ## Manage recorded files id: pearl-nano/manage-recorded-files · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Manage recorded files Pearl Nano save recordings by default to the SD card (or SATA M.2 2280 SSD on Pearl Nano). When the SD card is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. You can not manually transfer recordings off the SD card to iOS or Windows systems. There are a variety of ways to automatically transfer files from the system to local network storage. You can also manually select individual recordings to transfer or delete using the Admin panel. **Manage the recordings for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - **Pearl Nano** - From the Channel menu, select **Recording**. The Recording page opens. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel. - To *download an individual file*, select the recording filename to download it. - To *download multiple files*, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. - To *rename a recorded file*, select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. - To *view a recorded file*, click on the triangle Play button next to the file you want to play back. This will open the video file in an HTML5 player within the browser for viewing. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. - To *delete a single recording*, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete multiple recordings*, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete all recordings* for the channel, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page. ### Join recorded files together After recording files on Pearl Nano, you can join two or more files together. This is useful when a recording exceeds the maximum recording time limit and the recording is split into multiple files. You can use the third-party tool called ffmpeg to join the files. **Download ffmpeg from the Internet and join multiple recorded files** - Download the files that you need from Pearl Nano and make sure you have the right paths and file names. For example: *C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Use the command **ffmpeg -i** to specify the input file. For example: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Repeat the process and specify the file you want to join to the first file. You can keep adding as many files as you want to join together. For example, specifying a second file looks like this: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi* - Use the **-c copy **command to specify the output file. After the command, type in the location, file name and file extension that you want for the concatenated file. The full line looks like this: **ffmpeg -i** C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi **-i **C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi **-c copy** C:\Users\JoesComputer\Desktop\Concatenated_File.avi - After completing the process, you will be able to access your new file in the location you specified. The file moves straight from the first video into the second without a pause. You can this process to join multiple files; however, the more files you join, the greater the chance that some audio desychronization can occur between the clips. --- ## Monitoring audio id: pearl-nano/monitoring-audio · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Monitoring audio The front panel includes a 3.5 mm headphones audio jack for monitoring audio. To monitor the audio for a channel, just select the channel using the device screen. The audio you hear depends on the audio source configured in the live channel layout. Increasing the volume to 100% may cause you to hear distortion that is not actually present in the audio signal being recorded and streamed. **Adjust the volume on Pearl Nano** From the Channel view or when one of the video sources is displayed on the front screen, press the up and down arrow keys on the control key interface to adjust the volume. Each press changes the volume by 10% to a maximum volume of 100%. Turn the volume all the way down to mute. You can also adjust the volume using the front screen menu when you select **System > Controls > Headphone volume**. **Audio VU meter** A VU meter on the device screen shows the audio levels for the channel you are monitoring. The value is displayed in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). Colored bars represent the audio level. Channel that have stereo audio display two bars. The top bar is the left audio channel and the bottom bar is the right audio channel. **Table 3 Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | The VU meter appears in several different places so you can visually check audio levels: - **Pearl Nano Front screen**: On the channel view and on each of the video input screens. - **Admin Panel**: On the audio input source's configuration page when you select the input source from the Inputs menu. You can also add the VU meter to appear on the video output ports. --- ## Multicast streaming id: pearl-nano/multicast-streaming · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Multicast streaming You can add multiple multicast streams to a channel in Pearl Nano. A multicast stream consists of one stream distributed to many viewers via a multicast-capable network. You can stream to several multicast networks and at the same time, stream to non-multicast CDNs. Pearl Nano supports multicast streaming to an IP TV or a set-top box playlist using SAP when the stream format is MPEG-TS. ### MPEG-TS streams using UDP push When you configure an MPEG-TS stream using UDP push, you have the option to enable SAP and multicast over a local network at the same time. Before configuring your channel for MPEG-TS streaming, ensure the following codecs are configured in the encoding section: - Video – H.264 or H.265 for Pearl Nano - Audio – MP3 or AAC, if audio is configured. **To configure MPEG-TS with UDP push and enable SAP:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **MPEG-TS UDP push**. - Enter the destination multicast IP address where the broadcast can be viewed. A IPv4 multicast address range is an address between 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Contact your System Administrator for the specific address to use. - Enter the destination port number through which the media will stream. - (Optional) To advertise your stream to a media player over a local network, do the following: - Check **SAP announcement** to enable advertising your stream over a local network. When this is enabled and a multicast IP address is configured, your stream is displayed in the playlist of the local media player. - Enter a multicast IP address in the** SAP announcement IP** field. If your media player is configured to receive multicast streams from an IP address that is different from the default address 224.2.127.254, you may need to contact your system administrator for a specific multicast IP address. - Enter a channel number in the **Channel number** field to identify your stream in the media player. By default, the Channel number is the channel identifier. When a channel number value is not specified, viewers cannot select a channel from the set-top box or Smart TV. - Enter a name for a group of streams in the text box next to **Group name**. Since media players simply present a list of available streams, you can organize your streams into multiple folders or in cases where folders are not displayed, use dot separator hierarchy to help your viewers filter out unwanted streams by category. - Click **Apply**. - Select **Start** when you're ready to start streaming. **View the MPEG-TS UDP stream ** To view the stream from a media player, open the URL in the media player, for example: udp://@ip:port **For example:** udp://@226.10.24.32:7000 To view the stream when SAP announce has been set and the stream is advertised from a media player, set-top box or Smart TV, refer to Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP). ### Set up traffic shaping If you're multicasting to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for the lower bandwidth set-top boxes. Only multicast streams support traffic shaping: MPEG-TS USP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. If you need traffic shaping configured differently than what the Admin panel allows, contact support@epiphan.com. When traffic shaping is enabled, the default bitrate limit is set to auto. In auto mode, the bitrate is limited to the sum of the channel's configured bitrate plus 4 Mbps and is adjusted to fit within the range of 4 Mbps minimum to 95 Mbps maximum. You can also set a bitrate limit for the maximum amount of bandwidth that gets streamed using the Admin panel when traffic shaping is enabled. When you do, the streamed video won't exceed the maximum bitrate you set. The valid bandwidth limit bitrate range is 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps. We recommend that you set the bitrate to a value no less than the channel encoding bitrate plus 4 Mbps. For example, if the bitrate for the channel is set to 10 Mbps in the encoding settings, the minimum value we recommend for the bandwidth limit bitrate is 14 Mbps. **Important considerations** - Traffic shaping works for the local switch. Switches connected to the local switch don't respect the policy. - If the channel encoding bitrate is set to a value that's less than 4 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the minimum bandwidth limit does not drop below than 4 Mbps. - If the channel encoding bitrate value is greater than 95 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. - If the bandwidth limit is set to auto and the total of the channel bitrate plus 4 Mbps exceeds 95 Mbps, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. After traffic shaping is enabled, we recommend that you first test a multicast stream using the auto traffic shaping settings. If your low bandwidth network device is displaying poor video quality, then go ahead and manually set the limit bandwidth bitrate according to the bandwidth of your particular network device. **Set traffic shaping for a multicast stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select a multicasting stream as the type: **MPEG-TS USP**, **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP**, or **RTP/UDP**. The new stream is created with the default name *Stream 1*. - To see the settings, click the stream name. - Check **Limit bandwidth**. The default bitrate is set to **auto**. - (Optional) Set the **Limit bandwidth rate** and enter a bitrate value from 4,000 kbps to 95,000 kbps. - Click **Apply**. ### Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) When SAP Announce is configured for a stream that uses UDP streaming, the stream is advertised over the local network. Local viewers can view the stream using a software or hardware media player. Viewers are presented with a list of available Channel, similar to a television menu. Viewers need only click on a stream and the video is streamed to their desktop, mobile or tablet. Your stream is advertised by the metadata title, if one was configured; otherwise, the stream is identified by its channel identifier. For Pearl Nano, the channel identifier is always 1. For a description of how to set the metadata, refer to Add or remove channel metadata. When browsing from a VLC media player, streams are advertised by their channel identifier and are organized by the group name. When browsing from an XBMC media player, streams are advertised by the stream's metadata title (if configured); otherwise, streams are advertised by their channel identifier. **View the Session Annoucement Protocol (SAP) stream** - Ensure the stream has SAP announcement enabled; otherwise, it is not advertised in the media player's playlist. - Ensure the SAP announcement IP is a multicast IP address. Some media players, for example Exterity receivers, listen for SAP announcements on a specific multicast address 239.255.255.255. If your audience is using Exterity to view your stream, you must change the SAP announcement IP address to 239.255.255.255. - Launch a media player and play the streams. - Using VLC, click **View **and select Playlist. The right-hand panel indicates the playlist is empty. - From the side menu, click **Network streams (SAP)**. The playlist is populated with all streams in your network that are SAP announcement enabled. If you specified a Group Name when you configured the publish stream the stream will be listed in folder identified by the group name. - Click on a live stream in the playlist to play the stream. This VLC example shows two streams D2P83658.vga and D2P83658.video, which are organized in a folder by their group name. --- ## MultiViewer system information id: pearl-nano/multiviewer-system-information · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # MultiViewer system information MultiViewer can display system information, including channel and audio input information. To display system information in the MultiViewer, select **Channel** or **Audio Inputs** in the **Source** drop-down on the HDMI outputs page. **Channel** If **Channel** is selected, the following information is displayed on the MultiViewer: - **Channel** - the status of the channel status - There are no errors or warnings, and the channel is ready to use. - There is an error with either the channel's recorder or any of the channel's publishers. - There are publishing warnings. This is also shown if the channel is not in running state. - **Recording** - The recording status of the channel - Currently recording - Recording error - **Stopped** - Not currently recording - **Streaming** - The streaming status of the channel - There are active publishers. The numbers show how many publishers are active. - Publishing errors, and the number of publishing errors. - **Actual FPS** - The current rate of frames per second **Audio Inputs** A list of the active audio inputs on the Pearl Nano. - **Input name** - the name of the audio input - **Audio meter** - the audio is live and the input is being monitored --- ## Pearl Nano AV inputs id: pearl-nano/pearl-nano-av-inputs · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Pearl Nano AV inputs We recommend having up to two video sources added to the custom layout in Pearl Nano's single, full HD channel. One of the video sources can be either an SRT or an RTSP networked source; however, you cannot connect more than one networked source at the same time. Pearl Nano supports use of common signal converters and input adapters. **Pearl Nano Table 4 Input Ports** | **Input port** | **Qty** | **Details** | | --- | --- | --- | | **SDI**1 | 1 | Linear PCM audio/video input. Supports 12G SDI video input. | | **4K HDMI**2 | 1 | Linear PMC audio/video input, non-HDCP protected. DVI-I (using an adapter) is single link. Supports up to 4K with the optional 4K add-on. | | **USB 3.0** | 2 | Linear PCM audio inputs on the rear panel accept non-HDCP protected content. Use to connect a single UAC device, such as a USB microphone. Can also connect to external hard drives, flash drives, and control interfaces. USB (UVC) devices are not supported. | | **RJ-45** | 1 | One SRT source over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps. | | | | One RTSP source over Ethernet at 1920×1080@30 fps. | | **RCA**3 | 2 | RCA consumer line-level audio inputs function as a stereo pair (-10 dBV). White = left Red = right | | **XLR**3 | 2 | Two XLR audio inputs operate as a stereo pair (left/right) by default. XLR 1 = right XLR 2 = left You can configure the ports to operate as independent mono inputs using the Admin panel, XLR inputs accept balanced and unbalanced, professional line level signals with a maximum of up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu. | 1 SD-SDI audio is not supported. 2 Requires 4K feature add on 3 In the Admin panel, XLR/RCA includes audio signals from the XLR audio pair and the RCA audio pair by default. You can disable one or the other using the Admin panel. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI and SDI sources. HDCP-protected content may appear as a green screen on Pearl Nano. If you are using DVI2PCIe cards with your Pearl Nano, DVI2PCIe cards do not support audio over HDMI. --- ## Pearl Nano power adapter specifications id: pearl-nano/pearl-nano-power-adapter-specifications · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Pearl Nano power adapter specifications An AC to DC power adapter model SYS1588-3012 comes with your Pearl Nano. **Table 6 AC to DC power adapter SYS1588-3012 specifications** | **Parameter** | **Value** | | --- | --- | | Input voltage | 90-240 VAC | | Input AC frequency | 47 to 63 Hz | | Output voltage | 12 VDC | | Output current | 2.5 A | | Output power | 30 W | | Active efficiency (average) | 87.7 % | | Efficiency (10 % load) | 86.5 % | | No-load consumption | 0.1 W | | Manufacturer | Sunny Computer Technology Europe, s.r.o Trnkova 156, 628 00 Brno, Czech Republic | --- ## Pearl Nano recording storage information id: pearl-nano/pearl-nano-recording-storage-information · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Pearl Nano recording storage information - An SD card (or a SATA M.2 2280 SSD on Pearl Nano) must be installed to record. - After an SD card is formatted using Pearl Nano do not manually change the default file folder structure on the SD card. - Ejecting the SD card while the recording is in progress may corrupt the SD card and cause loss of data. Power down the Pearl Nano before ejecting the SD card. Stop all recording before powering down the system. - The maximum file size cannot be larger than a quarter of the total available space on the SD card. For example, the maximum file size limit for a 64 GB SD card is 16 GB. A warning appears if you set a file size limit that is bigger than a quarter of the SD card capacity. - If you set the file size limit and then swap in a smaller SD card, you must change the file size limit to a smaller size using the Admin panel if the file size limit is bigger than the SD card. - Recording with a file size limit that exceeds the size of the SD card will corrupt the SD card. - Newer recordings overwrite oldest recordings when the amount of free space on the SD card (or M.2 SSD) is less than the configured recording file size limit. - The SD card is formatted for Linux systems and is not compatible with Windows and Mac devices. - We recommend using large capacity SD cards such as 256 GB (or a large capacity M.2 SSD when using Pearl Nano) with a CMS. Do not schedule recordings that are longer than the capacity of the storage device to store the recording to the storage medium. --- ## Pearl Nano tech specs id: pearl-nano/pearl-nano-tech-specs · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Pearl Nano tech specs The input and output connectors are listed for Pearl Nano. **Table 5 Specifications for Pearl Nano** | Video inputs | Local video inputs | (1) 12G SDI (1) 4K HDMI1 and 2 | | --- | --- | --- | | | Video over Ethernet3 | (1) RTSP(1) SRT (push) | | | Connectors | (1) BNC (female) (1) HDMI type A (female) (1) USB-A (female) (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Aspect ratios | 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, and custom aspect ratios | | | Standard resolutions | PAL, PAL wide, NTSC, NTSC wide | | | Resolution range | 640×480 to 4K | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Input color spaces | HDMI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2, YCRCB 4:4:4 SDI: YCRCB 4:2:2 | | | Interlacing | Yes | | | Maximum cable length for SDI | 300 ft | | | Maximum cable length for USB 3.0 | 6 ft | | Audio inputs | Analog audio inputs | (2) XLR pro line level (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or L/R stereo pair) (1) RCA consumer line level - 10 dBV (L/R stereo pair) | | | Connectors | (2) XLR (female) (2) RCA (female) | | | Digital audio inputs4 | (1) SDI5 (1) HDMI (1) USB (1) RTSP (embedded over Ethernet) (1) SRT (embedded over Ethernet) | | | Connectors | (1) BNC (female) (1) HDMI type A (female) (1) USB-A (female) (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Gain control | 0 dB to +30 dB | | | Mute | Yes | | | Configurable audio delay | -300 ms to +300 ms | | Video processing | Video output color space | 4:2:0, 8 bits per color | | | Video codec | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1, 5.1 H.265/HEVC (ITU H.265, ISO/IEC 23008-2:2013) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: Main **Profile level**: 5.1 | | | Bitrate | 1 to 50 Mbps (selectable) | | | Bitrate control | Constant | | | Video scaling | Software and hardware | | | Key frames | 1/2 s, and 1 s up to 5 s in 1 second intervals | | Audio processing | Compression | MP3, AAC, and PCM | | | Sampling rate | MP3: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz AAC: 16 kHz, 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz PCM: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz | | | Bitrate | 64 to 320 kbps (MP3 and AAC) | | Video output | Signal types | (1) HDMI 2.0 (port 1) (1) HDMI 2.0a pass-through (port 2) (1) H.264/AVC digital video over Ethernet (1) RTSP (1) SRT (push) (1) HLS (push) | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Encoded Channel | One 1080p channel at 60 fps with up to two full HD video sources, or one 4K channel at 30 fps with 4K video sources | | | Streaming protocols | MPEG-TS, and FLV RTSP over TCP/UDP RTMP/RTMPS SRT (push) over UDP HLS (push) over HTTP/HTTPS HLS (pull) - Native Apple HTTP/HTTPS stream for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch | | | Stream encryption and authentication | SRT: 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption (negotiated) and configurable passphrase HLS (push): MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 RTMPS: encryption plus CA certificate negotiation | | | Resolution ranges | Recorded: 480p to 4K Streamed: 480p to 4K HDMI output port: 480p to 1080p HDMI passthrough port: 480p to 4K | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Formats | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 | | | Network traffic shaping (multicast streams) | 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps (configurable) | | Audio output | Analog audio output | (1) 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack | | | Digital audio outputs | RTSP and SRT audio over Ethernet HLS audio over HTTP/HTTPS HDMI audio (embedded) | | Monitor and control | Front screen | 2.2 inch screen monitor (built in) resolution: 320x240 | | | Control key interface | Front panel control keys and multi-function keys | | | USB keyboard | Connect a standard USB keyboard (optional) | | | USB status light | Connect a single USB status light (optional), supported models: -Kuando BusyLight models: UC Alpha and UC Omega -Delcom Products USB HID single color and multi-color signal indicators | | Recording and storage | Record formats | AVI, MOV, MP4, and MPEG-TS | | | File upload formats | JPEG, PNG | | | SD card | Up to 512 GB7,8 | | | File system for SD card | EXT4 | | | Internal storage | SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage7 (M Key connector) | | | File transfer protocols | FTP, SFTP, SCP, AWS S3 client, and WebDAV client RSync | | | Network file share protocols | CIFS/SMB2+ | | | File system for USB storage | FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, XFS, EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, NTFS | | | External USB port | (1) USB 3.0 (UAC) | | | Bitrate | Up to 50 Mbps | | Communication | USB standards | USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured. | | | Serial port | (1) Bidirectional RS-232 (via a USB to serial adapter) | | | Serial protocols | **Data bits**: 7 or 8 (default) **Stop bits**: 1 **Parity**: None **Flow control**: None, Hardware or Software | | | Serial port baud rate | 19200 bps | | | Ethernet host port | (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Ethernet data rate | 10/100/1000 Base-T, half/full duplex with autodetect | | | Maximum Transmission Unit | 68 to 1500 MTU (configurable) | | | Protocols | DHCP Option 81, TLS 1.2, LDAP, mDNS, DDNS, SAP, RTP, MPEG-TS & RTP and MPEG-TS/UDP, 802.1x, EAPOL, EAP-TTLS, EAP-TLS, PEAP, HTTP, HTTPS, NTP, PTP, FTP, SFTP, SCP AWS S3 | | | Network discovery/Announce | SAP | | Network security | 802.1x EAP methods | PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS | | Administration and control | Admin panel | Local web UI for full administration. On-screen display and mobile UI for confidence monitoring, administration, and control. Local Admin panel access using an external monitor and a USB mouse or keyboard connected directly to Pearl Nano plus front screen monitor support. | | | Epiphan Edge | Cloud-based platform to remotely manage and control Pearl Nano devices. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor sources and alert dashboard, remotely log in to Admin panel for rescue troubleshooting, update firmware and more from the Internet. | | | Secure access | Multiple user accounts and passwords. HTTPS for secure Admin panel access, as well as local network access to the live channel broadcast. | | | Remote access: | Remote login9 to the cloud version of the Admin panel. | | | API | Yes (HTTP/HTTPS or RS-232) | | | Crestron driver | Yes See [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nano-software-documentation/#control-modules](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nano-software-documentation/#control-modules) | | Integrations | Content Management Systems | Kaltura Panopto YuJa Opencast | | | Cloud access and management | Epiphan Edge | | AC/DC power adapter | Model | SYS1588-3012 | | | Input power rating | 90 to 240 VAC, 1.5 ARMS, 47 to 63 Hz | | | Output power rating | 12 VDC, 2.5 A, 30 W | | | Active efficiency (average): | 87.7% | | | Efficiency (10% load): | 86.5% | | | No load consumption: | 0.1 W | | | Power adapter manufacturer | Sunny Computer Technology Europe, s.r.o Trnkova 156, 628 00 Brno Czech Republic | | General | Operating temperature | 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° Celsius) | | | Cooling | Fan air flow: Left to right | | | Enclosure | Metal | | | Form factor | Portable desktop model, VESA mountable | | | Dimensions (W × D × H) | 8.11" × 5.91" × 1.69" (206 mm × 150 mm × 43 mm) | | | Weight | 2.0 lbs (907 g) | | | Power supply | External AC/DC power adapter: 90 to 240 VAC/12 VDC, 2.5 A, 47 to 63 Hz PoE+ (802.3at) | | | Input power rating | External AC/DC power adapter: 12 VDC, 1.5 ARMS, 34 W PoE+ (802.3at): 44 to 57 VDC, 25.5 to 30 W | | Regulatory compliance | **FCC compliance**: Part 15 | | | **CE compliance**: Directive 2014/30/EU - Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/35/EU - Low Voltage Directive Directive 2011/65/EU - RoHS | | Time synchronization | NTP, TIME (RFC 868), PTP v1 (IEEE-1588-2002 V1) | | Country of origin | Made in Malaysia. | ### Optimum System Load **Recommended maximum channels and inputs** Pearl Nano supports up to one 4K30 channel or one 1080p60 channel, built from up to two video sources total. Both sources can be local (HDMI and/or SDI, up to 4K60 4:2:2 8-bit each), or one of the two can be a single networked IP source (SRT or RTSP, up to 1080p30) — only one IP source can be ingested at a time. For example, 1 HDMI + 1 SRT is supported. These recommendations are hardware limits and cannot be exceeded. While Pearl Nano is powerful, there is a limit to the number of concurrent tasks the onboard CPU can perform efficiently. The number of concurrent tasks depends on many factors, such as: - the number of video sources - what frame rate and bitrate is used for a channel - if the video output ports are used - if a live monitor is connected to the HDMI output port For best results, we recommend keeping System load usage under 70%. **Check CPU usage on Pearl Nano's front screen** To check the CPU usage from the front screen menu, repeatedly press the **left arrow** key on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**, and then select **Device information** to display the Device information screen. **Recommendations** If the system load is higher than recommended, you can: - Disable the video output port (if unused). - Stop any channel that is streaming or recording. - Ensure video sources come in at the right resolution so that Pearl Nano doesn't have to up scale or down scale the video source. --- ## Pearl Nano's front panel control interface id: pearl-nano/pearl-nanos-front-panel-control-interface · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Pearl Nano's front panel control interface The front screen and control key interface on Pearl Nano have many functions, including confidence monitoring, starting and stopping recording and streaming, configuring settings using the front screen menu, loading configuration presets, viewing system information, and more. ### About the front screen and control key interface Pearl Nano's front screen and control key interface has multiple uses, including confidence monitoring, basic configuration, diagnostics, plus quick access streaming and recording control. When you power on , the Channel view displays the Auto channel by default. In this example, the auto channel shows a video source that is connected. Dashes in the footer indicate there is no record medium installed yet (i.e. no SD card or SATA M.2 SSD installed) and no streams are configured for the channel. Otherwise, the record and stream timers would appear at the bottom of the screen. If no video sources are connected or your sources aren't sending a signal, the Channel view shows the no signal image. You can use the control keys to change views on the front screen and navigate the front screen menu. Pressing the **check mark** key selects a highlighted menu option. The Record and Stream control keys on the front panel are used to start and stop recording or streaming, respectively. Their color and brightness change under different conditions. **Table 7 Front panel record and stream control key conditions** | **Icon** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | | Record control key used to stop and start recording the channel. Glows solid white when an SD card (or SATA M.2 SSD) is installed and formatted. Glows solid red when the channel is actively recording. Flashes red on/off if there is an error while recording. Solid off (white) when no storage medium is installed and formatted, or when Pearl Nano is powered off. | | | Stream control key used to stop and start streaming the channel. Glows solid white when a stream is configured for the channel. Glows solid blue when the channel is actively streaming. Flashes blue on/off if there is an error while streaming. Solid off (white) when no stream is configured for the channel or when Pearl Nano is powered off. | A default No Signal screen appears if no video sources are connect to Pearl Nano for the Auto channel to pick up. The No Signal screen also appears if the channel's layout does not include the video source when the Auto channel has been renamed and is no longer functioning as an automatic channel. By default, full access to the front screen and control interface is enabled. To control access to the front screen and control interface, you can set a PIN using the Admin panel. When a PIN is set, the front panel controls are locked. Users must unlock the screen to access the different views on the front screen and to start/stop streaming or recording using the Record and Stream control keys. A virtual keyboard for entering the PIN appears on the front screen; however, you can connect an external USB keyboard if Pearl Nano is configured to allow that. #### The front screen Channel view After you power on the Pearl Nano, the Channel view displays automatically. You can hide the header and footer bars on the Channel view by pressing the **check mark** key. Press the **check mark** key again to show the header and footer bars. **Table 8 Parts of the front screen for the Channel view** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 1 | Channel resolution and frame rate. | | 2 | Channel name. | | 3 | Preview of the channel video source used for confidence monitoring. If no video source is connected or there is no video signal, the default No Signal screen displays. | | 4 | Recording indicator and timer. The recording timer shows the length of time that recording has been in progress. If dashes appear in place of the timer, there is no SD card or SATA M.2 SSD installed and formatted. | | 5 | Streaming indicator and timer. The streaming timer shows the length of time that streaming has been in progress. If dashes appear in place of the timer, there are no streams configured for the channel. | | 6 | Audio VU meter using quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average audio level in each 100 ms period is displayed using colored bars. RED = 0 to -9 dBFS Yellow = -9 to -18 dBFS Green = -18 dBFS and lower | #### The front screen menu and control keys The front screen menu lets you view Pearl Nano settings and do basic configuration, like setting a static IP address and choosing which video source appears on the HDMI OUT port. The control key interface on the front panel lets you change views on the front screen and navigate the front screen menu. Pressing the left arrow key is mentioned throughout the user guide, but you could use either key to navigate. Pressing the **check mark** key selects a highlighted option. In this example, pressing the **check mark** key while **Channel** is highlighted on the Menu screen opens the Channel screen. The small arrow head at the end of a row indicates more options. The check mark key also toggles a switch on and off. Darkened rows are not selectable and the fields are read only. In the example DHCP enabled screen, the IP address, Network mask, and Network gateway are all read only fields. There are many functions you can perform using the front screen menu, like temporarily dimming the front screen and control keys when you select **System > Controls > Front screen**. Just press any key on the front panel of Pearl Nano to restore the screen and key luminance. #### Record and stream using the control keys Simply press the **Record control key** on Pearl Nano's front panel to easily start and stop recording a channel. The Record control key glows solid red and the recording timer on the Channel view increments while recording is in progress. When you're done, press the Record control key again to stop recording. A formatted SD card (or SATA M.2 2280 SSD) must be installed and formatted before you can record video. If no record medium is available, dashes display in place of the recording timer and the Record control key does not light. To start and stop streaming, simply press the **Stream control key** on Pearl Nano's front panel to easily start and stop streaming a channel. The Stream control key glows solid blue and the streaming timer on the Channel view increments while streaming is in progress. When you're done, press the Stream control key again to stop streaming. If multiple streams are configured for the channel, pressing the Stream control key starts and stops all streams at the same time. A stream must already be configured for the channel. If no stream is configured, dashes display in place of the streaming timer and the Stream control key does not light. Pearl Nano also features One Touch control, which lets you start/stop streaming and recording at the same time with the touch of a button. #### Dim the front screen and control interface You can temporarily dim the front screen and control keys using the front screen menu. Just press any key on the front panel of Pearl Nano to restore the screen and key luminance. Alternatively, you could set an inactivity timeout and automatically dim the screen and control keys using the Admin panel. **Dim the front screen and control interface using the front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Controls** to open the Controls screen. - From the Controls screen, press the **check mark** key to select **Front screen**. - Press the **check mark** key to **Turn off front screen** or press the **left arrow** key to return to the previous screen without dimming the front screen and control key interface. #### Set the Pearl Nano screen timeout Initially, the Pearl Nano screen is always on for easy monitoring. However, you can set the screen to shut off after a given amount of time. To re-enable the screen after it times out and shuts off: - Press any key on the front panel of Pearl Nano. **Set the screen timeout using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select Touch Screen (Front Screen for Pearl Nano). The Touch screen/Front screen configuration page opens. - Enter the number of seconds before the screen automatically shuts off in the **Timeout** field. A value of 0 keeps the screen on at all times when the system is on. - Click **Apply**. #### Set a PIN security code You can set a PIN code to protect the Pearl Nano screen from unauthorized access. By default, the PIN is not set. If a PIN is configured, users are prompted to enter the PIN code whenever: - You power on or restart the Pearl Nano. - The Pearl Nano recovers from display timeout mode. If you set a PIN when the start screen is in locked mode, a lock appears in the top right of the start screen. You must enter the PIN to unlock the start screen, access other screens, and use the Record and Stream Control keys to start and/or stop recording or streaming. When you return to the Single Touch control or CMS start screen, the Pearl Nano automatically locks itself and you must re-enter the PIN to unlock the screen. If no PIN is set when the start screen is in locked mode, you can access the configured start screen right away. Anyone can quickly start/stop streaming and recording if the Single Touch control start screen is configured, or start/stop an event if the start screen is configured for Content Management System (CMS). However, no other screens are accessible using the Pearl Nano screen. **Set a device screen PIN security code using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen** (**Front screen** for Pearl Nano) . The **Touch screen/Front screen configuration** page opens. - Enter a 4 to 12-digit PIN code in the **PIN** field, then click **Apply**. The Pearl Nano can only accept 4 digits. Record the PIN code in a safe location for future reference. You need this PIN to access the Pearl Nano screen. #### Set a Reset PIN security code You can set a Reset PIN code to protect the Pearl Nano from unauthorized use of the front screen menu to apply the built-in configuration presets, such as the Default Configuration preset, or to perform a factory reset. By default, the Reset PIN is not set. If a Reset PIN is configured, users are prompted to enter the PIN code whenever: - You want to use the front screen menu to apply the Default Configuration preset. - You want to use the front screen menu to perform a factory reset. **Set a Reset PIN security code using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Touch Screen** (**Front screen** for Pearl Nano). The **Touch screen/Front screen configuration** page opens. - Enter a PIN code in the **Reset PIN** field, then click **Apply**. The Pearl Nano can only accept 4 digits. Record the PIN code in a safe location for future reference. You need this PIN to apply the built-in configuration presets or perform a factory reset using the front screen menu. For the full factory reset procedure, see "Perform a factory reset" in the Pearl Family shared guide. #### One Touch streaming and recording control You can easily control both streaming and recording with the press of a single button on the front panel of Pearl Nano. #### About One Touch streaming and recording The One Touch feature lets you control both streaming and recording at the same time with the press of a single button. Once enabled, simply press either the Stream control key or the Record control key on the front panel of Pearl Nano to start/stop streaming and recording the channel. The Record control key glows solid white when an SD card (or SATA M.2 2280 SSD) is installed and the Stream control key glows solid white if there are streams configured for the channel. The colors of the control keys change when the channel is actively streaming and recording. A flashing control key means there's a problem with the settings for that particular function and the stream (or the recording) did not start. You can enable and disable One Touch control using the Admin panel when you select **Configuration > Front screen** or using the front screen menu when you select **System > Controls**. The following table describes the One Touch control state changes when you press the Record and Stream buttons on the front panel of Pearl Nano. **Table 9 Button control when One Touch streaming and recording is enabled** | **Condition** | **Button action** | **Result** | | --- | --- | --- | | Streaming and recording are Off. | Press **Stream** or **Record**. | Streaming and recording starts. | | Streaming and recording are On. | Press **Stream** or **Record**. | Streaming and recording stops. | | Streaming is started using the Admin panel and recording is Off. | Press **Stream**. | Streaming stops. | | Streaming is started using the Admin panel and recording is Off. | Press **Record**. | Recording starts and streaming continues. | | Recording is started using the Admin panel and streaming is Off. | Press **Stream**. | Streaming starts and recording continues. | | Recording is started using the Admin panel and streaming is Off. | Press **Record**. | Recording stops. | | While streaming and recording are On, stop recording using the Admin panel. | Press **Record**. | Recording restarts and streaming continues. | | While streaming and recording are On, stop streaming using the Admin panel. | Press **Record**. | Recording stops (the stream remains stopped) | | While streaming and recording are On, stop streaming using the Admin panel. | Press **Stream**. | Streaming restarts and recording continues. | A storage medium must be installed in Pearl Nano before you can record any content using One Touch control and streaming destinations must already be configured for the channel. #### Enable One Touch control One Touch streaming and recording control is disabled by default. You can enable and disable One Touch control using the Admin panel or from the front screen menu on Pearl Nano. **Enable or disable One Touch control using the Admin panel ** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **Front screen**. The Front screen configuration page opens. - Check **One Touch control** and click **Apply**. **Enable One Touch control using the front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Controls** to open the Controls screen. - From the Controls screen, use the arrow keys to highlight **One Touch control** and press the **check mark** key to toggle the switch on or off. --- ## Power down and system restart id: pearl-nano/power-down-and-system-restart · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Power down and system restart You can do the following to power off Pearl Nano or reboot the device: - Choose **Reboot** from the Maintenance page using the Admin panel. - Reboot using the front screen menu. - Power off the device by removing the power adapter cable attached to the rear panel of Pearl Nano. **Reboot the device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Reboot Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Reboot the device using the front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, scroll down using the arrow key and select **Reboot**. - Press the **check mark** key to select **Reboot now** when prompted. --- ## Quick start id: pearl-nano/quick-start · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Quick start After you've unpacked your Pearl Nano, you're ready to get started. This quick start uses the default settings where possible so you can quickly start using your Pearl Nano. **Before you begin, make sure you have:** - A video source such as a camera or computer and cables to connect them to Pearl Nano. For HDMI, the video source must not be HDCP protected. - An audio source coming from either your SDI or HDMI video source (must not be encrypted). Optionally, audio from a different source such as an audio mixer that you connect to the audio input ports can be used. - The Pearl Nano can use the USB input for audio input. - Local area network that uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is preferable. - Computer with a web browser connected to the same network. We'll call it the “admin” computer. - Ethernet cables to connect Pearl Nano and the admin computer to the network. - To record video using Pearl Nano, you need to install a storage medium. Pearl Nano has a standard SD card slot on the front panel that you can use and supports SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage. - We recommend an SD card that is at least a class 10 with up to 512 GB of capacity. - Pearl Nano has a storage expansion slot that's accessible from the underside. Your Pearl Nano comes shipped with an AC/DC power adapter and a registration card that contains brief instructions to connect the Pearl Nano to the network, log in to the Admin panel, and format an SD card. The instructions in this quick start provide more details. **Start up the Pearl Nano for the first time** - Turn on your camera or video source and connect the output to the back panel of Pearl Nano. - Connect the Ethernet cable to the Pearl Nano and to your network. Pearl Nano can power up using the power from the Ethernet cable if your network supports PoE+ power. If you are using PoE+ power with a Pearl Nano, you can skip the next step. - Attach the power cable and plug it into a power source. - Turn on the system: - **Pearl Nano** - will automatically turn on when connected to power. Wait for the power-up cycle to complete and the Auto channel to appear on the front screen. If your video source has a signal, the video displays on the front screen. - For Pearl Nano to record, install and format a storage solution. - (Optional) Plug headphones into the 3.5 mm headphone jack at the front of the Pearl Nano to monitor the video signal's embedded audio. - (Optional) Start recording: - **Pearl Nano** - press the **Record** key on the front panel to start and stop recording the channel. Recordings are saved to the SD card or SSD on Pearl Nano by default. When the SD card is full, new recordings overwrite the oldest recordings. Do not eject the SD card while recording is in progress as that may corrupt the SD card. ### Next Steps Now that you have a video source connected you can fine-tune Pearl Nano to your exact requirements. Take a look at topics such as: When you're done setting up your Pearl Nano, make sure to back up the system configuration using the procedure described in Create a configuration preset in the Pearl Family shared guide. ### Pearl Nano sample recording When you power up Pearl Nano, you can start recording as soon as you connect a video source to one of the video input ports and have a formatted SD card installed. **Record the default Auto channel using the Record control key** To record the default Auto channel using the control key on the front panel of Pearl Nano, simply press the **Record** key. When you're done, press the **Record** key again to stop. The Record key is lit red while recording is in progress. **Record the default Auto channel and download the file using the Admin panel** The SD card uses the EXT4 format and you cannot manually transfer recordings off the SD card directly to iOS or Windows systems. Instead, download your recording using the Admin panel. - Open a web browser on the admin computer and go to the IP address of your Pearl Nano and log in, - From the **Channel** menu in the Admin panel, select your channel (i.e. Auto) and select **Recording**. The Recording page for the channel opens. - Select **Start** to start recording the channel and click **Stop** when you're done. - Refresh the page to see the updated list of recordings. - Select the file in the list and download that recording to your admin computer. **Register Pearl Nano to get firmware updates** Keep Pearl Nano up-to-date and get all the latest features and firmware updates. Registering your Pearl Nano is free and only needs to be done once. You can register anytime from the Firmware update page using the Admin panel. --- ## Recording with Pearl Nano id: pearl-nano/recording-with-pearl-nano · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Recording with Pearl Nano You can stream your content and record it at the same time. Pearl Nano encodes the video and audio it captures. There are different ways to download recordings, like automatically downloading recordings to a USB memory device. For Pearl Nano, an SD card or a SATA M.2 2280 SSD must be installed to record content. ### About recording You can record a channel on Pearl Nano as AVI, MOV, MPEG-TS, MP4, or MP4-Fragmented. Easily stop and start recording using any of the following: | **Epiphan product** | **Admin panel** | **Device screen** | **Epiphan Edge** | **Epiphan Live** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pearl Nano | Yes | Yes (Use front panel control keys) | Yes | No | If an accidental system shutdown occurs while recording is in progress, your recordings are closed off so they are still playable. Physically unplugging a video source from the input port or otherwise interrupting the signal does not stop recording. A No Signal image is inserted. Pearl Nanos also come with APIs so you can setup third party tools to control recording. If PoE+ power is interrupted while Pearl Nano is actively recording, the recorded file could become corrupted and be unplayable. You can set the maximum recording time or file size limit using the Admin panel. The default recording limits are set to 30 minutes or 500 MB, whichever comes first. When the time or file size limit is reached, the current recording is saved and a new recording file starts automatically without losing any content. When the local drive is full, newer recordings overwrite oldest recordings. **Important considerations** - If recordings are selected for Automatic File Upload (AFU) while AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when AFU is unavailable, the recordings are added to an upload queue. - **Pearl Nano** - While actively recording a channel that includes a layout with multiple video input sources, a new file is created if an additional video input source is added to the channel. - **Pearl Nano** - If the channel that is recording is an auto channel, a new recording is started if the video input source automatically switches from one video source to another due to signal loss. **Tested media players** Epiphan has tested recordings with the following players. **Table 54 Tested Media Players** | **Operating System** | **Tested Players** | | --- | --- | | Mac OS | QuickTime 10.3 QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.4 Playback Pro 2.3.2 Final Cut Pro 10.3.2 Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 | | Windows | QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.6 Windows Media player 12+ Movies & TV (Windows 10) Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 | | Linux | MPlayer VLC 2.2.2 | | HTML 5 Browsers (Windows) | Google Chrome 37+ (works with MOV and MP4 files using H.264 codec) | Not all media players and editors support all recording formats, such as the more modern MP4-fragmented format. To playback MOV files created by the Pearl Nano, we recommend using a newer media player. --- ## Run diagnostic tests using the device screen id: pearl-nano/run-diagnostic-tests-using-the-device-screen · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Run diagnostic tests using the device screen You can access useful diagnostic tools from the device screen when you select **Settings > Network** and select **Connectivity Status**. **Available diagnostic tools for all Pearl Nanos:** - **Connectivity status**: Display the status of critical network connections and features like 802.1x. To troubleshoot networking issues yourself, try to ping the IP address of your Pearl Nano or do a traceroute to a server such as 8.8.8.8. If you are unable to resolve your networking issues, contact your network administrator and provide them the IP address and MAC address of your Pearl Nano or contact Epiphan support. --- ## SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage id: pearl-nano/sd-card-and-sata-m2-2280-ssd-storage · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage ### Install and format an SD card for the Pearl Nano To record video on the Pearl Nano, you must install and format a storage medium, such as an SD card. The easiest way to do that is using the front screen menu of the Pearl Nano. Pearl Nano has a standard SD card slot on the front panel. If you want to format the SD card using the Admin panel, you need the IP address of your Pearl Nano and an admin computer connected to the same network. If you're using a Pearl Nano with a Content Management System (CMS), we recommend using large capacity SD cards such as 256 GB or more We recommend using a minimum class 10 (C10) SD card that's at least 64 GB capacity but does not exceed 512 GB; however, most SD cards that are at minimum a C10, a UHS class 1 (U1), or a video speed class 10 (V10) should work. The SD card must be EXT4 formatted for the Linux operating system. After the SD card is installed and formatted for the EXT4 format, you are ready to record. Ejecting the SD card while recording is in progress may corrupt the SD card and cause loss of data. **Format the SD card using the Admin panel** - Insert the SD card into the SD card slot on the front panel. - Log in to the Admin panel as admin. - From the Configuration menu, select **SD Card**. The SD Card configuration page opens. - Select either quick disk format or the full disk format, then click **Format card**. A full disk format checks for bad blocks on the SD card and marks any that are found on the EXT4 partition. - You must wait for the formatting to finish before removing or recording to the SD card. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SD card and if you select quick disk format or the full disk format. - Do not remove the SD card while it is being formatted. Very large SD cards can take a while to format. Please be patient and wait for the formatting message to disappear. If you install a SATA M.2 2280 SSD in the Pearl Nano, the device no longer detects the SD card. **Format an SD card for Pearl Nano** - Power on the Pearl Nano. - Insert the SD card into the SD card slot. - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Storage**. Then from the Storage screen, select **Format SD card** to open the Format SD card screen. - (Optional) Highlight **Quick format** and press the **check mark** key to toggle the switch on or off. - Highlight **Format card** and press the **check mark** to start the process. The formatting in progress screen appears and the LED beside the SD slot starts flashing. - When the screen indicates formatting is complete and the LED is solid off, press the **check mark** to return to the previous screen. ### Install and format a SATA M.2 2280 SSD for Pearl Nano You can install a user-supplied SATA M.2 2280 SSD for storing recorded video. Pearl Nano automatically formats the SSD using the EXT4 format for the Linux operating system the first time you power on. So please be patient while the formatting completes. When you install a SATA M.2 SSD, Pearl Nano no longer detects the SD card slot and the SD card option is removed from the Admin panel's Configuration menu. Any existing content on the SSD is lost when the SSD is formatted. **Before you begin** Gather the tools you need: - #2 Phillips screwdriver - #0 Phillips jeweler's screwdriver - (Optional) a pair of tweezers **Install and format the SATA M.2 2280 SSD** - Disconnect the power cable and ensure Pearl Nano is powered off. If Pearl Nano uses PoE+ power from the connected RJ-45 Ethernet cable, ensure you disconnect the Ethernet cable from Pearl Nano. - Permanent damage to the SSD and/or Pearl Nano can occur if you install, remove, or replace the SSD while the device is powered on. - On a clean and level surface, turn Pearl Nano over to expose the bottom panel. - Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to remove the SSD expansion slot cover plate. Set aside to for later. - Use a #0 Phillips screwdriver )to remove the screw that's in the post farthest away from the M.2 socket. Set aside for later. - Hold the SSD by the edges and insert firmly into the M.2 socket at approximately a 30° angle. Make sure you align the key notch in the SSD with the notch in the M.2 socket. - Use one hand to gently press and hold the SSD down so that it rests atop the post. Align the notch on the SSD with the post hole. - With your other hand, use a #0 Phillips screwdriver to reinstall the post screw and secure the SSD in place. - **TIP**: Use the tweezers to pick up the screw if it falls behind the SSD. - Reinstall the SSD slot cover plate and power up Pearl Nano. - The SSD is formatted automatically the first time you power on. Please be patient while formatting completes. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SSD. You must wait for the formatting to finish before recording video to the SSD. - Powering off Pearl Nano while the SSD is formatting could damage or corrupt the SSD. --- ## Selecting an audio source id: pearl-nano/selecting-an-audio-source · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Selecting an audio source Choose different audio sources for a channel using the Admin panel. Select your audio sources from connected video source, as well as from the dedicated analog audio input ports. The USB port on the rear panel accepts a USB microphone (UAC). **Linked ports** - On Pearl Nano, the XLR audio ports and the RCA audio ports are linked. **Selecting an audio device for the channel:** - Using a web browser on the admin computer, go to the IP address of your Pearl Nano and log in, - From the Channel menu, select your channel (i.e. Auto) and click **Layout**. The custom channel layout editor page opens. - Check the audio source that you want to use for the layout and click **Save**. - (Optional) Adjust the gain for an audio input source, select the input port from the Inputs menu and adjust the amount of gain on the configuration page for the audio input port. Click **Save** when you're done. ### Connecting microphones to the XLR line level inputs The XLR analog audio input ports on Pearl Nano are professional line level inputs rated at + 4.0 dBu up to 12.3 V RMS, (+24 dBu). You can't connect microphones directly to the XLR ports because the microphone signal is too low. If you want to connect microphones to the line-level XLR ports on the Pearl Nano, you must use an external preamp and boost the mic level signal to the appropriate line level before connecting it to the XLR port. ### Configure audio ports for stereo or mono Using the Admin panel, you can configure ports to function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as separate mono ports. **Pearl Nano** The two XLR professional line-level inputs are configured as a stereo pair by default: XLR 1 (left) and XLR 2 (right). **Configure audio ports as stereo or mono using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Open the configuration page from the Inputs menu: - **Pearl Nano**: click **XLR/RCA Audio**. The XLR/RCA Audio configuration page opens. - Do one of the following. - To make the ports function as a stereo pair, check **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. - To make the ports function as separate mono ports, uncheck **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. When mono is selected, two sets of parameters and two audio VU meters appear in the interface - one for each audio input port on the Pearl Nano. Parameters that are listed only once apply to both ports. **Configure audio ports as stereo or mono using the Pearl Nano front screen** - Repeatedly press the **left arrow** key on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Inputs**. Then from the Inputs screen, select **XLR/RCA Audio** to open the XLR/RCA Audio screen. - Highlight **Stereo pair** and press the **check mark** key to toggle the switch on or off. ### Assign audio sources to an input Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Nano. These shared audio sources appear in the same configuration menus in the Admin panel and appear under the same audio input label in the user interfaces. The audio sources that share resources are: **Pearl Nano** - XLR 1 and XLR 2 (left and right ports, respectively) - RCA (left and right ports) Both the XLR (left/right) and RCA (left/right) audio sources appear under the label **XLR/RCA Audio**. You can assign one or both audio sources to **XLR/RCA Audio**. Choosing one audio source for the shared input disables the other audio source. This means that when you select XLR/RCA Audio as the audio source using the custom layout editor, only the audio source you assign to XLR/RCA Audio is used. Both audio sources are assigned by default. To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain when RCA or XLR+RCA is selected. **Assign the audio source to an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the shared audio source. The audio configuration page opens. - From the **Input** menu, select the audio source and click **Apply**. **Choose XLR or RCA audio for analog inputs using the front screen** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Inputs**. Then from the Inputs screen, select **XLR/RCA Audio** to open the XLR/RCA Audio screen. - From the XLR/RCA Audio screen, highlight **Input** and press the **check mark** key to display options. - Highlight the option you want (**XLR**, **RCA**, or **XLR/RCA**), then press the **check mark** to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. ### Adjust audio gain and delay Pearl Nanos do not introduce audio delay and have near-zero latency when capturing. However, other external factors can cause audio to become de-synchronized, such as the length of audio cables or the configuration of your equipment. The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay to any audio source using the Admin panel or Pearl Nano's front screen. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. The analog audio input ports on Pearl Nano are calibrated for +4.0 dBu XLR or -10.0 dBV RCA audio signals and provide moderate to significant signal headroom. For the analog audio inputs, you can add up to +30 dB of gain. Microphones typically have low audio signals (less than -30 dBu) and are not supported directly as inputs to Pearl Nano. Use an audio mixing board or preamp to amplify microphones and supply the appropriate line level input. Adjusting the **Input Gain** for an analog audio source affects the volume for that audio source in recordings, streamed output, video output ports, and in the headphone jack. Be aware that excessive amounts of gain can increase the perception of any noise that may be present in the audio signal. If the gain of your analog audio signal needs adjustment, connect your headphones and use the VU meters to monitor the audio level while you add some gain. As a rule, each 10 dB of gain doubles the perceived loudness of the audio signal. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain at the audio input port of Pearl Nano for common types of audio input devices. You should add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table 22 Audio input port gains guidelines** | **Audio source** | **Input port** | **Gain** | | --- | --- | --- | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | XLR | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA1 | Nominal | | Professional mixer | XLR | Nominal | | | RCA1 | Not recommended. | | USB microphone | USB | Nominal | | Dynamic, condenser, or electret microphones | XLR | Not recommended. To connect microphones to the pro line level XLR inputs, you must use an external preamp to boost the microphone signal enough to provide the proper line level signal at the XLR input port, | 1 To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA port or when XLR/RCA is used. Ensure the audio input source is connected to an analog audio input port on Pearl Nano before proceeding. **Adjust the gain and delay for an audio source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - In the **Input Gain** field, select the amount of gain to apply to the audio source. - In the **Audio delay** field, enter a value between 300 and -300 ms. A positive value adds delay to the audio signal. A negative value adjusts the audio to start earlier. - Click **Apply**. **Adjust the gain and delay for an audio source using the front screen** - Repeatedly press the **left arrow** key on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Inputs**. Then on the Inputs screen, select **XLR/RCA Audio** to open the XLR/RCA Audio screen. - To adjust audio delay from the XLR/RCA Audio screen, highlight **Audio delay** and press the **check mark** key to display options. - Highlight the amount of delay you want using the up and down arrow keys, then press the **check mark** key to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. - To adjust the gain from the XLR/RCA Audio screen, highlight **Gain** and press the **check mark** key to display options. - Highlight the amount of delay you want using the up and down arrow keys, then press the **check mark** key to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. ### Mute audio You can mute any audio input port using the Admin panel. For analog audio ports that are configured as mono inputs, you can mute each port separately. Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Nano. Muting an audio input that shares internal resources mutes all the associated audio sources. The following table lists the audio input ports that share internal processing and the results of applying mute. **Table 23 Muting audio inputs that share resources** | **Device** | **Audio input** **(Admin panel)** | **Shared audio input resources** | **Results** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl Nano** | XLR/RCA Audio | XLR (left/right) RCA (left/right) | **In stereo mode:** Both XLR ports (left and right) are muted. Both RCA ports (left and right) are muted | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/RCA audio Left muted):** Both the XLR 1 (left) and RCA left ports are muted. The XLR 2 (right) and RCA right ports are not muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/RCA audio Right muted):**Both the XLR 2 (right) and RCA right ports are muted. The XLR 1 (left) and RCA left ports are not muted. | **Mute an audio source using the admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - Check **Mute** to mute the audio source or uncheck **Mute** if you no longer want the audio source muted, then click **Apply**. **Mute an audio source using the front screen** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Inputs**. Then from the Inputs screen, select **XLR/RCA Audio** to open the XLR/RCA Audio screen. - From the XLR/RCA Audio screen, press the **down arrow** key repeatedly until **Mute** appears on screen and is highlighted. - Press the **check mark** key to toggle the switch on or off. --- ## Set Channel to be included in AFU id: pearl-nano/set-channel-to-be-included-in-afu · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Set Channel to be included in AFU When configuring automatic file upload (AFU), you need to tell the system which Channel you want included in the upload schedule. If no Channel is configured as a part of AFU, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. You must enable Automatic File Upload (AFU) for the channel before you can include channel recordings in the upload schedule. If AFU is not enabled for the channel, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. ** Set a channel to include in the AFU schedule using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - Click **Recording** in the Channel menu. - Under **Recorder Setup**, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Check **Automatic file upload **and click **Apply**. **What's Next** After you've enabled AFU for your Channel , enable AFU and configure the AFU settings for the location type (i.e. FTP, USB, AWS, etc). --- ## Set up and enable MultiViewer id: pearl-nano/set-up-and-enable-multiviewer · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Set up and enable MultiViewer MultiViewer displays a custom mix of video sources including Channel on the HDMI output port in a convenient grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to the system's processors. MultiViewer features differ by Pearl Nano: - **Pearl Nano** - two video sources. Side-by-side grid. The HDMI pass-through port only displays the identical video signal with audio that is received at the HDMI IN port on Pearl Nano. Save processing power so you can do more with your Pearl Nano while previewing multiple video sources on the HDMI output port. With MultiViewer, the video output displays at a lowered frame rate to economize CPU usage. Using MultiViewer does not lower the frame rate of channel recordings and live streams. No audio signal present at the output port, but audio meters do display for Channel and video sources that have embedded audio signals. Use the Admin panel to choose which video sources appear in the pre-configured MultiViewer grids and to set the video output port resolution. You can enable MultiViewer for the output port using the Admin panel, the Pearl Nano screen, and using local console. Deleted network sources or Channel may appear in MultiViewer. **Set up and enable MultiViewer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI** for Pearl Nano). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select **MultiViewer**. - In each cell of the grid, select a channel, video source, or system information. - **System Information** > **Channel** : provides you with information on **Channel** status or **Audio Inputs** status. - **Show information about upcoming and ongoing CMS events** (optional) - Select the check box and MultiViewer displays the name of upcoming or ongoing events, time remaining before upcoming events, and the time remaining of an ongoing event. - **Text size** (optional) - Increase or decrease to change the size of the display text in MultiViewer. - In the **Output Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port and then click **Apply**. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | All devices: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | **Enable MultiViewer using Pearl Nano's front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Settings** to open the Settings screen. - From the Settings screen, select **HDMI output** to open the HDMI output screen, then press the **check mark** key to select Video. The available video sources display. - Highlight **MultiViewer**, then press the **check mark** key to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. --- ## Set up the video output port using the Admin panel id: pearl-nano/set-up-the-video-output-port-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Set up the video output port using the Admin panel You can send a channel or a video source to the video output port using the Admin panel. You can also adjust the video output resolution, aspect ratio, and choose to include audio. The video output port frame rate is set automatically to the channel's configured frame rate for that video source. When outputting a channel that has audio or a video source with embedded audio, you can adjust the volume and choose to include the audio meter. The audio meter is set to a fixed size of 15% of the width (or height if displayed horizontally) of the display. The HDMI pass-through port only displays the identical video signal with audio that is received at the HDMI IN port on Pearl Nano. **Important considerations** - The HDMI pass-through port supports up to 4K60 only when the 4K Feature add-on is purchased and installed. - The HDMI pass-through port cannot pass through an HDCP-protected signal. - The HDMI pass-through port adds almost zero latency. **Set up a channel or video source to display on the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Output ports menu, click the output port. The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select a channel (prefixed by the word **Channel**) or a video source (prefixed by the word **Input**). - In the **Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port. | **Device** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **All** | Same as source | Set the output to the same resolution as the channel or video source. If that resolution is not supported by the display, the video output port will negotiate a new resolution with the display (generally this ends up being the display's default resolution). | | **All** | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | **Pearl Nano** | 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | - Do one of the following: - Check **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system maintain the correct aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio is different between the source and the chosen display aspect ratio, black bars are automatically inserted at the top and bottom or left and right sides of the video. - Uncheck **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system stretch the source to fit the aspect ratio of the display. - For a channel, do the following: - Check **Enable audio ** to include audio in the output. Leave this unchecked for no audio with the video. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - For an input source, do the following: - Select an **Audio source** from the drop down list. - (Optional) Adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) Choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - Click **Apply**. The audio meter can be displayed even if you are not playing audio over the video output port (i.e. even when the **Enable audio **check box is not checked). --- ## Status and monitoring id: pearl-nano/status-and-monitoring · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Status and monitoring Pearl Nano lets you monitor audio and check the status of your Channel, live streams, and recordings. ### Confidence monitoring using the front screen Have complete confidence about what you're capturing, streaming, and recording. The Channel view displays your video sources in a custom layout that you can configure using the custom layout editor. The Channel view opens by default when you turn on Pearl Nano. The audio VU meter uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average audio level in each 100 ms period is displayed using colored bars. - RED = 0 to -9 dBFS - Yellow = -9 to -18 dBFS - Green = -18 dBFS and lower If an error occurs while streaming or recording, an error message appears in the header bar and the word **Error** replaces the related timer in the footer. At the same time, the Stream (or Record) control key on the front panel of Pearl Nano visibly flashes. You can also monitor a specific video input from the front screen. If the video input source has no video signal, the no signal screen displays. To monitor a different video input or return to the Channel view, press the **left arrow** key on the control key interface to cycle through the different views. To toggle the content displayed in the header and footer bars on and off, press the **check mark** key on the control key interface. ### View system status using the front screen menu Find the serial number, check the installed firmware version of Pearl Nano and more on the System Status screen using the front screen and control key interface. The System Status screen displays basic system information that's useful when first setting up your Pearl Nano. **Table 34 System status parameters** | **Label** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | IP address | The IP address assigned to Pearl Nano. Use this IP address to connect to the Admin panel. | | Firmware | The firmware that is currently loaded on Pearl Nano. | | Uptime | How long Pearl Nano has been powered on displayed as **hh:mm**. | | CPU load | The current amount of CPU load (%). | | SD card or SSD | The amount of storage available. **SD card** only displays if a SATA M.2 2280 SSD is not installed. When an SSD is installed, the field displays **SSD** instead of SD card. | | USB storage | Displays the amount of storage available on a USB storage device that is connected to Pearl Nano. | --- ## Storage capacity and maintenance id: pearl-nano/storage-capacity-and-maintenance · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Storage capacity and maintenance Pearl Nano has support for removable SD cards, which are formatted to use the ext4 file system and can only be read with a computer running Linux. Video recordings that you make are saved to the SD card. You can check how much space you have left on the SD card using the Admin panel and from the front screen. If you install a SATA M.2 2280 SSD, the SD card is no longer used for recordings and the status of the SD card changes to not detected. Any video recordings that are saved to the SD card no longer appear in the channel's list of recordings and cannot be download using the Admin panel. We recommend that you temporarily remove the SSD until you have retrieved the recorded files from the SD card using the Admin panel. Pearl Nano also has local storage for internal processes and 6 GB of that space is allocated for uploaded media, like image files that you add to your channel layout. ### Check storage capacity Using the Admin panel, the amount of available storage space on the SD card is shown at the bottom of the menu panel, as well as on the SD card configuration page. If a SATA M.2 2280 SSD is installed in Pearl Nano, the available storage space on the SSD is shown at the bottom of the menu panel and the SD card option is removed from the list of Configuration menu options in the Admin panel. You can also check available storage capacity using the front screen menu on Pearl Nano. The total amount of storage capacity depends on the size of storage device you install. It’s good practice to check how much storage you have available. If the amount of storage is low, you can swap SD cards or remove some of the recorded files. **Check internal storage space using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**. - Using the Admin panel, view the **Internal Storage** section at the bottom of the menu panel. The bar will be mostly green if there is lots of space left, or mostly red if storage space is nearly full. - If no SD card or SSD is installed, the following appears: **Check storage capacity from the front screen** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the System status screen appears. The amount of storage available on the installed storage media is displayed. - If a SATA M.2 2280 SSD is installed, the SSD storage capacity displays instead of the SD card. You can also view the storage capacity when you select **Storage** using the front screen menu. #### Check media storage capacity Pearl Nano has 6GB of internal storage that's allocated for uploaded media, like image files that you add to a channel layout. You can see how much space you have for media files using the Admin panel. **Check media storage capacity using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**, - From the Configuration menu, select **Media**. The Media configuration page opens with the amount of capacity listed at the top of the page. --- ## Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices id: pearl-nano/streaming-to-servers-cdns-and-other-devices · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices Pearl Nano can stream to CDNs, local media servers, and even to other Pearl Nano devices that are acting as a streaming ingestion point. Pearl Nano supports many streaming protocols. Use the Admin panel to set up individual Channel for streaming. ### Set up an RTMP or RTMPS (push) stream Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is the most common way to stream to a CDN, including to Facebook Live and YouTube. Use Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS) on your Pearl Nanos to encrypt content before it's streamed over a TLS/SSL connection for secure live streaming. When enabled, Pearl Nano will always attempt to validate the digital certificate it receives from the CDN to establish a secure RTMPS connection. The connection will fail if Pearl Nano can't find the CA certificate of your CDN in it's list of certificates. Pearl Nano has the CA certificates for many of the major CDNs already installed. For RTMPS streaming to work for your particular CDN, or if you're using a proprietary RTMPS server, ensure that your streaming server's CA certificate is uploaded to Pearl Nano. **Set up an RTMP or RTMPS stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTMP push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - To see the settings, click the stream name. - Enter the **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - For RTMP push, enter **rtmp** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmp://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - For RTMPS, enter **rtmps** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmps://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - Enter the stream name or stream key in the stream name / key field - (Optional) Enter a **User name** and **Password**. The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. Some CDNs, like YouTube and Facebook Live, do not require you to enter your log in credentials here. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) achieves high-quality, low-latency streaming across unreliable Internet connections via UDP packets. If packets are lost in transit to the SRT destination, a request to retransmit the lost packets is sent back to Pearl Nano. Using the Admin panel, you can adjust the latency to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of the stream and reduce the number of dropped packets. During the SRT stream, you can view the stream statistics using the Admin panel and adjust the amount of latency based on the packet loss % and Round Trip Time (RTT). SRT stream statistics are provided on the streaming configuration page for a channel when Pearl Nano is configured as an SRT source. If Pearl Nano is configured as an SRT destination with an SRT input, then SRT statistics are available on the SRT input configuration page. The following example shows SRT statistics for an SRT stream. The statistics section appears only while an SRT stream is active. It takes about 30 seconds for the statistics to appear after the SRT connection is established. You can add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. Latency can be configured at the source and at the destination. SRT uses the highest of the two latency values. The formula to calculate latency is: *SRT Latency* = *RTT Multiplier* ´ *RTT* where the recommended range of the *RTT Multiplier* is a value from 3 to 20. The following table provides guidelines for what values to use when calculating latency. An RTT multiplier value less than 3 is too small for SRT to be effective and a value above 20 indicates a network with 100% packet loss. Ensure the measured **buffer** is less than or equal to the latency value you use. **Table 53 Suggested SRT latency values** | **Packet loss %** | **RTT multiplier** | **Recovery bandwidth overhead** | **Minimum SRT latency** **(for RTT ≤ 20 ms)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | % is ≤ 1 | 3 | 33 | 60 | | % is ≤ 3 | 4 | 25 | 80 | | % is ≤ 7 | 5 | 20 | 100 | | % is ≤ 10 | 6 | 17 | 120 | These values are from the SRT Deployment Guide. For up-to-date calculations, visit [www.srtalliance.org](https://www.srtalliance.org/). For example, if the % of packet loss is 0.53 and the measured RTT is 16.506 ms, the latency calculation is: 49.518 = 3 ´ 16.506 ms or 50 ms of latency (rounded up). **Adjust latency and recovery bandwidth overhead for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - View the SRT statistics for the active stream. Do one of the following: - To open the SRT statistics from the **Channel** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. Then select the arrow beside the SRT stream to reveal the SRT stream statistics. - To open the SRT statistics from the Inputs menu, select the SRT input. Then on the SRT input configuration page, select the arrow beside Statistics. The statistics section only appears while an SRT stream is active. - In the **Latency** field, enter a numerical value from 80 ms to 8000 ms. - Click **Apply**. We recommend testing your settings. Start the SRT stream and use the stream statistics to evaluate the effect the latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values have on the packet loss % of the stream. ### Set up an HLS (push) stream HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an adaptive, HTTP-based streaming protocol that sends video and audio content over the network in small, media segments that get reassembled at the streaming destination. Media segments stream over HTTP port 80 or port 443 for HTTPS, which are typically open for network access. As such, the content can easily traverse firewalls with little to no IT involvement. Pearl Nano can send a single resolution and bitrate HLS stream as an HTTP POST (or HTTP PUT) to HLS ingestion servers and CDNs such as Akamai and YouTube. The default is HTTP POST. Your Channel on Pearl Nano must be configured for H.264 or preferably H.265 on Pearl Nano and AAC audio codec to stream using HLS. Pearl Nano supports MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashing algorithms to authenticate the stream. HLS uses an MPEG2-TS transport stream container with a configurable media segment duration, as well as a configurable playlist size for reassembling the media segments at the ingestion server. Because HLS favors Quality of Service (QoS) over low-latency, lag times that can be high. If a specific media segment size isn't required by the ingestion server, then you can shorten the duration of the media segment to decrease latency. The default segment duration is six seconds. Using the Admin panel, you can add advanced features like a master manifest, which is an address applied to each individual media playlist in the stream. You can also assign the HLS stream a user name and password. If security and authentication credentials are required to stream to the ingestion server, consult the ingestion server provider. **Important considerations** - Only a single resolution and bitrate stream is supported. - Fragmented MP4 is not supported. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a custom user-agent name, add that to the HLS stream in the Advanced settings using the Admin panel and ensure the agent-name is added to the HLS ingestion server's white list. Contact the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a user name and password, you can get those credentials from the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. **Set up an HLS (push) stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **HLS push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. To see the settings, click the stream name. - In the **Media Playlist URL field**, enter the URL of the destination server that is ingesting the stream. For example: *http://p-ep721023.i.akamaientrypoin.net/722223/hlsQualification/my_video.m3u8* - (Optional) In the **Segment template** field, enter the naming format used for the names of media segments. For example: *chunk-$Number%05d$.ts* - (Optional) Enter a **Username** and **Password** if required for this stream. Get this from the ingestion server provider. - In the **Method** field, select **POST** or **PUT**. This selection must match the requirements of the ingestion server. - In the **Segment duration** field, enter the length of the media segment in seconds. The default duration is six seconds. Fractions and periods are not supported. - In the **Playlist size** field, enter the number of .ts segment files in each segment. The default playlist size is six. - (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, you can set the following: - **Master manifest**: Enter the URL (including the master playlist file name) of where Pearl Nano will upload the master manifest file. The master playlist also provides the bitrate, resolution, and codec. - **User-agent**: Enter a user-agent name using alphanumerical characters only if the ingestion server requires a specific value in the user-agent header to allow the incoming stream from this device. - Click **Apply**. - When you're ready to start streaming this channel, click **Start**. ### Set up an RTSP announce stream Pearl Nano can stream using RTSP announce. Viewers can copy and paste the URL of the RTSP stream into a media player and watch the stream on their local network. **Setup an RTSP announce stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTSP announce**. The new stream is created using the default name Stream 1. - To see the settings, click the stream name. - (Optional) To rename the stream, click the current name and type a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Enter the following parameters: - The **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - Select the **Transport type** as either UDP or TCP. Consult your CDN provider to find out which transport protocols the CDN supports. - The CDN **User name** and **Password** (if required). The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Start and stop streaming to a CDN After your stream to a CDN is configured on the channel, you can start and stop streaming. Start and stop your stream using: - the admin panel - Epiphan Edge - the front screen streaming button or the front screen menu. When you use the front screen menu, you can also modify the URL of a chosen stream. **Start and stop streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the **Channel** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. To set up a stream using the Admin panel, click **New stream** and follow the instructions for how to **Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations**. - Click **Start** at the top right corner to start that stream, or click **Start all** at the top of the page to start streaming all streams that are configured for the channel. - Click **Stop** at the top right corner to stop that stream, or click **Stop all** at the top of the page to stop streaming for all streams that are configured for the channel. **Start and stop streaming using the front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **Channel**. Then from the Channel screen, select **Streaming** to open the Streaming screen with the list of streams already configured for the channel. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select a stream and open the stream's details screen. - From the stream's details screen, use the arrow keys to highlight **Start** and press the **check mark** key start streaming. When you're done, highlight **Stop** and press the **check mark** key to stop streaming. - Before you start the stream, you can select **Destination url** using the check mark key and modify the stream destination's URL. **Start and stop streaming using the Stream control key on the front panel** Simply press the **Stream control key** on Pearl Nano's front panel to easily start and stop streaming a channel. The Stream control key glows solid blue and the streaming timer on the Channel view increments while streaming is in progress. When you're done, press the Record control key again to stop streaming. If multiple streams are configured for the channel, pressing the Stream control key starts and stops all streams at the same time. --- ## The Admin panel id: pearl-nano/the-admin-panel · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # The Admin panel The Admin panel is used primarily to set up Pearl Nano and perform administrative tasks. Most tasks in this user guide are performed using the Admin panel. ### About the Admin panel The Admin panel is a web-based user interface that's used primarily to set up your Pearl Nano and perform administrative tasks. **Table 10 The Admin panel** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **1** | **Channel** menu | The Channel that are available for the current configuration of your Pearl Nano are listed. Select a channel to access the drop down list of options that are available to configure channel encoding, add video and audio sources, create a layout, perform confidence monitoring, record the channel, and more. The Pearl Nano has a single channel. | | **3** | **Inputs menu** | The available video and audio input ports on your Pearl Nano are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **4** | **Output ports menu** | The output ports available on your Pearl Nano are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **5** | **Events menu** | Access the Content Management System (CMS) events list containing up to three months of scheduled CMS events, in progress events, and completed ad hoc and scheduled events. | | **6** | **Configuration menu** | A list of all the available configuration options. | | **7** | **Internal storage and system information menu** | System details are displayed in this area, such as the total amount of internal storage, how much space is currently used, and how much free space is available. | | **8** | **Main panel** | The main panel is where the selected menu information displays. What's displayed depends on which menu item you select. | | **10** | **Log out** | Click to log out of the Pearl Nano admin panel. Click icon again to display the log in window. The role of the currently logged in user displays beside the icon. | You can access the Admin panel using these methods: - Any web browser, - Using a connected USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor, - Remotely using Epiphan Edge. ### Connect to the Admin panel You can access the Admin panel several ways. The most common way is using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as Pearl Nano. All you need is the IP address of the device, which you can get from the settings using the Pearl Nano's front screen. Another way to access the Admin panel is to remotely login over the Internet. An Epiphan Edge premium plan is required for remote login. **Get the IP address of Pearl Nano** To get the IP address of Pearl Nano, press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control key interface until the **System status** screen displays. You can also find the IP address of Pearl Nano from the front screen menu when you select **System > Network**. **Access the Pearl Nano Admin panel** - When you have the IP address of the Pearl Nano, enter the URL for your Pearl Nano into a web browser and include **/admin** to access the Admin panel. http://<*IP Address of Pearl Nano*>/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Nano, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - When prompted, log in using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK**. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl Nano administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. Optionally, you can connect to your Pearl Nano using the following methods: - For networks with DHCP, you can Connect using a DNS-based service discovery - For networks without DHCP, you can Connect using persistent static IP address ### Enable local console access to the Admin panel Operators and administrators can access the Admin panel locally to reconfigure the Pearl Nano without needing a laptop. With the local console feature, you can connect a USB mouse, keyboard, and a monitor directly to Pearl Nano. Or you can connect a touch screen monitor. The Pearl Nano also supports connection of a USB wireless RF receiver for local console. Pearl Nano also supports the connection of a USB hub. A built-in virtual keyboard is readily available, but you can also connect an external USB keyboard. When you enable local console, you must also enable the **External keyboard** option. Use the Admin panel or the Pearl Nano screen to enable local console and the external USB keyboard. Once enabled, simply connect your USB mouse, USB keyboard, and an HDMI monitor to the HDMI OUT port that has local console enabled. You cannot use the HDMI pass-through port for local console. Optionally, you can disable whether or not users must log in to the Admin panel when they access the local console. Login is enabled by default. You can also change the layout of the built-in and external keyboards to any of the supported languages. If you select multiple languages, you can toggle between languages using Ctrl+Shift (or Ctrl+Alt). - American English - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Netherlands - Portuguese (European) - Spanish (Spain) - Swiss - Norwegian (Bokmal) - Russian **Important considerations** - The live preview link is not accessible from the Channel Status page using the local console. - Viewing recordings from the Recording section of a Channel is not possible. - You cannot upload/download the following types of media using the local console: - Images - Channel recordings - EDID files - Configuration files - Firmware update files Use the web-based Admin panel from your administration computer for full access to all Admin panel functions. **Enable local console and the external keyboard option using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens. - Select **Local console** as the Keyboard application and click **Apply**. - (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layout. The default layout is American English. - (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layout if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**. - From the Output ports menu, select the output port (**HDMI**). The video output port configuration page opens. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu and click **Apply**. - If you skipped the steps to configure the external keyboard for local console, an error message appears. Click the link to fix it. - (Optional) Check **Disable authentication** if you don't want users to have to use their credentials to log in before using the local console to access the Admin panel on the Pearl Nano. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu. - Click **Apply**. **Enable local console using the front screen menu** - Press the **left arrow** key repeatedly on the control interface until the Menu screen displays. - Use the arrow and check mark keys to select **System**. Then from the System screen, select **Settings** to open the Settings screen. - From the Settings screen, select **HDMI output** to open the HDMI output screen, then press the **check mark** key to select Video and display the available video sources. - Highlight the video source you want, then press the **check mark** key to select and return to the previous screen. To return to the previous screen without making a selection, press the **left arrow** key. **What's next?** Connect your USB mouse, keyboard, and connect an HDMI monitor to the output port that has local console enabled to access the local console directly from the Pearl Nano. #### Connect using a DNS-based service discovery Pearl Nanos use DNS-based messages to advertise details about itself, including its host name. With a compatible utility installed on your computer, you can access the system simply by typing its serial number and the suffix ".local" into the address bar of your browser. The following table lists the compatible systems and Bonjour Print Services software needed. **Table 11 Install Bonjour Print Services** | **System** | **Action Needed** | | --- | --- | | Microsoft Windows | You must install Bonjour Print Services: Use the following URL [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999](http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999) Click Download. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application. | | Mac OS X | The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built into the Mac OS. No special actions are needed. | | Linux | The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the Avahi package installed. | **Access the Admin panel of the Pearl Nano using DNS discovery** - Find the system’s serial number that's printed on a label attached to the device. To find the system serial number using the device screen, do the following: - **Pearl Nano**: Use the arrow keys and check mark to navigate the front screen menu and select **System > Device information**. - Enter the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer, where *<**serial**>* is the serial number of your Pearl Nano: http://*<**serial**>*.local/admin **For example:** http://95dd40d5.local/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Nano, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl Nano administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - (Optional) From the Configuration menu, click **Network **and note the **IP address** of the system from the network configuration page. #### Connect using persistent static IP address Your Pearl Nano has a default persistent static IP address, also known as the **recovery IP address**. To set up a Pearl Nano on a network that does not support DHCP, or to recover from a previous static IP address setting, use this procedure to connect directly to the device for configuration. A workstation computer with access rights to modify your network settings is required. Pearl Nano static IP address defaults are: - I**P Address**: 192.168.255.250 - **Netmask**: 255.255.255.252 - **Username**: admin - **Password**: your admin password (by default there is no password assigned) **Access the Admin panel using the persistent static IP address** - Establish an Ethernet connection between Pearl Nano and the workstation using one of the following methods: - Connect the Pearl Nano to a local Ethernet network shared with the workstation. - Connect the Pearl Nano directly to the workstation’s Ethernet port using either a regular or a crossover Ethernet cable. - Record the network settings of the workstation that are used to connect to the Pearl Nano so that they can be restored later. - Temporarily change the network configuration on the workstation to the following: - Use Static IP assignment - IP address: 192.168.255.249 - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 - Start a web browser on the workstation and go to: **http://192.168.255.250/admin/** - From the Configuration menu, click **Networking**. - Click ** use a static address** and enter a static IP address and network settings you want for the Pearl Nano. - Restore the previously saved network configurations on the workstation. --- ## The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset id: pearl-nano/the-factory-default-configuration-preset-and-factory-reset · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset Administrators can apply the default factory configuration preset to Pearl Nanos or Unify projects, which resets most of the settings in each of the main configuration groups. Applying the factory default configuration preset is similar to a factory reset, but a **Factory reset ** is more invasive. This table describes the differences. **Table 32 Factory default configuration preset vs a factory reset** | **Item** | **Factory default ** **configuration preset** | **Factory reset function** | | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl Nano** - Resets the channel settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all recorded files in the Channel (Pearl Nano has a single channel) | | ✔ | | Resets network configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | **Pearl Nano** - Resets front screen PIN | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets user passwords | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all created configuration presets | | ✔ | | Removes all CMS including Epiphan Edge registration information | ✔ | ✔ | | Removes records for all scheduled and completed CMS events | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all uploaded media files | | ✔ | | Resets all Source settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets EDID to factory | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all SCP/SFTP identities | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all LDAP settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all Automatic file upload settings | ✔ | ✔ | There are different ways you can apply the **Factory default** configuration preset to the Pearl Nano, you can: - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel - Apply a configuration preset using the front screen menu — see "Apply a configuration preset using the touch screen or front screen menu" in the Pearl Family shared guide A reboot is required to apply the factory default configuration preset. Operators who are assigned certain administrative-level privileges can apply the Factory default configuration preset and perform a factory reset. --- ## Troubleshooting Quick Reference id: pearl-nano/troubleshooting-quick-reference · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Troubleshooting Quick Reference Use the follow quick reference table for help if you are experiencing problems or unexpected behavior from your Pearl Nano. **Table 76 Troubleshooting Quick Reference** | **Problem** | **Action(s) to Resolve** | | --- | --- | | 4K features not working | The most likely problem is that the 4K Feature add-on is not activated. | | Not sure if the connected video inputs are being captured. | Check each source's input from the source preview in the Admin panel. OR Use the front screen and control key interface and check the screens for each video input source. | | No sound is coming from an audio source. | Verify that you are using the correct audio input by following the steps in Configure encoding. OR Use the front screen and control key interface and check the audio meters or use the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the front of Pearl Nano to verify audio, | | Captured SDI audio contains audible "clicking" sound or other audio distortions upon playback. | Ensure audio sample rate is set to 48 kHz. Lower sample rates (i.e. 32 kHz and 44 kHz) can sometimes cause audio distortion. | | When previewing a channel using the Live broadcast link or the preview link in the Admin panel, some web browsers do not play audio. | The Flash (FLV) plugin must be installed for your web browser to play back audio that's encoded as PCM. Web browsers that use Flash players to preview video do not support audio that's encoded using 48 kHz MP3 or 48 kHz PCM. | | All my input names don't look normal in the Admin panel menu after I applied the default preset | Refresh your browser to clear the cache and restore the proper input names displayed in the Admin panel. | | Time stamps between Pearl Nano and an RTSP source are not synchronized. | Reconnect your RTSP source to reset desynchronized time stamps. Verify that you are using a local NTP server on your Pearl Nano as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source, | | There's an audible clicking noise in recordings and live streams of my RTSP video source | Remove the RTSP source using the Admin panel and recreate it to resolve the issue. | | Too much noise is present in the audio output. | Check the input level of the audio source to make sure it's the correct level. Modify the input **gain** if necessary, | | Video playback is fine, but when I play the clip in Adobe Premiere Pro the audio and video are out of sync. | Adobe Premiere Pro has a known issue handling video that is recorded using a variable frame rate. Convert the clip to a constant frame rate using a third-party software, such as Handbrake, before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. | | Adobe Premiere Pro won't load my .mp4 recording from Pearl Nano. | Check if the selected recording format in Pearl Nano is MP4-Fragmented. Adobe Premiere Pro does not currently support fragmented .mp4 files. Before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, convert the clip to progressive .mp4 format. Run the file through ffmpeg or a third-party software such as Handbrake to preserve both audio and video output. | | Image quality is poor or insufficient. | The following tips can help improve image quality: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. | | Frames per second are lower than expected. | The following tips can help improve frames per second (fps): Increase **the Limit frame rate **value and/or decrease the **Bitrate **value in the Encoding menu. Reduce the number of actions happening simultaneously on the system (i.e. if streaming, recording, and copying files, consider waiting to copy files until after streaming and recording are complete). Enter a low negative value (i.e. -5) in the Frame Grabber's Vertical Shift field. | | Stream won't play in my media player or browser. | Verify that the Stream Type matches with the media player used and that you have the correct url or SDP file for the player. If the issue is still not resolved, contact Epiphan Support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | The stream interrupts or the image breaks up. | The following tips can help diagnose image problems: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. Check network settings including filters, routers and application settings. Packet loss can result in stream failure. | | The video streamed to my set-top box is dropping frames. | If you're streaming to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for lower bandwidth set-top boxes and prevent frame drops, | | Recording won't start. | If recording will not start, check the Disk Status Information to see if the system is out of storage space. All Pearl devices overwrite the oldest recordings to make room for new ones automatically. If a recording still won't start, the cause is usually 1) faulty storage, 2) no storage installed, or 3) storage that's too small for the recording, which can cause an error -- contact Epiphan support if this occurs. | | AFU to my CIFS server doesn't work. | Pearl Nano supports Automatic File Transfer (AFU) to CIFS servers (also known as SMB or samba) with samba version 1. | | Firmware upgrade fails. | Reboot the system and try again. If the problem persists, contact Epiphan support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | Certain Media players won't play encoded videos but others will. | Depending on the media player used, there could be different issues. If you encounter a playback issue, try using a different media player. Some issues we know of include: On Windows 10, the Movies & TV app sometimes fails to playback MP4-fragmented files with MP3 audio: try changing your MP4 audio encoding to AAC. VLC doesn't play MP4-fragmented files normally. Streams and recordings at very low frame rates (e.g. 1 fps) are not playable in VLC media player, use Windows Media Player and Quicktime Player instead. | | Certain Media players won't play MOV videos. | Some media players won't play MOV videos that are recorded with MP3 audio encoding, including: VLC 2.2.4 (Microsoft Windows) if MP3 audio encoding is at 48 kbps. Movies & TV 10.16122.1029 on Windows 10. Windows Media Player 12. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MOV files or use a different media player to playback the recording. The MOV file type on Pearl Nano also has a time limit of 13h15m, exceeding this limit will render the file unplayable. | | There's no audio when I playback an MP4 file in QuickTime 10. | Apple doesn't support MP3 audio. If your MP4 file is created with MP3 audio, you will not hear the audio during playback in QuickTime 10. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MP4 files or use a different media player to playback the recording. | | I can't hear the audio in VLC or the video won't play. | VLC version 3.0.3 won't play audio for MP4 fragmented files. In VLC's Input/Codecs settings page, you can try increasing the file caching parameter. VLC version 3.0.6 (windows) won't play MP4 fragmented video files. This is a VLC issue. | | There's noticeable latency on the video output port. | Disabling the audio on the video output port improves latency for the port, | | System is not starting up correctly. | Ensure there is no USB stick inserted into a USB port during power up. A potential conflict with the internal hard drive could cause unexpected behavior. | --- ## User administration id: pearl-nano/user-administration · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # User administration Pearl Nano has different types user accounts. Depending on the type of user, you will have different privileges. ### User types and privileges There are different types of user accounts: - Administrator - Operator - Viewer No password is assigned to the user accounts by default. The first time you log in to the Admin panel using the administrator-level account, you're prompted to set passwords for all three user accounts. The Pearl Nano administrator can change passwords at any time using the Admin panel. You cannot change the default user names or disable user levels. When you log in to the Pearl Nano, you must log in as one of the three user levels. Private profiles with individually set passwords are not used. Admin and operator-level users have access to the Admin panel to control the Pearl Nano. When logged in to the Admin panel, the user level is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. **Administrator** The administrator account is used for all system configuration and has full access to all configuration features with full access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote log in access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Nano is **admin**. **Operator** The **operator** account allows users limited configuration control with limited access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote login access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Nano is **operator**. Operators can to do the following: - Configure inputs - Control recordings (start and stop) - Rename, download and delete recordings - Perform network diagnostics If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the **Apply **button appears grayed-out in color and is not selectable. Administrators can grant operators permission to perform some administrator tasks. **Viewer** The global **viewer **account is exclusively used to view streamed Channel. You're prompted to enter the default user name **viewer** and password to view a channel's live broadcast. In addition to the global viewer account, each channel can set a viewer password that overrides the global value. **User privileges** The following table outlines the default privileges for each user level. **Table 26 User privileges in the Admin panel** | **Action or Menu Option** | **viewer** | **operator** | **admin** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | View channel output | ü | ü | ü | | **Channel Operations** | | View channel configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename a channel | | | ü | | Configure stream channel | | | ü | | Configure stream sources | | | ü | | Start/stop recording | | ü | ü | | Start/stop a stream | | ü | ü | | Configure channel metadata | | | ü | | View recorded files list | | ü | ü | | Rename recorded files | | ü | ü | | Download recorded files | | ü | ü | | Delete recorded files | | ü | ü | | **Input Source Operations** | | View input source configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename input | | | ü | | Configure input | | ü | ü | | View input snapshot | | ü | ü | | **Network & security** | | Configure static IP address | | | ü | | Configure DHCP (including Option 81) and DDNS | | | ü | | Change HTTP/HTTPS port values | | | ü | | Configure 802.1x | | | ü | | Configure HTTPS | | | ü | | **CMS Operations** | | Start/stop scheduled events from the device screen | ü | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events from the front screen | ü | ü | ü | | Enable CMS and register | | | ü | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | ü | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | ü | | Start/stop scheduled events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | View the Events page | | ü | ü | | **System Configuration Operations** | | View system configuration | | ü | ü | | Format the SD card | | | ü | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | ü | | Select External USB drive behavior | | | ü | | Cancel USB file transfers | | ü | ü | | Configure network address | | | ü | | Configure date and time preferences | | | ü | | Set or change user passwords | | | ü | | Configure serial port flow control | | | ü | | Upload and delete media | | | ü | | Enable remote support | | | ü | | Backup device configuration | | | ü | | Restore device configuration | | | ü | | Restore factory configuration | | | ü | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | ü | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature | | | ü | | Upgrade Firmware | | | ü | | View System Information | | ü | ü | | **Network Diagnostics** | | Bandwidth test | | ü | ü | | Connectivity status | | ü | ü | | Domain name resolution | | ü | ü | | Ping | | ü | ü | | Probe | | ü | ü | | Trace route | | ü | ü | --- ## User interfaces and remote access id: pearl-nano/user-interfaces-and-remote-access · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # User interfaces and remote access Pearl Nanos have several user interfaces: - **Front screen and control keys**: Easily accessible on the front panel of Pearl Nano, the front screen and control key interface is primarily used for easy device setup, confidence monitoring, and One Touch streaming and recording control. - **Admin Panel**: A web-based user interface that's primarily used to perform system set up and administrative tasks for your Pearl Nano. You can access the Admin Panel using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as your Pearl Nano, or locally using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to the Pearl Nano. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor video sources, view status and alerts, remote rescue troubleshooting and more over the Internet using Epiphan Edge. --- ## Video output port resolution id: pearl-nano/video-output-port-resolution · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # Video output port resolution The video output port's ** resolution** (also known as frame size or display mode) defines the number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically. For example, the resolution 1920×1080 (1080p) produces an image that is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. Pearl Nanos always assume that the output display uses square pixels. The** aspect ratio** (eg. 4:3 or 16:9) describes the proportional relationship between the video output's pixel width and height. The resolution 1920×1080 (1080p), for example, is quite a bit wider than it is tall. The ratio of its width to height is 16 to 9, which has an aspect ratio that is 16:9. By default, you can choose from the following output resolutions for your video output ports, but you can also change settings to allow a variety of other resolutions through. --- ## What is Pearl Nano? id: pearl-nano/what-is-pearl-nano · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # What is Pearl Nano? # Pearl Nano Information Pearl Nano is a versatile and easy to use single channel, single layout video recording and streaming hardware encoder that's great for lecture capture, corporate communications, and remote video contribution applications using live SRT feeds. It does not support switching (layout or video), multi-channel or separate recording or stream, or ladder encoding. It supports Multi-streaming to 6-10 endpoints simultaneously and HDMI, SDI, RTSP, and SRT inputs. Only one IP (RTSP or SRT) input is supported at a time. Only the HDMI and SDI inputs support up to 4K resolutions with a purchased 4K add-on. RTSP and SRT inputs are always limited to up to 1920x1200. Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming. Pearl Nano does not support Dante audio. Pearl Nano does not support chroma keying. A 4K add-on/license is required for encoding, recording, streaming up to 4K resolutions, and downscaling resolutions higher than 1920x1200. Pearl Nano’s HDMI passthrough port supports up to 4K resolutions with the purchased 4K add-on, but the HDMI output port is always limited to up to 1920x1200. Video playback in a layout, live video playback, scrubbing, or playback of recordings via HDMI is not supported. The rear USB port supports UAC devices but does not support UVC webcams or USB ethernet dongles, or USB webcam output. It uses SD Cards or SATA SSDs (m.2 2280 form factor) and supports up to 1TB storage. NVMe is not supported. Class 10 U3 SD cards up to 512GB are recommended, but the SD card port is disabled if an SSD is installed. With Pearl Nano, you can capture, record and stream computer monitors and other video sources, including: - SDI - HDMI™ - HDMI 4K - DVI-I (single link) via HDMI - SRT and RTSP Simultaneously capture up to two audiovisual sources and arrange them in a custom layout with transparent images and backgrounds. Capture audio from dedicated XLR, USB, and RCA audio ports, as well as from SDI, HDMI, and network video sources (SRT and RTSP). Stream to Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) worldwide using modern protocols like SRT and HLS. At the same time, you can stream to other destinations using RTMP/RTMPS or RTSP. Even multicast directly to viewers on your LAN so they can watch the live channel broadcast using a web browser or media player on smart devices connected to the same private network as Pearl Nano. Download recordings using your web browser, or set Pearl Nano to automatically upload recorded files directly to a network server using SFTP, RSYNC, CIFS, WebDav, and more. Pearl Nano is also fully integrated with Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, and Opencast Content Management Systems (CMSs) and can be registered as a video remote recorder resource for seamless lecture capture. Network security compliance with 802.1x protocols, passwords, and certificate authentication means an easier setup for IT friendly live streaming over enterprise networks. Pearl Nano is HTTPS enabled for secure administration and control over the LAN, and supports secure live streaming protocols like SRT with AES encryption and RTMPS. Pearl Nano does not capture from HDCP encrypted sources. The rear panel of the Pearl Nano has vesa mounting holes to fit a standard, 75mm × 75mm vesa mount. Use four M4 screws with a maximum length of 5mm to mount the plate to the rear panel of the Pearl Nano. Do not insert screws longer than the recommended 5mm. Using longer screws can damage the device. --- ## What is streaming? id: pearl-nano/what-is-streaming · product: pearl-nano · source: pearl-nano-userguide.md # What is streaming? After you connect your camera, audio source, and set up a channel, it’s time to stream your content live and share that with your viewers. Epiphan products provide many different streaming options and supports a variety of streaming protocols. The easiest way to stream a single channel directly to viewers on the same local network is to share the channel's live broadcast URL. Various stream types are available so users can watch using their favorite devices, including: HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP FLASH (.FLV), MPEG-TS (HTTP), HLS (pull) (enable HTTP streaming on the Streaming page of the Channel), and RTSP. At the same time, stream to a multicast server or CDN and reach viewers across the globe. You can even stream to smart TVs in overflow rooms using SAP. The streaming method you choose depends on factors like the number of viewers of your stream, are you broadcasting live over a local TCP-based network or streaming to a CDN over the Internet, how much bandwidth do you have available, and is live streaming security a concern? Pearl Nanos can stream to a CDN or media server using any of the following streaming protocols: - SRT (push) - HLS (push) - RTMP/RTMPS (push) - RTSP Announce A channel can support multiple streams. That means you can stream a channel to multiple destinations using different streaming protocols. Unicast and multicast streams are also supported. - **Pearl Nano** - start and stop streaming by using the Streaming key located on the front panel or directly from the Admin panel. You can also control streaming using Epiphan Edge from a mobile device or tablet, or via external control via Qsys, Crestron, and more. A full REST API is available for these particular use cases. In addition to streaming from the Pearl Nano, the following streaming formats are supported as input sources that the Pearl Nano can ingest: - SRT - RTSP ### Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations A Content Delivery Network (CDN) relies on geo-diverse CDN servers to receive and disperse web content to the CDN server closest to the user. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. Streaming your content through a CDN allows you to stream any time, anywhere, regardless of the viewing device and you don't have to worry about maintaining your own video streaming servers on site. Streaming content to a multicast IP address is different than streaming to a CDN. Multicasting lets you directly share the stream with multiple viewers on the same LAN. All viewers receive the same stream at the same time. Similar to turning on a radio station where all listeners hear the same music at the same time. Multicasting is useful for training sessions when there is a specific time frame for the audience to view the content live. Pearl Nano can publish to multiple destinations at the same time. Do not use Motion JPEG (MJPEG) encoding when streaming a channel to CDNs and multicast streaming at the same time. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | Content Distribution Network (CDN) | Stream web content to many viewers on different Content Delivery Networks simultaneously to any geographical location. Using a CDN to host your broadcast is highly scalable and saves you from having to purchase and maintain your own servers to host and deliver video content. Using one or more CDNs to stream live content allows you to reach a large geographically diverse audience and because CDNs perform format conversion, the stream is platform independent. Streaming protocols supported include: SRT (push), HLS (push), RTMP/RTMPS. | | Multicast Streaming | This delivery method relies on network equipment that supports multicasting and is usually used on high bandwidth corporate LANs and not on Internet-based architectures. Multicasting is what's typically used to stream video and audio to an IP TV or set-top box playlist. If you're streaming over a Gigabit Ethernet network to a 10/100 Mbps set-top box that is dropping frames, you can limit the stream's bandwidth using traffic shaping (see Set up traffic shaping). Multicast streaming protocols supported include: MPEG-TS UDP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. | To stream video outside of your LAN, use a CDN or configure port forwarding on your router. Consult your Network Administrator to set up port forwarding. By default, no streaming is configured for the Channel configured on Pearl Nano. **Publishing to a CDN** When you publish a stream to a CDN provider, make sure you use a streaming protocol that the CDN supports. Contact your CDN for a list of supported streaming protocols and audio codecs they support. To publish content to a CDN provider, ensure you have: - the URL (or path) to the mount point or an XML configuration file (provided by the CDN provider) - the supported transport protocols, audio codecs, and any other settings like key frame rates and bit rates recommended by the CDN provider You can control streaming to a CDN using the Admin panel. You can also use: - Pearl Nano - Streaming button on the front panel. **Streaming to multiple destinations** Pearl Nano supports streaming to multiple destinations. A stream uses the channel's encoding settings. Therefore, all streams you create for the channel have the same encoding settings. ### Directly sharing channel stream URLs with viewers People on the same local network as Pearl Nano can easily view a channel's live broadcast stream. All you need to do is provide the channel's stream URL and log in credentials for viewers. Choose the right type of URL for the type of device the person will use to watch the stream. Viewers can watch the stream using a digital media player or browser. HTTP is used for MPEG-TS and FLV streaming. HTTPS is not supported for these protocols. ### About streaming using SRT Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low-latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) transport and additional error checking. Low-latency SRT is particularly good for real-time, two-way communications between a remote guest and a local on-site host. You can configure Pearl Nano as an SRT source encoder and stream video using SRT. You can also configure Pearl Nano as an SRT decoder and ingest SRT streams as video inputs. Up to one of the video inputs you configure for Pearl can be from an SRT source and Pearl Nano can stream up to three SRT streams. Pearl Nano as SRT source encoders in a multiple-source setup. Before content is streamed between the SRT source and destination, a communication link must be established between them for SRT control and recovery packets. Any firewalls blocking the path must be traversed. **SRT streaming modes and firewalls** Streaming through firewalls can be a challenge. With SRT you get easy firewall traversal with little to no IT involvement. SRT offers three modes to simplify the process: Rendezvous, Caller, and Listener. - Rendezvous mode is the easiest to setup and usually doesn't need any intervention from your IT administrator for the SRT stream from the source to traverse the firewall to the destination. The SRT source and destination devices must use the same SRT port value, - Caller and Listener modes work together to establish the SRT connection between your source and destination devices when traversing the firewall is difficult. In this case, your IT network administrator must configure the network to allow traffic that comes in on the port configured for SRT streaming and forward the traffic to the destination device. The device you set as the Caller (or Listener) is arbitrary, as long as one device is a Listener and the other is a Caller. To establish the SRT connection between a source and destination device in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. **SRT latency controls** SRT includes latency controls to adjust for poor network quality while maintaining an acceptable amount of delay. Pearl Nano provides statistics to determine the amount of packet loss. Using the Admin panel, you can increase or decrease the amount of latency applied to the stream to help mitigate any Quality of Service (QoS) issues. The default latency values are 125 ms for an SRT stream and 80 ms for an SRT input. ### Secure streaming Secure streaming is a great option for confidential content, such as corporate meetings or internal employee training. There are several ways to secure your live stream. - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT). - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS). - Stream HLS (push) over local HTTPS networks. SRT streaming includes additional AES encryption settings for even more security. You can set the SRT stream for 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. Encryption settings must be set to the same values on both the SRT encoder sending the stream and the SRT decoder that's receiving the stream. RTMPS wraps the RTMP stream in TLS/SSL packets before it's transported over a TCP connection between the network server and the Pearl Nano(i.e. the client). ### Suggested stream settings When you're setting up your live stream, you would typically consult your CDN or publishing destination for their recommended settings to use. Stream setup can be a matter of balancing quality and system resources. When choosing your stream settings, it's important to consider the type of content you're streaming and the streaming protocol you've chosen. For streaming fast moving video, a higher bitrate and frame rate delivers a better image. If you're streaming a slide presentation, you can save bandwidth and system processing by lowering the bitrate and frame rate without any noticeable image degradation. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your video quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming video content from Pearl Nano. **Table 46 Suggested stream settings for video** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Nano** - H.265 | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated (this is the only option on Pearl Nano) | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Nano** - Main | | Key frame interval | 2 sec1 | | Limit frame rate | 301 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Nano**: 6000 kpbs for Full HD 24 Mbps for 4K UHD4K | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz1 | 1For HLS streaming, the key frame interval should be set to 2s and the frame rate should be set to 30 fps for live NTSC content. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your stream quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming a slide presentation from a PC, Mac, or tablet. **Table 47 Suggested stream settings for slides** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Nano** - H.265 | | Video encoding preset | Hardware accelerated (this is the only option on Pearl Nano) | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Nano** - Main | | Key frame interval | 2 sec | | Limit frame rate | 30 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Nano**: 3000 kpbs for HD 24 Mbps for 4K UHD4K | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz | --- ## About video output ports id: pearl-nexus/about-video-output-ports · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # About video output ports **Pearl Nexus** An HDMI video output port is located on the rear panel of Pearl Nexus. The output port is set to display HDMI A input port by default, but you can change this using the Admin panel. The video output port is configured to maintain aspect ratio, use the display's default resolution, and include audio at 100% volume. However, the audio meter is not shown by default. Using the video output port takes CPU cycles and adds to the overall load on your Pearl Nexus. For optimum performance, keep displays disconnected from the video output port if you're not using them. Setups that already put a heavy load on the system's CPU may be negatively impacted if the external video output port is used. You can use the Admin panel to configure the video output port parameters. If you're simply selecting a video source or channel and enabling/disabling audio for the output port, you can use your choice of either the Admin panel, or Epiphan Live. For channels that have audio, the audio is enabled by default. See Monitor and select the video output source using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide. **Important considerations** - When changing encoding parameters for a channel that's displayed on the video output port, it may revert to the display's default resolution if the output resolution is set to "Same as source". To resolve this, change the video output to a different resolution then back to "Same as source". - When using the video output port for confidence monitoring, some delay can be expected. For a 1080p video source, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 100 ms. For a 1080p channel, the average delay on the video output port is approximately 300 ms. The actual amount can vary, depending on the setup. - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. - Using the video output ports adds to the overall system load on the Pearl Nexus. If your system has a high system load and you're using the video outputs, monitor the frame rate of your channels on your Pearl Nexus and adjust your setup if there's an unacceptable drop in the frame rate. Remedial measures you can take include eliminating video scaling at the inputs, adjusting the encoding bitrates, and (for Pearl Nexus) deleting extra layouts and channels that are no longer being used. - Use MultiViewer to preview multiple sources, including system information like channel status and audio information, on the video output port in a grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to system loading. | **Numberof Displays** | **Cable 1** | **Cable 2** | **Output resolution** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | passive converter | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 1 | | n/a | Any (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | passive converter | passive converter | | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | active converter or DisplayPort cable | Displays can be set independently to any resolution up to 1080p (1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080) | | 2 | active converter or DisplayPort cable | passive converter | One of the two displays will fail to receive a signal. Do not mix passive converters with active converters and DisplayPort cables. | | 2 | passive converter | active converter or DisplayPort cable | | --- ## AFU or copy to USB id: pearl-nexus/afu-or-copy-to-usb · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # AFU or copy to USB The Pearl Nexus has USB 3.0 ports that you can use to copy recordings to external USB flash drives or hard drives. Use this to conveniently provide speakers with a copy of their presentation before they leave the presentation venue. A USB port is available on the back panel of the Pearl Nexus. Pearl Nexus has an additional USB port on the front. The USB storage device must be formatted with one of the following file systems: | FAT16 | FAT32 | XFS | | --- | --- | --- | | EXT2 | EXT3 | EXT4 | | NTFS | exFAT | | We recommend you only connect one USB device to a Pearl Nexus at a time. Only one copy or move to USB operation is permitted at a time, even though the UI may appear to let you start a second one. Please wait until the first is complete before starting a new operation. To view AFU status and monitor file transfer progress, use the Admin panel. AFU to a USB storage device Transfer recordings to a USB storage device automatically when you select an external USB device as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on the Pearl Nexus. - Channels and/or recorders are already added for AFU - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured **Configure AFU upload to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **External USB Drive **as the protocol transfer type. If your Automatic File Upload setting conflicts with your new USB device setting, a message is displayed. Click the **fix it** link and click **Apply**. The fix it link disables any other type of automatic file upload you have configured. When you are done with USB uploads, return to the **Automatic File Upload **configuration page and reconfigure your AFU settings. - (Optional) Select **Create a subfolder for each channel** to have recordings organized by channel. - Click **Apply**. Do a one-time move/copy all recordings to USB storage device When one-time move/copy of files is configured, the Pearl Nexus automatically starts copying files as soon as you connect a USB storage device to the USB port. Newest recordings are copied first. Files continue copying over until one of the following events occur: - all files are copied - the specified maximum number of files are copied - the target drive runs out of storage space File that are currently recording do not transfer until recording ends. The following table describes the options available for a one-time move/copy of recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 61 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | remove after copying | If checked, the file(s) are removed after being copied to the USB drive. Checking this box makes the transfer a move instead of a copy. | | mark file as downloaded | If checked, the files that are downloaded are marked with a downloaded icon when viewing file lists. This has no effect if remove after copying is checked. | | ignore already downloaded files | If checked, files that were previously downloaded or marked as downloaded are not included in subsequent downloads. | If your USB drive has no activity indicator to let you know when the transfer is complete, select the one-time move/copy option to **remove after copying** or **mark the file as downloaded** so that you know when the transfer has finished. **Prerequisites** - A properly formatted USB device must be connected to a USB port on Pearl Nexus. **Configure a one-time copy of all recorded files to a USB storage device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used for one-time move/copy of the recorded files (upon insertion)**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload settings, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and either disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Check the options you want to use for the one-time move/copy file transfer and click **Apply**. - Insert the USB storage device into the USB port on Pearl Nexus. File transfer starts automatically. - Follow the steps to Safely eject the USB storage device when the activity light on the USB storage device stops flashing. If your USB device doesn't have activity indicators: - Check the **Recording **list for each channel and the **Recorded Files **list for each recorder to verify if there are files that have yet to be copied. - Safely eject the USB storage device when you are satisfied all files have been copied, or if you notice the USB storage device is out of space Manually copy recordings to USB storage device You can manually copy recordings to a USB storage device that is connected to Pearl Nexus. This procedure is separate from automatic file upload and does not need any pre-configuration in the automatic file upload page. The following table describes the options available when manually copying recordings to a USB storage device. **Table 62 One-Time Move/Copy File Transfer Options** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | create subfolder with serial number () | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder with the system’s serial number on the USB drive. This is useful if you are using the same drive to collect recordings from multiple systems and want to know which system they came from. | | create subfolder for each channel | If checked, the transfer process creates a sub-folder for each channel and recorder (within the subfolder for the serial number, if that option is also selected). Files are copied to their respective folders. | | File already exists | Choose the action to take if a file with the same name already exists in the copy location: replace (default) skip rename | **Manually copy recorded files to a USB device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **External USB Drive link**. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - Select **used to manually move/copy selected files via the Admin panel **and click **Apply**. If a conflict is reported regarding the Automatic file upload, click **Fix it** or go to the Automatic File Upload configuration page and disable automatic file upload or switch to a non-USB based upload type. - Insert your USB storage device into an available USB port on Pearl Nexus and do one of the following: - To download files for a specific channel, click **Recording** from the Channels menu. - To download files for a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - Check the files you want to download and do one of the following: - Click **Copy Selected to external drive** to copy the files to the USB drive. - Click **Move Selected to external drive** to move the files and delete them off of Pearl Nexus. In this example, the first file is currently recording and cannot be downloaded. - Follow the steps to Safely eject USB storage device when you're done. View file transfer status and cancel file copy to a USB device During a file transfer to an External USB drive, you can monitor the file transfer progress and cancel the file transfer using the Admin panel. You can only cancel the transfer of a file while it is in progress. **View file transfer to USB device status and cancel using the Admin panel** - While the file transfer is in progress, select **External USB Drive link** from the Configuration menu in the Admin panel. The External USB Drive configuration page opens. - View the current file transfer status under the **Status** section. To cancel the current file transfer, select **Cancel** and confirm when prompted. The option to cancel only appears while the file transfer is in progress. The file that is highlighted in green is currently being transferred. View available USB storage space When you insert a USB storage device into a USB port and select an **External USB Drive **action other than **ignored** (i.e. manual copy, automatic copy, etc), the total and free space are calculated and displayed in the Admin panel. When you insert your USB storage device into an available USB port, an External storage usage information tab appears at the bottom of the menus panel in the Admin panel. Safely eject the USB storage device When you're done saving recordings to the USB storage device, you can safely eject it using the link at the bottom of the Admin panel page. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - At the bottom of the menus panel, click **eject** and click **OK** when prompted. It's now safe to disconnect the USB storage device from Pearl Nexus. --- ## Assign administrator privileges to operators id: pearl-nexus/assign-administrator-privileges-to-operators · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Assign administrator privileges to operators Administrators can assign additional administrative-level privileges to operators from the Security menu in the Admin panel. The following table lists the available options and their associated privileges. **Table 27 Options with additional operator privileges** | **Option** | **Operator admin functions** | | --- | --- | | **Channel configuration** | Add, remove, and rename a channel | | | Configure channel encoder settings | | | Create and configure a custom layout for a channel | | | Configure, remove, rename, and publish a stream for a channel | | | Configure channel metadata | | | **Pearl Nexus** - Add, duplicate, configure, and delete recorders | | | Upload, download, and delete media files | | **Input configuration ** | Add and rename video and audio inputs | | **Network configuration** | Configure network address | | | Configure 802.1x and manage CA certificates | | | Enable and disable DHCP Option 81 | | | Configure Dynamic DNS (DDNS) | | | Reboot the Pearl Nexus. | | **Configuration presets control**1 | Create, delete, and apply configuration presets | | **System configuration** | Configure the video output settings | | | Enable CMS and register | | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | Select external USB drive behavior | | | Configure the date and time preferences | | | Configure the serial port flow control | | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature for remote control and remote login | | | Video output configuration | | **System maintenance** | Apply configuration presets2 | | | Upgrade firmware | | | Enable remote support | | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | Shutdown device (Admin panel) | | | Restore factory configuration | | | Configure the name, location, and description | | | Perform disk check | 1Only configuration presets that don't include the System group are allowed. 2Allow operators to apply configuration presets that include the System group, as well as apply the factory default configuration preset. **Assign administrative privileges to operators using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under **Additional operator privileges**, check options to assign those administrator privileges to operators, and then click **Apply**. --- ## Audio input ports id: pearl-nexus/audio-input-ports · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Audio input ports You can connect external audio devices like mixers (and microphones for Pearl Nexus) directly to the dedicated audio input ports on Pearl Nexus. Each Pearl Nexus has a unique set of audio input ports. **Pearl Nexus** - Two XLR/TRS combo jacks (Mic/Line 1 and Mic/Line 2). These two ports are configured as a left/right stereo pair by default. - XLR mic-level inputs (balanced) - TRS 1/4" line-level inputs, + 4.0 dBu (balanced/unbalanced) - One 3.5 mm stereo mic-level for electret microphones - One RCA stereo pair consumer line-level input (-10 dBV) The two XLR/TRS combo jacks on Pearl Nexus are configured as a stereo pair by default. You can configure the two combo jacks as two separate mono audio inputs using the Admin panel. You can also enable or disable phantom power for the two XLR ports. The RCA and 3.5 mm audio sources share the same resource and appear under the label RCA/3.5 mm Audio. You can assign one or both audio sources to the RCA/3.5 mm Audio input. ### Enable or disable phantom power on Pearl Nexus Phantom power is not enabled on the XLR audio input ports by default on Pearl Nexus. You can enable 48 V Phantom power for the two XLR ports using the Admin panel. When phantom power is enabled: - 48 V phantom power is applied to both XLR port 1 and XLR port 2. - The phantom power LED beside the XLR/TRS combo jacks on the rear panel of Pearl Nexus is solid on. Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled for the two XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. A direct box can be used to provide the correct mic-level signal to the XLR port and offers some isolation protection in case of accidental exposure to 48 V phantom power. **Enable or disable phantom power using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Inputs menu, click **XLR/TRS Audio**. The XLR/TRS Audio page opens. - Check **Phantom power 48V**, then click **Apply**. ### Configure audio ports for stereo or mono Using the Admin panel, you can configure ports to function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as separate mono ports. **Pearl Nexus** The two combo XLR/TRS audio input ports are configured to work together as a stereo pair by default. - XLR/TRS 1 = left - XLR/TRS 2 = right **Configure audio ports as stereo or mono using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Open the configuration page from the Inputs menu: - **Pearl Nexus**: click **XLR/TRS Audio**. The XLR/TRS Audio configuration page opens. - Do one of the following. - To make the ports function as a stereo pair, check **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. - To make the ports function as separate mono ports, uncheck **Stereo pair** and click **Apply**. When mono is selected, two sets of parameters and two audio VU meters appear in the interface - one for each audio input port on the Pearl Nexus. Parameters that are listed only once apply to both ports. ### Assign audio sources to an input Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Nexus. These shared audio sources appear in the same configuration menus in the Admin panel and appear under the same audio input label in the user interfaces. The audio sources that share resources are: - RCA (left and right ports) - 3.5 mm (stereo port) Both the RCA and 3.5 mm audio sources appear under the label **RCA/3.5 mm Audio**. You can assign one or both audio sources to **RCA/3.5 mm Audio**. Choosing one audio source for the shared input disables the other audio source. This means that when you select RCA/3.5 mm Audio as the audio source for a layout using the custom layout editor, only the audio source you assign to RCA/3.5 mm Audio is used. Both audio sources are assigned by default. To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain when RCA **Assign the audio source to an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select the shared audio source. The audio configuration page opens. - From the **Input** menu, select the audio source and click **Apply**. ### Adjust audio gain and delay Pearl Nexus do not introduce audio delay and have near-zero latency when capturing. However, other external factors can cause audio to become de-synchronized, such as the length of audio cables or the configuration of your equipment. The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay to any audio source using the Admin panel. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. Adjusting the **Input Gain** for an analog audio source affects the volume for that audio source in recordings, streamed output, video output ports, and in the headphone jack. Be aware that excessive amounts of gain can increase the perception of any noise that may be present in the audio signal. If the gain of your analog audio signal needs adjustment, connect your headphones and use the VU meters to monitor the audio level while you add some gain. As a rule, each 10 dB of gain doubles the perceived loudness of the audio signal. This table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain at the audio input port of Pearl Nexus for common types of audio input devices. You should add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow). The actual amount of gain needed depends on the strength of the original audio signal. **Table 22 Audio input port gain guidelines** | **Audio source** | **Input port** | **Gain** | | --- | --- | --- | | Dynamic microphone | XLR | Add +50 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Electret microphone | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Wireless microphone receiver | XLR | Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | 3.5 mm | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Condenser microphone with phantom power | XLR | Add +40 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port. | | Mobile phone or other consumer line level device | TRS | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | XLR | Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port. | | | RCA1 | Nominal | | Professional mixer | TRS | Nominal | | | XLR | Nominal | | | RCA | Not recommended. | 1 To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA ports or when RCA/3.5 mm is used Ensure the audio input source is connected to an analog audio input port on Pearl Nexus before proceeding. **Adjust the gain and delay for an audio source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - In the **Input Gain** field, select the amount of gain to apply to the audio source. - In the **Audio delay** field, enter a value between 300 and -300 ms. A positive value adds delay to the audio signal. A negative value adjusts the audio to start earlier. - Click **Apply**. ### Mute audio You can mute any audio input port using the Admin panel. For analog audio ports that are configured as mono inputs, you can mute each port separately. Some audio input ports share internal audio processing resources in the Pearl Nexus. Muting an audio input that shares internal resources mutes all the associated audio sources. The following table lists the audio input ports that share internal processing and the results of applying mute. **Table 23 Muting audio inputs that share resources** | **Device** | **Audio input** **(Admin panel)** | **Shared audio input resources** | **Results** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Pearl Nexus** | XLR/TRS Audio | XLR/TRS 1 (left) XLR/TRS 2 (right) | **In stereo mode:** Both XLR ports (left and right) are muted. Both TRS ports (left and right) are muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/TRS audio 1 muted):** The XLR 1 (left) and TRS 1 (left) ports are muted. The XLR 2 (right) and TRS 2 (right) ports are not muted. | | | | | **In mono mode (XLR/TRS audio 2 muted):**The XLR 2 (right) and TRS 2 (right) ports are muted. The XLR 1 (left) and TRS 1 (left) ports are not muted. | | | RCA/3.5 mm Audio | RCA (left/right) 3.5 mm (left/right) | Both RCA ports (left and right) are muted. Both 3.5 mm ports (left and right) are muted. | **Mute an audio source using the admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Inputs menu, select an audio source. The audio configuration page for the audio source opens. - Check **Mute** to mute the audio source or uncheck **Mute** if you no longer want the audio source muted, then click **Apply**. --- ## Capturing video and audio with Pearl Nexus id: pearl-nexus/capturing-video-and-audio-with-pearl-nexus · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Capturing video and audio with Pearl Nexus Capturing is the process of taking the signals from your video and audio sources and encoding them so they're ready for streaming and recording. You add the captured video and audio to channels, which you customize for live streaming, switching, and recording. This section covers how to create channels and add custom layouts so that you can capture, stream, and record exactly what you want - how you want! Whether that's a simple channel with a single video and audio source or channels that have multiple video and audio sources and custom layouts like picture in picture. --- ## Configuration preset considerations id: pearl-nexus/configuration-preset-considerations · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configuration preset considerations There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including: - Access to presets and privacy considerations - Recording and streaming states - Recorded files in a channel - Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources - Channel and recorder index number behavior on Pearl Nexus - Deleting channels and recorders - and more **Access to presets and privacy considerations** - Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Pearl Nexus has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset. - Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset. - Applying a configuration preset does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private. - Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users. **Channel and recorder index number behavior (Pearl Nexus)** Each channel and recorder has an index number. The first channel created on a system is channel 1, subsequently channel 2, 3, 4, etc. Recorders are also created starting at index 1 with numbers incrementing as new recorders are created. The channel (or recorder) index number is found to the left of the channel or recorder name in the Admin panel: Configuration presets that contain the **channels **configuration group specify the channels in the preset by their index number. This means if you have channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 when you save your preset, applying that preset will overwrite the configuration of your current channels with indexes 1, 2, 3 and 4. If prior to applying that preset you also had channels with indexes 5 and 6, the configuration settings for those two channels are erased when the preset is applied (because the preset only has 4 channels). There are three areas where channel (and recorder) index numbers affect what happens when applying configuration presets. --- ## Configuration presets id: pearl-nexus/configuration-presets · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configuration presets Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration so you can restore later when needed. They are also useful if you have changing configuration requirements for Pearl Nexus or are managing multiple systems and you want them to have similar configurations. ### About configuration presets Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to the system, leaving other important settings intact. They make it easy to manage multiple Pearl Nexus setups in shared spaces, like a studio, and ensures a consistent setup each time you go to use Pearl Nexus. You can even export a configuration preset and upload it to another Pearl Nexus system. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between Pearl Nexus and Unify projects. The system's settings are divided into the following configuration groups. You can choose to include any number and combination of configuration groups in a preset and create as many different configuration presets as you need. **Pearl Nexus configuration group list** - System - Network - Inputs - EDID - Channel - Automatic File Upload - Content Management System - Epiphan Edge - Output port You can create and apply any saved configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** using the Admin panel. A special **Factory default **configuration preset, which cannot be erased, is included in the list of configuration presets. Use that to return to the factory setup without destructively erasing any saved recordings or media files you've uploaded. It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the settings groups included in the preset. All other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration preset considerations section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets. **Example of presets in action** You could upload custom background images to Pearl Nexus in advance of a conference and create custom channel configuration presets for several different keynote speakers, each with a different setup, and then apply them later when you need them. For example, you could create two configuration presets called Session 1 and Session 2. Each session could include things like custom backgrounds, images and logos, channels and layouts, metadata, streaming settings, and automatic file upload (AFU) locations. Then download those presets to your local computer so you can upload them to your entire fleet of Pearl Nexus systems. Channel configuration includes any applied backgrounds and image files. If these files aren't present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when deleting background images and logo files. At the conference, simply apply the configuration preset that you need for the appropriate session using the Admin panel. When applying the configuration preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged. The preset only affects channels and their configuration. After applying a configuration preset, recorded files from the previous session remain present on the system. If AFU is configured, the recorded files continue to upload even after the new configuration preset is applied (if AFU is not yet complete), but the channels reflect the newly loaded session's background file name and presenter name. --- ## Configure a video input source id: pearl-nexus/configure-a-video-input-source · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure a video input source Captured video sources don't usually need configuration, but you can change some of the video settings using the Admin panel, including: - Configure a video input source - SDI video settings For details to configure networked video sources on your Pearl Nexus, see: - Connect an RTSP source - Connect an SRT stream as an input - Connect an NDI|HX source **Open the configuration page for an input source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Ensure a source is connected to the input port - From the Inputs menu, click the **source name**. The configuration page for the source opens. **Video settings** | **Value** | **Input type** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | Enable deinterlacing (Pearl Nexus) | HDMI, DVI | Enable this feature to convert an interlaced source signal to a non-interlaced signal. | | Image | HDMI, DVI, SDI | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | HDMI, DVI, SDI | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | **SDI video settings** The following options are available for signals via the SDI port. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Image | This menu allows you to choose a custom no-signal image for the channel. The drop-down list gives you the option to choose the default image or any image you have uploaded through the Add a custom No Signal image | | Timeout | The timeout represents the number of seconds after losing the signal that the no-signal is displayed. You may change this number to adjust how soon you wish the no-signal image to appear after the signal disappears. | For USB video and web camera settings, see USB video and web camera settings in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Configure DHCP id: pearl-nexus/configure-dhcp · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure DHCP If you need to switch Pearl Nexus from using static IP address allocation to using dynamic allocation with DHCP, you can do this three different ways: - Load a configuration preset file that uses DHCP networking. - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel - Change the network settings manually using either the Admin panel or the local console. **Manually select DHCP as the network type using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as admin, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select Network. The Network configuration page opens. - Toggle DHCP and change the MTU Size if needed, then click save. **Table 16 DHCP Fields** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Use DHCP | Select this option to dynamically obtain an IP address at boot up using DHCP | | Use static address | Only select this option if you want to use the configured static IP address instead. | | MTU Size | The maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifies the maximum packet size for transfer on the network. The default value is 1500, which is the largest value allowed by Ethernet at the network layer. It’s best for all nodes in your network to use the same value. Only change this value if you know that other nodes use a different value. | - Reboot the Pearl Nexus when prompted. From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance** and click **Reboot Now** on the maintenance page. - After the system has finished rebooting, log back in to the Admin panel as **admin** and verify that all changes were applied. --- ## Configure encoding id: pearl-nexus/configure-encoding · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure encoding You can modify the encoding settings for a channel. The encoding settings let you fine tune your channel recording or live stream. You can select a specific frame size, bitrate, audio or video codec, and more. Channel encoding settings may be automatically overwritten when using the Pearl Nexus with a Content Management System. ### Codecs and file format compatibility Pearl Nexus supports the following codecs: **Table 33 Supported video codecs ** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. This is the default and preferred codec for the Pearl Nexus. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | **Table 34 Supported audio codecs and bitrate guidance** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | AAC is comparable to MP3 and may even provide better sound quality at a similar sample bitrate. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. Web browsers that use Flash (FLV) do not support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this encoding, you must use a web browser that supports HTML5 or a media player to preview your channel. | | PCM | Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a standard for digital audio in computer and other devices such as, digital telephone systems. Setting the level to match the audio source's level provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. | **Format compatibility** Not all streaming and recording protocols support all combinations of video and audio codecs. The following table lists any video/audio codec compatibility considerations for the supported streaming formats on Pearl Nexus. **Table 35 Video/audio codecs and formats for streaming** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **RTSP** | **FLV** | **MPEG-TS ** | **MJPEG** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | PCM | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | MJPEG (Pearl Nexus) | No audio codec | | | | ✔ | The following table displays the compatibility between the video/audio codecs and the supported recording formats. **Table 36 Video/audio codecs and formats for recording** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **MP4 and MP4-Fragmented** | **AVI** | **MOV** | **MPEG-TS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | MP3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | H.264 | AAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | MJPEG (Pearl Nexus) | No audio codec | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | --- ## Configure network settings id: pearl-nexus/configure-network-settings · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure network settings Pearl Nexus use DHCP to obtain an IP Address over an Ethernet-based network by default; however, you can easily change the network settings. ### Network ports used by Pearl Nexus The following table lists the default incoming and outgoing network ports. Do not block traffic over these ports. If you want Pearl Nexus to operate properly, make sure that your firewall is configured to open these ports. Blocking a port will cause the service that uses that port to fail. It is possible to use the Admin panel to change the default ports that are used for some services. **Table 13 Default incoming network ports for Pearl Nexus** | **Port (or range)** | **Protocol** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 22 | TCP | SSH for remote support. See Support. | | 80 | TCP | HTTP/HTTPS for web-based access to the Admin panel and Epiphan Live, Legacy HTTP/HTTPS API, REST API, HLS streaming (if enabled) and the live channel preview. You can change the default HTTP port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. | | 123 | TCP/UDP | NTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 319 and 320 | UDP | PTP server, if enabled. See Configure a time server. | | 443 | TCP | HTTPS for the Admin panel and HLS streaming if enabled. Port is open only when HTTPS is enabled. You can change the default HTTPS port value using the Admin panel, see Configure HTTPS. Checks for new firmware versions are over this port, as well as downloading firmware files. | | Pearl Nexus: 554 to 554+(x-1) | TCP | For RTSP/TCP and RTSP/HTTP streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with RTSP streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Note that client video players choose whether they are using RTSP/TCP, RTSP/HTTP or RTSP/UDP. Port 554 (and port 555 for Pearl Nexus) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | | Random in range 32768 - 61000 | UDP | If the client video player chooses RTSP/UDP, it will negotiate 4 random UDP ports (two for audio and two for video). The port range is dependent on the OS of the client video player and can change with updates to that OS. | | 5353 | UDP | For multicast DNS discovery. See Connect using a DNS-based service discovery. | | Pearl Nexus: 8000 to 8000+(x-1) | TCP | For Flash (FLV) live stream and MPEG-TS streaming on your network (where x is the number of channels configured). The number of ports used depends on how many channels you have with streaming enabled. See Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP). Port 8000 (and port 8001 for Pearl Nexus) is also used for internal communications. If streaming is disabled for the channel from Channel > Streaming using the Admin panel, these ports remain open but refuse all external connection requests. | In addition to the incoming ports, Pearl Nexus use some outgoing connections as follows: - **Port 443** - used for firmware update checks and downloads. - **Publishing/streaming port** - the actual ports used for streaming to a server depends on the server and protocol used. See Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices. - **AFU file recording transfer port** - the actual ports used for AFU depends on your configuration. See Automatic file transfers. --- ## Configure system settings id: pearl-nexus/configure-system-settings · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure system settings Pearl Nexus use the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. You can also add information like a unique device name, description, and location. ### Configure date and time Pearl Nexus uses the current date and time in naming recorded files and when synchronizing and timestamping inputs from multiple sources (i.e. when synchronizing an audio and a video source). The Admin panel lets you specify date and time settings to ensure they are correctly configured for your time zone and your network. #### View the current date and time settings There are two ways to view the current date and time settings: - From the Date and Time page using the Admin panel. - From the Device info page available through the HDMI output of Pearl Nexus To change the server used for synchronizing time, you can also set up a local Network Time Protocol (NTP) server on all Pearls. **View the current Date and Time settings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. **Table 19 Date and Time configuration options** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | Time Zone | The currently selected time zone. | | Enable local NTP server | Select to enable local NTP server. | | Enable time synchronization | Whether or not a time synchronization protocol is being used for setting time. If not selected, time is set manually. | | Protocol | The time synchronization protocol. | | Service IP Address | The time synchronization server address. | | Set time manually | Whether or not time is set manually. If time is not being set manually, a time synchronization protocol is used. | | Date | The current date. This is the current date even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | | Time | The current time. This is the current time even if the radio button Set time manually is not selected. | ##### Configure a time server Pearl Nexus uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) server from the National Research Council of Canada by default. You can change to a different time server using the Admin panel. Contact your system administrator for the time synchronization server settings you should use. The following table lists the time server types that Pearl Nexus supports. **Table 20 Supported time server types** | **Label** | **Description/Options** | | --- | --- | | NTP | Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers are used to synchronize system time. Many NTP servers are available on the Internet. Pearl can also act as a local NTP server. All you need is the IP address of the NTP server and network access to the server to use that as the time synchronization source for Pearl Nexus. For more information about NTP and to find NTP servers, refer to [http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome](http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome). A local Windows NTP server is not supported. | | PTP v1 | The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used for clock synchronization over the Internet. It has clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it more granular than NTP. | NTP sends UDP packets over port 123 on Pearl Nexus and PTP sends UDP packets over ports 319 and 320. If the Pearl Nexus is behind a firewall, you must open these ports to allow traffic when the Pearl Nexus is configured to use either an NTP or a PTP server to obtain its time and date information. **Set the time synchronization method using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time **. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - To use Pearl as a NTP server and provide timing to other NTP clients like IP cameras, check **Enable local NTP server**. Otherwise, skip this step. - Select **Enable time synchronization** and choose the time synchronization protocol from the **Protocols **drop down. - If **NTP **is selected, enter the IP address or server name for the NTP server in the **Server IP Address **field. - If **PTP v1 **is selected, choose a multicast address for the PTP v1 server from the **PTP domain** field. **Table 21 PTP multicast addresses** | **PTP Domain** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Default | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.129 | | Alternative 1 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.130 | | Alternative 2 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.131 | | Alternative 3 | PTP at multicast address 224.0.1.132 | - Click **Apply**. ##### Manually set the date, time, and time zone Pearl Nexus uses NTP for time synchronization by default. You can manually set the date, time, and time zone. Pearl Nexus uses the Eastern (Canada) time zone by default. **Set the date, time, and zone manually using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - Enter the current date in the **Date **field using the format *yyyy-mm-dd* and enter the current time in the **Time **field using the format *hh:mm:ss*. - Select a time zone from the **Time Zone **field. - Click **Apply**. ### Configure device info, name, description, and location You can assign a unique device name to the Pearl Nexus using the Admin panel and add information such as a description and location. Alphanumeric characters and hyphens are supported. The serial number of Pearl Nexus is the default device name. For AFU and USB file transfers that are configured to create a folder upon file upload, the device name you set for the Pearl Nexus is used for the folder name instead of Pearl's serial number. For CMSs, the device name you set here for the Pearl Nexus appears as the registered name for this device. **Configure the device name, description, and location using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **Info**. The system information page opens. - Under **Device info**, do any of the following and then click **Apply**: - Enter a name using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 64 characters. - Enter a description using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. - Enter a location using alphanumeric characters including hyphens up to a maximum of 50 characters. --- ## Configure video encoding id: pearl-nexus/configure-video-encoding · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Configure video encoding You can configure the video encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel. Video encoding settings include: - **Video codec**: The video codec determines the type of compression and decompression, and also affects the video quality. - H.264 (default) and Motion JPEG. - **Hardware or software encoding**: Hardware encoding is the default setting and is the recommended encoding. - **Video encoding profile**: This can be set to High, Main, or Baseline. - **Frame size:** The resolution applied to the channel when you stream, record, or output video to a confidence monitor. This can be set to automatically match the input video's resolution or set to a fixed resolution. - **Key frame interval**: How often a key frame that contains all the pixels is sent when streaming. The longer the key frame interval, the smaller the video file size (and vice versa). - **Limit frame rate**: You can limit the frame rate for the channel. - **Bitrate**: Increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the channel's **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as sporting events, requires a higher bitrate. By default, Pearl Nexus automatically uses the incoming video source frame size as the frame size for streaming and recording when the channel has only one layout with a single video source. If you're channel has multiple video sources or layouts, you must manually set a frame size for the channel. If you plan to switch layouts during a live stream, a fixed frame rate is recommended. This avoids the stream from stopping and restarting due to frame size changes when switching between single-source layouts that use different frame sizes. **Important considerations** - For optimum system performance, the frame size of the channel should be set to match the frame size of your video input source to avoid scaling - If your channel has a custom layout with only one source and your source and stream aspect ratios differ, then your source appears centered in the frame and matte bars are added automatically to the top and bottom (or left and right sides) of the frame to make up the difference - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - The larger the channel's frame size, the more bandwidth is needed for streaming and the recorded files are bigger. Instead of using the same frame size as the original video source, you can configure a smaller frame size for the channel and let Pearl Nexus downscale the video. For example, if the input video signal resolution is 1920×1080 (a 16:9 aspect ratio) and the channel's frame size is set to 1280×720, Pearl Nexus downscales the video and streams/records the channel at the lower frame size, using less bandwidth and producing smaller recorded files. - If you have unchecked all the manual resizing and positioning boxes in the custom layout editor and you downscale the video source using the frame size setting on the **Encoding** tab (for example, select 1280×720 frame size for a full HD video source), then the source appears cropped within the frame instead of scaling to fit the frame. You can add black bars around your video source by adjusting the frame size. For example, if your video source has a 16:9 widescreen/HD format but you need a 4:3 frame size on your output, Pearl Nexus automatically adds black bars to the top and bottom of the frame if you choose a frame size for the channel that has a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is some trade off between video quality and bandwidth size, depending on the encoding settings you choose. The following table lists some additional considerations when choosing video encoding settings. **Table 37 Video encoding settings** | **Setting** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. | | Motion JPEG | This codec is suitable for streaming and recording video, however you get lower quality images and it requires a large amount of bandwidth. Motion JPEG does not support audio. | | Key frame interval | The key frame interval feature specifies how often a key frame (a frame that contains all the pixels) is sent when streaming the video. This setting also impacts how quickly a video moves through the frames when a viewer uses the search function of their media player. Increasing the number of seconds between key frames can significantly reduce your bandwidth and system resource usage with minor impact to your video quality. A good rule of thumb is to keep the interval between 2 to 3 seconds and decrease the key frame interval as the motion increases. Try different settings and note changes in the video quality. If your video quality is poor and jittery you may need to decrease the interval between key frames. If you have unlimited bandwidth and system resources you can choose an option to stream key frames only. | | Frame rate | Frame rate reflects the number of images that are encoded per second. Reducing the frame rate for a channel reduces bandwidth usage, and vice versa. The system's ability to maintain a set frame rate is based on several factors, for example: overall system load affects the ability for the device to process pixels; available network bandwidth; the source and stream frame size (resolution); the type of motion that is captured; and number of users accessing the stream. When adjusting the frame rate, you may need to try different values to achieve the best outcome. | | Bitrate | In general, higher bitrates mean higher image quality, but more bandwidth is needed for streaming and video recordings are larger. You can set the bitrate to improve the image quality (this does not work with Motion JPEG encoding). For example, an HD Blu-ray video is typically in the range of 20 Mbps, whereas a standard-definition DVD is usually 6 Mbps. If you're unsure what bitrate value to use, start at 5000 kbps (slightly less than a typical DVD) and test to see how this looks for your viewers. | **Configure video encoding for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - Select a video **Codec** and do one of the following: - If **H.264** is selected, select a **Video encoding preset** and a **Video encoding profile**. - If **Motion JPEG **is selected, click **Page refresh time** and enter a time in seconds. | **Item** | **Options** | | --- | --- | | Video encoding preset | **Hardware Accelerated**: This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. **Software**: This matches the default from previous generations of Epiphan products. Only select this if you need software encoding or X.264 encoding to match results created with previous generations of Epiphan products or firmware | | Video encoding profile | **Baseline**: Choose this option when streaming to an application that requires robustness and cannot tolerate data loss, for example video-conferencing. **Main**: Choose this option for standard-definition broadcasts. **High**: This is the default. Choose this option when video is viewed for broadcast and disk storage applications, particularly for high definition television application such as Blu-ray disk storage format and HDTV broadcast service. | - Configure the frame size, do the following: - Uncheck **Use current signal resolution as the frame size**. Enabling **Use current signal resolution as the frame size** is not recommended if the video input resolution changes frequently. An unstable cable or other disturbance that causes the resolution of the video input signal to change during a live stream can cause the stream to drop. Unchecking this feature helps prevent that. - Select a **Frame size** from the list of options or enter a custom frame size in pixels. - Change the **Limit frame rate**. The default should be adequate in most applications. While decreasing the limit may improve system performance, you may need to test different values to balance video smoothness and processing power - Change the **Bitrate**. You can increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the target **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as a sporting event, requires a high bitrate. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Connect an RTSP source id: pearl-nexus/connect-an-rtsp-source · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Connect an RTSP source You can connect an RTSP source (such as an IP camera or another Pearl Nexus) to Pearl Nexus over a network using the Admin panel. RTSP video encoding is supported with H.264 video codec and MP3 or AAC audio formats. We recommend using the hardware acceleration option for improved performance (enabled by default). **Important considerations** - If an RTSP source is connected but unused in any channel, only key frames are encoded to preserve CPU resources. - **Pearl Nexus** - Two RTSP sources can be used with Pearl Nexus. - To synchronize timestamps between your RTSP source and Pearl Nexus, the same time synchronization server should be used for both. We recommend that you configure an NTP server on your Pearl Nexus and use it as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. The timestamps of an RTSP source and Pearl Nexus tend to gradually go out of sync. If there's a **2500 –3000 ms** difference between the timestamp of your RTSP source and the Pearl Nexus, a "no signal" image displays and your RTSP source won't stream audio. Re-connect your RTSP source to reset any time synchronization issues. **Connect an RTSP source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Inputs menu, click **Add input**, and then click **Add RTSP input**. The RTSP input page opens. - Enter the **Input URL**, **Username **and **Password **for your RTSP source and select either **UDP** or **TCP** as the Preferred transport. - (Optional) Select **Use hardware acceleration** for improved performance (default). - (Optional) Rename the RTSP source - (Optional) Configure a custom "No signal" image - Click **Apply **to save your settings and connect your RTSP source. After your RTSP source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the **Status **header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with your RTSP stream are also displayed on this page. Alternatively, you can view stream connection information when you click **check **at the bottom of the page. Hardware encoding is the default setting for a channel and is the recommended encoding for use with Pearl Nexus. However, if you are ingesting an SRT stream as a video input for a channel and Pearl Nexus does not recognize the signal, switch to using software encoding for that channel. ### Connect an SRT stream as an input Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders. You can configure Pearl Nexus as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layouts for switching, recording, and streaming. - **Pearl Nexus** - It is recommended that up to two video inputs on Pearl Nexus be from an SRT source. When adding an SRT input, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input in the Admin panel to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input in the Admin panel to listener mode. **What's needed for this setup** - The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode. - For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input to use the same port value as the SRT source. - For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Pearl Nexus to use the corresponding mode. - Caller mode can be used only for connection with the publicly accessed destination/source. - Listener mode can be used for connection with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall). - For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. - If AES encryption and a passphrase is required, consult your IT administrator for this information. Pearl Nexus supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase. If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values. **Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Inputs menu, select **Add input** and select **Add SRT input**. The SRT input configuration page opens. - In the **Connection mode** field, select the SRT mode: - For **Caller** mode, enter the following: - **URL **- the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be a Pearl Nexus sending an SRT stream. - **Source port** - enter the port number for Pearl Nexus to use for SRT traffic. - **Stream ID** - In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - For **Listener** mode, optionally enter the following: - Enter the **Port** number for this device to use for SRT traffic - For **Rendezvous **mode enter the following: - **URL **of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the SRT encoder device. - Enter the following optional settings: - **Encryption** - select the check box and choose the AES **Key length** if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device. - **Passphrase** - Enter a passphrase if one is required along with AES encryption. - **Latency** - Add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. If you require real-time responses from your audience, you should use as little latency as possible. - **Audio delay** - The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. - **Use hardware acceleration** - This is the default H.264 encoding preset. Choose this setting for best performance. - **Disable color range conversion** - Color range conversion ensures that the ingested SRT video signal is full-range RGB (0-255), even if the signal was sent with limited RGB color range. By default, color range conversion is enabled. - **No signal image** - Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the SRT stream. from the dropdown list. The **DEFAULT** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout** - Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No signal image** appears. - Click **Apply**. We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. --- ## Firmware upgrade id: pearl-nexus/firmware-upgrade · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Firmware upgrade When you register your product with Epiphan, you can choose to receive email notifications whenever firmware updates are available. To take advantage of exciting new features and important fixes for your Pearl Nexus, install new firmware whenever the system indicates that a firmware update is available. ### Check for firmware updates Your Pearl Nexus automatically checks for firmware updates if the **Enable connection to maintenance server** option is checked on the **Maintenance** page of the Admin panel. You can also manually check for updates If your Pearl Nexus has internet access. Don't miss out on any feature enhancement. Register your Pearl Nexus and be eligible to download firmware updates. When **Enable connection to maintenance server** is checked, the built-in firmware update mechanism checks for updates for your specific product and hardware version automatically. **Manually check for new firmware using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Click **check for updates** beside the current firmware version. If an update is found, a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel with a link to download and install the firmware. #### Update the firmware If your Pearl Nexus has internet access, the easiest way to install a firmware update is to use the download link that's provided when you check for new firmware. If you have a Pearl Nexus firmware file that was provided to you by Epiphan Video, you can install the new firmware using the web-based Admin panel. You cannot install new firmware from a locally saved file using the local console on Pearl Nexus. While the firmware is updating, there is no on-screen indication on Pearl Nexus itself, since it has no screen. When the system reboots as part of the firmware update, the front-panel Power, Streaming, and Recording LEDs flash red and blue during the reboot, then return to solid white once the reboot completes. All streaming and recording functions stop until after the firmware upgrade is complete. Installing new firmware takes a few minutes, after which the system reboots. Depending on the upgrade, a disk rebuild may be required, causing the restart process to take more time. Please be patient and wait for the system to finish rebooting. Do not interrupt power to the system during a firmware upgrade. **Before you begin** Schedule a time to when you can update the firmware without negatively impacting viewers or automatic file upload and recording schedules. It's good practice to make a backup of your current configuration before applying a firmware update so that you can revert to the previous firmware if needed, see Create a configuration preset in the Pearl Family shared guide. You should also clear your web browser's cache after the update is complete. **Perform a firmware update using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - (Optional) Save a copy of the current system configuration - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. - Do one of the following: - Click **check for updates**. If a red box appears in the top left side of the Admin panel, click **Download and install**. - Click **Choose File** and select the firmware upgrade file that's located on your admin computer, then click **Apply**. The system unpacks and verifies the file. If the file is valid, the upgrade begins. Do not interrupt power to the system during the firmware upgrade. - When the firmware update is complete, a message lets you know that Pearl Nexus is going to reboot. Wait for the system to restart. - After the system reinitializes, go to the settings for your web browser and clear your web browser's cache. - Connect to the Admin panel and login as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Firmware Upgrade**. The firmware upgrade page opens. Verify that the firmware version is the expected new version. If in the rare occasion the firmware update fails, the Admin panel reports the failure. Please collect system information such as the serial number of Pearl Nexus, the previous firmware version (if known), and the new firmware version and contact **info@epiphan.com** --- ## Manage recorded files id: pearl-nexus/manage-recorded-files · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Manage recorded files Your recordings are stored on the Pearl Nexus system's internal hard drive. Although there's a lot of space on the hard drive, it's good practice to remove old recordings to free up space before the drive if full. If there's no more free space for new recordings, new recordings will overwrite the oldest recordings on the hard drive. There are a variety of ways to automatically transfer files from the system to local network storage. You can also manually select individual recordings to transfer or delete using the Admin panel. **Manage the recordings for a channel (or recorder on Pearl Nexus) using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or recorder. - To *download an individual file*, select the recording filename to download it. - To *download multiple files*, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. - To *rename a recorded file*, select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. - To *view a recorded file*, click on the triangle Play button next to the file you want to play back. This will open the video file in an HTML5 player within the browser for viewing. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. - To *delete a single recording*, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete multiple recordings*, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To *delete all recordings* for the channel (or recorder on Pearl Nexus), click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the recorder settings page (for recorders). ### View list of recorded files You can view all the recordings for a channel using the Admin panel. Recordings for Pearl Nexus are stored for each channel and each recorder separately. You can also view the list of recordings using Epiphan Live — see Your recordings in the Pearl Family shared guide. **View the recordings for a channel (or recorder on Pearl Nexus) using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Files that are part of the same recording session are listed one after another. Three dots appear between files of different recording sessions. The file currently being recorded (if applicable) is shown at the top of the list. It cannot be modified or downloaded until it has finished recording. - If there are no recordings, a message indicates there are no recorded files for this channel or recorder. ### Download recorded files manually You can manually download recordings using the Admin panel. Files you download are saved to your connected admin computer. This feature is not available using the local console on Pearl Nexus. **Download recordings to your admin computer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - For a channel, select **Recording **from the Channels menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To download an individual file, select the recording filename to download it. - To download multiple files, select the check box next to the recordings to download and then click **Download Selected**. The files are download as a .zip file containing the selected recordings. #### What's next? To free up space for new recordings, consider deleting recordings off of Pearl Nexus. ### Join recorded files together After recording files on Pearl Nexus, you can join two or more files together. This is useful when a recording exceeds the maximum recording time limit and the recording is split into multiple files. You can use the third-party tool called ffmpeg to join the files. **Download ffmpeg from the Internet and join multiple recorded files** - Download the files that you need from Pearl Nexus and make sure you have the right paths and file names. For example: *C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Use the command **ffmpeg -i** to specify the input file. For example: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi* - Repeat the process and specify the file you want to join to the first file. You can keep adding as many files as you want to join together. For example, specifying a second file looks like this: *ffmpeg -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi -i C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi* - Use the **-c copy **command to specify the output file. After the command, type in the location, file name and file extension that you want for the concatenated file. The full line looks like this: **ffmpeg -i** C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_16-24-56.avi **-i **C:\Users\JoesComputer\downloads\Program_A_May11_12-26-14.avi **-c copy** C:\Users\JoesComputer\Desktop\Concatenated_File.avi - After completing the process, you will be able to access your new file in the location you specified. The file moves straight from the first video into the second without a pause. You can this process to join multiple files; however, the more files you join, the greater the chance that some audio desychronization can occur between the clips. #### Extract tracks from a recording Recorders combine multiple channels and audio sources together in a single multi-track file. You can create a copy of a recording using only select tracks. This feature is supported for .AVI, .MP4 and .MOV recordings only. MPEG-TS does not support track extraction. Specific track versions of recorded files are not included in any automatic file transfers and need to be downloaded manually. Click the extracted track filename to manually download. It's good practice to check that there's enough storage space for the extracted files before you start this procedure. **Create a duplicate recording file with only select tracks using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder page appears. - Click the multi-track icon beside the recording. A list of tracks appears. - Select the tracks you want to extract. ** Tip**: To deselect all tracks, click the check box for the top track, then hold SHIFT and click the check box for the bottom track. - Click **Extract tracks**. A copy of the recording is created with only the selected tracks. Only one copy is saved per original recording. If you create a second copy, it will overwrite the previous one. Download the extracted copy of the recording with your chosen tracks to preserve it. #### Rename recorded files Recordings are named based on the file name prefix specified during configuration. You can change the recording file name using the Admin panel. You can also change the default name that Pearl Nexus assigns to recordings. **Rename a recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Select the edit icon next to the file name you want to change. - Type the new file name and press **Enter** using your keyboard. The Admin panel keeps track of the filename extension (i.e. .avi) so you do not need to include it when renaming the file. #### Delete recorded files You can delete recordings using the Admin panel. You can delete one file at a time, select multiple files for the channel or recorder and delete those, or you can delete all recordings for the channel or recorder. Deleted recordings cannot be recovered. **Delete recordings using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - Open the Recording page. Do one of the following: - To view files recorded for a channel, select a channel from the Channels menu and click **Recording**. - To view files recoded for a recorder, select a recorder from the Recorders menu. - All recordings are listed and sorted by date. Do one of the following: - To delete a single recording, click the X icon to the right of a recording and click **OK** when prompted. - To delete multiple recordings, check the check box beside the recordings you want to delete, then click **Delete Selected**. Click **OK** when prompted. - To delete all recordings for the channel or recorder, click **Delete All** and click **OK **when prompted. The list may not update immediately. You can refresh the list by reloading the Recording page (for channels) or the recorder settings page (for recorders). --- ## Monitoring audio id: pearl-nexus/monitoring-audio · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Monitoring audio The front panel includes a 3.5 mm headphones audio jack for monitoring audio. To monitor the audio for a channel, just select the channel using the Admin panel. The audio you hear depends on the audio source configured in the live channel layout. On Pearl Nexus, different layouts can have different audio sources configured. Increasing the volume to 100% may cause you to hear distortion that is not actually present in the audio signal being recorded and streamed. **Adjust the volume on Pearl Nexus** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Outputs ports menu, select **Front audio** - From the Source drop down list, select one of the available channels. - Set the audio level and click the Apply button. **Audio VU meter** A VU meter in the Admin panel — or on the local console, if enabled — shows the audio levels for the channel you are monitoring. The value is displayed in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). Colored bars represent the audio level. Channels that have stereo audio display two bars. The top bar is the left audio channel and the bottom bar is the right audio channel. **Table 3 Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | The VU meter appears in several different places so you can visually check audio levels: - **Admin Panel**: On the audio input source's configuration page when you select the input source from the Inputs menu. You can also add the VU meter to appear on the video output ports - **Epiphan Live**: See Monitor video and audio input sources using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide. --- ## Multicast streaming id: pearl-nexus/multicast-streaming · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Multicast streaming You can add multiple multicast streams to a channel in Pearl Nexus. A multicast stream consists of one stream distributed to many viewers via a multicast-capable network. You can stream to several multicast networks and at the same time, stream to non-multicast CDNs. Pearl Nexus supports multicast streaming to an IP TV or a set-top box playlist using SAP when the stream format is MPEG-TS. ### MPEG-TS streams using UDP push When you configure an MPEG-TS stream using UDP push, you have the option to enable SAP and multicast over a local network at the same time. Before configuring your channel for MPEG-TS streaming, ensure the following codecs are configured in the encoding section: - Video – H.264 - Audio – MP3 or AAC, if audio is configured. **To configure MPEG-TS with UDP push and enable SAP:** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select **MPEG-TS UDP push**. - Enter the destination multicast IP address where the broadcast can be viewed. A IPv4 multicast address range is an address between 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Contact your System Administrator for the specific address to use. - Enter the destination port number through which the media will stream. - (Optional) To advertise your stream to a media player over a local network, do the following: - Check **SAP announcement** to enable advertising your stream over a local network. When this is enabled and a multicast IP address is configured, your stream is displayed in the playlist of the local media player. - Enter a multicast IP address in the** SAP announcement IP** field. If your media player is configured to receive multicast streams from an IP address that is different from the default address 224.2.127.254, you may need to contact your system administrator for a specific multicast IP address. - Enter a channel number in the **Channel number** field to identify your stream in the media player. By default, the Channel number is the channel identifier. When a channel number value is not specified, viewers cannot select a channel from the set-top box or Smart TV. - Enter a name for a group of streams in the text box next to **Group name**. Since media players simply present a list of available streams, you can organize your streams into multiple folders or in cases where folders are not displayed, use dot separator hierarchy to help your viewers filter out unwanted streams by category. - Click **Apply**. - Select **Start** when you're ready to start streaming. **View the MPEG-TS UDP stream ** To view the stream from a media player, open the URL in the media player, for example: udp://@ip:port **For example:** udp://@226.10.24.32:7000 To view the stream when SAP announce has been set and the stream is advertised from a media player, set-top box or Smart TV, refer to Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP). If you're streaming to 10/100 Mbps set-top boxes over Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream. ### Set up traffic shaping If you're multicasting to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for the lower bandwidth set-top boxes. Only multicast streams support traffic shaping: MPEG-TS USP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. If you need traffic shaping configured differently than what the Admin panel allows, contact support@epiphan.com. When traffic shaping is enabled, the default bitrate limit is set to auto. In auto mode, the bitrate is limited to the sum of the channel's configured bitrate plus 4 Mbps and is adjusted to fit within the range of 4 Mbps minimum to 95 Mbps maximum. You can also set a bitrate limit for the maximum amount of bandwidth that gets streamed using the Admin panel when traffic shaping is enabled. When you do, the streamed video won't exceed the maximum bitrate you set. The valid bandwidth limit bitrate range is 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps. We recommend that you set the bitrate to a value no less than the channel encoding bitrate plus 4 Mbps. For example, if the bitrate for the channel is set to 10 Mbps in the encoding settings, the minimum value we recommend for the bandwidth limit bitrate is 14 Mbps. **Important considerations** - Traffic shaping works for the local switch. Switches connected to the local switch don't respect the policy. - If the channel encoding bitrate is set to a value that's less than 4 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the minimum bandwidth limit does not drop below than 4 Mbps. - If the channel encoding bitrate value is greater than 95 Mbps and traffic shaping is enabled, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. - If the bandwidth limit is set to auto and the total of the channel bitrate plus 4 Mbps exceeds 95 Mbps, the maximum bandwidth limit does not exceed 95 Mbps. After traffic shaping is enabled, we recommend that you first test a multicast stream using the auto traffic shaping settings. If your low bandwidth network device is displaying poor video quality, then go ahead and manually set the limit bandwidth bitrate according to the bandwidth of your particular network device. **Set traffic shaping for a multicast stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and select a multicasting stream as the type: **MPEG-TS USP**, **MPEG-TS RTP/UDP**, or **RTP/UDP**. The new stream is created with the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - Check **Limit bandwidth**. The default bitrate is set to **auto**. - (Optional) Set the **Limit bandwidth rate** and enter a bitrate value from 4,000 kbps to 95,000 kbps. - Click **Apply**. ### Viewing with Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) When SAP Announce is configured for a stream that uses UDP streaming, the stream is advertised over the local network. Local viewers can view the stream using a software or hardware media player. Viewers are presented with a list of available channels, similar to a television menu. Viewers need only click on a stream and the video is streamed to their desktop, mobile or tablet. Your stream is advertised by the metadata title, if one was configured; otherwise, the stream is identified by its channel identifier. For a description of how to set the metadata, refer to Add or remove channel metadata. When browsing from a VLC media player, streams are advertised by their channel identifier and are organized by the group name. When browsing from an XBMC media player, streams are advertised by the stream's metadata title (if configured); otherwise, streams are advertised by their channel identifier. **View the Session Annoucement Protocol (SAP) stream** - Ensure the stream has SAP announcement enabled; otherwise, it is not advertised in the media player's playlist. - Ensure the SAP announcement IP is a multicast IP address. Some media players, for example Exterity receivers, listen for SAP announcements on a specific multicast address 239.255.255.255. If your audience is using Exterity to view your stream, you must change the SAP announcement IP address to 239.255.255.255. - Launch a media player and play the streams. - Using VLC, click **View **and select Playlist. The right-hand panel indicates the playlist is empty. - From the side menu, click **Network streams (SAP)**. The playlist is populated with all streams in your network that are SAP announcement enabled. If you specified a Group Name when you configured the publish stream the stream will be listed in folder identified by the group name. - Click on a live stream in the playlist to play the stream. This VLC example shows two streams D2P83658.vga and D2P83658.video, which are organized in a folder by their group name. --- ## MultiViewer system information id: pearl-nexus/multiviewer-system-information · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # MultiViewer system information MultiViewer can display system information, including channel and audio input information. To display system information in the MultiViewer, select **Channels** or **Audio Inputs** in the **Source** drop-down on the HDMI outputs page. **Channels** If **Channels** is selected, the following information is displayed on the MultiViewer: - **Channel** - the status of the channel status - There are no errors or warnings, and the channel is ready to use. - There is an error with either the channel's recorder or any of the channel's publishers. - There are publishing warnings. This is also shown if the channel is not in running state. - **Recording** - The recording status of the channel - Currently recording - Recording error - **Stopped** - Not currently recording - **Streaming** - The streaming status of the channel - There are active publishers. The numbers show how many publishers are active. - Publishing errors, and the number of publishing errors. - **Actual FPS** - The current rate of frames per second **Audio Inputs** A list of the active audio inputs on the Pearl Nexus. - **Input name** - the name of the audio input - **Audio meter** - - the audio is live and the input is being monitored --- ## Pearl Nexus tech specs id: pearl-nexus/pearl-nexus-tech-specs · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Pearl Nexus tech specs The input and output connectors are listed for Pearl Nexus. For the most up-to-date product specifications and information, go to [https://www.epiphan.com/products/pearl-nexus/](https://www.epiphan.com/products/pearl-nexus/) . **Table 7 Specifications for Pearl Nexus** | Video inputs | Local video inputs1 | (1) 3G-SDI (2) HDMI™ 1.4a2 (2) USB 3.0 (UVC)3 - rear panel | | --- | --- | --- | | | Video over Ethernet | SRT (push), RTSP, and NDI|HX sources — up to two 1080p30 IP sources in total recommended (1) Web graphic | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI type A (female) (1) BNC (female) (2) USB-A (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Aspect ratios | 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, and custom aspect ratios | | | Standard resolutions | PAL, PAL wide, NTSC, NTSC wide | | | Resolution range | 640×480 to 1920×1200 | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Input color spaces | HDMI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2, YCRCB 4:4:4 SDI: RGB 4:4:4, YCRCB 4:2:2 | | | Interlacing | Yes | | | Maximum cable length for 3G SDI | 300 ft | | | Maximum cable length for USB 3.0 | 6 ft | | Audio inputs | Analog audio inputs | (2) XLR mic level/pro line level (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or L/R stereo pair) - Phantom optional (2) 1/4" TRS pro line level (+4.0 dBu) up to 12.3 VRMS, +24 dBu (balanced/unbalanced, mono or two L/R stereo pairs) (1) RCA consumer line level - 10 dBV (L/R stereo pair) (1) 3.5 mm stereo input for electret microphones (unbalanced) | | | Connectors | (2) XLR/TRS combo jacks (female) (2) RCA (female) (1) 3.5 mm (female) - rear panel | | | Digital audio inputs4 | (1) SDI5 (2) HDMI (2) USB (rear panel) (2) RTSP (embedded over Ethernet) (2) SRT (embedded over Ethernet) (2) NDI|HX (embedded over Ethernet) (2) Dante over Ethernet (2 channels, one stereo input; requires the Dante audio feature add-on and firmware 4.24.6 or newer) | | | Connectors | (2) HDMI type A (female) (1) BNC (female) (2) USB-A (female) - rear panel (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Gain control | 0 dB to +30 dB | | | Mute | Yes | | | Configurable audio delay | -300 ms to +300 ms | | Video processing | Video output color space | 4:2:0, 8 bits per color | | | Video codec | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 Motion JPEG | | | Bitrate | 1 to 50 Mbps (selectable) | | | Bitrate control | Constant | | | Hardware accelerated video encoding | Optional | | | Video scaling | Software | | | Key frames | 1/2 s, and 1 s up to 5 s in 1 second intervals | | Audio processing | Compression | MP3, AAC, and PCM | | | Sampling rate | MP3: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz AAC: 16 kHz, 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz PCM: 22 kHz, 44 kHz, 48 kHz | | | Bitrate | 64 to 320 kbps (MP3 and AAC) | | Video output | Signal types | (1) HDMI 1.4a (3) H.264/AVC digital video over Ethernet | | | Connectors | (1) HDMI (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Encoded channels | Up to three 1080p channels at 30 fps with one full HD video source per channel (recommended) | | | Streaming protocols | MPEG-TS, and FLV RTSP over TCP/UDP SRT (push) over UDP HLS (push) over HTTP/HTTPS Multi-Publish to Streaming Server / CDN (SRT, RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS) HLS (pull) - Native Apple HTTP/HTTPS stream for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch | | | Multicast streams | RTP/UDP, MPEG-TS & RTP, and MPEG-TS over UDP SAP | | | Stream encryption and authentication | SRT: 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption (negotiated) and configurable passphrase HLS (push): MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 RTMPS: encryption plus CA certificate negotiation | | | Resolution ranges | Recorded: 480p to 1920×1200p Confidence monitoring: 480p to 1920×1200p Streamed: 480p to 1920×1200p | | | Frame rate | Up to 60 fps | | | Formats | H.264/AVC (ITU H.264, ISO/IEC 14496-10) 4:2:0, 8 bit color **Encoding profile**: High, Main, Baseline **Profile levels**: 3.0, 3.1,3.2,4.0,4.1 Motion JPEG | | | Network traffic shaping (multicast streams) | 4 Mbps to 95 Mbps (configurable) | | Audio output | Analog audio output | (1) 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack - front panel | | | Digital audio outputs | RTSP and SRT audio over Ethernet HLS audio over HTTP/HTTPS HDMI audio (embedded) | | | USB keyboard | Connect a standard USB keyboard (optional) | | | USB status light | Connect a single USB status light (optional), supported models: -Kuando BusyLight models: UC Alpha and UC Omega -Delcom Products USB HID single color and multi-color signal indicators | | Recording and storage | Record formats | AVI, MOV, MP4, and MPEG-TS | | | File upload formats | JPEG, PNG | | | Internal storage | ESP1882 - 1 TB ESP1948 - 256 GB | | | File transfer protocols | FTP, SFTP, SCP, AWS S3 client, and WebDAV client RSync | | | Network file share protocols | CIFS/SMB2+ | | | File system for USB storage | FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, XFS, EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, NTFS | | | External USB ports | (1) USB 3.0 0.9A - front panel (2) USB 3.0 0.9A (UVC/UAC) - rear panel | | | Bitrate | Up to 50 Mbps | | Communication | USB standards | USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured | | | Serial port | (1) Bidirectional RS-232 (via a USB to serial adapter) | | | Serial protocols | **Data bits**: 7 or 8 (default) **Stop bits**: 1 **Parity**: None **Flow control**: None, Hardware or Software | | | Serial port baud rate | 19200 bps | | | Ethernet host port | (1) RJ-45 (female) | | | Ethernet data rate | 10/100/1000 Base-T, half/full duplex with auto detect | | | Maximum Transmission Unit | 68 to 1500 MTU (configurable) | | | Protocols | DHCP Option 81, TLS 1.2, LDAP, mDNS, DDNS, SAP, RTP, MPEG-TS & RTP and MPEG-TS/UDP, 802.1x, EAPOL, EAP-TTLS, EAP-TLS, PEAP, HTTP, HTTPS, NTP, PTP, FTP, SFTP, SCP AWS S3 | | | Network discovery/Announce | SAP | | Network security | 802.1x EAP methods | PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS | | Administration and control | Admin panel | Local web UI for full administration. Mobile UI for confidence monitoring, administration, and control. Local Admin panel access using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to Pearl Nexus (local console). | | | Epiphan Live | Local web-based UI to easily control streaming, recording, and switching. | | | Epiphan Edge | Cloud-based platform to remotely manage and control Pearl Nexus devices. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor channels and alert dashboard, remotely log in to Admin panel for rescue troubleshooting, update firmware and more from the Internet. | | | Secure access | Multiple user accounts and passwords. HTTPS for secure Admin panel and Epiphan Live access, as well as local network access to the live channel broadcast. | | | Remote access | Remote login6 to cloud versions of the Admin panel and Epiphan Live. | | | API | Yes (HTTP/HTTPS or RS-232) | | | Crestron module | Yes See [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nexus-software-documentation/#control-modules](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nexus-software-documentation/#control-modules) | | | Q-SYS plugin | Yes. See [https://www.qsys.com/alliances-partnerships/epiphan-video/](https://www.qsys.com/alliances-partnerships/epiphan-video/) | | Integrations | Content Management Systems | Kaltura Panopto YuJa Opencast EchoVideo (Echo360) | | | Cloud access and management | Epiphan Edge | | General | Operating temperature: | 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° Celsius) | | | Cooling: | Fan air flow: Side to Side | | | Enclosure: | Metal | | | Form factor: | Portable desktop model. Rack mountable: 1U | | | Dimensions (W × D × H) | 19" × 7.5" × 1.75" (482 mm × 190 mm × 44 mm) Rackmount ears installed and rubber feet removed | | | Weight | 5.3 lbs (2.4 kg) | | | Power supply | External AC/DC power adapter: 1.5 A, 100-240 VAC/12 VDC, 50 to 60 Hz (60W); 1.3 A, 100-240 VAC/12 VDC, 50 to 60 Hz (84W) | | | Input power rating | 12 VDC, 5.0 A (maximum / 60W PSU); 12 VDC, 7.0 A (maximum / 84W PSU) | | Regulatory compliance | **FCC compliance**: Part 15 | | | **CE compliance**: Directive 2014/30/EU - Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/35/EU - Low Voltage Directive Directive 2011/65/EU - RoHS | | Time synchronization | NTP, TIME (RFC 868), PTP v1 (IEEE-1588-2002 V1) | | Country of origin | Made in Taiwan | 1Pearl Nexus supports up to three HD video sources in a single channel with two picture in picture layouts under certain conditions 2HDCP compliant. Only content that is not HDCP-protected is captured from HDMI 3You can connect a USB, RTSP, SRT, or NDI|HX source to Pearl Nexus; however, using multiple digital sources can affect performance depending on your setup. If you experience performance issues, check CPU usage and take remedial actions like: remove some configured layouts, reduce the channel's frame rate, or remove a video input. 4Digital audio is de-embedded from the digital source. 5SD-SDI audio is not supported. 6Remote login requires an Epiphan Edge Premium account. ### Optimum System Load **Recommended maximum channels and inputs** For best performance, Pearl Nexus supports up to three 1080p30 channels and up to three 1080p video inputs. HDMI and SDI inputs support up to 60 fps at 8-bit color; 3G-SDI and HDMI 1.4a support 1080p60 4:4:4 at 8-bit. 1080p30 is the recommended and safe limit for IP and USB inputs when ingesting up to two sources. Higher frame rates (1080p60 and above) can be ingested from an IP or USB source in some configurations, but the achievable combination varies significantly by setup and is not guaranteed; contact Epiphan support to evaluate a specific higher-frame-rate use case. Mixing input types is supported — for example, 1 HDMI, 1 NDI|HX, and 1 USB. USB and IP inputs should be counted at 1.5× the load of a standard HDMI or SDI input. Exceeding these recommendations may be possible depending on your setup; contact Epiphan support to evaluate your use case. These recommendations are fairly strict for Pearl Nexus, with limited headroom beyond them. While Pearl Nexus is powerful, there is a limit to the number of concurrent tasks the onboard CPU can perform efficiently. The number of concurrent tasks depends on many factors, such as: - the number of video sources - what frame rate and bitrate is used for a channel - if the video output ports are used - if a live monitor is connected to the HDMI output port (about the equivalent of an encoded 1920×1080@30 fps channel) **Other limiting factors** - how many channels you have - how many layouts you have per channel - how often you switch layouts - if the system is resizing (scaling) video sources For best results, we recommend keeping System load usage under 70%. **Recommendations** If the system load is higher than recommended, you can: - Disable the video output port (if unused). - Remove unused channels or layouts. - Reduce the number of channels created. - Stop channel(s) that are streaming or recording. - Ensure video sources come in at the right resolution so that Pearl Nexus doesn't have to up scale or down scale the video source. --- ## Power down and system restart id: pearl-nexus/power-down-and-system-restart · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Power down and system restart You can do the following to power off Pearl Nexus or reboot the device: - Choose **Reboot** or **Shutdown Now** from the Maintenance page using the Admin panel. - Power off the device using the power button. **Reboot the device using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Reboot Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the Admin panel** You can use the Admin panel to power off Pearl Nexus. The power button on Pearl Nexus is a toggle switch. If you power off the device using the Admin panel, the power switch remains in the on state. To power back on, you must double press the power button. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Under the **Maintenance** section, select **Shutdown Now** and click **OK** when prompted. **Power off the device using the power button** You can manually shut down Pearl Nexus using the power button. The power button for the Pearl Nexus is located on the back panel. --- ## Quick start id: pearl-nexus/quick-start · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Quick start After you've unpacked your Pearl Nexus, you're ready to get started. This quick start uses the default settings where possible so you can quickly start using your Pearl Nexus. **Before you begin, make sure you have:** - A video source such as a camera or computer and cables to connect them to Pearl Nexus. For HDMI, the video source must not be HDCP protected. - An audio source coming from either your SDI or HDMI video source (must not be encrypted). Optionally, audio from a different source such as an audio mixer that you connect to the audio input ports can be used. - The Pearl Nexus can use USB for video input. - Local area network that uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is preferable. - Computer with a web browser connected to the same network. We'll call it the “admin” computer. - Ethernet cables to connect Pearl Nexus and the admin computer to the network. Your Pearl Nexus comes shipped with an AC/DC power adapter and a registration card that contains brief instructions to connect the Pearl Nexus to the network, log in to the Admin panel. The instructions in this quick start provide more details. Pearl Nexus ships with storage preinstalled (SD card or SSD, depending on model), so no separate storage setup is required before recording. **Start up the Pearl Nexus for the first time** - Turn on your camera or video source and connect the output to the back panel of Pearl Nexus. - Connect the Ethernet cable to the Pearl Nexus and to your network. - Attach the power cable and plug it into a power source. - Turn on the system: - **Pearl Nexus** - power button is on the back of the unit. Wait for the power-up cycle to complete. The RED and BLUE LEDs on the front of the unit flash during bootup. When bootup is complete, the RED and BLUE LEDs stop flashing and the WHITE power LED on the front of the unit is solid. If this is the first time Pearl Nexus is being turned on, the default configuration was just applied, or the unit was factory reset, the HDMI output displays system information — such as the IP address and Edge pairing code — on a connected display (customer-supplied). - (Optional) Plug headphones into the 3.5 mm headphone jack at the front of the Pearl Nexus to monitor the video signal's embedded audio. - (Optional) Start recording using the Admin panel. --- ## Recorders id: pearl-nexus/recorders · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Recorders Using Multitrack recorders with Pearl Nexus, you can record multiple channels together in a single multi-track file. Recording multiple channels at the same time ensures that all your recordings start, pause, resume, and stop at the same time. After recording stops, you can automatically use one of the system's file synchronization methods to copy the recordings off the server, or you can use our built-in tool to split the file into individual tracks for post-processing. Multitrack Recordings, not the channel recorder(s), are not compatible with CMS integrations. We do not recommend using Recorders for manual (ad hoc) recordings to the Kaltura Content Management System (CMS). You only need to create recorders for multi-track recordings. ### Add a multi-track recorder Each channel has its own built-in recorder which you access from the channel's Recording page. However, if you want to record several channels simultaneously to a multi-track file, you need to add a recorder using the Admin panel. Each new recorder is automatically assigned a number, for example: Recorder 1, Recorder 2, etc. and is set to record all configured channels by default. Multitrack Recordings, not the channel recorder(s), are not compatible with CMS integrations. **Add a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Multitrack recorders menu, click **Add multitrack recorder**. ### Select channels to record When you create a new recorder, it records all the channels configured on the Pearl Nexus in the single multi-track file by default. If you create new channels, they are automatically added to the recorder. You can choose which channels the recorder includes in the multi-track file using the Admin panel. **Select the channels recorded by a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **change **next to the list of channels to record. - Check the boxes next to the channels you want to include, and click **Apply**. Channels with no active video source are displayed in italics. You can include these channels in your channel selections for the recorder. ### Start and stop a recorder You can start, pause, resume, and stop recorders from the recorder's configuration page using the Admin panel. Pausing and resuming requires firmware 4.24.6 or newer. You can also start and stop recorders using Epiphan Live. The recorder number turns red to indicate it is recording. If the system runs out of storage space, the oldest recorded file is deleted to make room for the new recording. You can have multiple recorders and multiple channels recording all at the same time. The number of channels being recorded is shown below the Start and Stop buttons on the recorder's configuration page. To select which channels to include in the recorder, choose them from the Multitrack recorder settings page. **Start and stop a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Start** to begin recording and click **Stop** to end recording. To pause the recording, click **Pause**; click **Resume** to resume recording to the same file. You can navigate away from the page without affecting the recording. ### Rename a recorder **Rename a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click the recorder name and type the new name for the recorder. - Press **Enter** to save the new name. You must press Enter to save the recorder name change. ### Duplicate a recorder You can duplicate any recorder you've created. All settings in the recorder you duplicate are recreated. **Duplicate a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Duplicate this recorder **. The duplicate recorder is created and assigned the next recorder number in your list of recorders. ### Delete a recorder When you no longer need a recorder, you can delete it. Deleting a recorder deletes all the recorded files for the recorder. Be sure you have a copy of any important recorded files before proceeding. **Delete a recorder using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Multitrack recorders menu, select a recorder. The recorder configuration page opens. - Click **Delete this recorder** and click **OK** when prompted. --- ## Recording with Pearl Nexus id: pearl-nexus/recording-with-pearl-nexus · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Recording with Pearl Nexus Pearl Nexus encodes the video and audio it captures. You can stream your content and record it at the same time. You can even stream your switched program using a lower quality stream (i.e. 1280×720 at 2Mbps) and at the same time make a high quality recording of the second channel (i.e. 1920×1080 at 4 Mbps). There are different ways to download recordings, like automatically downloading recordings to a USB memory device. ### About recording You can record a channel on Pearl Nexus as AVI, MOV, MPEG-TS, MP4, or MP4-Fragmented. Easily stop and start recording using any of the following: | **Epiphan product** | **Admin panel** | **Device screen** | **Epiphan Edge** | **Epiphan Live** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pearl Nexus | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | If an accidental system shutdown occurs while recording is in progress, your recordings are closed off so they are still playable. Physically unplugging a video source from the input port or otherwise interrupting the signal does not stop recording. A No Signal image is inserted. Pearl Nexus also come with APIs so you can setup third party tools to control recording. You can set the maximum recording time or file size limit using the Admin panel. The default recording limits are set to 30 minutes or 500 MB, whichever comes first. When the time or file size limit is reached, the current recording is saved and a new recording file starts automatically without losing any content. When the local drive is full, newer recordings overwrite oldest recordings. **Important considerations** - If recordings are selected for Automatic File Upload (AFU) while AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when AFU is unavailable, the recordings are added to an upload queue. - If the channel that is recording is an auto channel, a new recording is started if the video input source automatically switches from one video source to another due to signal loss. - You can also set up multi-track recorders on Pearl Nexus. - While actively recording a multiple-channel recorder, a new file is created if an additional video input source is added to the recorder. **Tested media players** Epiphan has tested recordings with the following players **Table 51 Tested Media Players** | **Operating System** | **Tested Players** | | --- | --- | | Mac OS | QuickTime 10.3 QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.4 Playback Pro 2.3.2 Final Cut Pro 10.3.2 Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 | | Windows | QuickTime 7.6.6+ VLC 2.2.6 Windows Media player 12+ Movies & TV (Windows 10) Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 | | Linux | MPlayer VLC 2.2.2 | | HTML 5 Browsers (Windows) | Google Chrome 37+ (works with MOV and MP4 files using H.264 codec) | Not all media players and editors support all recording formats, such as the more modern MP4-fragmented format. To playback MOV files created by the Pearl Nexus, we recommend using a newer media player. --- ## SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage id: pearl-nexus/sd-card-and-sata-m2-2280-ssd-storage · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # SD card and SATA M.2 2280 SSD storage ### Install and format a SATA M.2 2280 SSD for Pearl Nexus Pearl Nexus normally ships with storage preinstalled and configured, so most users will not need this procedure. This procedure is intended for the current Pearl Nexus model (ESP1948), which ships with a 256 GB SD card preinstalled and has a standard SATA M.2 2280 port. Earlier Pearl Nexus units (model ESP1882, manufactured before June 2024) shipped with a 1 TB SSD preinstalled and use a proprietary M.2 port instead. A standard M.2 2280 SSD will physically fit into the older proprietary port, but can damage the SSD — installing your own SSD is not recommended on these earlier units. If you need to install your own SATA M.2 2280 SSD for storing recorded video, Pearl Nexus automatically formats the SSD using the EXT4 format for the Linux operating system the first time you power on. Please be patient while the formatting completes. When you install a SATA M.2 SSD, Pearl Nexus no longer detects the SD card slot and the SD card option is removed from the Admin panel's Configuration menu. Any existing content on the SSD is lost when the SSD is formatted. **Before you begin** Gather the tools you need: - #1 Phillips screwdriver - Appropriate screwdriver that is appropriate for a screw of size M3x.0.5 - (Optional) a pair of tweezers **Install and format the SATA M.2 2280 SSD** - Disconnect the power cable and ensure Pearl Nexus is powered off. . - Permanent damage to the SSD and/or Pearl Nexus can occur if you install, remove, or replace the SSD while the device is powered on. - On a clean and level surface, turn Pearl Nexus over to expose the bottom panel. - Use a #1 Phillips screwdriver to remove the SSD expansion slot cover plate. Set aside to for later. - Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver (if present)to remove the screw that's in the post farthest away from the M.2 socket. Set aside for later. - Hold the SSD by the edges and insert firmly into the M.2 socket at approximately a 30° angle. Make sure you align the key notch in the SSD with the notch in the M.2 socket. - Use one hand to gently press and hold the SSD down so that it rests atop the post. Align the notch on the SSD with the post hole. - With your other hand, use a screwdriver appropriate for a screw of size M3x.0.5 to reinstall the post screw and secure the SSD in place. - **TIP**: Use the tweezers to pick up the screw if it falls behind the SSD. - Reinstall the SSD slot cover plate and power up Pearl Nexus. - The SSD is formatted automatically the first time you power on. Please be patient while formatting completes. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SSD. You must wait for the formatting to finish before recording video to the SSD. - Powering off Pearl Nexus while the SSD is formatting could damage or corrupt the SSD. --- ## Set channels and recorders to include in AFU id: pearl-nexus/set-channels-and-recorders-to-include-in-afu · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Set channels and recorders to include in AFU When configuring automatic file upload (AFU), you need to tell the system which channels and recorders you want included in the upload schedule. If no channels or recorders are configured as a part of AFU, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. You must enable Automatic File Upload (AFU) for the channel before you can include channel recordings in the upload schedule. If AFU is not enabled for the channel, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. ** Set a channel or recorder to include in the AFU schedule using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - Click **Recording** in the Channel(s) menu. - For a recorder, select a recorder from the Multitrack recorders menu. - Under **Recorder Setup**, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Check **Automatic file upload **and click **Apply**. **What's Next** After you've enabled AFU for your channels and recorders, enable AFU and configure the AFU settings for the location type (i.e. FTP, USB, AWS, etc). --- ## Set up and enable MultiViewer id: pearl-nexus/set-up-and-enable-multiviewer · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Set up and enable MultiViewer MultiViewer displays a custom mix of video sources including channels on the HDMI output port in a convenient grid for confidence monitoring with minimal impact to the system's processors. MultiViewer features differ by Pearl Nexus: - **Pearl Nexus** - four video sources. Grid options include: 1x2 video sources, 2x2 video sources. Save processing power so you can do more with your Pearl system while previewing multiple video sources on the HDMI output port. With MultiViewer, the video output displays at a lowered frame rate to economize CPU usage. Using MultiViewer does not lower the frame rate of channel recordings and live streams. No audio signal present at the output port, but audio meters do display for channels and video sources that have embedded audio signals. Use the Admin panel to choose which video sources appear in the pre-configured MultiViewer grids and to set the video output port resolution. You can enable MultiViewer for the output port using the Admin panel or the local console. Deleted network sources or channels may appear in MultiViewer. **Set up and enable MultiViewer using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Output ports menu, click the output port (**HDMI** for Pearl Nexus). The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select **MultiViewer**. - In each cell of the grid, select a channel, video source, or system information. - **System Information** > **Channels** : provides you with information on **Channel** status or **Audio Inputs** status. - **Show information about upcoming and ongoing CMS events** (optional) - Select the check box and MultiViewer displays the name of upcoming or ongoing events, time remaining before upcoming events, and the time remaining of an ongoing event. - **Text size** (optional) - Increase or decrease to change the size of the display text in MultiViewer. - In the **Output Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port and then click **Apply**. | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | All devices: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | --- ## Set up the video output port using the Admin panel id: pearl-nexus/set-up-the-video-output-port-using-the-admin-panel · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Set up the video output port using the Admin panel You can send a channel or a video source to the video output port using the Admin panel. You can also adjust the video output resolution, aspect ratio, and choose to include audio. The video output port frame rate is set automatically to the channel's configured frame rate for that video source. When outputting a channel that has audio or a video source with embedded audio, you can adjust the volume and choose to include the audio meter. The audio meter is set to a fixed size of 15% of the width (or height if displayed horizontally) of the display. **Important considerations** - If an SDI or HDMI video input source that is selected to display at the HDMI output port also appears in a custom layout for a channel, then the channel's encoding settings are used at the HDMI output. Changing the channel's frame rate will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. If the video source appears in multiple layouts in different channels, the one with the highest frame rate set in the encoding settings is used. - Default auto channels have the related HDMI (or SDI) port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the auto channel's custom layout. Changing the auto channel's frame rate or deleting the auto channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the auto channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. **Set up a channel or video source to display on the video output port using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Output ports menu, click the output port. The video output port configuration page opens. - In the **Source ** field, select a channel (prefixed by the word **Channel**) or a video source (prefixed by the word **Input**). - In the **Resolution **field, select the resolution for the video output port. | **Device** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **All** | Same as source | Set the output to the same resolution as the channel or video source. If that resolution is not supported by the display, the video output port will negotiate a new resolution with the display (generally this ends up being the display's default resolution). | | **All** | Destination default | This is the default value. Each display has a preferred resolution, and when you choose this setting, the video output port will use the display's default resolution. | | **Pearl Nexus** | 640×360, 640×480, 960×540, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1360×768, 1400×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440 | Choose a specific resolution for the output port. | - Do one of the following: - Check **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system maintain the correct aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio is different between the source and the chosen display aspect ratio, black bars are automatically inserted at the top and bottom or left and right sides of the video. - Uncheck **Keep aspect ratio check **to have the system stretch the source to fit the aspect ratio of the display. - For a channel, do the following: - Check **Enable audio ** to include audio in the output. Leave this unchecked for no audio with the video. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) For a channel with audio enabled, choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - For an input source, do the following: - Select an **Audio source** from the drop down list. - (Optional) Adjust the volume. Enter a value from 0 to 100 percent in the **Audio volume **field. - (Optional) Choose whether or not to display the audio meter from the **Audio meter **drop down. - If displaying the audio meter, select horizontal or vertical from the **Audio meter orientation **drop-down menu to change the orientation of the displayed audio meter. - Click **Apply**. The audio meter can be displayed even if you are not playing audio over the video output port (i.e. even when the **Enable audio **check box is not checked). --- ## Storage capacity and maintenance id: pearl-nexus/storage-capacity-and-maintenance · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Storage capacity and maintenance Pearl Nexus has a solid-state storage drive for storage of recordings. Occasionally, some maintenance is required. ### Check media storage capacity Pearl Nexus has a small internal storage that's allocated for uploaded media, like image files that you add to a channel layout. You can see how much space you have for media files using the Admin panel. **Check media storage capacity using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - From the Configuration menu, select **Media**. The Media configuration page opens with the amount of capacity listed at the top of the page. #### Check internal storage space You can check how much internal storage space is available on Pearl Nexus using the Admin panel. It’s good practice to monitor how much free space is available. If the amount of available storage is low, you can always remove some of the recorded files. Disk space can also be checked using Epiphan Live. **Check internal storage space using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator** - View the **Internal Storage **section at the bottom of the menu panel. The bar will be mostly green if there is lots of space left, or mostly red if storage space is nearly full. #### Perform disk check A disk maintenance schedule is used to periodically check the system storage drives for errors. If you prefer, you can run the disk check manually at a time that is convenient for you. Running the disk check manually resets the timers for the scheduled disk check (i.e. next check won’t happen automatically until either the number of restarts or months passes). If the system is recording when you start a disk check, it will stop recording and resume after the check is complete. Frames presented during the disk check are not part of any recording. **Start a manual disk check using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Configuration menu, select **Disk Check**. The Disk maintenance page opens. - Select **Check Now **to start the process. A new page showing the progress of the disk check opens. Do not interrupt power to the system during the disk check. - When the disk check is complete, the main page returns and a summary is shown. --- ## Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices id: pearl-nexus/streaming-to-servers-cdns-and-other-devices · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices Pearl Nexus can stream to CDNs, local media servers, and even to other Pearl Nexus devices that are acting as a streaming ingestion point. Pearl Nexus supports many streaming protocols. Use the Admin panel to set up individual channels for streaming. ### Set up an RTMP or RTMPS (push) stream Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is the most common way to stream to a CDN, including to Facebook Live and YouTube. Use Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS) on your Pearl Nexus to encrypt content before it's streamed over a TLS/SSL connection for secure live streaming. When enabled, Pearl Nexus will always attempt to validate the digital certificate it receives from the CDN to establish a secure RTMPS connection. The connection will fail if Pearl Nexus can't find the CA certificate of your CDN in it's list of certificates. Pearl Nexus has the CA certificates for many of the major CDNs already installed. For RTMPS streaming to work for your particular CDN, or if you're using a proprietary RTMPS server, ensure that your streaming server's CA certificate is uploaded to Pearl Nexus. **Set up an RTMP stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTMP push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - Enter the **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - For RTMP push, enter **rtmp** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmp://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - Enter the stream name or stream key in the stream name / key field - (Optional) Enter a **User name** and **Password**. The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. Some CDNs, like YouTube and Facebook Live, do not require you to enter your log in credentials here. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) achieves high-quality, low-latency streaming across unreliable Internet connections via UDP packets. If packets are lost in transit to the SRT destination, a request to retransmit the lost packets is sent back to Pearl Nexus. Using the Admin panel, you can adjust the latency to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of the stream and reduce the number of dropped packets. During the SRT stream, you can view the stream statistics using the Admin panel and adjust the amount of latency based on the packet loss % and Round Trip Time (RTT). SRT stream statistics are provided on the streaming configuration page for a channel when Pearl Nexus is configured as an SRT source. If Pearl Nexus is configured as an SRT destination with an SRT input, then SRT statistics are available on the SRT input configuration page. The following example shows SRT statistics for an SRT stream. The statistics section appears only while an SRT stream is active. It takes about 30 seconds for the statistics to appear after the SRT connection is established. You can add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. Latency can be configured at the source and at the destination. SRT uses the highest of the two latency values. The formula to calculate latency is: *SRT Latency* = *RTT Multiplier* ´ *RTT* where the recommended range of the *RTT Multiplier* is a value from 3 to 20. The following table provides guidelines for what values to use when calculating latency. An RTT multiplier value less than 3 is too small for SRT to be effective and a value above 20 indicates a network with 100% packet loss. Ensure the measured **buffer** is less than or equal to the latency value you use. **Table 50 Suggested SRT latency values** | **Packet loss %** | **RTT multiplier** | **Recovery bandwidth overhead** | **Minimum SRT latency** **(for RTT ≤ 20 ms)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | % is ≤ 1 | 3 | 33 | 60 | | % is ≤ 3 | 4 | 25 | 80 | | % is ≤ 7 | 5 | 20 | 100 | | % is ≤ 10 | 6 | 17 | 120 | These values are from the SRT Deployment Guide. For up-to-date calculations, visit [www.srtalliance.org](https://www.srtalliance.org/). For example, if the % of packet loss is 0.53 and the measured RTT is 16.506 ms, the latency calculation is: 49.518 = 3 ´ 16.506 ms or 50 ms of latency (rounded up). **Adjust latency and recovery bandwidth overhead for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - View the SRT statistics for the active stream. Do one of the following: - To open the SRT statistics from the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. Then select the arrow beside the SRT stream to reveal the SRT stream statistics. - To open the SRT statistics from the Inputs menu, select the SRT input. Then on the SRT input configuration page, select the arrow beside Statistics. The statistics section only appears while an SRT stream is active. - In the **Latency** field, enter a numerical value from 80 ms to 8000 ms. - Click **Apply**. We recommend testing your settings. Start the SRT stream and use the stream statistics to evaluate the effect the latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values have on the packet loss % of the stream. ### Set up an HLS (push) stream HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an adaptive, HTTP-based streaming protocol that sends video and audio content over the network in small, media segments that get reassembled at the streaming destination. Media segments stream over HTTP port 80 or port 443 for HTTPS, which are typically open for network access. As such, the content can easily traverse firewalls with little to no IT involvement. Pearl Nexus can send a single resolution and bitrate HLS stream as an HTTP POST (or HTTP PUT) to HLS ingestion servers and CDNs such as Akamai and YouTube. The default is HTTP POST. Your channels on Pearl Nexus must be configured for H.264 and AAC audio codec to stream using HLS. Pearl Nexus supports MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashing algorithms to authenticate the stream. HLS uses an MPEG2-TS transport stream container with a configurable media segment duration, as well as a configurable playlist size for reassembling the media segments at the ingestion server. Because HLS favors Quality of Service (QoS) over low-latency, lag times that can be high. If a specific media segment size isn't required by the ingestion server, then you can shorten the duration of the media segment to decrease latency. The default segment duration is six seconds. Using the Admin panel, you can add advanced features like a master manifest, which is an address applied to each individual media playlist in the stream. You can also assign the HLS stream a user name and password. If security and authentication credentials are required to stream to the ingestion server, consult the ingestion server provider. **Important considerations** - Only a single resolution and bitrate stream is supported. - See Suggested stream settings for the best streaming settings for Pearl Nexus. - Fragmented MP4 is not supported. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a custom user-agent name, add that to the HLS stream in the Advanced settings using the Admin panel and ensure the agent-name is added to the HLS ingestion server's white list. Contact the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a user name and password, you can get those credentials from the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. **Set up an HLS (push) stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **HLS push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. To see the settings, click the stream name. - In the **Media Playlist URL field**, enter the URL of the destination server that is ingesting the stream. For example: *http://p-ep721023.i.akamaientrypoin.net/722223/hlsQualification/my_video.m3u8* - (Optional) In the **Segment template** field, enter the naming format used for the names of media segments. For example: *chunk-$Number%05d$.ts* - (Optional) Enter a **Username** and **Password** if required for this stream. Get this from the ingestion server provider. - In the **Method** field, select **POST** or **PUT**. This selection must match the requirements of the ingestion server. - In the **Segment duration** field, enter the length of the media segment in seconds. The default duration is six seconds. Fractions and periods are not supported. - In the **Playlist size** field, enter the number of .ts segment files in each segment. The default playlist size is six. - (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, you can set the following: - **Master manifest**: Enter the URL (including the master playlist file name) of where Pearl Nexus will upload the master manifest file. The master playlist also provides the bitrate, resolution, and codec. - **User-agent**: Enter a user-agent name using alphanumerical characters only if the ingestion server requires a specific value in the user-agent header to allow the incoming stream from this device. - Click **Apply**. - When you're ready to start streaming this channel, click **Start**. ### Set up an RTSP announce stream Pearl Nexus can stream using RTSP announce. Viewers can copy and paste the URL of the RTSP stream into a media player and watch the stream on their local network. **Setup an RTSP announce stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTSP announce**. The new stream is created using the default name Stream 1. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - (Optional) To rename the stream, click the current name and type a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Enter the following parameters: - The **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - Select the **Transport type** as either UDP or TCP. Consult your CDN provider to find out which transport protocols the CDN supports. - The CDN **User name** and **Password** (if required). The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. ### Start and stop streaming to a CDN After your stream to a CDN is configured on the channel, you can start and stop streaming. Start and stop your stream using: - the admin panel - Epiphan Edge - Epiphan Live. For details to start and stop streaming using Epiphan Live, see Control streaming and recording using Epiphan Live in the Pearl Family shared guide. **Start and stop streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. To set up a stream using the Admin panel, click **New stream** and follow the instructions for how to **Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations**. - Click **Start** at the top right corner to start that stream, or click **Start all** at the top of the page to start streaming all streams that are configured for the channel. - Click **Stop** at the top right corner to stop that stream, or click **Stop all** at the top of the page to stop streaming for all streams that are configured for the channel. --- ## The Admin panel id: pearl-nexus/the-admin-panel · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # The Admin panel The Admin panel is used primarily to set up Pearl Nexus and perform administrative tasks. Most tasks in this user guide are performed using the Admin panel. This section contains what you need to get started using the Admin panel. ### About the Admin panel The Admin panel is a web-based user interface that's used primarily to set up your Pearl Nexus and perform administrative tasks. **Table 8 The Admin panel** | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | **1** | **Channels** menu | The channels that are available for the current configuration of your Pearl Nexus are listed. Select a channel to access the drop down list of options that are available to configure channel encoding, add video and audio sources, create layouts, perform confidence monitoring, record the channel, and more. | | **2** | **Multitrack recorders menu** | Recorders you add to your Pearl Nexus are listed. Select a recorder to open the status page and list of related recordings for that recorder. You can start and stop recording, as well as configure the recorder settings from this page. | | **3** | **Inputs menu** | The available video and audio input ports on your Pearl Nexus are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **4** | **Output ports menu** | The output ports available on your Pearl Nexus are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. | | **5** | **Events menu** | Access the Content Management System (CMS) events list containing up to three months of scheduled CMS events, in progress events, and completed ah hoc and scheduled events. | | **6** | **Configuration menu** | A list of all the available configuration options. | | **7** | **Internal storage and system information menu** | System details are displayed in this area, such as the total amount of internal storage, how much space is currently used, and how much free space is available. | | **8** | **Main panel** | The main panel is where the selected menu information displays. What's displayed depends on which menu item you select. | | **9** | **Link to Epiphan Live** | Click to open Epiphan Live in a new tab. | | **10** | **Log out** | Click to log out of the Pearl admin panel. Click icon again to display the log in window. The role of the currently logged in user displays beside the icon. | You can access the Admin panel using these methods: - Any web browser - Using a connected USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor - Remotely using Epiphan Edge ### Connect to the Admin panel You can access the Admin panel several ways. The most common way is using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as Pearl Nexus. All you need is the IP address of the device, which you can get from the Device Info screen on a display connected to the Pearl Nexus HDMI output, or from the network settings using the local console. Another way to access the Admin panel is to remotely login over the Internet. An Epiphan Edge premium plan is required for remote login. **Get the IP address of Pearl Nexus ** To find the IP address of a Pearl Nexus with factory settings: - Connect a monitor to the HDMI output port at the back of Pearl Nexus - IP address of the device can be found under the Network and Connectivity section. **Access the Pearl Admin panel** - When you have the IP address of the Pearl Nexus, enter the URL for your Pearl Nexus into a web browser and include **/admin** to access the Admin panel. http://<*IP Address of Pearl Nexus*>/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Nexus, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - When prompted, log in using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK**. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - For networks with DHCP, you can Connect using a DNS-based service discovery - For networks without DHCP, you can Connect using persistent static IP address ### Enable local console access to the Admin panel Operators and administrators can access the Admin panel locally to reconfigure the Pearl Nexus without needing a laptop. With the local console feature, you can connect a USB mouse, keyboard, and a monitor directly to Pearl Nexus. Or you can connect a touch screen monitor. The Pearl Nexus also supports connection of a USB wireless RF receiver for local console. Pearl Nexus also supports the connection of a USB hub. A built-in virtual keyboard is readily available, but you can also connect an external USB keyboard. When you enable local console, you must also enable the **External keyboard** option. Use the Admin panel to enable local console and the external USB keyboard. Once enabled, simply connect your USB mouse, USB keyboard, and an HDMI monitor to the HDMI OUT port that has local console enabled. You cannot use the HDMI pass-through port for local console. Optionally, you can disable whether or not users must log in to the Admin panel when they access the local console. Login is enabled by default. You can also change the layout of the built-in and external keyboards to any of the supported languages. If you select multiple languages, you can toggle between languages using Ctrl+Shift (or Ctrl+Alt). - American English - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Netherlands - Portuguese (European) - Spanish (Spain) - Swiss - Norwegian (Bokmal) - Russian **Important considerations** - Epiphan Live is not accessible from the local console. - The live preview link is not accessible from the Channel Status page using the local console. - Viewing recordings from the Recording section of a Channel is not possible. - You cannot upload/download the following types of media using the local console: - Images - Channel recordings - EDID files - Configuration files - Firmware update files Use the web-based Admin panel from your administration computer for full access to all Admin panel functions. **Enable local console and the external keyboard option using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. - From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens. - Select **Local console** as the Keyboard application and click **Apply**. - (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layouts. The default layout is American English. - (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layouts if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**. - From the Output ports menu, select the output port (**HDMI**). The video output port configuration page opens. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu and click **Apply**. - If you skipped the steps to configure the external keyboard for local console, an error message appears. Click the link to fix it. - (Optional) Check **Disable authentication** if you don't want users to have to use their credentials to log in before using the local console to access the Admin panel on the Pearl Nexus. - Under Settings, select **Local console** in the Source drop-down menu. - Click **Apply**. **What's next?** Connect your USB mouse, keyboard, and connect an HDMI monitor to the output port that has local console enabled to access the local console directly from the Pearl Nexus. ### Connect using a DNS-based service discovery Pearl Nexus use DNS-based messages to advertise details about itself, including its host name. With a compatible utility installed on your computer, you can access the system simply by typing its serial number and the suffix ".local" into the address bar of your browser. The following table lists the compatible systems and Bonjour Print Services software needed. **Table 9 Install Bonjour Print Services** | **System** | **Action Needed** | | --- | --- | | Microsoft Windows | You must install Bonjour Print Services: Use the following URL [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999](http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999) Click Download. Follow the system prompts to download and install the application. | | Mac OS X | The Bonjour software used for service discovery is built into the Mac OS. No special actions are needed. | | Linux | The Avahi implementation used for DNS-based discovery is shipped with most Linux distributions. If necessary, check with your administrator to ensure you have the Avahi package installed. | **Access the Admin panel of the Pearl Nexus using DNS discovery** - Find the system’s serial number that's printed on a label attached to the device. - Enter the following string into the address bar of your web browser on your admin computer, where *<**serial**>* is the serial number of your Pearl Nexus: http://*<**serial**>*.local/admin **For example:** http://95dd40d5.local/admin If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Nexus, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - (Optional) From the Configuration menu, click **Network **and note the **IP address** of the system from the network configuration page. ### Connect using persistent static IP address Your Pearl Nexus has a default persistent static IP address, also known as the **recovery IP address**. To set up a Pearl Nexus on a network that does not support DHCP, or to recover from a previous static IP address setting, use this procedure to connect directly to the device for configuration. A workstation computer with access rights to modify your network settings is required. Pearl Nexus static IP address defaults are: - I**P Address**: 192.168.255.250 - **Netmask**: 255.255.255.252 - **Username**: admin - **Password**: your admin password (by default there is no password assigned) **Access the Admin panel using the persistent static IP address** - Establish an Ethernet connection between Pearl Nexus and the workstation using one of the following methods: - Connect the Pearl Nexus to a local Ethernet network shared with the workstation. - Connect the Pearl Nexus directly to the workstation’s Ethernet port using either a regular or a crossover Ethernet cable. - Record the network settings of the workstation that are used to connect to the Pearl Nexus so that they can be restored later. - Temporarily change the network configuration on the workstation to the following: - Use Static IP assignment - IP address: 192.168.255.249 - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 - Start a web browser on the workstation and go to: **http://192.168.255.250/admin/** If HTTPS is enabled on the Pearl Nexus, replace *http* with *https* in the URL. - Log in as an administrator using the default user name **admin** and the administrator account password, then click **OK** to open the Admin panel. If you don't know the password, contact your Pearl system administrator. For a first-time log in as an administrator-level user, you're prompted to assign passwords to the **admin**, **operator**, and **viewer** accounts. Record the passwords for future reference. - From the Configuration menu, click **Networking**. - Click ** use a static address** and enter a static IP address and network settings you want for the Pearl Nexus. - Restore the previously saved network configurations on the workstation. ### Switching / mixing using the Admin panel Switching live video inputs, or video mixing, is fast and easy using the Admin panel. For best results, you may wish to be in a location where you can see the live action, and have a solid understanding idea of what is in each of your layouts. Good layout names can help with this Performing live switching using one interface, like the Admin panel, does not dynamically update the visuals in the other interfaces. The other interfaces must be manually refreshed to accurately reflect the current live switching layout information. **Perform live video mixing** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The layout editor page opens. - In the layouts list, the layout with the big red circle beside it is the currently chosen "live" layout. - To switch to a different layout as the active "live" layout, click the gray circle beside the layout you want to make go live. The circle turns red to indicate that it's now the active "live" layout. --- ## The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset id: pearl-nexus/the-factory-default-configuration-preset-and-factory-reset · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # The Factory default configuration preset and Factory reset Administrators can apply the default factory configuration preset to Pearl Nexus or Unify projects, which resets most of the settings in each of the main configuration groups. Applying the factory default configuration preset is similar to a factory reset, but a **Factory reset ** is more invasive. This table describes the differences. **Table 32 Factory default configuration preset vs a factory reset** | **Item** | **Factory default ** **configuration preset** | **Factory reset function** | | --- | --- | --- | | Deletes all created channels | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all recorded files in the channels | | ✔ | | **Pearl Nexus** - Deletes all created recorders | ✔ | ✔ | | **Pearl Nexus** - Deletes all recorded files in recorders | | ✔ | | Resets network configuration | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets user passwords | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all created configuration presets | | ✔ | | Removes all CMS including Epiphan Edge registration information | ✔ | ✔ | | Removes records for all scheduled and completed CMS events | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all uploaded media files | | ✔ | | Resets all Source settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Resets EDID to factory | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all SCP/SFTP identities | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all LDAP settings | ✔ | ✔ | | Deletes all Automatic file upload settings | ✔ | ✔ | There are different ways you can apply the **Factory default** configuration preset to the Pearl Nexus, you can: - Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel Operators who are assigned certain administrative-level privileges can apply the Factory default configuration preset and perform a factory reset. --- ## Troubleshooting Quick Reference id: pearl-nexus/troubleshooting-quick-reference · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Troubleshooting Quick Reference Use the follow quick reference table for help if you are experiencing problems or unexpected behavior from your Pearl Nexus. **Table 72 Troubleshooting Quick Reference** | **Problem** | **Action(s) to Resolve** | | --- | --- | | Not sure if the connected video inputs are being captured. | Check each source's input from the source preview in the Admin panel. OR Check video sources using the local console, if enabled. OR Check video sources using the API. OR Check the Dashboard interface in Epiphan Live | | No sound is coming from an audio source. | Verify that you are using the correct audio input by following the steps in Configure encoding. OR Verify the audio input using the local console, if enabled. OR Verify the audio input using the API. OR Check the audio meter from the Dashboard view in Epiphan Live | | Captured SDI audio contains audible "clicking" sound or other audio distortions upon playback. | Ensure audio sample rate is set to 48 kHz. Lower sample rates (i.e. 32 kHz and 44 kHz) can sometimes cause audio distortion. | | When previewing a channel using the Live broadcast link or the preview link in the Admin panel, some web browsers do not play audio. | The Flash (FLV) plugin must be installed for your web browser to play back audio that's encoded as PCM. Web browsers that use Flash players to preview video do not support audio that's encoded using 48 kHz MP3 or 48 kHz PCM. | | All my input names don't look normal in the Admin panel menu after I applied the default preset | Refresh your browser to clear the cache and restore the proper input names displayed in the Admin panel. | | Time stamps between Pearl Nexus and an RTSP source are not synchronized. | Reconnect your RTSP source to reset desynchronized time stamps. Verify that you are using a local NTP server on your Pearl Nexus as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. | | My NDI source keeps connecting & disconnecting. | The timecode sent from the source may not be stable. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source. | | My NDI source won't connect. | The NDI source may not send a timecode. Set the Ignore timecode parameter for the connected NDI source. | | My RTSP (or SRT) video source isn't detected. | Hardware encoding is the default setting for a channel and is the recommended encoding for use with Pearl Nexus. However, if you are ingesting an RTSP (or SRT) stream as a video input for a channel and Pearl Nexus does not recognize the signal, switch to using software encoding for that channel. | | There's an audible clicking noise in recordings and live streams of my RTSP video source | Remove the RTSP source using the Admin panel and recreate it to resolve the issue. | | Too much noise is present in the audio output. | Check the input level of the audio source to make sure it's the correct level. Modify the input **gain** if necessary. | | Video playback is fine, but when I play the clip in Adobe Premiere Pro the audio and video are out of sync. | Adobe Premiere Pro has a known issue handling video that is recorded using a variable frame rate. Convert the clip to a constant frame rate using a third-party software, such as Handbrake, before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. | | Adobe Premiere Pro won't load my .mp4 recording from Pearl Nexus. | Check if the selected recording format in Pearl Nexus is MP4-Fragmented. Adobe Premiere Pro does not currently support fragmented .mp4 files. Before editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, convert the clip to progressive .mp4 format. Run the file through ffmpeg or a third-party software such as Handbrake to preserve both audio and video output. | | I can't preview my channels using the Epiphan Live Dashboard on Chrome even after I updated the security certificate for my website | Some versions of Chrome and Microsoft Edge don't display channel previews from the Dashboard if you're on an HTTPs network and your website has an insecure or invalid security certificate, even after you update the security certificate. Use a different web browser such as Firefox or update the version of your web browser, then add the security certificate for the website to the exceptions list. | | Image quality is poor or insufficient. | The following tips can help improve image quality: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. | | Frames per second are lower than expected. | The following tips can help improve frames per second (fps): Increase **the Limit frame rate **value and/or decrease the **Bitrate **value in the Encoding menu. Reduce the number of actions happening simultaneously on the system (i.e. if streaming, recording, and copying files, consider waiting to copy files until after streaming and recording are complete). Enter a low negative value (i.e. -5) in the Frame Grabber's Vertical Shift field. Reduce the number of channels encoding data. Ensure the hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding preset is chosen for all channels. | | Stream won't play in my media player or browser. | Verify that the Stream Type matches with the media player used and that you have the correct url or SDP file for the player. If you still cannot see the stream, try disabling your local computer firewall. If the issue is still not resolved, contact Epiphan Support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | The stream interrupts or the image breaks up. | The following tips can help diagnose image problems: Ensure the source resolution is used as the output or recorded resolution. Up-scaling and down-scaling can affect picture quality. Increase the **Bitrate **value and/or decrease the **Limit frame rate **value in the Encoding menu. Check network settings including filters, routers and application settings. Packet loss can result in stream failure. | | The video streamed to my set-top box is dropping frames. | If you're streaming to set-top boxes that have 10/100 Mbps interfaces on the same Gigabit Ethernet and you notice frames are dropping, you can limit the bandwidth of the stream using traffic shaping to adapt for lower bandwidth set-top boxes and prevent frame drops. | | Recording won't start. | If recording will not start, check the Disk Status Information to see if the system is out of storage space. | | AFU to my CIFS server doesn't work. | Pearl Nexus supports Automatic File Transfer (AFU) to CIFS servers (also known as SMB or samba) with samba version 1. | | Firmware upgrade fails. | Reboot the system and try again. If the problem persists, contact Epiphan support at [support@epiphan.com](mailto:support@epiphan.com). | | Certain Media players won't play encoded videos but others will. | Depending on the media player used, there could be different issues. If you encounter a playback issue, try using a different media player. Some issues we know of include: On Windows 10, the Movies & TV app sometimes fails to playback MP4-fragmented files with MP3 audio: try changing your MP4 audio encoding to AAC. VLC doesn't play MP4-fragmented files normally. Streams and recordings at very low frame rates (e.g. 1 fps) are not playable in VLC media player, use Windows Media Player and Quicktime Player instead. | | Certain Media players won't play MOV videos. | Some media players won't play MOV videos that are recorded with MP3 audio encoding, including: VLC 2.2.4 (Microsoft Windows) if MP3 audio encoding is at 48 kbps. Movies & TV 10.16122.1029 on Windows 10. Windows Media Player 12. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MOV files or use a different media player to playback the recording. The MOV file type on Pearl also has a time limit of 13h15m, exceeding this limit will render the file unplayable. | | There's no audio when I playback an MP4 file in QuickTime 10. | Apple doesn't support MP3 audio. If your MP4 file is created with MP3 audio, you will not hear the audio during playback in QuickTime 10. Choose a different audio encoding when recording MP4 files or use a different media player to playback the recording. | | I can't hear the audio in VLC or the video won't play. | VLC version 3.0.3 won't play audio for MP4 fragmented files. In VLC's Input/Codecs settings page, you can try increasing the file caching parameter. VLC version 3.0.6 (windows) won't play MP4 fragmented video files. This is a VLC issue. | | There's noticeable latency on the video output port. | Disabling the audio on the video output port improves latency for the port. | | Pearl Nexus does not boot up when powered on. | Confirm that the power cable is connected to a working power source. If Pearl Nexus is still not powering up, remove any HDMI cables connected to the output ports on Pearl Nexus and try again. If you're still unable to power up Pearl Nexus, contact Epiphan Support. | | System is not starting up correctly. | Ensure there is no USB stick inserted into a USB port during power up. A potential conflict with the internal hard drive could cause unexpected behavior. | | Web camera is not working correctly. | There are several possible causes of poor performance on web cameras: The camera itself might be malfunctioning. Try hooking it into a computer to see if the problem remains. If the picture quality is below standard, try adjusting the settings using the instructions for how to Configure a video input source. Check that your web camera is on our list of supported models. If it is not, try using a supported camera, and if the problem persists, contact our support team. | --- ## User administration id: pearl-nexus/user-administration · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # User administration Pearl Nexus has different types user accounts. Depending on the type of user, you will have different privileges. ### User types and privileges There are different types of user accounts: - Administrator - Operator - Viewer No password is assigned to the user accounts by default. The first time you log in to the Admin panel using the administrator-level account, you're prompted to set passwords for all three user accounts. The Pearl administrator can change passwords at any time using the Admin panel. You cannot change the default user names or disable user levels. When you log in to the Pearl Nexus, you must log in as one of the three user levels. Private profiles with individually set passwords are not used. Admin and operator-level users have access to the Admin panel to control the Pearl Nexus. When logged in to the Admin panel, the user level is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. **Administrator** The administrator account is used for all system configuration and has full access to all configuration features with full access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote log in access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Nexus is **admin**. **Operator** The **operator** account allows users limited configuration control with limited access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote login access. The default user name used to log in to the Pearl Nexus is **operator**. Operators can to do the following: - Configure inputs - Control recordings (start and stop) - Rename, download and delete recordings - Perform network diagnostics - Switch layouts while live streaming If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the **Apply **button appears grayed-out in color and is not selectable. Administrators can grant operators permission to perform some administrator tasks. **Viewer** The global **viewer **account is exclusively used to view streamed channels. You're prompted to enter the default user name **viewer** and password to view a channel's live broadcast. In addition to the global viewer account, each channel can set a viewer password that overrides the global value. **User privileges** The following table outlines the default privileges for each user level. **Table 26 User privileges in the Admin panel** | **Action or Menu Option** | **viewer** | **operator** | **admin** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | View channel output | ü | ü | ü | | **Channel Operations** | | View channel configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename a channel | | | ü | | Configure stream channel | | | ü | | Configure stream sources | | | ü | | Start/stop recording | | ü | ü | | Start/stop a stream | | ü | ü | | Configure channel metadata | | | ü | | Switch layouts while streaming/recording (Pearl Nexus) | | ü | ü | | Add, duplicate, configure and delete recorders (Pearl Nexus) | | | ü | | Start the stream recorder (Pearl Nexus) | | ü | ü | | Stop the stream recorder (Pearl Nexus) | | ü | ü | | View recorded files list | | ü | ü | | Rename recorded files | | ü | ü | | Download recorded files | | ü | ü | | Delete recorded files | | ü | ü | | **Input Source Operations** | | View input source configuration | | ü | ü | | Rename input | | | ü | | Configure input | | ü | ü | | View input snapshot | | ü | ü | | **Network & security** | | Configure static IP address | | | ü | | Configure DHCP (including Option 81) and DDNS | | | ü | | Change HTTP/HTTPS port values | | | ü | | Configure 802.1x | | | ü | | Configure HTTPS | | | ü | | **CMS Operations** | | Enable CMS and register | | | ü | | Disable CMS or deregister | | | ü | | Configure CMS settings and default event parameters | | | ü | | Start/stop scheduled events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | Create ad hoc events (Admin panel) | | ü | ü | | View the Events page | | ü | ü | | **System Configuration Operations** | | View system configuration | | ü | ü | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | ü | | Select External USB drive behavior | | | ü | | Cancel USB file transfers | | ü | ü | | Configure network address | | | ü | | Configure date and time preferences | | | ü | | Configure serial port flow control | | | ü | | Upload and delete media | | | ü | | Enable remote support | | | ü | | Backup device configuration | | | ü | | Restore device configuration | | | ü | | Restore factory configuration | | | ü | | Reboot device (Admin panel) | | | ü | | Shutdown device from the Admin panel (Pearl Nexus) | | | ü | | Perform a manual disk check | | | ü | | View disk information | | ü | ü | | Enable/disable Epiphan Edge feature | | | ü | | Upgrade Firmware | | | ü | | View System Information | | ü | ü | | **Network Diagnostics** | | Bandwidth test | | ü | ü | | Connectivity status | | ü | ü | | Domain name resolution | | ü | ü | | Ping | | ü | ü | | Probe | | ü | ü | | Trace route | | ü | ü | --- ## User interfaces and remote access id: pearl-nexus/user-interfaces-and-remote-access · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # User interfaces and remote access Pearl Nexus has several user interfaces: - **Admin Panel**: A web-based user interface that's primarily used to perform system set up and administrative tasks for your Pearl Nexus. You can access the Admin Panel using an internet browser on a computer or tablet that's connected to the same local Ethernet network as your Pearl Nexus, or locally using a USB mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected directly to the Pearl Nexus. - **Epiphan Live**: A web-based user interface that is primarily used for confidence monitoring, statistics, live switching, and recording control. Start and stop recording/streaming, monitor video sources, view status and alerts, remote rescue troubleshooting and more over the Internet using Epiphan Edge. --- ## Video output port resolution id: pearl-nexus/video-output-port-resolution · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # Video output port resolution The video output port's ** resolution** (also known as frame size or display mode) defines the number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically. For example, the resolution 1920×1080 (1080p) produces an image that is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. Pearl Nexus always assume that the output display uses square pixels. The** aspect ratio** (eg. 4:3 or 16:9) describes the proportional relationship between the video output's pixel width and height. The resolution 1920×1080 (1080p), for example, is quite a bit wider than it is tall. The ratio of its width to height is 16 to 9, which has an aspect ratio that is 16:9. By default, you can choose from the following output resolutions in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios for your video output ports, but you can also change settings to allow a variety of other resolutions through. 4:3 resolutions | **1024×768** | **1280×960** | **1400×1050** | | --- | --- | --- | 16:9 resolutions | **1280×720** | **1360×768** | **1920×1080** | | --- | --- | --- | --- ## What is a channel on Pearl Nexus? id: pearl-nexus/what-is-a-channel-on-pearl-nexus · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # What is a channel on Pearl Nexus? A channel is an encoding instance associated with your video and audio inputs to produce video recordings and/or live streams. Your video and audio sources can be combined and added to a channel, which you can stream and record. - **Pearl Nexus** - we recommend configuring up to three channels for best performance. - Pearl Nexus comes with two channels already preconfigured: HDMI-A and HDMI-B. The HDMI-A video input port on Pearl Nexus is assigned to the HDMI-A channel and the HDMI-B video input port is assigned to the HDMI-B channel by default. But you can easily change that and add whichever video and audio sources you want to a channel. You can even change the name of the channel using the Admin panel. Default auto channels have the related HDMI port selected by default. As soon as you connect your video source to the port, it appears automatically in the channel's custom layout. Changing the channel's frame rate or deleting the channel will change the frame rate used at the output port for that video input. Deleting the channel forces the video output port to use the original frame rate of the video input source. --- ## What is Pearl Nexus? id: pearl-nexus/what-is-pearl-nexus · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # What is Pearl Nexus? # Pearl Nexus Information Pearl Nexus is a versatile 1RU rackmounted multi-channel video encoder, video streamer, live switcher, and video recorder all in one. It supports up to three 1080p30 video channels for separate, simultaneous and isolated recording/streaming and video switching (video and layout). It allows multi-streaming up to 10-20 endpoints simultaneously and supports HDMI, SDI, RTSP, SRT, NDI|HX, and simple Web Graphic inputs. Up to two 1080p30 IP inputs in total (SRT, RTSP, NDI|HX, or Web graphic) are recommended; more can be ingested, but performance issues can occur — Epiphan support can recommend adjustments for larger IP-ingest use cases. Only one Web graphic input is supported. High bandwidth NDI and NDI output streaming are not supported. Dante audio input (two channels, one stereo input) is supported with firmware 4.24.6 or newer and the Dante audio feature add-on. The Pearl Nexus does not support resolutions above 1920x1200. Pearl Nexus does not support chroma keying. Mp4 video playback in a channel layout is supported. Live video playback, scrubbing, or playback of recordings via HDMI is not supported. The rear USB ports support UAC and UVC devices like webcams, USB storage, peripherals, status lights, and up to one ethernet dongle/network adapter with firmware 4.24.0+. USB webcam output is not supported. The front USB port does not support video input or output. Pearl Nexus comes in two models: ESP1948 - preinstalled with 256GB SD card (current) ESP1882 - preinstalled with 1TB SATA SSD (deprecated - supply chain reasons) When an SSD is installed, the SD card port will be disabled. You may install your own m.2 2280 SATA SSD in a Pearl Nexus (ESP1948) if desired. NVMe is not supported. **Any Pearl Nexus purchased on or after March 1, 2026 comes with a three year warranty. A support plan does not extend this three-year Pearl Nexus warranty.** With Pearl Nexus, you can capture, record and stream computer monitors, radar displays, or anything with a wide variety of supported video input signals, including: - SDI - HDMI™ - DVI-I (single link) via HDMI - USB - SRT and RTSP - NDI|HX Capture audio via XLR, ¼ TRS, USB, RCA, 3.5 mm, SDI, HDMI, and network sources (SRT, NDI|HX, and RTSP). Simultaneously capture up to three audiovisual sources and choose how you want to record and stream them. Have separate ISOs or create custom layouts with multiple video sources for live switching. You can do all that using Pearl Nexus. Stream to Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) worldwide using modern protocols SRT and HLS. At the same time, you can stream to other destinations using RTMP/RTMPS or RTSP. Even multicast directly to viewers on your LAN so they can watch the live channel broadcast using a web browser or media player on smart devices connected to the same private network as Pearl Nexus. Download recordings using your web browser, or set Pearl Nexus to automatically upload recorded files directly to a network server using FTP, RSYNC, CIFS, WebDav, and more. Pearl Nexus is also fully integrated with Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and EchoVideo (Echo360) Content Management Systems (CMSs) and can be registered as a video remote recorder resource for seamless lecture capture. Network security compliance with 802.1x protocols, passwords, and certificate authentication means an easier setup for IT friendly live streaming over enterprise networks. Pearl Nexus is HTTPS enabled for secure administration and control over the LAN, and supports secure live streaming protocols like SRT with AES encryption and RTMPS. Pearl Nexus does not capture from HDCP encrypted sources. * Pearl Nexus supports up to three video inputs with certain conditions. Create dynamic content for your viewers to watch while you record and stream your program. Using the custom layout editor, you can create different layouts, like picture in picture or side-by-side views of a camera and slides, then easily switch between layouts using Epiphan Live on a mobile device, or from the Admin panel. --- ## What is streaming? id: pearl-nexus/what-is-streaming · product: pearl-nexus · source: pearl-nexus-userguide.md # What is streaming? After you connect your camera, audio source, and set up a channel, it’s time to stream your content live and share that with your viewers. Epiphan products provide many different streaming options and supports a variety of streaming protocols. The easiest way to stream a single channel directly to viewers on the same local network is to share the channel's live broadcast URL. Various stream types are available so users can watch using their favorite devices, including: HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP FLASH (.FLV), MPEG-TS (HTTP), HLS (pull) (enable HTTP streaming on the Streaming page of the Channel), and RTSP. At the same time, stream to a multicast server or CDN and reach viewers across the globe. You can even stream to smart TVs in overflow rooms using SAP. The streaming method you choose depends on factors like the number of viewers of your stream, are you broadcasting live over a local TCP-based network or streaming to a CDN over the Internet, how much bandwidth do you have available, and is live streaming security a concern? Pearl Nexus can stream to a CDN or media server using any of the following streaming protocols: - SRT (push) - HLS (push) - RTMP/RTMPS (push) - RTSP Announce A channel can support multiple streams. That means you can stream a channel to multiple destinations using different streaming protocols. Unicast and multicast streams are also supported. - **Pearl Nexus** - start and stop streaming directly from the Admin panel. You can also control streaming using Epiphan Edge, using Epiphan Live from a mobile device, tablet, or computer, or via external control via Qsys, Crestron, and more. A full REST API is available for these particular use cases. In addition to streaming from the Pearl Nexus, the following streaming formats are supported as input sources that the Pearl Nexus can ingest: - SRT - RTSP - NDI|HX - Web Graphics ### Streaming to a CDN, multicasting, and streaming to multiple destinations A Content Delivery Network (CDN) relies on geo-diverse CDN servers to receive and disperse web content to the CDN server closest to the user. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. Streaming your content through a CDN allows you to stream any time, anywhere, regardless of the viewing device and you don't have to worry about maintaining your own video streaming servers on site. Streaming content to a multicast IP address is different than streaming to a CDN. Multicasting lets you directly share the stream with multiple viewers on the same LAN. All viewers receive the same stream at the same time. Similar to turning on a radio station where all listeners hear the same music at the same time. Multicasting is useful for training sessions when there is a specific time frame for the audience to view the content live. Pearl Nexus can publish to multiple destinations at the same time. Do not use Motion JPEG (MJPEG) encoding when streaming a channel to CDNs and multicast streaming at the same time. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | Content Distribution Network (CDN) | Stream web content to many viewers on different Content Delivery Networks simultaneously to any geographical location. Using a CDN to host your broadcast is highly scalable and saves you from having to purchase and maintain your own servers to host and deliver video content. Using one or more CDNs to stream live content allows you to reach a large geographically diverse audience and because CDNs perform format conversion, the stream is platform independent. Streaming protocols supported include: SRT (push), HLS (push), RTMP/RTMPS. | | Multicast Streaming | This delivery method relies on network equipment that supports multicasting and is usually used on high bandwidth corporate LANs and not on Internet-based architectures. Multicasting is what's typically used to stream video and audio to an IP TV or set-top box playlist. If you're streaming over a Gigabit Ethernet network to a 10/100 Mbps set-top box that is dropping frames, you can limit the stream's bandwidth using traffic shaping (see Set up traffic shaping). Multicast streaming protocols supported include: MPEG-TS UDP, MPEG-TS RTP/UDP, and RTP/UDP. | To stream video outside of your LAN, use a CDN or configure port forwarding on your router. Consult your Network Administrator to set up port forwarding. By default, no streaming is configured for the channels configured on Pearl Nexus. **Publishing to a CDN** When you publish a stream to a CDN provider, make sure you use a streaming protocol that the CDN supports. Contact your CDN for a list of supported streaming protocols and audio codecs they support. To publish content to a CDN provider, ensure you have: - the URL (or path) to the mount point or an XML configuration file (provided by the CDN provider) - the supported transport protocols, audio codecs, and any other settings like key frame rates and bit rates recommended by the CDN provider - See Suggested stream settings for the best streaming settings for Pearl Nexus. You can control streaming to a CDN using the Admin panel. You can also test how your content is streamed by sending your content to Epiphan’s CDN. For a list of Epiphan’s preferred CDN providers, see: [https://www.epiphan.com/partners/cdn-partners/](https://www.epiphan.com/partners/cdn-partners/). **Streaming to multiple destinations** There are a few different ways to stream to multiple destinations using Pearl Nexus. One option is to configure a channel on Pearl Nexus as your switched program channel, then use the Admin panel to create multiple streaming destinations for that channel. You can add multiple RTMP streams to different CDNs, configure multicast streaming, and even share the live broadcast link with viewers on your network all at the same time. But remember, the more streams you configure, the more network bandwidth you need. To stream to CDNs and multicast a channel at the same time, the channel must have H.264 configured as the channel encoding. Another option is to set up multiple channels on Pearl Nexus and stream those using the Admin panel. That way, you can configure each channel with different encoding settings. For example, you can configure one channel with the streaming specifications for YouTube and configure the second channel for streaming to Facebook. Using one channel as your main switched program, use Pearl Nexus's channel as a source feature to feed that channel into your second channel. That way, you're streaming the exact same switched program to different destinations at different encoding settings. As you can see, setting up streaming to multiple destinations is very flexible with Pearl Nexus. ### Directly sharing channel stream URLs with viewers People on the same local network as Pearl Nexus can easily view a channel's live broadcast stream. All you need to do is provide the channel's stream URL and log in credentials for viewers. - You can provide people separate URLs for streams coming from each channel, or one URL that includes all the streams for the channel. Choose the right type of URL for the type of device the person will use to watch the stream. Viewers can watch the stream using a digital media player or browser. HTTP is used for MPEG-TS and FLV streaming. HTTPS is not supported for these protocols. ### About streaming using SRT Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low-latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) transport and additional error checking. Low-latency SRT is particularly good for real-time, two-way communications between a remote guest and a local on-site host. You can configure Pearl Nexus as an SRT source encoder and stream video using SRT. You can also configure Pearl Nexus as an SRT decoder and ingest SRT streams as video inputs. Up to one of the video inputs you configure for Pearl can be from an SRT source and Pearl Nexus can stream up to three SRT streams. Before content is streamed between the SRT source and destination, a communication link must be established between them for SRT control and recovery packets. Any firewalls blocking the path must be traversed. **SRT streaming modes and firewalls** Streaming through firewalls can be a challenge. With SRT you get easy firewall traversal with little to no IT involvement. SRT offers three modes to simplify the process: Rendezvous, Caller, and Listener. - Rendezvous mode is the easiest to setup and usually doesn't need any intervention from your IT administrator for the SRT stream from the source to traverse the firewall to the destination. The SRT source and destination devices must use the same SRT port value. - Caller and Listener modes work together to establish the SRT connection between your source and destination devices when traversing the firewall is difficult. In this case, your IT network administrator must configure the network to allow traffic that comes in on the port configured for SRT streaming and forward the traffic to the destination device. The device you set as the Caller (or Listener) is arbitrary, as long as one device is a Listener and the other is a Caller. To establish the SRT connection between a source and destination device in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. **SRT latency controls** SRT includes latency controls to adjust for poor network quality while maintaining an acceptable amount of delay. Pearl Nexus provides statistics to determine the amount of packet loss. Using the Admin panel, you can increase or decrease the amount of latency applied to the stream to help mitigate any Quality of Service (QoS) issues. The default latency values are 125 ms for an SRT stream and 80 ms for an SRT input. ### Secure streaming Secure streaming is a great option for confidential content, such as corporate meetings or internal employee training. There are several ways to secure your live stream. - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT). - Stream to a CDN or media server over the Internet using Real Time Messaging Protocol Secure (RTMPS). - Stream HLS (push) over local HTTPS networks. SRT streaming includes additional AES encryption settings for even more security. You can set the SRT stream for 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. Encryption settings must be set to the same values on both the SRT encoder sending the stream and the SRT decoder that's receiving the stream RTMPS wraps the RTMP stream in TLS/SSL packets before it's transported over a TCP connection between the network server and the Pearl Nexus(i.e. the client). ### Suggested stream settings When you're setting up your live stream, you would typically consult your CDN or publishing destination for their recommended settings to use. Stream setup can be a matter of balancing quality and system resources. When choosing your stream settings, it's important to consider the type of content you're streaming and the streaming protocol you've chosen. For streaming fast moving video, a higher bitrate and frame rate delivers a better image. If you're streaming a slide presentation, you can save bandwidth and system processing by lowering the bitrate and frame rate without any noticeable image degradation. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your video quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming video content from Pearl Nexus. **Table 43 Suggested stream settings for video** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Nexus** - H.264 | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Nexus** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec1 | | Limit frame rate | 301 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Nexus**: 4000 kbps for HD 6000 kbps for Full HD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz1 | 1For HLS streaming, the key frame interval should be set to 2s and the frame rate should be set to 30 fps for live NTSC content. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your stream quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming a slide presentation from a PC, Mac, or tablet. **Table 44 Suggested stream settings for slides** | ** Option** | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Pearl Nexus** - H.264 | | Video encoding profile | **Pearl Nexus** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec | | Limit frame rate | 30 | | Bitrate | **Pearl Nexus**: 1000 kbps for HD 2000 kbps for Full HD | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz | --- ## 30-day return policy (AV.io capture cards only) id: policy/30-day-return-policy-avio-capture-cards-only · product: policy · source: epiphan-warranty-support.md # 30-day return policy (AV.io capture cards only) End-user customers who buy directly from Epiphan can return AV.io HD+, or AV.io SDI+ capture cards up to 30 days from the date of delivery for a refund of the product purchase price, excluding shipping charges and less a 15% restocking fee (unless prohibited by law). Returns under the 30-day policy require an Epiphan-issued RMA number clearly marked on the outside of the return package, must be in the original packaging, and must include all items. All other Epiphan products are excluded from the 30-day return policy. Customers who purchased from an authorized Epiphan partner must contact the partner directly. --- ## Competitor products not covered by Epiphan documentation id: policy/competitor-products-not-covered-by-epiphan-documentation · product: policy · source: competitive-products.md # Competitor products not covered by Epiphan documentation # Competitive products The following products are manufactured by competitors of Epiphan video and no questions may be answered in regards to them: Extron SMP series (1xx, 2xx, 3xx, 4xx) NewTek CaptureCast Blackmagic Design ATEM Roland VR-1HD AV AJA HELO Matrox Maevex Teradek VidiU Go LiveU Solo Magewell Ultra Stream HDMI URayCoder Wired 1080P H.264 HDMI Video Encoder Lumens LC200 Datavideo NVS-34 Telestream Wirecast Gear 3 AverMedia EzRecorder 330 Haivision KB Mini ClearOne COLLABORATE Live 900 Tricaster Mini 4K YoloLiv YoloBox SlingStudio Hub Exception: Epiphan documents its own integrations with several third-party products — Elgato Stream Deck, Q-SYS, Crestron, and Bitfocus Companion control of Pearl devices; the Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, and EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS platforms; and Microsoft Teams and Zoom via Epiphan Connect. Questions about using these products with Epiphan products are in scope and are answered from Epiphan documentation. Extron control systems are also in scope. Extron publishes drivers for all Pearl devices and the EC20, so questions about controlling an Epiphan product from an Extron control system are answered from Epiphan documentation. Only the Extron SMP series products listed above are competitor products. --- ## Currently supported and active Epiphan hardware id: policy/currently-supported-and-active-epiphan-hardware · product: policy · source: epiphan-supported-products.md # Currently supported and active Epiphan hardware # Epiphan currently supported products The following Epiphan hardware products are currently supported and active. These are the products covered by current documentation, firmware, and configuration guidance. **Hardware encoders** - Pearl Nano - Pearl Mini - Pearl Nexus - Pearl-2 Rackmount - Pearl-2 Desktop Pearl-2 is available in two form factors, Rackmount and Desktop. Both are current and both run the same Pearl 4.x firmware line as Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano. **USB capture cards** - AV.io HD+ (also written AVioHD+) - AV.io SDI+ (also written AVioSDI+) Only the "+" variants are current. The earlier AV.io HD, AV.io SDI, and AV.io 4K cards are discontinued. **Cameras** - EC20 PTZ Camera Any Epiphan product not listed on this page is discontinued or legacy. See the Epiphan discontinued and legacy products documentation for the full list. --- ## Currently supported Epiphan cloud services id: policy/currently-supported-epiphan-cloud-services · product: policy · source: epiphan-supported-products.md # Currently supported Epiphan cloud services The following Epiphan cloud software products are currently supported and active. These are services rather than installed software, so they are updated by Epiphan rather than upgraded by the customer. - **Epiphan Edge** — cloud-based remote fleet management and monitoring for Pearl devices and EC20 cameras. Monitor device health, update firmware, manage configuration presets, and remotely access the Admin panel from a browser. - **Epiphan Connect** — captures broadcast-quality video from Microsoft Teams or Zoom meetings for use in a live production. - **Epiphan Unify** — produces and switches high-quality live video remotely from the cloud using SRT and Webgraphics streams. These cloud products and services are services under the Epiphan Cloud umbrella. Epiphan Cloud is the overall platform and account system; Epiphan Edge, Connect, and Unify are services within it. --- ## Discontinued Epiphan encoders and streaming appliances id: policy/discontinued-epiphan-encoders-and-streaming-appliances · product: policy · source: epiphan-discontinued-products.md # Discontinued Epiphan encoders and streaming appliances These encoders, recorders, and appliances are discontinued. The current Epiphan encoder lineup is the Pearl family — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano — which replaces this generation of encoders and streaming appliances. **Webcaster X1 and Webcaster X2** — live streaming encoders for YouTube and Facebook. Both are discontinued. **VGADVI Broadcaster** — a legacy encoder, discontinued. **VGA Grid (all variants)** — a multi-input rack frame grabber, discontinued. **VGA Recorder (all variants)** — discontinued. **VGA Printer (all variants)** — discontinued. --- ## Discontinued Epiphan Pearl systems id: policy/discontinued-epiphan-pearl-systems · product: policy · source: epiphan-discontinued-products.md # Discontinued Epiphan Pearl systems These Pearl systems are discontinued. The current Pearl systems are Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano. **Pearl-1** — the original Pearl system, replaced by Pearl-2. **Pearl EV** — the lecture-capture variant of the original Pearl. **Pearl-2 Twin Rackmount** — a special-edition Pearl-2 variant, also referred to as Pearl-2 Twin. Discontinued. Current Pearl firmware releases are not published for these systems, and the 4.x firmware line documented for current Pearl systems does not apply to Pearl-1, Pearl EV, or Pearl-2 Twin Rackmount. --- ## Discontinued Epiphan USB and PCIe capture products id: policy/discontinued-epiphan-usb-and-pcie-capture-products · product: policy · source: epiphan-discontinued-products.md # Discontinued Epiphan USB and PCIe capture products These capture cards and frame grabbers are discontinued. The current Epiphan capture cards are AV.io HD+ and AV.io SDI+. **AV.io 4K** — discontinued April 2026. Last-stock inventory is still being sold through existing channels. There is no direct USB 3 4K capture replacement in the current Epiphan lineup. **AV.io HD** — the non-"+" variant. Superseded by AV.io HD+. **AV.io SDI** — the non-"+" variant. Superseded by AV.io SDI+. **DVI2USB and DVI2USB 3.0** — legacy USB capture devices. DVI2USB 3.0 was the USB 3 capture card in this line. All DVI2USB variants are discontinued. **DVI2PCIe and DVI2PCIe Duo** — PCIe capture cards. Both are discontinued. Last-stock DVI2PCIe Duo inventory remains available through existing channels. **VGA2USB (all variants)** — legacy VGA capture devices, discontinued. **KVM2USB** — legacy KVM capture device, discontinued. --- ## Documentation and firmware links for current Epiphan products id: policy/documentation-and-firmware-links-for-current-epiphan-products · product: policy · source: epiphan-support-weblinks.md # Documentation and firmware links for current Epiphan products # Epiphan Support Weblinks Support pages for products in the current Epiphan lineup. Each page carries the product manual, the latest firmware or driver downloads, and release information. **Pearl-2 manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-2-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-2-software-documentation/) **Pearl Mini manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-mini-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-mini-software-documentation/) **Pearl Nano manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nano-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nano-software-documentation/) **Pearl Nexus manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nexus-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/pearl-nexus-software-documentation/) **AV.io HD+ manual, firmware, and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-hd-plus-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-hd-plus-software-documentation/) **AV.io SDI+ manual, firmware, and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-sdi-plus-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-sdi-plus-software-documentation/) **EC20 PTZ Camera manual, firmware, and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/ec20-software-and-documentation/) **Epiphan Cloud manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-cloud-support/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-cloud-support/) **Epiphan Connect manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-connect-support/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-connect-support/) **Epiphan Unify manual and information** [https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-unify-support/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/epiphan-unify-support/) --- ## Documentation links for legacy and discontinued Epiphan products id: policy/documentation-links-for-legacy-and-discontinued-epiphan-products · product: policy · source: epiphan-support-weblinks.md # Documentation links for legacy and discontinued Epiphan products Support pages for products that are discontinued or superseded. These pages remain available for existing owners, but the products are no longer sold as part of the current lineup and configuration help is limited to the archived documentation. **AV.io 4K manual, firmware, and information** — discontinued April 2026 [https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-4k-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-4k-software-documentation/) **AV.io HD manual, firmware, and information** — superseded by AV.io HD+ [https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-hd-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-hd-software-documentation/) **AV.io SDI manual, firmware, and information** — superseded by AV.io SDI+ [https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-sdi-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/avio-sdi-software-documentation/) **DVI2PCIe Duo manual and information** — discontinued [https://www.epiphan.com/support/dvi2usb-duo-drivers-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/dvi2usb-duo-drivers-documentation/) **DVI2USB 3.0 manual and information** — discontinued [https://www.epiphan.com/support/dvi2usb-3-0-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/dvi2usb-3-0-software-documentation/) **VGADVI Broadcaster manual and information** — discontinued [https://www.epiphan.com/support/vgadvi-broadcaster-software-documentation/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/vgadvi-broadcaster-software-documentation/) --- ## Epiphan discontinued and legacy product list id: policy/epiphan-discontinued-and-legacy-product-list · product: policy · source: epiphan-discontinued-products.md # Epiphan discontinued and legacy product list # Epiphan discontinued and legacy products The products listed here are discontinued or legacy. They are no longer part of the current Epiphan lineup, and current documentation, firmware, and configuration guidance do not apply to them. The complete list of discontinued and legacy Epiphan products: - DVI2USB (all variants) - DVI2USB 3.0 - DVI2PCIe - DVI2PCIe Duo - VGA2USB (all variants) - KVM2USB - AV.io 4K - AV.io HD (the non-"+" variant) - AV.io SDI (the non-"+" variant) - VGADVI Broadcaster - VGA Grid (all variants) - VGA Recorder (all variants) - VGA Printer (all variants) - Webcaster X1 - Webcaster X2 - Pearl-1 - Pearl EV - Pearl-2 Twin Rackmount - LiveScrypt Up to date information about discontinued and legacy devices is available at [epiphan.com/support](https://www.epiphan.com/support/). --- ## Epiphan security awareness and training program id: policy/epiphan-security-awareness-and-training-program · product: policy · source: epiphan-security-and-compliance.md # Epiphan security awareness and training program Epiphan Video's commitment to security and privacy is fundamental to its organizational culture. All employees complete mandatory information security and privacy training upon joining the organization. Epiphan's security team maintains an ongoing awareness program. This program includes newsletters, advisories, and simulated phishing exercises to reinforce vigilance across the organization. Each of Epiphan's Pearl firmware release is tested by third-party vulnerability assessment tools before and after deployment. To report a security vulnerability, contact admins@epiphan.com. Further detail about Epiphan's security program, including the controls in place and the frameworks they map to, is published in the Epiphan Video Trust Center at [trust.epiphan.com](https://trust.epiphan.com/). --- ## Epiphan support contact and business hours id: policy/epiphan-support-contact-and-business-hours · product: policy · source: epiphan-support-weblinks.md # Epiphan support contact and business hours Epiphan is located in Ottawa, Canada. Epiphan's business hours are 09:00 to 17:00 UTC-5, or UTC-4 during Daylight Saving Time, Monday to Friday. Epiphan is closed on some Canadian and American statutory holidays. Current local time in Ottawa: [https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/canada/ottawa](https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/canada/ottawa) **Epiphan Support Center** — support portal, knowledge base, and contact options [https://www.epiphan.com/support/](https://www.epiphan.com/support/) --- ## Extended support plans: SupportPlan and SupportPlan+ id: policy/extended-support-plans-supportplan-and-supportplan · product: policy · source: epiphan-warranty-support.md # Extended support plans: SupportPlan and SupportPlan+ Beyond the included standard plan, Epiphan offers two extended plans at extra cost: SupportPlan (priced at 25% of MSRP) and SupportPlan+ (priced at 30% of MSRP). Both plans extend a 12-month manufacturer's limited warranty by two years, bringing total warranty coverage to three years. That covers most Epiphan products, including the EC20, and Pearl Nexus units purchased before March 1, 2026. Neither plan extends the 36-month Pearl Nexus warranty: it stays at three years. For Pearl Nexus, a support plan adds the plan's other benefits: advanced replacement with either plan, plus priority support with SupportPlan+. Either plan can be purchased any time within one year of the product's original ship date, and all support plans — standard and extended — start from the original product shipment date. Full contractual details are in the Support Plan Agreement (https://www.epiphan.com/policies/support-plan-agreement/). ### SupportPlan benefits (25% of MSRP) SupportPlan includes a two-year extension of a 12-month manufacturer's limited warranty (three years of total warranty coverage; the 36-month Pearl Nexus warranty is not extended), free firmware upgrades, and advanced replacement. ### SupportPlan+ benefits (30% of MSRP) SupportPlan+ includes three-year phone support, a two-year extension of a 12-month manufacturer's limited warranty (three years of total warranty coverage; the 36-month Pearl Nexus warranty is not extended), free firmware upgrades, advanced replacement, three-year priority support, and three-year remote support. ### Support through channel partners When a product is purchased through an authorized Epiphan channel partner, the customer must contact that channel partner first for support or service. --- ## LiveScrypt discontinuation and end-of-service dates id: policy/livescrypt-discontinuation-and-end-of-service-dates · product: policy · source: epiphan-discontinued-products.md # LiveScrypt discontinuation and end-of-service dates LiveScrypt is a discontinued transcription appliance. Customers sometimes write the name as **Live Script** or **LiveScript**; these refer to the same discontinued LiveScrypt product. **LiveScrypt is completely discontinued, including the web service.** This is not only a hardware discontinuation — the transcription service itself has ended. - **Hardware** — discontinued since October 2024. - **Transcription service** — discontinued since April 2026, with a grace period of several months past April 2026. Because the LiveScrypt transcription service has ended, LiveScrypt cannot be used for new transcription work after the grace period. Epiphan does not offer LiveScrypt demonstrations. --- ## Security questions this documentation cannot answer id: policy/security-questions-this-documentation-cannot-answer · product: policy · source: epiphan-security-and-compliance.md # Security questions this documentation cannot answer Some security and compliance questions cannot be answered from this documentation and must be directed to the Trust Center or to Epiphan support. This documentation does not state Epiphan's SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001, or any other specific certification, and it does not describe the scope or period of any audit report. It does not list Epiphan's subprocessors or third-party service providers. It does not describe where customer data is stored, how long it is retained, or how it is deleted. It does not describe Epiphan's incident response, business continuity, or disaster recovery procedures, and it does not contain penetration test results or vulnerability disclosures. For any of these topics, other than Product-level security features, as distinct from organizational compliance which are documented in the individual product guides including HTTPS for Admin panel access, 802.1x network authentication, LDAP user authentication, viewer passwords, and IP allow and deny lists on Pearl systems, suggest to email support@epiphan.com or the form at the bottom of [epiphan.com/support](https://www.epiphan.com/support/) --- ## Standard warranty coverage id: policy/standard-warranty-coverage · product: policy · source: epiphan-warranty-support.md # Standard warranty coverage # Epiphan Video — Warranty, Returns (RMA), and Support Plans All Epiphan products are covered by a 100% repair-or-replacement limited warranty for 12 months from the date of shipment. Pearl Nexus is the exception: it comes standard with a 36-month warranty for units purchased on or after March 1, 2026. The EC20 carries the standard 12-month warranty. A 12-month warranty can be extended by two years with the purchase of a support plan. The complete legal warranty terms and conditions are found in section 8 of Epiphan's Terms and Conditions of Quotation or Sale agreement (https://www.epiphan.com/terms-conditions-quotation-sale/). A support plan does not extend the 36-month Pearl Nexus warranty, which stays at three years. For Pearl Nexus, a support plan adds the plan's other benefits instead (see "Extended support plans: SupportPlan and SupportPlan+"). A Pearl Nexus purchased before March 1, 2026 has the standard 12-month warranty, which a support plan extends by two years like any other product. The standard warranty is part of Epiphan's standard support plan, included free with every product purchase. The standard plan includes one year of telephone support, a limited warranty covering repair or replacement (three years for Pearl Nexus purchased on or after March 1, 2026), and free firmware upgrades for the lifetime of the product. --- ## Third-party control system support for Epiphan products id: policy/third-party-control-system-support-for-epiphan-products · product: policy · source: epiphan-supported-products.md # Third-party control system support for Epiphan products Epiphan publishes control modules for several third-party control platforms. Support differs by platform and by product, so check the specific combination before specifying a system. **Q-SYS** - Pearl control module — supported on all Pearl devices. - EC20 control module — available. **Crestron** - Pearl control module — supported on all Pearl devices. - EC20 control module — available. **Stream Deck** - Pearl control module — supported on all Pearl devices. - The Stream Deck Pearl control module is Windows only. The Stream Deck Pearl control module does not support macOS or Linux. - EC20 control module - no official support right now **Bitfocus Companion** - Pearl control module — supported on all Pearl devices. - EC20 control module - no official support right now **Extron** - Pearl driver — available from Extron for all Pearl devices. - EC20 driver — available from Extron. - Extron publishes and distributes these drivers. For the drivers and for Extron control system information, contact Extron. Beyond these control modules, Epiphan products can also be controlled through their own interfaces and APIs. The EC20 supports its web interface, an IR remote, and REST, RS-232, and VISCA over IP. Pearl devices support the web-based Admin panel, Epiphan Live, Epiphan Edge, and the Pearl REST API. **Epiphan MCP** — Epiphan Cloud exposes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) endpoint that connects a supported AI assistant to the devices in your Epiphan Edge team. Once connected, you can ask about your devices in plain language instead of clicking through the dashboard: list devices and flag anything offline, check whether a specific device is recording, review storage free space across the fleet, or see what is scheduled. Authentication is by OAuth in your browser, and you choose which Edge team to grant access to; the assistant sees only what your account can already see in that team. Epiphan MCP complements the APIs above rather than replacing them. It is reached through a supported AI assistant, not by direct programmatic calls, and it is oriented toward querying device and event information, with write actions available on an Epiphan Edge Premium plan. For scripted device control and automation, use the Pearl REST API. For setup steps and the regional server URLs, see the Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge documentation. All READ or GET calls to Epiphan MCP do not require a premium Edge account. WRITE or POST/PATCH/DELETE calls require an Epiphan Edge Premium plan. --- ## Warranty service and RMA process id: policy/warranty-service-and-rma-process · product: policy · source: epiphan-warranty-support.md # Warranty service and RMA process If Epiphan determines a product is defective and it is still under warranty, Epiphan issues a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. Epiphan only accepts returns that have an Epiphan-issued RMA number for the product in question. RMA requests are submitted through the RMA request form at https://www.epiphan.com/support/rma-request/. Products purchased from an authorized Epiphan partner may need to be handled through that partner directly — contact the partner, not Epiphan, for warranty service. If a partner cannot process an RMA, it may be filed directly with Epiphan. Some exceptions could apply and is at the full and complete discretion of Epiphan what is classifed as an exception. Product registration activates the product warranty and access to customer support: https://www.epiphan.com/support/product-registration/. Support plan brochure (PDF): https://www.epiphan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/brochure_support-plan.pdf. ### Packaging requirements for RMA returns Mark the Epiphan-issued RMA number clearly on the outside of the return package. Package the product carefully using bubble wrap and a sturdy cardboard box. Do not use loose Styrofoam packaging (for example, Styrofoam peanuts), as this can damage electronics. Include the product and its power supply, if applicable. ### Shipping costs and risk for RMA returns The customer is responsible for the cost of shipping any product to Epiphan, and is advised to insure the shipment, as the customer bears responsibility for any loss or damage in transit. For in-warranty RMAs Epiphan returns the repaired or replacement warranty product to the customer by standard shipping at Epiphan’s expense. The customer is additionally responsible for the cost of return shipping for out-of-warranty RMAs. ### Out-of-warranty return policy When a product’s warranty has expired, Epiphan can offer paid out-of-warranty (OOW) repair at Epiphan discretion and in all cases subject to the availability of parts and components. Discontinued products are except from this policy. Epiphan reserves the right to state when a product is no longer eligible for repair or replacement under any Epiphan program. If a suitable replacement exists, we will direct you accordingly. To request out-of-warranty service, submit the RMA request form at https://www.epiphan.com/support/rma-request/ On the rare occasion a defect or issue cannot be reliably troubleshot over email, phone, or chat and it is decided that extra evaluation is required, an evaluation fee of $95 USD applies to assess the reported issue and prepare a repair estimate. This fee is separate from and in addition to any repair cost, and is non-refundable — it applies even if no fault is found or you choose not to proceed with the repair. Password resets, failing any other remote attempt to rectify, are subject to a $50 USD service fee. Repair or replacement costs are quoted only after an RMA submission. ### Eligibility and transferability Out-of-warranty service is available to the original purchaser only. Products acquired second-hand — that is, not purchased new from Epiphan or an authorized Epiphan partner by the current owner — are not eligible for out-of-warranty repair. Manufacturer warranty coverage stays with the product for its warranty period. If a valid manufacturer’s warranty is still in effect, genuine warranty defects remain covered for the remainder of that period regardless of ownership. Epiphan SupportPlans are non-transferable. Extended coverage and support entitlements purchased under a SupportPlan do not carry over to a second-hand owner. ### Repair versus replacement under warranty RMA products covered under warranty will be repaired. If, in Epiphan's opinion, the RMA product cannot be repaired, it will be replaced. --- ## Where to find Epiphan security and compliance information id: policy/where-to-find-epiphan-security-and-compliance-information · product: policy · source: epiphan-security-and-compliance.md # Where to find Epiphan security and compliance information # Epiphan security and compliance Epiphan publishes its publicly available security and compliance information in the **Epiphan Video Trust Center** at [trust.epiphan.com](https://trust.epiphan.com/). The Trust Center is a source for Epiphan's security posture. It is where certifications, audit reports, security controls, subprocessor information, and policy documentation are published or made available, subject to applicable access requirements. Direct customers and prospective customers who need security documentation for a review, a procurement process, or a vendor assessment should start at the Trust Center. Requests for documents that are not published there, or that require an agreement in place before release, can be made through the form at the bottom of [epiphan.com/support](https://www.epiphan.com/support/) or emailing support@epiphan.com --- ## About Epiphan release notes and product applicability id: release-notes/about-epiphan-release-notes-and-product-applicability · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # About Epiphan release notes and product applicability # Epiphan product release notes This document lists firmware and service releases across Epiphan products. Each release below states exactly which products it applies to. Product applicability matters. The four Pearl systems — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, and Pearl Nano — share a single 4.x firmware line, but they do **not** all receive every release or every feature in a release. A release can be published for some Pearl systems and not others when the hardware does not support the underlying capability. Individual features within a shared release can also be device-specific. Every release entry carries an **Applies to** line naming the products that receive it, and calls out any product explicitly excluded and why. Do not assume that a feature documented for one Pearl system is available on another. Epiphan Cloud, Epiphan Edge, and Epiphan Connect are cloud services. Their releases are applied by Epiphan rather than installed by the customer. --- ## AV.io HD+ and AV.io SDI+ firmware id: release-notes/avio-hd-and-avio-sdi-firmware · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # AV.io HD+ and AV.io SDI+ firmware *Applies to: AV.io HD+, AV.io SDI+.* Current firmware: version 2022.08.18. AV.io HD+ and AV.io SDI+ share a single firmware download, so the same file updates either capture card. The Epiphan Capture Config tool runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 only. **Release 22.08.18** — Enables the following in the Epiphan Capture Config tool: change the name of the AV.io HD+, and set custom UVC modes. **Release 22.06.17** — Initial release. A separate published release history for AV.io SDI+ is not available on the Epiphan support site. Because the firmware binary is shared, the entries above cover both cards. **Firmware update warnings — read before updating either card:** - Do not disconnect the card at any point during the update process. Doing so may cause irrevocable errors and may permanently damage the device. - Attempting to update firmware while running virtual machines will result in firmware upgrade failure. - The compressed firmware file contains two files, a .bit and an .img. Perform the update step with both files. - For updates to persist after power cycling, allow 5 seconds before disconnecting or restarting the device. - On macOS the "Update Completed" text does not appear. Completion is indicated by the progress bar filling and the window no longer being greyed out. --- ## EC20 firmware 3.3.40 and earlier — EC20 PTZ Camera id: release-notes/ec20-firmware-3340-and-earlier-ec20-ptz-camera · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # EC20 firmware 3.3.40 and earlier — EC20 PTZ Camera *Applies to: EC20 PTZ Camera.* **Release 3.3.40** - **Epiphan Edge** — remotely monitor the status and health of your EC20 fleet, perform bulk firmware upgrades, and manage configurations and maintenance tasks from a single unified interface. - **Panopto integration** — the EC20 integrates directly with the Panopto video content management system, enabling single-cable connectivity and a zero-encoder workflow. - **Dante audio input** — enables integration with networked audio systems. Combined with PoE, the EC20 supports a single-cable setup for power, video, control, and audio. - **Front LCD control** — the built-in front LCD screen can be disabled to conceal the device's IP address and reduce exposure to network reconnaissance. - **Online firmware upgrades** — internet-connected EC20 devices automatically notify users when new firmware is available and provide a one-click upgrade option. **Release 2.0.16** — Initial version. --- ## EC20 firmware 3.6.44 — EC20 PTZ Camera id: release-notes/ec20-firmware-3644-ec20-ptz-camera · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # EC20 firmware 3.6.44 — EC20 PTZ Camera *Applies to: EC20 PTZ Camera.* This is the current EC20 firmware. - **WebUI-based tally control** — control the EC20's built-in tally light directly from the web interface, including turning it on and off and selecting the tally color, without a third-party controller. - **Improved camera preset management** — a redesigned preset interface makes it easier to create and manage presets, view all saved presets, and see a preview of each one. - **Live audio monitoring for Panopto** — Panopto administrators can monitor live audio captured by the EC20 during recording and streaming. - **Audio activity monitoring in Epiphan Edge** — when registered with Epiphan Edge, the EC20 reports live audio activity levels, making it easy to verify audio input. - **Epiphan certified Crestron module** — a new Epiphan certified control module is available for the EC20, providing control from Crestron control systems. - **Logout shortcut** — added a Log Out link to the upper-right corner of the web interface. - **Flexible auto tracking start position** — any camera preset can now be selected as the Auto Tracking start position. - **Improved standby behavior** — enhanced the reliability of entering and exiting standby mode. - **Audio sample rate update** — removed support for the 44.1 kHz audio sample rate. The EC20 does not support the 44.1 kHz audio sample rate. --- ## EC20 firmware upgrade paths and requirements id: release-notes/ec20-firmware-upgrade-paths-and-requirements · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # EC20 firmware upgrade paths and requirements *Applies to: EC20 PTZ Camera.* The upgrade path depends on the firmware currently installed on the camera. Devices on the oldest firmware cannot go straight to the current release. **Over-the-air updates are the recommended method**, but they are not available on every firmware version: - Firmware **2.0.16 does not support over-the-air updates**. A camera on 2.0.16 must be updated manually using a downloaded firmware file. - Over-the-air updating is supported on firmware **3.3.40 and later**, from the camera's web interface or from Epiphan Edge. **Upgrade path by installed version:** - **From 2.0.16** — the camera cannot be updated directly to 3.6.44. Devices running firmware 2.0.16 must first be updated manually to firmware **3.4.40**, and only then updated to **3.6.44**. Firmware 3.4.40 is published as the required intermediate firmware for this reason. - **From 3.4.40 or later** — update directly to 3.6.44, over the air or manually. **Known issue when upgrading from 2.0.16 or 3.4.40:** the manual upgrade may require more than one attempt. This issue is resolved in later firmware versions. Epiphan strongly recommends following the documented firmware upgrade steps in the EC20 troubleshooting guide when upgrading from either of these versions. If you require a previous version of firmware, contact Epiphan support at support@epiphan.com. --- ## Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge releases id: release-notes/epiphan-cloud-and-epiphan-edge-releases · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Epiphan Cloud and Epiphan Edge releases *Applies to: Epiphan Cloud, Epiphan Edge.* Current release: version 2.31.4. **Version 2.31.4** — Added support for Single Sign-On (SSO) for certain providers: Microsoft Azure AD (Entra), Okta, and Google (GSuite). **Version 2.28.0** — Added the option to select an EU-hosted Epiphan Cloud. EU servers only support Pearl devices on firmware 4.24.1 or newer. **Version 2.26.9** — Added file management allowing automatic file upload from Pearl devices; improved performance when viewing teams with many devices. **Version 2.13.8** — Split the No Storage detected and Low Storage detected alerts into two separate configurable alerts. **Version 2.6.8** — Updated billing to reflect new per-device billing. **Version 2.5** — Added CMS event monitoring, available for Pearl devices using firmware 4.15 or higher. **Version 2.3.1** — Added support for Pearl configuration presets. **Version 2.2.1** — Added device groups, group-based alert notifications, online and offline device counts, additional sorting filters, and a device search bar on the Devices Dashboard. **Version 2.1.7** — Added support for Pearl Nano. **Version 2.0.12** — Initial release, December 8, 2020. --- ## Epiphan Connect releases id: release-notes/epiphan-connect-releases · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Epiphan Connect releases *Applies to: Epiphan Connect.* Current release: 2.21.6. **Release 2.21.6** — Added support for Zoom return feed, and support for authenticated Zoom accounts. **Release 2.19.11** — Added support for Zoom meetings. Return feed was not available in that release. **Release 2.17.3** — Added functionality allowing the use of Epiphan Connect without pairing with a Microsoft Organization. **Release 2.16.4** — Added the quick connect feature, which automatically configures and uses an SRT input on an Epiphan device or Unify instance in the same Epiphan Edge team. Any Pearl system using this feature must be on firmware version 4.18 or higher. **Release 2.15.3** — Added the Return Feed feature, enabling Connect to ingest an SRT signal and inject it into the connected Microsoft Teams meeting. **Release 2.14.3** — Added an option when pairing a Microsoft Teams organization so a link can be shared with the Teams administrator, letting them complete pairing without joining the Epiphan Edge team. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.23.1 and 4.23.0 — all Pearl systems id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4231-and-4230-all-pearl-systems · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.23.1 and 4.23.0 — all Pearl systems *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* **Release 4.23.1** - Configurable colors for a multicolored, USB-connected on-air status LED indicator. - Pause and resume recordings with Panopto, Opencast, or YuJa using a programmable Delcom USB button. - Resolved an LDAP issue where backslashes, double quotes, and hash symbols in user credentials were not properly escaped. **Release 4.23.0** - Added support for the Opencast content management system. - Ad hoc and unscheduled Panopto events upload recordings into the device's default folder. - If a reboot occurs during a Panopto event, the recording continues and still uploads to Panopto at the scheduled end time, with no manual input. - Added support for exFAT formatted USB drives for Automatic File Upload and USB file transfers. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.0 — all Pearl systems, with device differences id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4240-all-pearl-systems-with-device-differences · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.0 — all Pearl systems, with device differences *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano — with the dual Ethernet feature excluded on Pearl Nano.* - **Second Ethernet port** by connecting a USB-to-Ethernet adapter to a USB port, enabling separation of control and AV traffic. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus only; this feature is not available on Pearl Nano. - **Automatic File Upload to Epiphan Edge** — when enabled, Pearl automatically uploads recorded files to Epiphan Edge for backup. - **Event start confirmation** — an optional setting requiring confirmation before a scheduled Panopto or Opencast event can start. If the setting is active and the event is not confirmed, the event does not commence as scheduled. - Resolved an issue preventing a Kuando Busylight connected to a Pearl-2 from displaying yellow. - Resolved an issue preventing Pearl-2 from receiving a multicast RTSP stream from Q-SYS PTZ cameras. - **Pearl Nano only:** fixed an H.265 range expansion issue. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.1 — all Pearl systems id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4241-all-pearl-systems · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.1 — all Pearl systems *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* - **REST API developer-access mode** directly within the Pearl web interface, enabling users to execute, copy, and paste API commands. - **Delcom USB buttons** can start, stop, pause, and resume Panopto, Kaltura, and Opencast events. *Correction: pausing and resuming Kaltura events, including with Delcom buttons, was added in firmware 4.24.6; it was not possible in 4.24.1.* - **EU-hosted Epiphan Edge option** for European customers, giving faster data transfer and lower processing latency. - **Selectable management and control interface** — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - **Pearl-2:** support for embedding audio into secondary Panopto channels for files stored locally. Epiphan Cloud EU servers only support Pearl devices on firmware version 4.24.1 or newer. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.2 — all Pearl systems, with device differences id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4242-all-pearl-systems-with-device-differences · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.2 — all Pearl systems, with device differences *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano — with the NDI items excluded on Pearl Nano.* - **Opencast scheduled live webcast support** — Pearl capture agents support scheduled live webcasts via Opencast, so a Pearl system can automatically start streaming to one or more predefined destinations. - **NDI|HX interoperability fixes** — resolved compatibility issues between Pearl devices and certain NDI|HX cameras, such as the Sony SRG-A40. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus only. - **This release removes support for NDI|HX1.** Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - Refreshed built-in CA certificates used to secure communication between Pearl systems and external services. - **Dual Ethernet NDI discovery** — NDI sources can be discovered over USB-to-Ethernet adapters. Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - Audio codec validation in the web interface to help prevent configuration errors. - **Pearl-2 only:** fan control interface updated, removing a misleading warning and simplifying settings to Auto and Maximum. - Fixed layout editor element reordering, and duplicated multicast RTSP streams from Q-SYS cameras. - **Pearl Nano only:** new configuration option to minimize high bitrate variability for improved RTMP stability, and a fix for the MTU value set in the web interface not being applied. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.3 — all Pearl systems, with device differences id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4243-all-pearl-systems-with-device-differences · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.3 — all Pearl systems, with device differences *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano — with the NDI items excluded on Pearl Nano.* - Kaltura transcoding profile support. - Opencast interoperability improvements. - **NDI 6.2 support** — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus only. Pearl Nano does not support NDI or NDI|HX inputs or streaming, so this item does not apply to Pearl Nano. - **Delcom stop-feedback** — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - Fixes for Ethernet CRC errors and CMS pause behaviour. - **Pearl Nano only:** fixed an issue that could degrade encoding quality on Pearl Nano. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.4 — all Pearl systems id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4244-all-pearl-systems · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.4 — all Pearl systems *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano.* Released April 27, 2026. - **Panopto live audio monitoring** — monitor live audio directly from the Panopto Admin interface, so audio problems can be caught during a lecture rather than after it. - **One-click re-upload to Panopto** — re-upload all recordings for a session from the Pearl web interface with a single click, instead of locating and uploading individual files. - Improved synchronization of recordings across Pearl channels when uploading to Panopto. - Improved Opencast event classification — events that are both recorded and streamed are now correctly labeled **Live + VOD**, where previously they were labeled VOD only. - Fixed video and device errors that occurred when using Panopto templates. - Fixed missing scheduled events when migrating Kaltura schedules between Pearl devices. The release notes for 4.24.4 are identical across all four Pearl systems. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.5 — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4245-pearl-2-pearl-mini-pearl-nexus · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.5 — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus. Not available on Pearl Nano.* - **Echo360 integration** — added native support for Echo360, allowing Pearl encoders to integrate directly into existing EchoVideo lecture capture workflows without requiring middleware, custom scripting, or workarounds. EchoVideo customers can now use the same reliable, flexible, and easy-to-deploy lecture capture experience that Pearl has long provided. **Pearl Nano does not receive firmware 4.24.5.** Pearl Nano does not support application containers, and the Echo360 application required for the EchoVideo integration cannot be installed on it. Pearl Nano remains on the 4.24.4 release line until firmware 4.24.6 (see below). To use the EchoVideo (Echo360) integration, use a Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, or Pearl Nexus. Firmware 4.24.5 or newer is required for the EchoVideo (Echo360) CMS integration. --- ## Pearl firmware 4.24.6 — all Pearl systems, with device differences id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-4246-all-pearl-systems-with-device-differences · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware 4.24.6 — all Pearl systems, with device differences *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano — with Native Dante Audio Support and EchoVideo Enhancements excluded on Pearl Nano.* - **Native Dante Audio Support** — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus can now natively receive and decode Dante audio over the network, eliminating the external dongles and additional cable runs previously needed to bring Dante audio into a Pearl system. Not available on Pearl Nano. **Pearl-2** supports 4 channels (two stereo inputs); **Pearl Mini** and **Pearl Nexus** support 2 channels (one stereo input). - **Pause and Resume Local Recordings** — pause and resume a recording in progress without requiring integration to a CMS platform, useful during breaks or when part of a session should not be recorded. Previously, users had to stop and restart the recording, producing multiple files that needed to be combined afterward; with pause and resume, the recording stays a single file with the unwanted portion excluded. - **Pause and Resume Kaltura Recordings** — pause and resume a Kaltura recording directly from the device, for greater control over lecture and presentation recordings. - **Upload Recordings to Custom S3-Compatible Storage** — automatically upload recordings to a custom S3-compatible storage endpoint, giving organizations the flexibility to choose their preferred S3-compatible provider based on cost, existing infrastructure, or data sovereignty requirements. - **EchoVideo Enhancements** — Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus only; not available on Pearl Nano. This release adds: - Pause and resume EchoVideo recordings from the admin panel, Epiphan Edge, Delcom buttons, or in-room control systems such as Crestron and QSYS via REST API. **Pearl-2** and **Pearl Mini** also support pause and resume from the touchscreen. - Create EchoVideo ad hoc events directly from the device. - Start EchoVideo ad hoc events from the admin panel or from in-room control systems such as Crestron and QSYS via REST API. **Pearl-2** and **Pearl Mini** also support starting ad hoc events from the built-in touch screen. EchoVideo ad hoc events cannot be started with Delcom buttons. - One-click session re-upload — re-upload all recordings for an EchoVideo event from the device's web interface with a single click, instead of locating and uploading individual files. **Pearl Nano moves from the 4.24.4 release line directly to 4.24.6.** Nano did not receive firmware 4.24.5 (see above); 4.24.6 is the first release since 4.24.4 to include Pearl Nano. Firmware 4.24.6 also includes reliability improvements and bug fixes across all four Pearl systems. --- ## Pearl firmware requirements and removed features id: release-notes/pearl-firmware-requirements-and-removed-features · product: release-notes · source: epiphan-release-notes.md # Pearl firmware requirements and removed features *Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano, as noted per item.* Check these before upgrading or downgrading a Pearl system. - Epiphan Cloud EU servers only support Pearl devices on firmware version 4.24.1 or newer. - Firmware 4.24.2 removes support for NDI|HX1 on Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus. - **Pearl Nexus:** release 4.22.0 is the initial Pearl Nexus release. Pearl Nexus cannot run firmware earlier than 4.22.0. - **Pearl Nano:** devices with a serial number starting with GSAB or newer cannot be downgraded below firmware version 4.17. Attempting the downgrade produces an error and the upgrade is blocked. - **Pearl-2:** all units manufactured after November 2022 have a new LCD screen and fan that require firmware 4.17.3 or higher, and cannot be downgraded. Pearl-2 units that receive a replacement fan also require 4.17.3 or higher. - MPEG-DASH and UPnP are no longer supported as of release 4.18.0. Firmware 4.17 is the last version to support connections to UPnP enabled devices. - Pearl as FTP server functionality was removed in release 4.14.2. - Do not extract the .tar firmware file. Upload it exactly as downloaded on the Firmware Upgrade page of the Pearl Admin panel. --- ## About streaming using SRT id: unify/about-streaming-using-srt · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # About streaming using SRT Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low-latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) transport and additional error checking. Low-latency SRT is particularly good for real-time, two-way communications between a remote guest and a local on-site host. You can configure Unify as an SRT source encoder and stream video using SRT. You can also configure Unify as an SRT decoder and ingest SRT streams as video inputs. Before content is streamed between the SRT source and destination, a communication link must be established between them for SRT control and recovery packets. Any firewalls blocking the path must be traversed. **SRT streaming modes and firewalls** Streaming through firewalls can be a challenge. With SRT you get easy firewall traversal with little to no IT involvement. SRT offers three modes to simplify the process: Rendezvous, Caller, and Listener. - Rendezvous mode is the easiest to setup and usually doesn't need any intervention from your IT administrator for the SRT stream from the source to traverse the firewall to the destination. The SRT source and destination devices must use the same SRT port value, see Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode. - Caller and Listener modes work together to establish the SRT connection between your source and destination devices when traversing the firewall is difficult. In this case, your IT network administrator must configure the network to allow traffic that comes in on the port configured for SRT streaming and forward the traffic to the destination device, see Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes. The device you set as the Caller (or Listener) is arbitrary, as long as one device is a Listener and the other is a Caller. To establish the SRT connection between a source and destination device in rendezvous mode, both devices must be configured and ready to establish the connection between them. **SRT latency controls and AES stream encryption** SRT includes latency controls to adjust for poor network quality while maintaining an acceptable amount of delay. Unify provides statistics to determine the amount of packet loss. Using the Admin panel, you can increase or decrease the amount of latency applied to the stream to help mitigate any Quality of Service (QoS) issues. The default latency values are 125 ms for an SRT stream and 80 ms for an SRT input, see Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status. For greater security, you can set the SRT stream to 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption. Encryption settings must be set to the same values on both the SRT encoder sending the stream and the SRT decoder that's receiving the stream, see Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT. --- ## About the Admin panel id: unify/about-the-admin-panel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # About the Admin panel The Admin panel is a web-based user interface that's used primarily to set up your Unify project and perform administrative tasks. To access the Admin panel, see Connect to the Admin panel. | **Label** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Channels menu** | Click an existing channel for information about that channel, or click Add Channel to add a new channel. For more information, see Create a channel. | | 2 | **Epiphan Live** | Click to switch to Epiphan Live. | | 3 | **Inputs menu** | The available input ports are listed. Select a port to open the configuration and status page for that port. Click **Add SRT input** to add a new input. | | 4 | **Main panel** | The main panel is where the selected menu information displays. What's displayed depends on which menu item you select. | | 5 | **Configuration** | A list of all the available configuration options. | | 6 | **Internal storage** | System details are displayed in this area, such as the total amount of storage, how much space is currently used, and how much free space is available. | **Setup** This section contains tasks that are needed to get Unify configured. --- ## Add a text overlay id: unify/add-a-text-overlay · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Add a text overlay Text overlays are useful to add information like a title, location, or the date and time in to layouts in your channel. You can add text to any layout using the custom layout editor. The following tables lists shortcut codes that you can enter and the resulting content that appears on screen. **Table 7 Overlay text shortcut codes** | **Item** | **Shortcut code** | **Example** | | --- | --- | --- | | date format: yyyy-mm-dd | %F | 2019-01-26 | | date format: mm/dd/yy | %D | 01/26/19 | | year | %G | 2019 | | month (01) | %m | 01 | | month (Jan) | %b | Jan | | month (January) | %B | January | | day of the month | %d | 26 | | weekday (Thu) | %a | Thu | | weekday (Thursday) | %A | Thursday | | time (24-hour clock) | %T | 20:40:45 | | hour (24-hour clock) | %k | 20 | | hour (12-hour clock) | %I | 08 | | minute | %M | 40 | | second | %S | 45 | | millisecond | %#m | 378 | | channel name | %c | Camera Feed 1 | | AM/PM | %p | AM | | am/pm | %P | am | | time zone | %Z | EST | If you use a non-monospaced font, the size of the text overlay changes as the letters, numbers, and the length of words change. Use a monospaced font to maintain a consistent size for the text overlay (assuming the total number of characters in the text string doesn't change). You can include certain international characters in text overlays. For a complete list, see International character support. **Add a text overlay using the custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click **Add new item** and select **Text**. The new item is added to the layout editing area and to the top of the list of items. The Text settings also appear. You can change the order in which items appear on the layout editing area by re-arranging the order the items appear in the list beneath **Add new item**. Items at the top of the list appear in front, and items lower down the list appear behind. - In the **Text **field, type what you want to appear in the text overlay. Include Overlay text shortcut codes as needed. Press **Tab** or click outside the text field to refresh the preview in the custom layout editor. For example, if you enter: %A %B %d, %G. Live streaming channel Input A. The resulting text is displayed: - Select the **Font**, **Font size**, and **Text color**. You can also change the default **Line spacing** in percentages. For a mono-spaced font, use Droid Sans Mono. **Limitations**: The maximum supported text size is 500 px. Padding values must not exceed the frame size. Do not enter negative padding values. - Resize the overlay text box using the padding settings. The handles on the corner of the overlay text box are not click-and-drag and do not resize the text box. To resize the text box, use the padding fields to add space above, below, and on either side of the text. - In the layout editing area, click and drag to move the overlay text box or enter values in the manual position value fields along the side and bottom of the layout area. - Click **Save**. --- ## Add a video file to a layout id: unify/add-a-video-file-to-a-layout · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Add a video file to a layout It is possible to add a video (.mp4) file to a layout and play it during a live production. Use the following procedure to add a video file to a layout: - Log in to the Admin panel. For more information, see Connect to the Admin panel. If you need to upload a video file, follow steps 2-4. If you have already uploaded a video file, skip to step 5. - In the **Configuration** panel, click **Media** to open the **Media** configuration page. - Under **Upload file**, click **Choose File**. - Select an .mp4 file from your computer or storage drive, then click **Open**. - Click **Upload** to upload the file. The file should now appear under **Files**. If you need to upload multiple videos, repeat steps 3-5. - Select the layout that will contain the video file within the **Channels** menu. To create a new channel, see Create a channel. - Click **Add new item** and choose **Video file** from the drop down. Select the video from your uploaded videos. - In the layout area, use the mouse, the keyboard or the manual position value fields to position and resize your video. For more details, see About the custom layout editor. - When you are finished customizing your layout, click **Save**. --- ## Add an image to a layout id: unify/add-an-image-to-a-layout · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Add an image to a layout You can add images to a layout using the custom layout editor. Use images to create a background for your source, to add your corporate logo, or to add relevant information about the event you're streaming. Unify supports .PNG and .JPEG images up to a maximum size of 4096´2160. For many applications like a background, you will want your image to have the same aspect ratio as the channel in which the image appears. Unify supports images of all different shapes, such as 16×16 pixels; however, we recommended that you upload exactly the size you need and avoid scaling the image using the custom layout editor. Images can be uploaded in advance from the Media page, see Upload or remove an image using the Media page. Otherwise, you can drag and drop to upload an image using the custom layout editor. Note that no warning is displayed if the image is too large or if an image exists with the same name using drag and drop. The file will be replaced with the new image you upload. Any image without the proper file extension appears in the layout editor but doesn't display in the actual video output. For instance, a .PNG image with the file extension .bmp or an invalid file extension such as .png2 are examples of improper file extensions. If your uploaded image does not appear in the list, ensure it doesn't exceed the maximum image size of 4096´2160. No warning or error message is displayed if your image is too large. **Add an image to a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click **Add new item** and choose **Picture** from the drop down. The picture settings appears. - Select an image from the **Use picture** drop-down menu. To upload the image, drag and drop it from your desktop to the gray **Please select picture **area. For best results, keep the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **check box selected (default). For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **in the **Source settings**. - Your picture appears in the **Picture settings **preview and is added to the layout area. - In the layout area, use the mouse, the keyboard or the manual position value fields to position and resize your image. For background images, click and drag to fill the full layout area. For more details, see About the custom layout editor. - Re-order the items in your layout by clicking and dragging items in the item list. To layer items over top of each other, like for background images or a transparent logo, you can click and drag elements that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. - Click **Save**. --- ## Add recordings to an AFU queue id: unify/add-recordings-to-an-afu-queue · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Add recordings to an AFU queue You can add previously recorded files to an AFU queue using the Admin panel. Before you can add a previously recorded file, the channel must be enabled for AFU and at least one new recording must have been queued. **Add an existing recording to an AFU queue using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - Find the recordings by channel or by recorder and select the files you want to add to the AFU queue. - Select **Add Selected to Automatic file upload**. --- ## Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status id: unify/adjust-latency-and-view-the-srt-stream-status · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) achieves high-quality, low-latency streaming across unreliable Internet connections via UDP packets. If packets are lost in transit to the SRT destination, a request to retransmit the lost packets is sent back to Unify. Using the Admin panel, you can adjust the latency to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of the stream and reduce the number of dropped packets. During the SRT stream, you can view the stream statistics using the Admin panel and adjust the amount of latency based on the packet loss % and Round Trip Time (RTT). SRT stream statistics are provided on the streaming configuration page for a channel when Unify is configured as an SRT source. If Unify is configured as an SRT destination with an SRT input, then SRT statistics are available on the SRT input configuration page. The following example shows SRT statistics for an SRT stream. The statistics section appears only while an SRT stream is active. It takes about 30 seconds for the statistics to appear after the SRT connection is established. You can add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer. Latency can be configured at the source and at the destination. SRT uses the highest of the two latency values. The formula to calculate latency is: *SRT Latency* = *RTT Multiplier* ´ *RTT* where the recommended range of the *RTT Multiplier* is a value from 3 to 20. The following table provides guidelines for what values to use when calculating latency. An RTT multiplier value less than 3 is too small for SRT to be effective and a value above 20 indicates a network with 100% packet loss. Ensure the measured **buffer** is less than or equal to the latency value you use. **Table 13 Suggested SRT latency values** | **Packet loss %** | **RTT multiplier** | **Recovery bandwidth overhead** | **Minimum SRT latency** **(for RTT ≤ 20 ms)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | % is ≤ 1 | 3 | 33 | 60 | | % is ≤ 3 | 4 | 25 | 80 | | % is ≤ 7 | 5 | 20 | 100 | | % is ≤ 10 | 6 | 17 | 120 | These values are from the SRT Deployment Guide. For up-to-date calculations, visit www.srtalliance.org. For example, if the % of packet loss is 0.53 and the measured RTT is 16.506 ms, the latency calculation is: 49.518 = 3 ´ 16.506 ms or 50 ms of latency (rounded up). **Adjust latency and recovery bandwidth overhead for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - View the SRT statistics for the active stream. Do one of the following: - To open the SRT statistics from the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. Then select the arrow beside the SRT stream to reveal the SRT stream statistics. - To open the SRT statistics from the Inputs menu, select the SRT input. Then on the SRT input configuration page, select the arrow beside Statistics. The statistics section only appears while an SRT stream is active. - In the **Latency** field, enter a numerical value from 80 ms to 8000 ms. - Click **Apply**. We recommend testing your settings. Start the SRT stream and use the stream statistics to evaluate the effect the latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values have on the packet loss % of the stream. ### Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT You can configure your Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) streams to use 128 bits, 192 bits, or 256 bits AES encryption using the Admin panel. You can also assign the SRT stream an alphanumeric passphrase if required. The encryption and passphrase settings on the SRT encoder sending the stream must match the settings on the SRT decoder receiving the stream. The encryption key length is negotiated between the source and destination devices. The key length of the sender is used to determine the key length that is eventually used to secure the connection, and the receiver obtains the key length from the sender. As long as the passphrases match, the key length will be negotiated. **Set up AES encryption and a passphrase for an SRT stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel with the SRT stream to configure and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click the arrowhead beside the SRT stream name to reveal the stream settings. In this example, the name of the SRT stream is Stream 1. - Check Encryption and choose the **Key length**. - In the **Passphrase** field, enter the passphrase using alphanumeric characters (if required). The password must be a minimum of 10 characters and maximum of 79 characters. - Click **Apply**. **Set up AES encryption and a passphrase for an SRT input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Inputs menu, select the SRT input you want to configure. The SRT input configuration page opens. - Check Encryption and choose the **Key length**. - In the **Passphrase** field, enter the passphrase using alphanumeric characters (if required). Special characters are not supported. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Automatic file transfers id: unify/automatic-file-transfers · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Automatic file transfers Unify can be configured to automatically upload recordings from local storage to a network storage location or an attached USB drive. This is called Automatic File Upload, or AFU for short. You can schedule automatic file uploads for a time and day that's most convenient for your workflow. To manage the AFU queue and view the AFU upload logs: - Add recordings to an AFU queue - Manage the AFU queue - View AFU and file transfer progress ### About Automatic File Upload (AFU) Unify can automatically upload recorded files to an accessible off-system storage location. You can set the file transfer to happen after a set amount of time or after the file completes recording. There are additional settings to help you manage your AFU recordings and avoid file name collisions at the AFU server side. You can: - Automatically create a folder for your recorded files using the channel name. - Save recordings to a folder that's labeled using Unify's serial number. Automatic File Upload (AFU) is not enabled by default. You must enable this feature for a channel that you want included in automatic file transfers. A log file of all file transfers is created that you can view anytime from the Admin panel. The following types of off-system storage are supported for AFU: - FTP/SFTP - RSync - CIFS - SCP - Amazon Web Server 3 (AWS S3) - WebDav **Important considerations** - Only **one** type of AFU can be used for all file transfers from the same channel. - Files are automatically uploaded only once. New recordings created during later sessions do not overwrite files that were previously uploaded. A new file is uploaded. - If the connection is lost during the transfer, the transfer automatically restarts when the connection is reestablished. - If recorded files are selected for upload while the AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when the AFU is unavailable, they are added to an upload queue. Files and their relevant information are displayed in a list and are uploaded when the upload capacity becomes available. - If recordings are selected for Automatic File Upload (AFU) while AFU is at maximum upload capacity or when AFU is unavailable, the recordings are added to an upload queue. --- ## Channel configuration id: unify/channel-configuration · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Channel configuration A channel lets you encode your video and audio sources so they can be live streamed and recorded. Before using a channel, you should check the channel settings. You can fine-tune your channel to maximize the quality of your live streams, minimize the amount of bandwidth used, and ensure your video and audio encoding settings are optimized for your event. You can control exactly how the video is presented and streamed to shared destinations and multiple viewers. ### Add video sources **Add a video source using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - Below the Layout editing area, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. The Source settings appear. - Under **Source settings**, select either a video input or a channel in the **Source** drop-down menu. - Under **Source settings**, select a video input in the **Source** drop-down menu. For best results, check **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **in the **Source settings**. The selected video source appears in the layout editing area. - Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the source to re-size it in the layout editor area. Alternatively, enter a value in the fields along the side and bottom of the layout editing area to resize the selected item. To layer video sources over top of each other, like for picture in picture, you can click and drag the video sources that appear in the item list beneath **Add new item** and change their order. Items that are higher up the list appear over top items that are lower down the list. - Select an audio source from the list of audio sources. If a channel is selected as the video source, the corresponding audio for that channel is selected automatically by default. - Click **Save**. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. See Resize and position items using percents or pixels for more information. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. See Resize and position items using percents or pixels for more information. ### Duplicate a channel You can duplicate any channel you've created. All settings in the channel you duplicate are recreated. **Duplicate a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Admin panel, scroll to the Channels menu option. - From the Channels menu, click **Status**. The Status page opens. - Click **Duplicate this channel**. The duplicate channel is created and assigned the next sequential number in the Channel menu. - Click **Save**. ### Rename a channel You can change a channel's name from any of the channel configuration pages or using the custom layout editor. **International characters** You can include certain international characters in channel names. For a complete list, see International character support. Do not include any special currency, mathematical symbols, and other special characters such as slashes or spaces in the channel name. Unify replaces special characters with an underscore. **Rename a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and choose any of menu options for the channel. For example, select **Metadata**. - Click on the channel name that appears at the top of the page. The text turns red. - Enter the new name using alphanumeric characters. We recommend using underscores to separate words rather than using spaces. - Press **Enter** using your keyboard to save the new name. ### Delete a channel You can delete a channel using the Admin panel. Deleting a channel removes all recorded files that are associated with that channel. You cannot recover recordings for a channel after the channel is deleted. We recommend that you stop recording or streaming for the channel before deleting the channel. If you have multiple configuration presets, deleting a channel removes all recorded files that are related to that channel across all presets. For important information about how channels are indexed in Unify and how that affects deleting channels when configuration presets are used, see **Configuration preset considerations**. **Delete a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel menu, select a channel and click **Status**. The Status page for the channel opens. - Click **Delete this channel** and click **OK** when prompted to delete the channel, or click **Cancel**. ### Add or remove channel metadata When you configure metadata for a channel, that metadata is embedded in all channel recordings and streams. You can specify the following metadata that the media player displays for your viewers: - title of the presentation - Author - copyright date or other labels such as proprietary information, preliminary etc. - additional comments about the broadcast, such as time of the broadcast, or change to the schedule How metadata is displayed depends largely on the media player. For example VLC, stores the metadata in a media information file, while other media players scroll the text horizontally from right to left across the bottom of the media player window. Use only alphanumeric and diacritic characters in metadata descriptions. The whole metadata string is refused if any special currency or mathematical symbol appears in the description. You must remove the offending characters before Unify will accept the description. **Add or remove channel meta data using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Metadata**. The Metadata configuration page opens. - Type information into the fields or modify existing content as needed, then click **Apply**. --- ## Channel layout examples id: unify/channel-layout-examples · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Channel layout examples Here are some examples of different layouts you can create using the custom layout editor with just two video input sources and two media image files. In the Epiphan products column, "All" means the layout can be created with Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano, and Epiphan Unify. | **Layout example** | **Epiphan products** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | | All | One video source (a slideshow presentation in this case), at the full size of the channel. **To get this look:** Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. | | | All | One video source with a logo (.png with transparency) in the bottom left corner. **To get this look:** Upload an image with transparency. Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. Then, add the image to the layout and drag it where you want it to appear on screen. | | | All | One source with a text overlay in the bottom right corner. **To get this look:** Using the custom layout editor, add one video source to the layout, select **keep aspect ratio** and stretch to fill the entire layout area. Then, add a text overlay to the layout and drag it where you want it to appear on screen. | | | All | One video source (a slideshow presentation in this case), with a green background matte. **To get this look**: Using the custom layout editor, select a background color. Add a video source to the layout and size appropriately, leaving the background matte visible. | | | All | Two video sources (a slideshow and a presenter cropped to a new aspect ratio using the tool to Crop a video source), a background image, and a logo. Make sure the background image has the correct aspect ratio. **To get this look:** Upload your background and logo images (you can do this from the Media page or the Layouts page for the channel). Using the custom layout editor, add the background image to the layout and stretch it to fill the entire layout area. Then add your two video sources to the layout, adjusting their size and position as needed. Lastly, add the logo to the layout and move it in to position. For the second video source, use the **Crop tool** to crop the second source to a square aspect ratio. | --- ## Configure a custom layout for a channel id: unify/configure-a-custom-layout-for-a-channel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure a custom layout for a channel | **Configure a custom layout for a channel using the Admin panel** Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the video source to re-size it in the layout editor area. Click **Save** when you're done or continue to add additional video sources to the layout, resize and crop each video source to exactly how you want them to appear. For examples, see Channel layout examples. | | --- | --- ## Configure AFU to AWS S3 parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-aws-s3-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to AWS S3 parameters You can automatically upload recordings to an Amazon Web Server (AWS) when you select AWS S3 as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to a bucket on Amazon Simple Storage Solution (S3). **Table 23 AWS Automatic Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AWS Region Code | The geographical region of the AWS server that contains the bucket you want to upload to, e.g. us-east-2. | | Bucket | The id of the data storage container you created in Amazon S3 for the recorded live streaming files. | | Access Key Id | The Access Key ID is part of your access key for your AWS account and is a required parameter, i.e. GAKSOSIFDONN2EXAMPLE. | | Secret Access Key | The Secret Access Key is part of your access key for your AWS account and is a required parameter, i.e.bHaprXUenFEMI/K6MANVG/cPxDfiBYEXAMPLEKEY. | | Session Token | The temporary security token provided by the AWS Security Token Service (STS) that allows access to your AWS account for authorized users. | **Prerequisites** - You must have read and write privileges for your AWS account before you can setup AFU to upload to an AWS S3 location. You also need the AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key. - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to AWS S3 using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **AWS S3 Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the **AWS Region Code** and the data storage **Bucket** where you want to upload the file. - Enter your AWS **Access Key Id** and **Secret Access Key** to authenticate access to the AWS S3 data storage bucket. Failure to provide these values could result in content loss if **Remove after uploading** is selected. - In the **Session Token** field, enter the temporary token you got from the AWS Security Token Service (STS). - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure AFU to CIFS server parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-cifs-server-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to CIFS server parameters You can automatically upload recordings to a CIFS server (also known as SMB or samba) when you select CIFS as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. SMB2 and SMB3 are supported. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to a CIFS server. **Table 21 CIFS Automatic File Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server Port | The CIFS server port. Leave blank to use the default port, or enter the port used for your CIFS server. | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the CIFS server. | | Server share | The name of the shared folder on the CIFS server. | | Domain | The CIFS server's Windows domain or Work Group name . Needed if the server is part of Active Directory or a Domain Controller. | | Login | Username for the CIFS server. | | Password | Password for the CIFS user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4, .ts or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to a CIFS server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **CIFS Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Enter the target **Server port**, if you have configured the server to use something non-standard. Leave this value blank to use the default port. - Specify the **Server share**. This is the CIFS share name or the name of the shared folder on the server. If needed, request this value from the network administrator. - If the system is in a different domain than the server or if it is part of Active Directory, enter the **Domain name **of the CIFS server. - Specify a username for the CIFS Server in the **Login **field. The user must have write permissions for the share folder. - Specify the password for the user in the **Password **field; the value is masked by dots. - Select **Use temp file **to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply** --- ## Configure AFU to FTP server parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-ftp-server-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to FTP server parameters You can automatically upload recordings to an FTP server when you select FTP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure for AFU to an FTP server. **Table 18 FTP Automatic Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the FTP server. | | Server port | The port used by the target FTP server. Standard port is 21. | | Login | User name for the FTP server. | | Password | Password for the FTP user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and/or recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU. - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to an FTP server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **FTP Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target FTP server. The standard port is 21. - Enter the FTP account username in the **Login **field. - Enter the FTP account password in the **Password **field. The characters are masked with dots. - Select **Use temp file **to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure AFU to RSync server parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-rsync-server-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to RSync server parameters You can automatically upload recordings to an RSync server when you select RSync as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure for AFU to an RSync server. **Table 20 RSync Automatic File Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the RSync server. | | Server module | The name of the shared folder on the RSync server. | | Login | Username for the RSync server. | | Password | Password for the RSync user. | | Checksum | Select to enable checksum checking during file transfer. This increases the time taken to transfer, but also increases reliability of the transfer. | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to an RSync server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **RSync Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Specify the **Server module**. This is the name of the shared folder on the server. If needed, request this value from your network administrator. - Specify a username for the RSync Server in the **Login **field. The user must have write permissions for the module. - Specify the password for the user in the **Password **field; the value is masked by dots. - (Optional) Select the **Checksum **check box to add a checksum validation to the transfer between the system and the recipient server. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure AFU to SCP client parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-scp-client-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to SCP client parameters You can automatically upload recordings to an SCP (secure copy) client when you select SCP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to an SCP client. **Table 22 SCP Automatic Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the destination server. | | Server port | The SCP port used by the target server. Standard port is 22. | | Login | Username for the SCP server. | | Password | Password for the SCP user. | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. - Ensure there is adequate space on the destination device, if space may be an issue disable the AFU option 'Remove after upload' to avoid accidental deletion of files. **Configure AFU upload to an SCP client using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **SCP Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the destination SCP server. The standard port is 22. - Enter the SCP account username in the **Login **field. - Enter the SCP account password in the **Password **field; the characters are masked with dots. (Alternatively you can choose to use a private key instead of a password for authentication.) For secure copy you can upload an SSH identity for your Unify. This key must be trusted by the destination server. Details for generating the key and setting up this trust are beyond the scope of this document. - (Optional) Set up SSH identity for SCP and SFTP clients. If no identity is uploaded, or to upload a new identity (overwrites the old identity): - Click **Choose File** and navigate to select the private key file from your hard drive, then click **Open**. - Click **Upload **to upload the file. The system accepts RSA keys for SSH-1; DSA, ECDSA, EC25519 and RSA for SSH-2. Keys must be in **OpenSSH** format. - (Optional) Use the **Test your key **field to test your uploaded key against the secure server. - Click **Apply** --- ## Configure AFU to SFTP server parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-sftp-server-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to SFTP server parameters You can automatically upload recordings to a secure FTP (SFTP) server when you select SFTP as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to an SFTP server. **Table 19 SFTP Automatic Upload Configuration Parameters** | **Name** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address or fully qualified domain name of the SFTP server. | | Server port | The port used by the target SFTP server. Standard port is 22. | | Login | Username for the SFTP server. | | Password | Password for the SFTP user. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to an SFTP server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **SFTP Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target SFTP server. The standard port is 22. - Enter the SFTP account username in the **Login **field. - Enter the SFTP account password in the **Password **field. The characters are masked with dots. Alternatively, you can choose to use a private key instead of a password for authentication. - Select **Use temp file **to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. For secure file transfer, you can upload an SSH identity for Unify. This key must be trusted by the destination server. Details for generating the key and setting up this trust are beyond the scope of this document. - (Optional) Set up SSH identity for SCP and SFTP clients. If no identity is uploaded, or to upload a new identity (overwrites the old identity): - Click **Choose File** and navigate to select the private key file from your hard drive, then click **Open**. - Click **Upload **to upload the file. The system accepts RSA keys for SSH-1; DSA, ECDSA, EC25519 and RSA for SSH-2. Keys must be in **OpenSSH** format. - (Optional) Use the **Test your key **field to test your uploaded key against the secure server. - Click **Apply** --- ## Configure AFU to WebDav server parameters id: unify/configure-afu-to-webdav-server-parameters · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure AFU to WebDav server parameters You can automatically upload recordings to a WebDav server when you select WebDav as the AFU protocol transfer type using the Admin panel. The following table describes the parameters to configure AFU to a WebDav server. **Table 24 WebDav Automatic Upload Configuration Options** | **Name** | **Description / Options** | | --- | --- | | Server address | The IP address (or fully qualified domain name) of the FTP server. | | Server port | The port used by the target WebDav server. Standard port is 21. | | Login | Username for the WebDav server. | | Password | Password for the WebDav user. | | Enable HTTPS | Select if you need to use a secured HTTPS link to the WebDav server. | | Use temp file | Causes files to be named with .part extension on the server during active upload. When the upload completes, the file is renamed to the appropriate extension (.mov, .mp4 or .avi). | **Prerequisites** - Channels and recorders are already added for AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . - AFU is enabled and the parameters configured, see Enable AFU, schedule, and set options. **Configure AFU upload to a WebDav server using the Admin panel** - From the Automatic File Upload configuration page, select **WebDav Client **as the protocol transfer type. - Specify the target **Server address**. - Specify the **Server Port** used for the target WebDav server. The standard port is 21. - Enter the FTP account username in the **Login **field. - Enter the FTP account password in the **Password **field. The characters are masked with dots. - Select **Enable HTTPS** if you need a secure HTTPS link to the WebDav server. - Select **Use temp file **to name files with a temporary filename extension (.part) on the server until upload is complete. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure audio encoding id: unify/configure-audio-encoding · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure audio encoding If your channel includes audio sources in any of the layouts, then **AAC 48 kHz** is set as the default audio codec for the channel. You can choose a different audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel. The following table lists the supported audio codecs and bitrates. **Table 12 Supported Audio codecs and bitrates** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | The AAC (default) audio codec is comparable to MP3 and may produce better sound quality with a similar bitrate. Supported values are 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported values are 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. Matching the encoded level with the source level provides the best sound quality by avoiding audio resampling. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides higher sampling. | **Change the audio codec for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel(s) menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - In the Audio settings, ensure that **Enable audio** is checked to include audio in the channel. - From the ** Audio format** drop down, select an audio codec. - From the** Audio channels** drop down, choose mono or stereo (default). Choose **Mono** to have left and right stereo channels combined so that when you listen to the streamed or recorded audio, the same blended sound comes through both the left and right channels. - From the **Audio bitrate** drop down, choose a bitrate. For guidance, see audio bitrates. For stereo audio, we recommend 256 kbps or 320 kbps. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure chroma keying id: unify/configure-chroma-keying · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure chroma keying Add special effects to any video source in a custom channel with chroma keying. Add great looking effects such as animated lower thirds using a titler software or add a custom background using green screen. It's easy to get creative. With chroma keying, you can choose a specific color in your video scene and replace everything of that color with a different image or video. The most common color used for chroma keying is green. In this example, the original video source shows someone standing in front of a green screen. Using chroma key, an image of an office space replaces the green background. White, grey, and black are not recommended colors for chroma keying. Those are treated as the same color with a different luminance value. The result is that the chroma keying affect gets applied to all shades ranging from white to black. You configure chroma keying using the custom layout editor, see About the custom layout editor. **Performance considerations ** Chroma keying can impact performance depending on how many chroma key sources you add, if you scale the chroma key video source using the custom layout editor, and your frame rate. For best performance, avoid excessive scaling of video sources that have chroma keying enabled. Cropping video sources that have chroma keying enabled helps reduce processing and optimizes the performance. You can monitor performance from the **Info** tab using the Admin panel for the custom channel that has chroma keying enabled. Observe the following: - The maximum resolution is 1920×1080 at 30 fps for chroma keying. - Avoid scaling a video source that has chroma key enabled. - Where possible, crop the video source that has the chroma key enabled to minimize the area to process for the chroma key effect. - Overloading the processor can cause frame drops. **What is upstream chroma keying?** Upstream chroma keying applies the chroma key effect to a specific video source before it's processed, switched, and broadcast. For example, you could display the name of a guest using titler software on only the camera that is dedicated for close ups of that person but not on any of your other video sources. To get an upstream key effect, create custom layouts for each video source using the custom layout editor. Then set up chroma keying on just one custom layout. Only the video source that appears in the custom layout with chroma key enabled has the chroma key effect applied to it. To apply the chroma key effect to a video source that appears in several different custom layouts, enable the chroma key effect in each custom layout where that particular video source appears. **What is downstream chroma keying?** Downstream chroma keying applies the chroma key effect to all video sources you broadcast after they're processed and switched. A common use of downstream keying is to display a persistent image, like a company logo, so that it always appears on screen. To get a downstream key effect, enable the same chroma key effect on all your custom layouts. This way, the same chroma key effect gets applied to everything you stream or record. --- ## Configure encoding id: unify/configure-encoding · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure encoding You can modify the encoding settings for a channel. The encoding settings let you fine tune your channel recording or live stream. You can select a specific frame size, bitrate, audio or video codec, and more. ### Codecs and file format compatibility Unify supports the following codecs: **Table 8 Supported video codecs ** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. | **Table 9 Supported audio codecs and bitrate guidance** | **Value** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | AAC | AAC is comparable to MP3 and may even provide better sound quality at a similar sample bitrate. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 16, 22, 44 and 48K kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz audio. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. The maximum bitrate for mono encoding of a 44 kHz signal is 264 kbps. For stereo, 320 kbps is supported. Note that lower bitrates (e.g. 32 kbps) with a 44 kHz signal may result in distorted audio. | | MP3 | MP3 provides a common audio format for audio storage. Supported sampling bitrate values are: 22 kHz, 44 kHz and 48 kHz. Setting the channel bitrate to match the audio source's bitrate provides the best sound quality and avoids audio resampling. Most digital signals (HDMI or SDI sources) use 48 kHz. For analog signals, 44 kHz provides a good quality audio sample. Web browsers that use Flash (FLV) do not support 48 kHz MP3 audio. When selecting this encoding, you must use a web browser that supports HTML5 or a media player to preview your channel. | The following table displays the compatibility between the video/audio codecs and the supported recording formats. **Table 10 Video/audio codecs and formats for recording** | **Video Codec selected** | **Audio Codec selected** | **MP4 and MP4-Fragmented** | **AVI** | **MOV** | **MPEG-TS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | H.264 | No audio codec | ü | ü | ü | ü | | H.264 | MP3 | ü | ü | ü | ü | | H.264 | AAC | ü | ü | ü | ü | --- ## Configure recording settings, file size, and type id: unify/configure-recording-settings-file-size-and-type · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure recording settings, file size, and type Recordings are saved as MP4 files by default. Each channel and recorder also has a file size limit set to 500 MB and the maximum file length set to 30 minutes by default. When a recording reaches the file length of 30 minutes or 500 MB (whichever comes first), the system closes the current recording file and immediately opens a new one. No recorded data is lost. If you don’t know what size to select, do some test recordings to get an idea of the file sizes you can expect. If you want to guarantee the recording lasts to a given time limit, select a file size that is far larger than you saw in your tests. **Important considerations** - The file recording type for a channel you are controlling and recording using Epiphan Edge must be set to MP4 and the maximum file size supported is 500 MB. The following table describes the recordings configuration settings. **Table 16 Recordings Configuration Settings** | **Label** | **Description / Options** | | --- | --- | | Time limit | Specifies the length of time the system waits before the recording file is saved and a new one is started (assuming the size limit has not yet been reached). Values range from 5 minutes to unlimited. The MOV file type on Pearl is limited to a maximum duration of 13h15m, regardless of the value set in the Pearl UI. | | Size limit | Specifies the maximum file size a recording can reach before it is saved and a new recording is started (assuming the time limit has not yet been reached). **Unify** - 8 GB | | File type | Specifies the recording file type. Select from AVI, MP4, MP4-Fragmented, MPEG-TS, or MOV. **AVI**: Generally used for playback on Windows. **MP4**: A progressive version of MP4. Select MP4 for the best compatibility with most video players and editors. Progressive MP4 files are initially recorded as MP4-Fragmented and are converted when the recording ends. If the recording is stopped while in progress or during conversion, the files remain in fragmented MP4 format. You can run the file through **ffmpeg** or another transcoder to convert to the progressive format. **MP4-Fragmented**: A newer MP4 format. Fixed 10 second intervals. Select MP4-Fragmented for the same file format as releases 3.15.x. Some applications, like Adobe Premiere Pro, don't yet support fragmented MP4. There's no way to tell the difference between MP4 files and MP4-Fragmented files from the file name because both use the .mp4 extension. **MPEG-TS**:Does not support PCM audio encoding. **MOV**: A progressive version of MOV. Generally used for playback on Mac OS. This type of MOV has the best compatibility with video players and editors. | | Filename prefix | Specifies how the recordings are named. Recording files start with the given prefix followed by the date and time of the recording, which is set by the system. The channel or recorder name is used if no prefix is given. Allowed characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _, , #, -, [], (). Avoid using spaces in recording file names. Use underscores or hyphens to separate words instead. | | Automatic file upload | Select this if you want this channel or recorder to be part of any scheduled automatic uploads. See Automatic file transfers for information on automatic uploads. | **Change the recording configuration using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channel(s) menu, select Recording. The recording page opens. - Under Recorder Setup, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Change the default recording file settings. - **Time limit**: Select a value from 5 minutes to unlimited. - **Size limit**: - **File type**: AVI, MPEG-TS, MOV, MP4, or MP4-Fragmented. - (Optional) Enter a prefix for the recordings. All new recorded files for this channel or recorder will be prefixed using the text you enter. - (Optional) Check the check box to exclude this channel from automatic file uploads, see Automatic file transfers. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Configure video encoding id: unify/configure-video-encoding · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Configure video encoding You can configure the video encoding settings for a channel using the Admin panel. Video encoding settings include: - **Video codec**: The video codec determines the type of compression and decompression, and also affects the video quality. - **Video encoding profile**: This can be set to High, Main, or Baseline. - **Frame size:** The resolution applied to the channel when you stream, record, or output video to a confidence monitor. This can be set to automatically match the input video's resolution or set to a fixed resolution. - **Key frame interval**: How often a key frame that contains all the pixels is sent when streaming. The longer the key frame interval, the smaller the video file size (and vice versa). - **Limit frame rate**: You can limit the frame rate for the channel. - **Bitrate**: Increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the channel's **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as sporting events, requires a higher bitrate. **Important considerations** - For optimum system performance, the frame size of the channel should be set to match the frame size of your video input source to avoid scaling, see Optimum System Load. - The larger the channel's frame size, the more bandwidth is needed for streaming and the recorded files are bigger. Instead of using the same frame size as the original video source, you can configure a smaller frame size for the channel and let Unify downscale the video. For example, if the input video signal resolution is 1920×1080 (a 16:9 aspect ratio) and the channel's frame size is set to 1280×720, Unify downscales the video and streams/records the channel at the lower frame size, using less bandwidth and producing smaller recorded files. - If you have unchecked all the manual resizing and positioning boxes in the custom layout editor and you downscale the video source using the frame size setting on the **Encoding** tab (for example, select 1280×720 frame size for a full HD video source), then the source appears cropped within the frame instead of scaling to fit the frame. You can add black bars around your video source by adjusting the frame size. For example, if your video source has a 16:9 widescreen/HD format but you need a 4:3 frame size on your output, Unify automatically adds black bars to the top and bottom of the frame if you choose a frame size for the channel that has a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is some trade off between video quality and bandwidth size, depending on the encoding settings you choose. The following table lists some additional considerations when choosing video encoding settings. **Table 11 Video encoding settings** | **Setting** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | H.264 | H.264 provides high quality video while using low bandwidth. | | Key frame interval | The key frame interval feature specifies how often a key frame (a frame that contains all the pixels) is sent when streaming the video. This setting also impacts how quickly a video moves through the frames when a viewer uses the search function of their media player. Increasing the number of seconds between key frames can significantly reduce your bandwidth and system resource usage with minor impact to your video quality. A good rule of thumb is to keep the interval between 2 to 3 seconds and decrease the key frame interval as the motion increases. Try different settings and note changes in the video quality. If your video quality is poor and jittery you may need to decrease the interval between key frames. If you have unlimited bandwidth and system resources you can choose an option to stream key frames only. | | Frame rate | Frame rate reflects the number of images that are encoded per second. Reducing the frame rate for a channel reduces bandwidth usage, and vice versa. The system's ability to maintain a set frame rate is based on several factors, for example: overall system load affects the ability for the device to process pixels; available network bandwidth; the source and stream frame size (resolution); the type of motion that is captured; and number of users accessing the stream. When adjusting the frame rate, you may need to try different values to achieve the best outcome. | | Bitrate | In general, higher bitrates mean higher image quality, but more bandwidth is needed for streaming and video recordings are larger. You can set the bitrate to improve the image quality . For example, an HD Blu-ray video is typically in the range of 20 Mbps, whereas a standard-definition DVD is usually 6 Mbps. If you're unsure what bitrate value to use, start at 5000 kbps (slightly less than a typical DVD) and test to see how this looks for your viewers. | **Configure video encoding for a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Encoding**. The encoding configuration page opens. - Select a video **Codec** and do one of the following: - If **H.264** is selected, select a **Video encoding preset** and a **Video encoding profile**. | **Item** | **Options** | | --- | --- | | Video encoding profile | **Baseline**: Choose this option when streaming to an application that requires robustness and cannot tolerate data loss, for example video-conferencing. **Main**: Choose this option for standard-definition broadcasts. **High**: This is the default. Choose this option when video is viewed for broadcast and disk storage applications, particularly for high definition television application such as Blu-ray disk storage format and HDTV broadcast service. | - Change the **Limit frame rate**. The default should be adequate in most applications. While decreasing the limit may improve system performance, you may need to test different values to balance video smoothness and processing power - Change the **Bitrate**. You can increase or decrease image quality by increasing or decreasing the target **Bitrate **value. Video with a high level of motion and high resolution, such as a sporting event, requires a high bitrate. - Click **Apply**. --- ## Connect an SRT stream as an input id: unify/connect-an-srt-stream-as-an-input · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Connect an SRT stream as an input Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders. You can configure Unify as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layouts for switching, recording, and streaming. When adding an SRT input, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input in the Admin panel to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input in the Admin panel to listener mode. For more information about SRT modes, see About streaming using SRT. **What's needed for this setup** - The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode. For Unify, this must be the Public IP v4 address as IP V6 is not supported. - For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input to use the same port value as the SRT source. For an example SRT stream using rendezvous mode, see Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode. - For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Unify to use the corresponding mode. - Caller mode can be used only for connection with the publicly accessed destination/source. - Listener mode can be used for connection with any source/destination (including within a local network behind the firewall). - For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. For an example SRT stream using caller/listener modes, see Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes. - Unify supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase. If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values, see Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT. **Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Inputs menu, select **Add SRT input**. The add input page opens. - In the **Connection mode** field, select the SRT mode: - For **Caller** mode, enter the following: - **URL **- the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be a Pearl device sending an SRT stream. For Unify, this must be the Public IP v4 address or fully qualified domain name of the source, because IP V6 is not supported. - **Source port** - enter the port number for Unify to use for SRT traffic. - **Stream ID** - In the **Stream ID** field, enter a unique name for this stream. - For **Listener** mode, optionally enter the following: - Enter the **Port** number for this device to use for SRT traffic. - For **Rendezvous **mode enter the following: - **URL **of the SRT source (encoder) using the format *srt://**<**encoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**encoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the SRT encoder device. - Enter the following optional settings: - **Encryption** - select the check box and choose the AES **Key length** if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device. - **Passphrase** - Enter a passphrase if one is required along with AES encryption. - **Latency** - Add from 80 ms to 8000 ms of latency to the SRT stream. Increasing latency gives more time to buffer packets and resend any that got lost in transit to the destination. If the latency value set for the stream is too low and there is packet loss over the network, retransmission of lost packets will not be possible and the stream quality will suffer.If you require real-time responses from your audience, you should use as little latency as possible. - **Audio delay** - The audio delay feature helps you adjust audio coming from external sources so that your video and audio sources are synchronized when captured, streamed, and recorded. You can apply from -300 ms to +300 ms of delay. By default, there's 0 ms of delay applied to audio sources. - **Disable color range conversion** - Color range conversion ensures that the ingested SRT video signal is full-range RGB (0-255), even if the signal was sent with limited RGB color range. By default, color range conversion is enabled. - **No signal image** - Select an image to be displayed if there is no signal in the SRT stream. from the dropdown list. The **DEFAULT** image displays the words **NO SIGNAL**. To add a new image, select **Media** in the **Configuration** menu and click **Choose File**. - **Timeout** - Select an amount of time with no signal before the **No signal image** appears. - Click **Apply**. We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. To set the SRT stream latency, see Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status. --- ## Connect to the Admin panel id: unify/connect-to-the-admin-panel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Connect to the Admin panel **Get the IP address of **Pearl Nexus** ** To find the IP address of a Pearl Nexus with factory settings: - Connect a monitor to the HDMI output port at the back of Pearl Nexus - IP address of the device can be found under the Network and Connectivity section. **Access the Unify Admin panel** Before accessing the Unify Admin panel, you must have a Unify project already created. For more information, see Create a Unify project. - Log into your Epiphan Cloud account at https://go.epiphan.cloud. - Depending on your Epiphan Unify account status, do one of the following: - If you an active subscription to Epiphan Unify, click **Unify**. - If you have not yet subscribed to an Epiphan Unify plan, subscribe to a plan with the following procedure: Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan - Click **Admin login** in the row of the Unify project. This will open the Unify Admin panel for the selected project. --- ## Create a channel id: unify/create-a-channel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Create a channel Create channels on Unify using the Admin panel. New channels automatically use the same aspect ratio as the default frame size setting for the channel, which is 16:9. You can change the encoding settings for a channel after the channel is created. The default encoding settings for a channel are: - **Video**: H.264, 1920x1080@30 fps, auto bitrate - **Audio**: AAC, 48kHz stereo, 320 kbps If the channel's video source doesn't have a 16:9 aspect ratio, the system automatically detects the correct aspect ratio and updates the layout after you leave and return to the custom layout editor page. This happens because the channel's encoding page has **Use current signal resolution as frame size **selected by default. If you want to change the aspect ratio for your channel, see **Configure encoding**. When you create a channel, it's convenient to add your video and audio sources at that time. Channels can have one or more video and audio sources. This procedure includes basic steps to add a single video and audio source. **Create a channel using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channels **menu, click **Add channel**. The custom layout editor for the new channel opens and the default layout is selected. A 16:9 workspace appears in the layout area. - Click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. - From the Source settings, select a video source in the **Source** drop down. For best results, **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **should be checked under **Source settings**. The selected video source appears in the layout area. - Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the source to re-size it in the layout editor area. For a single source channel, it should fill the entire layout area. Alternatively, you could enter a percentage or pixel value in the boxes that are along the side and bottom of the layout editor area to resize the selected source. - Select an audio source from the list of audio sources. If a channel is selected as a video source, the corresponding audio for that channel is selected by default. - Click **Save**. Your channel is ready for basic streaming and recording. Because this is a single-source channel with only one layout, the channel's name is updated to display the source’s name next time you view the channel. Click the channel name in the **Channels** menu to refresh. Rename the channel and choose a custom name if you don't want the channel name to change, see Rename a channel. **What's next?** The default channel encoding setting should work fine in most cases. To check the encoding settings for the channel, seeConfigure encoding. There are a lot of creative things you can do next with your channel, including creating more layouts, adding multiple video and audio sources, and customizing layouts to add images and backgrounds, see Custom layout configuration. --- ## Create a Unify project id: unify/create-a-unify-project · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Create a Unify project An **Epiphan Unify Project** is where you do all of your work in Epiphan Unify. You must create an Epiphan Unify Project before you can begin ingesting, switching, recording, or streaming. To create a Unify project: - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at https://go.epiphan.cloud. - Depending on your Epiphan Unify account status, do one of the following: - If you an active subscription to Epiphan Unify, click **Unify**. - If you have not yet subscribed to an Epiphan Unify plan, subscribe to a plan with the following procedure: Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan - If this is your first project, click **+New project button in the top right**. - Enter a **Project name** and click **Create and run new project**. Your project has been created and it is now live. There is an hourly charge for each running instance of Epiphan Unify. --- ## Crop a video source id: unify/crop-a-video-source · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Crop a video source You can crop a video source to change the size and shape of your video as it appears on screen using the custom layout editor. Cropping a source gives you a lot of advantages and can help to conserve the overall amount of processing CPU usage for Unify. **Crop a source using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Select a video source from the items list. The **Source settings **appears. - Click **Crop**. Your video source appears in a pop-up editing window. - The **Crop** window has several tools for creating the best crop possible. - **Free form** is the default crop mode. In this mode, you can change the size, aspect ratio, and position of the crop with minimal restrictions. - The red box with click-and-drag circular handles in the corners shows the cropped area that appears in the final layout. Only the content inside the box shows in the layout. In **Free form** mode, you can click and drag the red handles to change the size and ratio of the box, and you can click and drag the box itself to change its position. When you have selected an aspect ratio, you can alter the size by dragging the red handles. When you have selected a size, you can change its position by dragging the box. - The number boxes allow you to make precise crops. Click the text boxes and enter a number to determine how many pixels of distance from the edge that line is drawn. You can also erase the "px" after the number and type in "%" to manipulate the box using percentages. For more details on how these boxes work, see Resize and position items using percents or pixels. - To create a crop with a specific resolution, choose a **Size** from the available list. This creates a box with that exact resolution. Click and drag the box to move it into position. The size cannot be changed except by selecting a different size, or by selecting **Free form** or **Aspect Ratio**. - Selecting an aspect ratio allows you to create a crop box of almost any size in a particular ratio. After selecting a ratio, you can manipulate the crop area's size and position without changing its shape. - Click **OK** to close the crop window. - Click **Save**. You can also manipulate the crop-box using keyboard controls. You can move the crop box using the arrow keys, and holding **Ctrl** or **Shift** while resizing the box keeps the aspect ratio of the box constant. Hold **Shift** and use the arrow keys to move one side of the box while leaving the other in the same location. If creating a crop on a video source that has no active signal the crop is based on the default resolution of the 'No Signal' image, which is 1280x720p. To work around this set a custom 'No Signal' image at the same resolution as the video source you intend to bring in and crop. --- ## Custom layout configuration id: unify/custom-layout-configuration · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Custom layout configuration Using the custom layout editor, you can create completely different looks for your channel - like picture in picture or side-by-side video sources. You can add media like transparent images and custom backgrounds to a layout, then resize and arrange all the different media elements the way you want. ### About the custom layout editor The custom layout editor gives you full control of the size and position of images, video sources, and text overlays. Access the custom layout editor using the Admin panel when you select your channel from the Channels menu and click **Layouts**. ** Layout editing** The layout editing area is where you can add images, video sources, and text overlays to your layout. You can also choose a background matte color and crop and edit video sources. The main layout area has the same frame size and aspect ratio as the encoding setting of the channel. As you add items to the layout, they appear in the layout editing area. The currently selected item is presented in full color. Unselected items appear transparent. To change the settings for an item, click an item in the item list that appears below the layout editing area. The settings for that item appears. **Move and size items in the layout editing area** You can use the mouse to click and drag items into position, or you can type values into the fields along the side and bottom of the layout area and manually position the selected item. You can also enter values as a percentage of the full layout area (for example, enter **4%**) or in pixels (for example, enter **16px**). You can **resize** an image, text overlay, or video source by clicking and dragging the red and white handles at the corners of an item or by entering values into the fields along the side and bottom of the layout area. To maintain the aspect ratio when resizing an item, make sure you've checked the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** box for that item. **A note about item positioning and sizing** There are multiple ways to position and size images, text overlays, and video sources in the layout area - Using the mouse. - Using the keyboard. - Using the manual positioning values with percents. - Using the manual positioning values with pixels. **Using the mouse** Click and drag to move the item. Click and drag the round, red and white handles to resize an image or video source (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Using this method you can make quick changes that are in increments of approximately 5% of the width or height of your layout area. For more refined movements, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while dragging the item with the mouse. **Using the keyboard** Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the item up, down, left or right in the layout. Changes are in increments of approximately 5% of the height or width of the layout area. Press the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to make more refined movements. To change the size of an image or video source, press the Shift key while using the arrow keys (for text overlays, just use the padding settings). Press both Ctrl and Shift for fine-grained size control. **Using percents** Specify a whole number, followed by a percent sign (e.g. 4%) in any of the manual positioning fields. See Resize and position items using percents or pixels for more information. **Using pixels** If you need to specify an exact amount in pixels (rather than percent) you can type a pixel value in any of the positioning value squares followed by the characters px (e.g. 56px). You can mix and match pixels and percents changing only the boxes you want to use pixel values. At any time you can switch back to percents by typing a percent. See Resize and position items using percents or pixels for more information. **Audio source selection and saving edits** Select audio source(s) for your channel by adding them to your layouts. The bottom section of the custom layout editor is where you select the audio source for the currently selected layout. It's also where you'll find the **Save **button. - **Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus and Epiphan Unify** - If a layout doesn't have an audio source selected, there will be silence when that layout is selected during live switching, recording, and confidence monitoring. You can have multiple audio sources in a layout. The audio sources are mixed together at the same volume level as one another. When setting the audio gain for your channel, add all your audio sources to your layout first, then set level of gain for your audio sources appropriately. When you're done all your changes, click **Save**. --- ## Custom system variables for text overlays id: unify/custom-system-variables-for-text-overlays · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Custom system variables for text overlays Using HTTP APIs, you can create your own custom system variables for use in text overlays. This is useful to add custom overlay text that changes throughout the course of your live stream or recorded program. For example, using the HTTP API you can create a system variable for the current GPS co-ordinates, then use a script to update the GPS co-ordinates in your custom variable as the physical location in your stream changes. Here's an example custom variable called **gpsvar1** that has a value of N103 68201 W765 29712. To insert the custom system variable into a text overlay, simply type **%(gpsvar1)** into the **Text **field. If you use a non-monospaced font, the size of the text overlay changes as the letters, numbers, and the length of words change. Use a monospaced font to maintain a consistent size for the text overlay (assuming the total number of characters in the text string doesn't change). HTTP system variable commands are issued at a frequency of **5 per second**. You can include up to six variables in a single HTTP SET command. After issuing a SET command, all channels using the specified variables are updated. System variables are considered volatile. For Unify, system variables are deleted when a Unify project is stopped. For more information about sizing and positioning elements in the custom layout editor area, see About the custom layout editor. --- ## Delete, move, or duplicate a layout id: unify/delete-move-or-duplicate-a-layout · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Delete, move, or duplicate a layout It's simple to re-order, remove, and duplicate layouts using the custom layout editor. **Important note for channels with multiple layouts** When you add a second layout to the channel, the channel name automatically changes to a generic name **Channel ***X*, where *X* is the channel index number. For example, SRT 1 changes to Channel 1. Changing the channel name affects system operation. - If the channel is streaming, the stream is stopped and restarted. - If the channel's recorder is recording, then recording is stopped and a new file is started. If you delete all the layouts in a channel until there is only one layout left and that layout has only one video source assigned, then the channel name changes back to the name of the video source. To avoid channel name changes, we recommend that you rename the channel to a custom name. Changing the channel name to a custom name ensures that no automatic channel renaming happens, see Rename a layout. **Reorder layouts using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - In the layouts list, click and drag the icon with the three horizontal bars at the left side of the row to rearrange the order of your layouts. ** Delete a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** You can delete any layout except the currently active layout. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the **X** at the right side of the row for the layout you want to delete. The system prompts you to make sure you want to delete the layout. - Click **OK**. When using the switcher on Epiphan Live, refresh your browser if you still see a layout that was deleted. The deleted layout should disappear. **Duplicate a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** If you're planning to use live switching, we strongly recommend you rename the channel rather than using the default channel name, see Rename a channel. - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Channels menu, select a channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the double folder icon at the right side of the row for the layout you want to duplicate. A duplicate of the layout is added at the bottom of the list. - Click **OK**. --- ## Enable AFU, schedule, and set options id: unify/enable-afu-schedule-and-set-options · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Enable AFU, schedule, and set options After the channels and recorders you want to include in your Automatic File Upload (AFU) are selected, you can enable AFU and schedule when and where you want the recorded files to upload. To select channels and recorders to include in AFU, see Set channels to include in AFU . By default, recorded video files are uploaded as soon as recording stops. However, you can schedule file uploads to only occur during a specific period of time every 24-hours. Recordings that end within the configured time period automatically upload right away. Recordings that end outside the upload time period are queued up and upload when the scheduled upload time period is reached. If you want to use the reset button to force the current recording to close and open a new one or want to limit the recorded file size, see Configure recording settings, file size, and type. Recorded files saved before automatic file upload is configured are not included as part of the automatic upload. The following table describes the AFU options. **Table 17 AFU options** | **Option** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Remote path | If no remote path is specified, the files are copied to the root folder of the destination file system. | | Remove after upload | Delete files from local storage on Unify when the upload completes. | | Mark file as downloaded | Change the color of the file in the recording list to show the files are downloaded. This only applies if the files are not deleted after upload is complete. | | Create a subfolder for each channel | Save the downloaded files into a folder using the channel name. | | Create a subfolder for device | Save the downloaded files into a folder using the serial number of Unify. | **Enable AFU and set a schedule or AFU options using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select **Automatic File Upload**. The Automatic File Upload configuration page opens. If your screen does not indicate that AFU is enabled for at least one channel or recorder, return to Set channels to include in AFU . - Check **Enable Automatic File Upload**. - (Optional) Enter a remote path. If no path is specified, the files are copied to the root folder of the destination file system. - (Optional) Check any optional parameter to select it. For example, you can check **Mark file as downloaded **and **Create a subfolder for each channel**. - To schedule AFU, check **File upload schedule** and select a start time and an end time in the **Start upload** and **Stop upload** fields to define the automatic file upload period. - Click **Apply**. If AFU to your server fails, check the server configuration and permissions. --- ## Epiphan Unify overview id: unify/epiphan-unify-overview · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Epiphan Unify overview # Epiphan Unify Information Epiphan Unify is a cloud based encoder in the Cloud that lets you remotely record, switch, mix, and stream video up to 4K using SRT and Web graphics inputs as your sources, enabling you to create captivating on-demand content and produce frictionless multisite hybrid experiences in the cloud. **Streaming** Stream to Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) worldwide using modern protocols like SRT and HLS. At the same time, you can stream to other destinations using RTMP. **Recordings** Download recordings using your web browser, or automatically upload recorded files directly to a network server using the following protocols: - FTP - RSync - CIFS - SCP - SFTP - AWS S3 - WebDav --- ## Epiphan Unify support and contact information id: unify/epiphan-unify-support-and-contact-information · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Epiphan Unify support and contact information Remote troubleshooting support allows the Epiphan support team to remotely access Unify to help troubleshoot issues and reset lost admin passwords. No private information is sent to the Epiphan maintenance server during a remote session. For more information about service plans, see www.epiphan.com/supportplan. To contact Epiphan support: - **Email**: support@epiphan.com - **Online chat**: www.epiphan.com/support (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 UTC-5, or UTC-4 during Daylight Saving Time) - **Call**: 1-877-599-6581 / 613-599-6581 From time to time, Epiphan support may ask you for logs from your system. Follow the instructions to download files for support. **Download the allinfo file ** - From your browser, run the **allinfo** script. A file is saved to your computer. Unify projects: http:///admin/allinfo.cgi - Share the log files and the allinfo results with Epiphan support. 82 94 97 112 **BETA DRAFT - ** **BETA DRAFT - **113 9 31 33 **BETA DRAFT - ** **BETA DRAFT - **2 80 --- ## International character support id: unify/international-character-support · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # International character support You can include certain international characters in the channel name, layout name, video and audio input names, text overlays, and in the name of recorded files. Common character sets for the following languages are approved: - **Western European/Nordic languages**: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. - **Central/Eastern European languages**: Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, and Russian. **Important considerations** - Use only alphanumeric and diacritic characters in metadata descriptions. The whole metadata string is refused if any special currency or mathematical symbol appears in the description. You must remove the offending characters before Unify will accept the description, see Add or remove channel metadata. - Do not include any special currency, mathematical symbols, and other special characters such as slashes or spaces in the channel name. Unify replaces special characters with an underscore. --- ## Manage CA and self-signed certificates id: unify/manage-ca-and-self-signed-certificates · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Manage CA and self-signed certificates You can view the list of CA and self-signed certificates that come preloaded on Unify. The self-signed certificate from Epiphan Video is selected by default. You can add more CA signed and self-signed certificates using the Admin panel, as well as delete any certificates that you've uploaded. You cannot delete any of the built-in CA certificates that came preloaded on Unify. Security certificates must be PEM encoded. **Manage CA and self-signed certificates using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under CA certificates, click the arrow head to expand the list of built-in CA and self-signed certificates that came preloaded on Unify. - To upload a new CA or self-signed certificate, click **Choose File** and select the certificate you want to upload. Then click **Apply**. The uploaded certificate is added to a list of user uploaded CA certificates. - To delete a CA or self-signed certificate that you've uploaded, click **Choose File** and select the certificate you want to delete from the list. Then click **Delete**. When you're done, click **Apply**. **Network ports used by Unify** To ingest an SRT Input in Unify, the port number must be between 14001 and 14100. For more information, see Connect an SRT stream as an input. --- ## Manage Unify projects id: unify/manage-unify-projects · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Manage Unify projects There are three ways to manage a Unify project: - In Epiphan Cloud. For more information, see Manage Unify projects in Epiphan Cloud - Using the Admin Panel. For more information, see About the Admin panel - Using the Switcher interface in Epiphan Live. For more information, see About the Switcher interface ### Manage Unify projects in Epiphan Cloud Log in to Epiphan Cloud and click **Unify** to manage Epiphan Unify projects in Epiphan Cloud. The Projects page only appears in Epiphan Cloud if you have already created an Epiphan Unify Project. For more information, see Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan and Create a Unify project. If you need more configuration options for your project, like adding SRT inputs or configuring channel layouts, click Admin login to access the Admin panel. For more information, see Connect to the Admin panel. **Create new project** - click to create a new project **Select all** - click to select all projects. From here, you can perform batch operations to multiple projects simultaneously, like **Stream**, **Record**, **Start**, **Stop**, and **Delete**. Alternatively, select the check box next to each project to perform batch operations to a custom selection of projects. **Project table rows** - **Name** - the name of the project. Click the name of the project to open the project information page. For more information, see Project information page. - **Status** - the project status can be either **Running** or **Suspended**. If the project is running, you are currently being charged hourly for it. Press **Start** to return the project to its Running state. To stop a running project, click the ellipsis then click **Stop**. - **Host** - to establish an SRT connection between Unify and an SRT transmitter, this is the host name that will need to be configured on the SRT endpoint. - **Storage** - the remaining storage space for this project. - **Health** - the project's health is affected by things like the SRT input. A green check mark indicates good health, and a warning icon indicates something an error. - **Access** - If the project is running, click **Switcher** to access the Switcher dashboard, or click **Admin login** to access the Admin panel. If the project is suspended, click **Start** to start the project. - - Click the icon to access settings. Click **Stop project** to stop the project. Click Apply preset to apply a configuration preset to the project. Click **Delete** to delete the project. #### Project information page The Epiphan Cloud project information page provides in-depth information on any Epiphan Unify project. To open the project information page: - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at https://go.epiphan.cloud. - Click **Unify** to manage Epiphan Unify projects in Epiphan Cloud. The Projects page only appears in Epiphan Cloud if you have already created an Epiphan Unify Project. For more information, see Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan and Create a Unify project. - Click the name of the project. **Project information** - Click **Switcher** to access the Epiphan Live switcher. - Click **Admin Login** to access the Admin panel for this project. - Click **Start/Stop** to start or stop the project. Click the **Project Info**, **Channels**, **Inputs**, **Alerts**, and **Presets** tabs to view their information. **Project info tab** Click the **Project info** tab for system information like **Performance**, **Storage**, and Automatic File Upload (**AFU**) queue. **Channels tab** Click the **Channels** tab to select a streaming destination, start streaming, start recording, and preview the channel. **Inputs tab** Click the **Inputs** tab for information on the video and audio inputs. **Alerts tab** Click the **Alerts** tab to manage alerts. Alerts are sent to the email address used for your Epiphan Cloud account. **Presets tab** Click the **Presets** tab view available configuration presets, apply configuration presets, add presets, and create new configuration presets. If you need more configuration options for your project, like adding SRT inputs or configuring channel layouts, click Admin login to access the Admin panel. For more information, see Connect to the Admin panel. --- ## Manually set the time zone id: unify/manually-set-the-time-zone · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Manually set the time zone You can manually set the time zone. Unify uses the Eastern (Canada) time zone by default. **Set the date, time, and zone manually using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Date and Time**. The Date and Time configuration page opens. - Select a time zone from the **Time Zone **field. - Click **Apply**. ### Configuration presets Configuration presets are the perfect solution for backing up your system configuration so you can restore later when needed. They are also useful if you have changing configuration requirements for Unify or are managing multiple systems and you want them to have similar configurations. #### About configuration presets Configuration presets are groups of settings that get applied to the system, leaving other important settings intact. They make it easy to manage multiple Unify setups in shared spaces, like a studio, and ensures a consistent setup each time you go to use Unify. You can even export a configuration preset and upload it to another Unify system. Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between Pearl systems and Unify projects. The system's settings are divided into the following configuration groups. You can choose to include any number and combination of configuration groups in a preset and create as many different configuration presets as you need. You can create and apply any saved configuration preset from the Configuration menu when you select **Maintenance** using the Admin panel. It's important to note that configuration presets are applied over existing settings. They affect only the settings groups included in the preset. All other settings are unaffected. Read the Configuration preset considerations section carefully to understand caveats around using configuration presets. **Example of presets in action** You could upload custom background images to Unify in advance of a conference and create custom channel configuration presets for several different keynote speakers, each with a different setup, and then apply them later when you need them. For example, you could create two configuration presets called Session 1 and Session 2. Each session could include things like custom backgrounds, images and logos, channels and layouts, metadata, streaming settings, and automatic file upload (AFU) locations. Then download those presets to your local computer so you can upload them to your entire fleet of Unify systems. Channel configuration includes any applied backgrounds and image files. If these files aren't present when the configuration preset is saved, the save function will fail. Be careful when deleting background images and logo files. At the conference, simply apply the configuration preset that you need for the appropriate session using the Admin panel . When applying the configuration preset, all other preset groups remain unchanged. The preset only affects channels and their configuration. | **Session 1 preset** | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | Session 1 presenter data and background image | | plus the conference IP address | | **Session 2 preset** | | | | | | | | Session 2 presenter data and background image | | plus the conference IP address | After applying a configuration preset, recorded files from the previous session remain present on the system. If AFU is configured, the recorded files continue to upload even after the new configuration preset is applied (if AFU is not yet complete), but the channels reflect the newly loaded session's background file name and presenter name. #### Configuration preset considerations There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including: - Access to presets and privacy considerations - Recording and streaming states - Recorded files in a channel - Deleting channels and recorders - and more **Access to presets and privacy considerations** - Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Unify has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset. - Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset. - Applying a configuration preset does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private. - Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users. ##### Recording and streaming states The channels configuration group includes recording and streaming states for channels . This means that if a channel is streaming or a channel is recording at the time you create a configuration preset, the channel will immediately start recording (or streaming) whenever you apply that preset to the channel. Similarly, if a configuration preset is created when a channel is not recording (or streaming), applying that preset later won't cause the channel to start recording (or streaming). This means a channel may stop recording or streaming as a result of applying the preset if the channel was actively recording or streaming before applying the preset. ###### Recorded files in a channel A channel (and recorder) keeps a list of recordings in the **Recordings** section in the Admin panel. These files remain on the system even if the channel (or recorder) configuration is changed as a result of applying a configuration preset. #### Configuration groups The following table describes what settings are saved with each configuration group. **Table 3 Configuration group definitions** | **Group Name** | **Settings included in the configuration group** | | --- | --- | | **Inputs** | Unify only supports SRT inputs. | | **Channel(s)** | All channel configuration data and current recording state, all layouts) images used in layouts, streaming state, all recording configuration data and current recording state. | | **AFU** | Automatic file upload type, parameters and schedules. SFTP/SCP **private keys** are included (in encrypted format) in the automatic file upload preset. | #### Create a configuration preset You can create as many configuration presets as you need; however, there's a limit to the amount of space available for configuration presets. A maximum of 256 MB is available for configuration presets and the maximum size of a single configuration preset is 128 MB. Before creating and using a configuration preset, read Configuration preset considerations. For each configuration preset you create, you get to name the preset and choose which groups of settings to include. See Configuration groups for which settings are included in each group. After you finish configuring Unify, it's good practice to save a full backup with all groups selected so that you can restore your full configuration at a later date. **Important considerations** - Configuration preset file names should be unique and should not contain # or + symbols. - If you try to save a configuration preset but one or more of the related image files is missing, an error message is displayed. You'll be unable to save the preset until the missing files are restored or the layouts referencing the missing files are modified to remove the bad references. - If you try to save a configuration preset but there isn't enough space, an error message is displayed. You'll need to delete some presets before proceeding. **Create a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance **. The maintenance page opens. - Under **Create a configuration preset**, enter a name for your configuration preset in the **Name **field. Configuration preset file names should be unique and should not contain # or + symbols. - Check the configuration groups you want to include in the preset. For a full system backup, select all groups. After a configuration preset has been created, you can select which sections of the configuration preset to apply. For more information, see Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel. - Click **Save**. Your configuration preset appears in the list. **Create a configuration preset using Epiphan cloud** - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at https://go.epiphan.cloud. - Click **Unify** to manage Epiphan Unify projects in Epiphan Cloud. The Projects page only appears in Epiphan Cloud if you have already created an Epiphan Unify Project. For more information, see Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan and Create a Unify project. - Click the name of the project. - Click the **Presets** tab. - Click **Add new preset**. - Name the preset and select which configuration groups you want to include. #### Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel When you apply a configuration preset, the system settings for all included configuration groups are updated. Other settings on the system are not affected. For example if you apply a preset that includes the configuration groups channels and **automatic file upload**, your network settings, passwords, time server, source configurations, etc are not modified. Similarly, if you apply a configuration preset that has only **network **settings included, only the network settings change. You can verify which configuration groups are included in a preset by looking at the list to the right of the configuration preset name. The term 'all' means all groups are included. Otherwise groups are listed individually. You may apply multiple presets one after another. If you apply two (or more) configuration presets that include a particular configuration group, the settings (for that group) from the last applied preset are the active settings. In short, last in wins. **Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Configuration presets **section, select which sections of the configuration you wish to apply. For example, if you have imported a configuration preset and don't want to apply the Network section, clear the **Network** check box for the configuration preset. If you want to apply all of the sections, skip to the next step. - Click **Apply selected** below the configuration preset you want to apply. - Click **OK** when prompted. #### Export and import configuration presets You can download configuration presets to your local computer, then upload and apply the preset to another Unify or save the configuration preset as a backup of your current configuration. Either way, it's a simple two-step process to download the preset from one system and upload it to another. **Before you begin** - Read Configuration preset considerations. - Configuration presets are not cross compatible between different Pearl models or between Pearl devices and Unify projects. **Download or export a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, Click **Maintenance **. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Configuration presets **section, click the **Download **button next to the configuration preset you want to export. The configuration preset file (with extension .preset) is saved to your admin workstation (in your browser's download folder). **Import a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - In the **Import configuration preset** section, click **Choose file** and select the file you want to upload (with the extension *.preset*), then click **OK**. - Click **Import**. - If your system already has a configuration preset with the same name as the one you're loading, a warning is shown. Click **OK **to overwrite the existing preset or **Cancel **to cancel the upload. **What's next** After you upload a configuration preset file, you must apply the configuration preset to Unify. To apply the configuration preset, see Apply a configuration preset using the Admin panel #### Update a configuration preset To update a configuration preset, or add/remove different configuration groups from the preset using the Admin panel, use the following procedure: **Update a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Maintenance **. The maintenance page opens. All existing configuration presets are listed in the **Configuration presets** section. - Copy the name of the preset you want into the **Name **field and select the configuration groups to include, then click **Save**. - Click **OK** when prompted to overwrite the existing configuration preset with the new one. #### Delete a configuration preset You can delete individual configuration presets from the **Maintenance** page in the Admin panel. **Delete a configuration preset using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select **Maintenance**. The maintenance page opens. - Click **Delete **beside the configuration preset that you want to delete, and then click **OK** when prompted. --- ## Multi-encoding and channel as a source id: unify/multi-encoding-and-channel-as-a-source · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Multi-encoding and channel as a source Unify lets you easily do multi-encoding so you can record and stream the same content at different encoding settings. This is useful when you want to: - Record a video at a high bitrate and frame size and live stream the same content at lower encoding settings. - Record the channel while also sending two (or more) streams of that channel using different encoding settings for CDNs that don't use adaptive bitrates. For example, take a scenario where you want to record a video at 1080p and 8 Mbps, while simultaneously live stream the same video online 720p and 1 Mbps. You can create your custom layouts and do all your switching in one channel (i.e. Channel 1) and then configure Channel 2 to use Channel 1 as a source. That way, both channel's have the identical program. All you need to do now is configure each channel for the encoding settings you want. Follow these steps: - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - Create Channel 1 with your video and audio inputs. Add all your live switching layouts. - Set the **encoding **and **streaming **settings for channel 1. - Create Channel 2 for your recording with just one layout and add Channel 1 as the video source. Stretch it to fill the full screen. - For Channel 2's **audio source**, choose Channel 1 if not already selected by default. - Set **encoding **and **streaming **settings for channel 2. Using this process, you can again use the same video you’re recording on Channel 2, and stream it at a different bitrate and frame size. For alternative ways to set up multi-publishing, see Streaming to a CDN and streaming to multiple destinations . --- ## Open the custom layout editor for a channel id: unify/open-the-custom-layout-editor-for-a-channel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Open the custom layout editor for a channel - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - From the **Layouts** list, select the layout you want to edit. The layout editor updates to display the selected layout and the row for the selected layout is highlighted in green. If this is a new layout, an unformatted layout, or there is no video source connected, then the layout area is empty and a black background matte appears. --- ## Optimum System Load id: unify/optimum-system-load · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Optimum System Load While Unify is powerful, there is a limit to the number of concurrent tasks the onboard CPU can perform efficiently. The number of concurrent tasks depends on many factors, such as: - the number of video sources - what frame rate and bitrate is used for a channel **Other limiting factors** - how many channels you have - how many layouts you have per channel - how often you switch layouts - if the system is resizing (scaling) video sources For best results, we recommend keeping System load usage under 70%. **Recommendations** If the system load is higher than recommended, you can: - Remove unused channels or layouts. - Reduce the number of channels created. - Stop channel(s) that are streaming or recording. - Ensure video sources come in at the right resolution so that Unify doesn't have to up scale or down scale the video source. --- ## Record a channel id: unify/record-a-channel · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Record a channel Using the Admin panel , you can start and stop recording a channel, as well as configure recording settings for the channel. You can also start and stop recording using Epiphan Edge, or: In the Admin panel, the channel number turns red to indicate it's recording. If the system runs out of storage space, the oldest recorded file is deleted to make room for the new recording. **Start and stop recording using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin** or **operator**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Recording**. The channel recording menu opens. - Select **Start** to start recording the channel and select **Stop** when you're done. If the Start button is not active, there are no active sources for the channel. Check your inputs to ensure signals are working as expected. --- ## Rename a layout id: unify/rename-a-layout · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Rename a layout You can rename a layout using the custom layout editor. You can include certain international characters in layout names. For example, common character sets for Western and Central European languages, Nordic languages, and Russian are supported. For a complete list, see International character support. **Rename a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Select a layout from the layout list at the top of the page. - Click the name of the layout so that the name turns red. Type a new name and then press the **Enter** key. --- ## Resize and position items using percents or pixels id: unify/resize-and-position-items-using-percents-or-pixels · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Resize and position items using percents or pixels You can resize layout items using the percent/pixel adjustment boxes in a layout using the custom layout editor. You can also reposition video sources. See Resize layout items and Position layout items. There are three adjustment boxes along your layout's horizontal axis and another 3 boxes along the vertical axis. You can enter **percent or pixel values** into checked adjustment boxes (bordered with red) to position and resize your item(s). Percent values are used in adjustment boxes by default, and can be converted to pixels by simply overwriting the percent value in a given adjustment box and replacing it with a pixel value. When entering **percent values**, ensure the suffix "%" is added to your value (i.e. "20%"). When entering **pixel values**, ensure the suffix "px" is added to your value (i.e. "200px"). A layout item's total pixel dimensions are a reflection of your channel's frame size, as configured in your encoding settings (see Configure encoding ). Unchecked boxes are grayed-out in color and are not directly editable but dynamically change their values to reflect a 100% total of either the horizontal or vertical axis, depending on values entered in adjacent adjustment boxes. See the Adjustment boxes for item resizing and positioning table below for more information. The values contained in checked boxes (bordered with red) are **anchored** and do not dynamically adjust their values. **Table 6 Adjustment boxes for item resizing and positioning** | **Item** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 1 | The area of your layout item. The four red/white dots represent the boundaries of your layout item. There may be some black space between your item and its boundaries if **Keep aspect ratio when scaling** is enabled (see Add an image to a layout ). | | 2 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **left to right** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 20%, or 200px, to the right). | | 3 | If using percents, this value is the item's percentage of **total width on the layout's horizontal axis**. (for example, the item takes up 60% of the layout's width – represented by a thin red bar above the percent box). If using pixels, this value is **the item's width, in pixels**, with a maximum pixel width (for example, frame size) identified in your channel's encoding settingsConfigure encoding. | | 4 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **right to left** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 20%, or 200px, to the left). | | 5 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **the bottom upward** on the layout's horizontal axis. (for example, the item is displaced 10%, or 100px, from the bottom up). | | 6 | If using percents, this is the items percentage of **total height on the layout's vertical axis**. (for example, the item takes up 80% of the layout's height – represented by a thin red bar to the left of the percent box). If using pixels, this value is **the item's height, in pixels**, with a maximum pixel width (for example, frame size) identified in your channel's encoding settings Configure encoding. | | 7 | The percentage of blank space (or number of pixels) from **the top downward** on the layout's vertical axis. (for example, the item is displaced 10%, or 200px, from the top down). | **Resize layout items** The easiest way to resize a layout item is to use the **center adjustment boxes** on each of the horizontal and vertical axes to set your item's width and height respectively. You can also use your mouse cursor to select the corners and manipulate them into the size you want. Hold the shift key while doing so to keep the frame size constant. If you need to **crop** your image, see Crop a video source. In the example, the video source is resized to 60% of the layout's width and 70% of the layout's height (with aspect ratio maintained). (Alternatively, pixels could be used to resize the layout item in a similar fashion.) **An important consideration when resizing layout items** Your item will resize automatically if both left and right (or top and bottom) adjustment boxes contain values (percents or pixels) that exceed the total of 100% (if using percents), or maximum pixel count (if using pixels) for the corresponding horizontal (or vertical) axis. For example, if you originally set the width of an item to 50% of the layout area (or 960 pixels, assuming your item has a maximum width of 1920 pixels in this example) with no values entered in the left and right adjustment boxes (i.e. the left and right boxes are deselected), the item automatically centers itself in the layout area with the left and right percents at 25% each (remember – percents are used by default in the layout editor, even if pixels are used in adjacent boxes). Combined with the 50% (960px) width of the image, these two 25% (480px) values total 100% (1920px) of the layout's horizontal axis. If you instead decide to enable the left and right percent boxes and change their values to 30% each (instead of the current 25%), then the image's width shrinks from 50% (960px) to 40% (750px) to accommodate the change and maintain a total layout width of 100% (1920px). Setting the left and right (or top and bottom) percent values so the axis total among the three percent boxes exceeds 100% will always result in the center percent box value automatically reducing itself to maintain the 100% total, shrinking your selected layout item in the process. **Position layout items** There are multiple ways to reposition items in the frame using the layout editor: - You can reposition images and video sources by entering values into the left/right and top/bottom adjustment boxes (identified as #2/4 and #5/7 respectively in the Adjustment boxes for item resizing and positioning table). The values entered into these boxes represent a portion of the total percentage (or pixels) of the layout's width or height. - Alternatively, you can position your layout items using the keyboard by selecting the item with your mouse cursor, and pressing the arrow keys to move the selected item by 5% in any direction. - You can also position your item with additional keyboard precision by **holding Ctrl and pressing the arrow keys** to nudge your item by a very small fraction in the direction of your choice. **Example 1: horizontal positioning using percents** To position your item along the horizontal axis, first resize your items if desired (as described in Resize layout items), then enter a percent or pixel value into either the left or the right adjustment box to shift your layout item. For example, using **percents** to move a layout item with a 60% width as far to the right of the layout area as possible, you would need to enter 40% into the left percent box to push the item to the right. The layout item originally takes up 60% of the layout width, so this added 40% shift pushes the item as far to the right as possible (I.e. 100% of the horizontal axis). The right adjustment box automatically sets itself to 0% to reflect that there is no more room remaining to maneuver the image along the horizontal axis any further. Alternatively, you could reposition the image in the exact same way by instead setting the right percent box to 0%. **Example 2: vertical positioning using pixels** To position your layout item along the vertical axis, enter a percent or pixel value into either the top or the bottom adjustment box to shift your layout item downward or upward, respectively. For example, using **pixels** to move a layout item that is set to 756px in height to the top of the layout while leaving a small margin of background (say 25px), you could either enter "25px" into the top percent box (to specify the small margin from the top down) or enter 27% into the bottom percent box (to specify a 27% margin from the bottom up – added to the item's 70% height this leaves a 3% margin above your layout item.) You can manipulate elements to get the custom look that you want using percents, pixels, your keyboard, or any combination. Here's an example of using pixels and percents to created a custom layout with two video sources and a background image. The slideshow video source is scaled and the presenter's video source is cropped in this example. --- ## Set channels to include in AFU id: unify/set-channels-to-include-in-afu · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set channels to include in AFU When configuring automatic file upload (AFU), you need to tell the system which channels and recorders you want included in the upload schedule. If no channels or recorders are configured as a part of AFU, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. You must enable Automatic File Upload (AFU) for the channel before you can include channel recordings in the upload schedule. If AFU is not enabled for the channel, the following message appears in the Automatic File Upload configuration page. ** Set a channel or recorder to include in the AFU schedule using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - Click **Recording** in the Channel(s) menu. - Under **Recorder Setup**, select **change**. The recorder settings open. - Check **Automatic file upload **and click **Apply**. **What's Next** After you've enabled AFU for your channels and recorders, enable AFU and configure the AFU settings for the location type (i.e. FTP, USB, AWS, etc). --- ## Set the background color id: unify/set-the-background-color · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set the background color You can select the background color to fill any unused space in a layout using the custom layout editor. For example you can add a color from your corporate color scheme. **Set a background color matte for a layout using the Admin panel's custom layout editor** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Layout(s)**. The custom layout editor opens. - Click the drop down arrow next to the existing (by default black) background color field. The color picker opens. - Pick a new color or type in an RGB value in the field; the color is updated in the layout area. - Click anywhere off the color picker to close the picker. - Click **Save**. --- ## Set up an HLS (push) stream id: unify/set-up-an-hls-push-stream · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set up an HLS (push) stream HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an adaptive, HTTP-based streaming protocol that sends video and audio content over the network in small, media segments that get reassembled at the streaming destination. Media segments stream over HTTP port 80 or port 443 for HTTPS, which are typically open for network access. As such, the content can easily traverse firewalls with little to no IT involvement. Unify can send a single resolution and bitrate HLS stream as an HTTP POST (or HTTP PUT) to HLS ingestion servers and CDNs such as Akamai and YouTube. The default is HTTP POST. Your channels on Unify must be configured for H.264 and AAC audio codec to stream using HLS. Unify supports MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashing algorithms to authenticate the stream. HLS uses an MPEG2-TS transport stream container with a configurable media segment duration, as well as a configurable playlist size for reassembling the media segments at the ingestion server. Because HLS favors Quality of Service (QoS) over low-latency, lag times that can be high. If a specific media segment size isn't required by the ingestion server, then you can shorten the duration of the media segment to decrease latency. The default segment duration is six seconds. Using the Admin panel, you can add advanced features like a master manifest, which is an address applied to each individual media playlist in the stream. You can also assign the HLS stream a user name and password. If security and authentication credentials are required to stream to the ingestion server, consult the ingestion server provider. **Important considerations** - Only a single resolution and bitrate stream is supported. - See Suggested stream settings for the best streaming settings for Unify. - Fragmented MP4 is not supported. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a custom user-agent name, add that to the HLS stream in the Advanced settings using the Admin panel and ensure the agent-name is added to the HLS ingestion server's white list. Contact the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. - If the HLS ingestion server requires a user name and password, you can get those credentials from the IT administrator responsible for the ingestion server. **Set up an HLS (push) stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **HLS push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. To see the settings, click the stream name. - In the **Media Playlist URL field**, enter the URL of the destination server that is ingesting the stream. For example: *http://p-ep721023.i.akamaientrypoin.net/722223/hlsQualification/my_video.m3u8* - (Optional) In the **Segment template** field, enter the naming format used for the names of media segments. For example: *chunk-$Number%05d$.ts* - (Optional) Enter a **Username** and **Password** if required for this stream. Get this from the ingestion server provider. - In the **Method** field, select **POST** or **PUT**. This selection must match the requirements of the ingestion server. - In the **Segment duration** field, enter the length of the media segment in seconds. The default duration is six seconds. Fractions and periods are not supported. - In the **Playlist size** field, enter the number of .ts segment files in each segment. The default playlist size is six. - (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, you can set the following: - **Master manifest**: Enter the URL (including the master playlist file name) of where Unify will upload the master manifest file. The master playlist also provides the bitrate, resolution, and codec. - **User-agent**: Enter a user-agent name using alphanumerical characters only if the ingestion server requires a specific value in the user-agent header to allow the incoming stream from this device. - Click **Apply**. - When you're ready to start streaming this channel, click **Start**. --- ## Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes id: unify/set-up-an-srt-stream-using-caller-and-listener-modes · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes When setting up SRT streaming on Unify, you can configure Unify as an SRT source encoder and send an SRT stream over the Internet to other SRT destinations (decoders) such as a CDN or another Unify. Caller and listener modes work together to establish the SRT link between your SRT source and destination device when traversing the firewall is difficult and Rendezvous mode didn't work. To establish an SRT link between the source and destination devices, ensure that one device is a Listener and the other is a caller. The device you set as the caller (or listener) is arbitrary. If the destination device is set as the listener and is ingesting multiple SRT sources, then all your SRT source devices must be set as callers. In the following example, Unify is set up as SRT Source A (192.168.1.10) and another Unify is setup as SRT Destination B (203.0.113.10). Source A is streaming through a firewall/NAT to Destination B, which ingests the SRT stream as a video input with embedded audio. The public IP address of the Firewall/NAT is 168.112.1.1 and port 2000 is the designated SRT streaming port. All traffic received at 168.112.1.1 on port 2000 is granted permission to pass through the firewall and is forwarded ( C ) to Destination B's internal IP address (203.0.113.10) on port 3000. **What's needed for this setup** - The internal IP address of SRT Destination B (e.g. 203.0.113.10). - The SRT port value that was configured on SRT Destination B using the Admin panel when the SRT stream was added as a video input source using the Admin panel (e.g. port 3000). - The public IP address of the firewall. An easy way to get the public IP address is to use a web browser and do a Google search for "**What is my IP address**" (e.g. 168.112.1.1). - The IT administrator in charge of the firewall must open a port for the SRT stream (e.g. port 2000). The port must allow 2-way traffic and route the traffic to the internal IP address and SRT port of Destination B. In this example, traffic received at the firewall's public IP address 168.112.1.1 on SRT port 2000 is routed to 203.0.113.10:3000. When you're configuring an SRT stream on Unify, you can also adjust the recovery bandwidth overhead using the Admin panel. This setting defines how much of the stream's total bandwidth is dedicated for the exchange of SRT control and recovery packets between the source and destination. Ensure that the total SRT stream bitrate (i.e. the bandwidth required for the stream plus the recovery bandwidth overhead) is less than the network bandwidth you have available. **Set up **Unify** as a streaming source in caller/listener mode using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **SRT push**. The new stream with the default name *Stream 1* is created. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - In the **Connection mode** field, select if this Unify is the caller or a listener. - If **Caller** is selected, do the following: - In the **URL **field, enter the IP address of the SRT destination (decoder) using the format *srt://**<**decoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**decoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* could be provided by the CDN, media server, or another SRT decoder device. - (Optional) In the **Source port** field, enter the port number that this Unify should use for SRT traffic. - If **Listener** is selected, enter the **Port** number that this Unify should use for SRT traffic. See Network ports used by Unify to determine available ports. - (Optional) Check Encryption and choose the AES key length if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device, see Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT. - (Optional) If the SRT destination has a required security **Passphrase** along with the AES encryption, you can enter that here. - (Optional) In the **Latency** field adjust the amount of latency to apply to the stream. The default value is 125 ms. We recommend using the default latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. To set the SRT stream latency, see Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status. - (Optional) In the **Recovery bandwidth overhead** field, adjust the % value of the bandwidth that's dedicated for SRT control and recovery packets. The default value is 25%. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - When your ready to start streaming, click **Start** **What's next?** If you also need to set up Unify as an SRT destination and ingest an SRT stream from a remote source, you must add the SRT stream as a input, see Connect an SRT stream as an input. --- ## Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode id: unify/set-up-an-srt-stream-using-rendezvous-mode · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open-source streaming protocol that offers quality, low latency streaming to CDNs and other SRT enabled decoders across unreliable Internet connections via UDP. The easiest way to establish a link between the SRT source and destination devices is to use rendezvous mode. In rendezvous mode, both the SRT source and destination device are ready to establish the SRT connection as soon as an SRT stream starts. When you're configuring an SRT stream on Unify, you can also adjust the recovery bandwidth overhead using the Admin panel. This setting defines how much of the stream's total bandwidth is dedicated for the exchange of SRT control and recovery packets between the source and destination. Ensure that the total SRT stream bitrate (i.e. the bandwidth required for the stream plus the recovery bandwidth overhead) is less than the network bandwidth you have available. **Set up **Unify** as a streaming source in rendezvous mode using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **SRT push**. The new stream with the default name *Stream 1* is created. - Click the stream name to expand the stream settings. - In the **Connection mode** field, select **Rendezvous**. - Enter the **URL **of the SRT destination (decoder) using the format *srt://**<**decoder-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>*, where the *<**decoder-ip-address**>* and *<**port**>* values are provided by the CDN, media server, or an SRT decoder device such as a second Unify at the destination. - (Optional) Check Encryption and choose the AES key length if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device, see Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT. - (Optional) If the SRT destination has a required security **Passphrase** along with the AES encryption, you can enter that here. - (Optional) In the **Latency** field adjust the amount of latency to apply to the stream. The default value is 125 ms. We recommend using the default latency and recovery bandwidth overhead values for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. To set the SRT stream latency, see Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status. - (Optional) In the **Recovery bandwidth overhead** field, adjust the % value of the bandwidth that's dedicate for SRT control and recovery packets. The default value is 25%. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - When your ready to start streaming, click **Start** ### What's next? If you also need to set up Unify as an SRT destination and ingest an SRT stream from a remote source, you must add the SRT stream as a input, see Connect an SRT stream as an input. --- ## Set up chroma key for a green screen video source id: unify/set-up-chroma-key-for-a-green-screen-video-source · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Set up chroma key for a green screen video source A common use of chroma keying is to use a green screen and then replace the green background with another video or still image. Your chroma key source can come from a video camera or an effects computer connected to Unify. The background you use can be from another video source, a still image that you've uploaded to Unify, or from an effects computer. **Configure chroma keying for green screen using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - Follow the steps in Set up chroma key for a green screen video source to create a custom channel. - From the custom layout editor, click **Add new item** and select **Video Source**. - Click **Source** and select the video source that you want showing through the background of your chroma key colored areas. - In the layout editing area, click and drag to position the video. See the note after this procedure for positioning techniques. For best results, select the **Keep aspect ratio when scaling **checkbox from the **Source settings **box. - Click **Add new Item** again and add the video source that has the green screen image. - Click the **Crop** button and crop your green screen video source in the pop-up crop editing window. Click **OK** when your done to return to the custom layout editor. Cropping the green screen video source helps optimize the performance of Unify. - In the layout area, position the green screen video source over top the other video source. To optimize performance, avoid scaling the green screen video source if you can. - With the green screen video source selected, check **Enable Chroma keying** in the custom layout editor. The chroma keying options appear. White, grey, and black are not recommended colors for chroma keying. Unify treats them as the same color with different luminance values. As such, chroma keying affects all shades ranging from white to black. - Click the eye dropper and then click on a color in the thumbnail image to choose the chroma key color. The background video image shows through all the colored areas on the chroma key video layer that match the color you select as the chroma key. - Adjust the chroma color selection and blend the edges to remove unwanted chroma effects or residual color. - Enter a number in the **Key threshold** field to adjust the color selection. A value of 0 equals the original color you selected. A higher value widens the range of the selected chroma color. A lower number narrows the range of the selected chroma color. - Enter a number in the **Edge blend** field to smooth out and adjust the color around the edges in your image. - Click **Save** when you're done. --- ## Start and stop streaming to a CDN id: unify/start-and-stop-streaming-to-a-cdn · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Start and stop streaming to a CDN After your stream to a CDN is configured on the channel, you can start and stop streaming. Start and stop your stream using: - the admin panel - Epiphan Edge - Epiphan Live. For details to start and stop streaming using Epiphan Live, seeControl streaming and recording using Epiphan Live . **Start and stop streaming using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select a channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. To set up a stream using the Admin panel, click **New stream** and follow the instructions for how to **Streaming to a CDN and streaming to multiple destinations**. - Click **Start** at the top right corner to start that stream, or click **Start all** at the top of the page to start streaming all streams that are configured for the channel. - Click **Stop** at the top right corner to stop that stream, or click **Stop all** at the top of the page to stop streaming for all streams that are configured for the channel. --- ## Streaming to a CDN and streaming to multiple destinations id: unify/streaming-to-a-cdn-and-streaming-to-multiple-destinations · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Streaming to a CDN and streaming to multiple destinations A Content Delivery Network (CDN) relies on geo-diverse CDN servers to receive and disperse web content to the CDN server closest to the user. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. Streaming your content through a CDN allows you to stream any time, anywhere, regardless of the viewing device and you don't have to worry about maintaining your own video streaming servers on site. Unify can publish to multiple destinations at the same time. For more information, see Configure video encoding. | **Publishing Options** | **Use this option to...** | | --- | --- | | Content Distribution Network (CDN) | Stream web content to many viewers on different Content Delivery Networks simultaneously to any geographical location. Using a CDN to host your broadcast is highly scalable and saves you from having to purchase and maintain your own servers to host and deliver video content. Using one or more CDNs to stream live content allows you to reach a large geographically diverse audience and because CDNs perform format conversion, the stream is platform independent. Streaming protocols supported include: SRT (push), HLS (push), RTMP/RTMPS, . For more information about streaming to a CDN, see Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices. | By default, no streaming is configured for the channels configured on Unify. **Publishing to a CDN** When you publish a stream to a CDN provider, make sure you use a streaming protocol that the CDN supports. Contact your CDN for a list of supported streaming protocols and audio codecs they support. To publish content to a CDN provider, ensure you have: - the URL (or path) to the mount point or an XML configuration file (provided by the CDN provider) - the supported transport protocols, audio codecs, and any other settings like key frame rates and bit rates recommended by the CDN provider - See Suggested stream settings for the best streaming settings for Unify. You can control streaming to a CDN using the Admin panel. For more information see Start and stop streaming to a CDN. You can also test how your content is streamed by sending your content to Epiphan’s CDN. --- ## Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices id: unify/streaming-to-servers-cdns-and-other-devices · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Streaming to servers, CDNs, and other devices Unify can stream to CDNs, local media servers, and even to other Unify devices that are acting as a streaming ingestion point. Unify supports many streaming protocols. Use the Admin panel to set up individual channels for streaming. For more information on video encoding configuration, see Configure encoding . ### Set up an RTMP (push) stream Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is the most common way to stream to a CDN, including to Facebook Live and YouTube. **Set up an RTMP stream using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the **Channel(s)** menu, select the channel and click **Streaming**. The Streaming configuration page opens. - Click **New stream** and choose **RTMP push**. The new stream is created using the default name *Stream 1*. - Click the stream name to see the stream settings. - Enter the **URL **of the ingestion point provided by the CDN or media server. - For RTMP push, enter **rtmp** followed by the rest of the URL, for example: *rtmp://**<**server-ip-address**>**:**<**port**>**/etc...* - Enter the **Stream name** (which also is called a stream key by some CDNs) - (Optional) Enter a **User name** and **Password**. The CDN provider assigns a user name and password to authenticate the publisher. Contact the CDN provider for your log in credentials. Some CDNs, like YouTube and Facebook Live, do not require you to enter your log in credentials here. - (Optional) Rename the stream. Click the current name and enter a different name, then press **Enter**. Refresh your browser if the new stream name doesn't immediately display. - Click **Apply**. - To start streaming, click **Start** or click **Start all** to simultaneously start this stream and any other streams you have configured for this channel. - Click **Delete this stream** at any time to delete the stream. --- ## Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan id: unify/subscribe-to-an-epiphan-unify-plan · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan You must subscribe to an Epiphan Unify account before creating a project in Epiphan Unify. You must create an Epiphan Unify project before you can begin ingesting, switching, recording, or streaming. To create a Unify account: - Log in to your Epiphan Cloud account at https://go.epiphan.cloud. - In the left-hand navigation menu, click **Unify** and click on the **Subscribe** button. - If you have not already provided your billing information, click on **Add billing details**. Otherwise, go to step 5. - In the pop-up window, enter your billing information and voucher code (if you have one), then press **Validate**. - Click on the **Subscribe** button to complete your subscription to Epiphan Unify. Your Epiphan Unify account is now live. To begin using Unify, follow the instructions found here: Create a Unify project. --- ## Suggested stream settings id: unify/suggested-stream-settings · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Suggested stream settings When you're setting up your live stream, you would typically consult your CDN or publishing destination for their recommended settings to use. Stream setup can be a matter of balancing quality and system resources. When choosing your stream settings, it's important to consider the type of content you're streaming and the streaming protocol you've chosen. For streaming fast moving video, a higher bitrate and frame rate delivers a better image. If you're streaming a slide presentation, you can save bandwidth and system processing by lowering the bitrate and frame rate without any noticeable image degradation. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your video quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming video content from Unify. **Table 14 Suggested stream settings for video** | Option | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Unify** - H.264 | | Video encoding profile | **Unify** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec1 | | Limit frame rate | 301 | | Bitrate | **Unify** - Auto | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz1 | 1For HLS streaming, the key frame interval should be set to 2s and the frame rate should be set to 30 fps for live NTSC content. The following table provides suggested settings to maximize your stream quality while minimizing system resource usage when streaming a slide presentation from a PC, Mac, or tablet. **Table 15 Suggested stream settings for slides** | Option | **Setting** | | --- | --- | | Codec | **Unify** - H.264 | | Video encoding profile | **Unify** - High | | Key frame interval | 2 sec | | Limit frame rate | 30 | | Bitrate | **Unify** - Auto | | Audio format | AAC 44 KHz | --- ## Switching / mixing using Epiphan Live id: unify/switching-mixing-using-epiphan-live · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Switching / mixing using Epiphan Live The Live Switcher view in Epiphan Live is a simple interface that lets you live switch between layouts while streaming and recording. To learn how to create different layouts for a channel using the Admin panel, see Configure a custom layout for a channel. Switching between layouts using one of the switcher interfaces does not dynamically update what you see in the other switching interfaces (i.e. Epiphan Live and the Admin Panel). You must manually refresh the other interfaces separately to reflect the current state. ### Stream, record, and monitor using the Dashboard interface The dashboard in Epiphan Live is where you can do confidence monitoring, as well as start and stop streaming and recording for your channels. #### Configure Dashboard panels You can customize each Dashboard panel to display a specific channel, input source, or video output for live confidence monitoring. Panels can also be set up to display system information: - CPU load (%) - Quantity of streaming connections - The current streaming bandwidth (bitrate) - Automatic file upload status (enabled or disabled). see Automatic file transfers. - Storage available on Unify. Other logged in operators and admins must refresh their web browsers to see the latest changes to the Dashboard. **Configure Dashboard panels** - Log in to Epiphan Live . - Tap the drop-down menu that appears below the panel and select the channel, source, or output to display. The label says "None" if the panel is not yet configured. When a channel is selected, streaming and recording control buttons appear below the panel. You can control streaming and recording of that channel using those buttons. - (Optional) To choose between displaying 2 or 4 panels, tap the **2x|4x** icon that appears in the upper-right corner of the panels area. - Tap **Save**. You can navigate between separate sets of Dashboard panels by selecting the **circle icons** along the top of the first row of panels. ##### Monitor video and audio input sources using Epiphan Live Use the Dashboard to monitor your video and audio inputs. The video inputs section of the Dashboard lists all inputs and displays the video resolution. - A **green dot** means that the video source is connected and a signal is received. - A **yellow dot** means that a signal is not being receiving from the source. - A **triangular warning icon** means there is a source configuration issue that needs attention. Tap the name of a video input to open the source details in a thumbnail view, including warning information if applicable. The configured audio inputs appear in the **Audio inputs** section of the Dashboard. - A **grayed-out audio source** means that the audio source is not used in any channels. - A **triangular warning icon** means there is a source configuration issue that needs attention. Click the audio source name to display the warning message. - A **green dot** means the source is connected and the accompanying VU meter shows the audio level. The audio VU meter uses quasi-peak ballistics with samples averaged every 10 ms. The maximum average in each 100 ms period is displayed as a series of colored bars. The following table describes the levels at which the meter changes from green to yellow and red. **Table 4 Audio VU meter levels** | **Color** | **Decibel range** | | --- | --- | | Red | 0 to -9 dBFS | | Yellow | -9 to -18 dBFS | | Green | -18 dBFS and lower | **Show or hide inputs in the list** You can pick which video inputs display in the Dashboard view. Just tap the **Video inputs** or **Audio inputs** header and then check the **checkbox** next to the name of each source you want showing in the Dashboard view. Tap **Save **when you're done. The Dashboard input list updates automatically. ##### Control streaming and recording using Epiphan Live From the Epiphan Live Dashboard, you can control streaming and recording for channels using the buttons in the **Channels** section. When a channel is not currently streaming or recording, the buttons are gray and their respective timers are set to 00:00:00. If streaming isn't configured for a channel, the streaming button displays as **Not set**. - The left-most button with the "signal" icon starts and stops streaming for the channel. - The right-most button with the circle icon starts and stops recording for the channel. If multiple streams are configured for a channel, a pair of control buttons is displayed for each stream. Click the channel name to open a preview thumbnail view. When you're ready to start streaming and recording the channel, tap the streaming and recording control buttons. Tap the buttons a second time to stop streaming and recording. - The streaming button turns blue when the channel is streaming and the timer's clock increments. - The recording button turns red when the channel is recording and the timer's clock increments. Streaming and recording control buttons also appear below the Dashboard monitoring panels when they're configure to display a channel. You can use those control buttons to start and stop streaming or recording for a channel too. If the stream fails to publish, the streaming button flashes blue and displays **ERROR**. Check the streaming settings for your channel using the Admin panel. ### About the Switcher interface Access the Switcher interface by clicking **Projects** in Epiphan Cloud, then clicking **Switcher** for the project. Alternatively, open the Admin Panel and click **Epiphan Live** in the top right corner. The **Projects** page only appears in Epiphan Cloud if you have already created an Epiphan Unify Project. For more information, see Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan and Create a Unify project. **Table 5 Elements in the Switcher view** | **Number** | **Title** | **Description** | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Channel selector** | The list of channels configured on Unify. Select a channel and switch between the different layouts that are configured for that channel. | | 2 | **Menu icon** | Displays links to the Dashboard view and the Admin panel when clicked. | | 3 | **Preview panel** | Displays a preview of a selected layout, which is outlined with a green border. When you click the **Switch **button, this preview layout becomes the live layout. | | 4 | **Live view panel** | Displays the active "live" layout that is currently being streamed or recorded. The live layout is outlined with a red border. When you select the **Switch **button, this live layout is replaced with the layout that's loaded in to the **Preview panel**. | | 5 | **Layout carousel** | Displays small previews for all layouts contained within your selected channel. Select a layout from the carousel to add it to the **Preview panel**. Note that the layout selected for the **Preview panel** has a green border and the layout in the **Live panel** has a red border. | | 6 | **Switch button** | When selected, the layout in the **Preview panel** replaces the layout in the **Live panel** and is immediately reflected in your active stream and recordings. | ### Switching while live streaming and recording using Epiphan Live The Switcher interface lets you easily live switch between custom layouts with a simple click. **Switch layouts while live streaming and recording** - Log in to Epiphan Live. The Dashboard view opens by default. - Tap the **Menu **icon in the upper-right corner of the Dashboard screen and tap **Switcher** to open the Switcher interface. - Tap the **field** beside the "Switcher" header and select a channel. The field is blank if this is your first time configuring the Switcher. Channels with only one layout are grayed-out and cannot be selected for switching. All the layouts for the selected channel are displayed in a carousel along the bottom of the screen. The layout that is live is displayed in the **Live panel** on the right side of the interface, see About the Switcher interface. - In the carousel, tap the layout that you want to switch to next. That layout is loaded into the **Preview panel**. - Tap the **Switch **button to switch the layout that is currently in the **Preview panel** to the **Live panel**. The layout that was in the Live panel moves to the Preview panel so that it's ready for the next time you switch. - To load a different layout into the Preview panel, tap another layout in the carousel. --- ## Unify known issues id: unify/unify-known-issues · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Unify known issues Epiphan Unify has the following known issues and limitations that affect functionality or usability, with workarounds where they exist. **Issues** - If you delete a project that uses a streaming destination, you will not be able to use that streaming destination another project. **Workaround**: create a new version of the streaming destination with the same parameters in the second project. - Unify won't connect with a Haivision encoder properly if the Unify project is in SRT Caller mode and the Haivision encoder is in Listener mode. **Workaround**: put Haivision in SRT Caller mode and the Unify project in SRT Listener mode, or use SRT Rendezvous mode for both. --- ## Unify walkthrough id: unify/unify-walkthrough · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Unify walkthrough Here are the basic steps to working with Epiphan Unify. - Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify account. For more information, see Subscribe to an Epiphan Unify plan. - Create a Unify project. For more information, see Create a Unify project - Add SRT input(s). For more information, see Connect an SRT stream as an input. - Add and configure channels. This includes: - configuring encoding settings. For more information, see Configure encoding. - configuring layouts. For more information, see Custom layout configuration - configuring recording. For more information, see Record a channel. - configure streaming destinations. For more information, see Streaming to a CDN and streaming to multiple destinations. - (Optional) Modify any configuration settings. For more information, see Automatic file transfers and Manually set the time zone. That's it! You're ready to start recording/streaming. --- ## Upload or remove an image using the Media page id: unify/upload-or-remove-an-image-using-the-media-page · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # Upload or remove an image using the Media page You can customize a channel by adding pictures as backgrounds, overlays, or transparent overlays. Video files are not supported on Pearl Nano. Image file formats supported include: PNG and JPEG for pictures. The maximum supported picture image size is 4096´2160. No warning or error message is displayed if your image is too large. Files that exceed the maximum size won't appear in the drop-down list. For best results always upload images that are already the correct size needed in your layout. Background images should match the frame size of your channel (frame size is set in the **Encoding **configuration page). There are two ways to upload images. You can upload images from the Media page using the Admin panel or drag and drop your image onto the **Add new item** area using the custom layout editor, see Add an image to a layout. **Important considerations** - Media file names should not include special characters, slashes, or spaces. The underscore character "_" is allowed. - Uploading an image of the same name overwrites the existing image. - Any image without the proper file extension appears in the layout editor but doesn't display in the actual video output. For instance, a .PNG image with the file extension .bmp or an invalid file extension such as .png2 are examples of improper file extensions. **Upload or remove an image using the Admin panel's Media page** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Media**. The Media page opens. - To upload a file, click** Choose File** and browse to select the file to upload, then click **Upload**. - To remove a file, click **Remove** beside the file name and click **OK** when prompted. If you delete an image that is used as part of the layout for any channel, select a different image or no image by using the drop-down list in the **Picture settings **box within that channel's layout before deleting the file using the steps below. --- ## User administration id: unify/user-administration · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # User administration Unify has different types user accounts. Depending on the type of user, you will have different privileges. ### User types and privileges There are different types of user accounts: - Administrator - Operator Your Epiphan Cloud user type will determine your Epiphan Unify user type. For example, If you are logged into Epiphan Cloud as *admin* when you log into Epiphan Unify, you will log into Epiphan Unify as *administrator*. If you are logged into Epiphan Cloud as *operator* when you log into Epiphan Unify, you will log into Epiphan Unify as *operator*. **Administrator** The administrator account is used for all system configuration and has full access to all configuration features with full access to the web-based Admin panel, local console, and remote log in access. **Operator** The **operator** account allows users limited configuration control with limited access to the web-based Admin panel and remote login access. Operators can to do the following: - Configure inputs - Control recordings (start and stop) - Rename, download and delete recordings - Perform network diagnostics - Switch layouts while live streaming If an operator does not have the privileges to apply a particular configuration in the Admin panel, the **Apply **button appears grayed-out in color and is not selectable. Administrators can grant operators permission to perform some administrator tasks, see Assign administrator privileges to operators. **User privileges** The following table outlines the default privileges for each user level. For administrator-level privileges that can be assign to operators, see Assign administrator privileges to operators. **Table 1 User privileges in the Admin panel** | **Action or Menu Option** | **operator** | **admin** | | --- | --- | --- | | View channel output | ü | ü | | **Channel Operations** | | View channel configuration | ü | ü | | Rename a channel | | ü | | Configure stream channel | | ü | | Configure stream sources | | ü | | Start/stop recording | ü | ü | | Start/stop a stream | ü | ü | | Configure channel metadata | | ü | | View recorded files list | ü | ü | | Rename recorded files | ü | ü | | Download recorded files | ü | ü | | Delete recorded files | ü | ü | | **Input Source Operations** | | View input source configuration | ü | ü | | Rename input | | ü | | Configure input | ü | ü | | View input snapshot | ü | ü | | **System Configuration Operations** | | View system configuration | ü | ü | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | ü | | Configure date and time preferences (only time zone selection in Unify) | | ü | | Upload and delete media | | ü | | Backup device configuration | | ü | | Restore device configuration | | ü | | View System Information | ü | ü | ### Assign administrator privileges to operators Administrators can assign additional administrative-level privileges to operators from the Security menu in the Admin panel. The following table lists the available options and their associated privileges. **Table 2 Options with additional operator privileges** | **Option** | Operator admin functions | | --- | --- | | **Channel configuration** | Add, remove, and rename a channel | | | Configure channel encoder settings | | | Create and configure a custom layout for a channel | | | Configure, remove, rename, and publish a stream for a channel | | | Configure channel metadata | | | Upload, download, and delete media files | | **Input configuration ** | Add and rename video and audio inputs | | **Configuration presets control**1 | Create, delete, and apply configuration presets | | **System configuration** | Configure the video output settings | | | Configure Automatic File Upload (AFU) | | | Configure the date and time preferences (only time zone is configurable in Unify) | | **System maintenance** | Apply configuration presets2 | 1Only configuration presets that don't include the System group are allowed. 2Allow operators to apply configuration presets that include the System group. **Assign administrative privileges to operators using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, select **Security**. The Security configuration page opens. - Under **Additional operator privileges**, check options to assign those administrator privileges to operators, and then click **Apply**. --- ## View AFU and file transfer progress id: unify/view-afu-and-file-transfer-progress · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # View AFU and file transfer progress You can view Automatic File Upload (AFU) and file transfer information from the following places: - the Admin panel. **View file transfer status using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Automatic File Upload**. If there are files to be uploaded, they appear in the queue. ### Manage the AFU queue The Automatic File Upload (AFU) queue displays a list of recorded files waiting to be uploaded. You can view the AFU queue and remove files from the queue using the Admin panel. Automatic File Transfer must be configured for the AFU queue to display. For other options to view AFU and file transfer progress, see View AFU and file transfer progress. Emptying the AFU queue does not cancel an AFU transfer. **View the AFU queue and remove files from the queue using the Admin panel** - Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**, see Connect to the Admin panel. - From the Configuration menu, click **Automatic File Upload**. If there are files to be uploaded, they appear in the queue. - To remove a file from the AFU queue, click **X** beside the file you want to remove. - To remove all files that are currently waiting in the AFU queue, click **Empty Queue**. --- ## What is a channel on Epiphan Unify? id: unify/what-is-a-channel-on-epiphan-unify · product: unify · source: unify-userguide.md # What is a channel on Epiphan Unify? A channel is an encoding instance associated with your video and audio inputs to produce video recordings and/or live streams. Your video and audio sources can be combined and added to a channel, which you can stream and record. - **Pearl Nexus** - we recommend configuring up to three channels for best performance. - Pearl Nexus comes with two channels already preconfigured: HDMI-A and HDMI-B. The HDMI-A video input port on Pearl Nexus is assigned to the HDMI-A channel and the HDMI-B video input port is assigned to the HDMI-B channel by default. But you can easily change that and add whichever video and audio sources you want to a channel. You can even change the name of the channel using the Admin panel.