NDI BirdDog EYES A200 Instruction Manual
- June 6, 2024
- NDI
Table of Contents
EYES A200
FULL NDI ®. NO COMPROMISES.
USER GUIDE
PART 2: NDI ®INSTRUCTIONS
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR A200
Thanks for purchasing BirdDog Eyes A200. Please take some time to read this document to allow you to get the most out of your purchase and familiarize yourself with the features available in the unit.
Physical connectors
1. Audio Input
2. Audio Output
3. RS422 Connector (Combine with 11)
4. Upgrade Interface
5. Alarm Input
6. BNC Connector: 3G-SDI video output| 7. RJ45 Ethernet Port
8. AUX DC12V Output
9. AC Power Connector
10. BNC Connector: Analog video output
11. RS485/RS422 Connector (Combine with 3)
12. Alarm Output
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Powering Eyes A200
A200 is equipped with a sophisticated system allowing power from various sources: Different network switches are capable of providing different amounts of total power to all connected devices. A200 uses approximately 80 watts in PoE mode.
80w PoE (Power over Ethernet)
80w PoE is a convenient way to power A200 as it allows both data and power to be sent through the same standard Ethernet cable. To take advantage of 80w PoE, the network switch or PoE injector must support 80w PoE.
DC
Located at the rear of the A200 is a DC connection port. This power input socket is capable of accepting 24vDC power. A200 should only be powered by the BirdDog AC adaptor (not included).
Thermal management
Eyes A200 has been engineered to be passively cooled, no fans are required. In
order to achieve this the entire enclosure of A200 is designed to dissipate
heat. The main processor is capable of operating up to 100º C / 212º F. Some
factors affect how much heat BirdDog will produce, and it is normal for it to
feel warm to the touch.
BirdDog has been tested in extreme environments.
BOOTING UP YOUR BIRDDOG EYES A200
Indication of the boot process
As soon as BirdDog A200 detects a power input signal the calibration process
will begin. This involves the main camera head rotating a full 360º followed
by the tilt mechanism calibrating. Once complete the A200 will settle on the
stored home position 1 (Preset 7).
After initial boot-up is complete your A200 unit will be visible as a source
on any NDI compatible devices on the SAME ethernet subnet.
For further networking architecture instructions including routing please
consult either your system administrator or the support page at bird-
dog.tv
OPERATING EYES A200
Web configuration panel
In this release, the web configuration panel allows you to alter key settings of A200, specifically A/V settings, and video frame rates, restart the video processing engine, change networking parameters, recall PTZ presets and apply firmware updates.
Access via web browser (URL)
To access the web configuration panel please point your computer web browser
to: http://birddog-xxxxx.local/ “xxxxx” is the
serial number of the A200, the serial number is printed on the box and on the
main unit. Note the web address is case sensitive and should be all lower
case. Your computer will need to have ‘Bonjour’ services loaded in order to
access the unit via it’s ‘friendly’ name described above.
Apple devices come pre-installed with Bonjour, while Windows devices need a
small plugin available here: https://support.apple.com/kb/dl999?locale=en_AU
Note: only the last 5 digits are required for accessing the web
interface.
Accessing A200 via an IP address
A200 is configured to automatically receive a network (IP) address from the
computer network via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Most
corporate, education and home networks have a DHCP server present on the
network to allow this to occur. Usually, your Internet Router provides this.
If A200 receives an IP address automatically from this server (DHCP) the IP
address can be discovered in several ways, including BirdDog Central Lite
available from: http://www.bird-dog.tv/
Accessing A200 on a network without a DHCP server
Some standalone or private networks may not have a DHCP server. After 30
seconds of searching for an automatically assigned IP address, A200 will fall
back to a default address which is:192.168.100.100
In order to access the web configuration panel on a network that is configured
to a different subnet, change your computer’s IP address to match the BirdDog
unit. Once you gain access to the BirdDog web configuration panel choose your
IP address to match the rest of the devices on your network.
For instructions on setting your computer’s IP address please consult your
computer operating system manual or IT support resources.
PASSWORD MANAGEMENT
Once you direct your web browser to the web configuration panel you will need to log in to change any settings.
Default password
The web configuration panel is secured by a user-selectable password. The
default password is: Birddog (one word, lower case).
To change the password simply login using the default password, navigate to
the network tab in the web interface, and select change password.
It is recommended to change this password in a network environment where A200
is shared with other users (e.g. not private). By entering this password, the
user is granted full access to the A200 configuration settings and could
interrupt a live program.
A/V SETUP
CAM Audio selection
The 3.5mm stereo audio inputs on the A200 can accept either Line or Mic levels, please select the correct setting here to ensure appropriate audio levels are maintained.
NDI Audio selection
A200 is able to operate its audio configuration either as an embedded stereo pair within the same NDI stream as the video or utilizing the audio input/speaker output as a BirdDog Comms audio talkback system client. For more information on BirdDog Comms please see the BirdDog website.
NDI Video selection
Eyes A200 is capable of outputting independent video formats for both NDI and
SDI/HDMI. This setting affects only the NDI video output. Please note that the
video rate you select here must be of the same family as the SDI/HDMI video
output set in Part 1 of the A200 Manual.
ie. 720p50 aligns with 1080i50/1080p50 but will not co-exist with any
29.97/30fps based camera setting.
NETWORK SETTINGS AND DEVICE NAMING
Device naming
When A200 is first powered on it defaults to the naming convention as
described in the web configuration panel section of this manual.
http://birddog-xxxxx.local/
It is possible to change the name along with the network settings to better
suit your environment.
In the web configuration panel, navigate to the network section.
IP configuration method
You can configure A200 to operate on the network with a dynamic (DHCP) IP
address or a fixed address.
For smaller networks DHCP networking is generally suitable, however larger
networks with managed operations will often determine each device needs to
have a dedicated and static IP address.
DHCP IP address
DHCP is set as the network configuration by default for Mini.
Static IP address
To enable a static IP address, change the configuration method to static and fill in the details required in Address, Mask and Gateway. Particular attention should be paid to the Address and Mask fields as incorrect information entered will result in A200 not being visible on the network and a factory reset will be required in order to recover the unit.
IP address recovery
In the event that the A200 is not visible on the network, the network has changed, or the static IP address details have been lost, reset the BirdDog back to its default settings by following the factory reset procedure.
BirdDog name
You can name each A200 with a friendly name that makes sense for each
production (Camera 1, Camera 2, etc). This name will appear on any NDI
receiver when it looks for the video coming from Mini over the network. The
name must not include any special characters and can be any combination of
‘a-z, 1-0, and –‘. Note: no uppercase characters are valid.
On NDI receiving devices, A200 will present as a source as follows: Birddog-
name [CAM] when the unit is set to automatic input.
IMAGE SETTING
For exposure/white balance & picture control details please refer to Part 1 of the BirdDog Eyes user manual.
FIRMWARE UPDATE
A200 is updateable via the web interface. Please check the below address
regularly to ensure you have the latest firmware available for your device.
Having the latest firmware ensures you have all the latest features and
performance updates to get the most out of A200: bird-dog.tv/firmware-
updates
After downloading the latest firmware release, navigate to the settings tab on the A200 web configuration console click on Choose file… select the firmware update file and press the update button.
The screen
will update the status of the update procedure, once complete it will reboot
the main processor.
Please wait for 30 seconds and refresh your browser to access the unit again.
RECEIVING NDI STREAMS
There are many applications that support receiving the NDI signal that A200 produces. Each application will vary slightly on how you choose your source.
NewTek Studio Monitor
NewTek provides a free Studio Monitor application that allows you to monitor
many NDI sources on a standard Windows computer. Once Studio Monitor is
launched on your computer, simply right-click anywhere in the interface and
select your Mini from the drop-down list.
Once connected to the A200 you will notice a configuration cog appears on the
bottom right-hand side of the video display, this is a shortcut to access the
A200 web configuration panel.
NewTek TriCaster Series
NewTek TriCaster series devices allow several NDI sources to be received
simultaneously, the amount of simultaneous connections varies by what model
TriCaster you have.
Consult your TriCaster user manual to determine how many connections are
available on your device.
To select A200 as a source on your TriCaster, simply click on the
configuration cog below your desired source location, this will bring up the
Input Setting dialog, select from the drop-down list your A200 source.
Once connected to the A200 you will notice a configuration cog appears next to
the source drop-down window, this is a shortcut to access the A200 web
configuration panel.
References
- bird-dog.tv
- Downloads – BirdDog
- Dog Tv | Home
- BirdDog – Welcome to the future.
- Download Bonjour Print Services for Windows v2.0.2 (AU)
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