Widget Signal Routing

NTV2 device FPGA firmware implements several types of Widgets for receiving, processing and transmitting video data. These can be classified as follows:

• Inputs
  • SDI Input
  • HDMI Input
  • Analog Input
• Outputs
  • SDI Output
  • HDMI Output
  • Analog Output
• Signal Processing
  • FrameStore Widget
  • Color Space Converter Operation
  • LUT Operation
  • Mixer/Keyer Operation
  • Dual-Link (DL) converters (input & output)
  • Two-sample-interleave (Tsi) muxers/demuxers
    • Note: Devices that can do 6G/12G routing have FrameStores with Tsi mux/demux capabilities built-in, and thus don’t have or require these “outboard” widgets.
  • 4K Down-converters
  • DVC Pro converters
  • Universal Frequency Converters (UFCs)
• End-to-End (E-E) Routing
• Routing for Capture
• Routing for Playout

Most widgets typically have one or more registers associated with them for reporting status, or to control their operation. Rather than calling CNTV2Card::ReadRegister or CNTV2Card::WriteRegister, client applications should use the appropriate widget-related API calls in the CNTV2Card class to inquire about and/or control the widget of interest.

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End-to-End (E-E) Routing

There are two demonstration applications that incorporate some E-E operation, but they’re not “pure” E-E applications — i.e., they both involve the Mixer/Keyer (see Mixer/Keyer Operation):

• NTV2CCGrabber Demo
• NTV2Overlay Demo

SD/HD YCbCr SDI End-to-End Pass-Through

This is very easy to do with AJA NTV2 devices and the SDK. Simply connect the primary (Data Stream 1) output crosspoint of the SDI Input widget to the primary (DS1) input crosspoint of the SDI Output widget.

//  Example:  Route SDI 1 (input) directly to SDI 3 (output)
const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(NTV2_CHANNEL1), sdiOut3(NTV2_CHANNEL3);
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptSDIOut3Input, NTV2_XptSDIIn1);  // SDIOut3 <== SDIIn1
 
//  Or, more generically...
const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(::GetNTV2ChannelForIndex(0)), sdiOut3(::GetNTV2ChannelForIndex(2));
theDevice.Connect (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(sdiOut3), ::GetSDIInputOutputXptFromChannel(sdiIn1)); // SDIOut3 <== FB3
 
//  Or, using NTV2XptConnection...
const NTV2XptConnection sdiInToSdiOut (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(sdiOut3), ::GetSDIInputOutputXptFromChannel(sdiIn1));
theDevice.Connect (sdiInToSdiOut);

For E-E mode to work, other steps may need to be taken:

• Devices that have bi-directional SDI connectors must be configured correctly. The designated input SDI connector must be configured to receive, not transmit (and vice-versa for the SDI output):

  const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(NTV2_CHANNEL1), sdiOut3(NTV2_CHANNEL3);
  if (theDevice.features().HasBiDirectionalSDI())
  {
      theDevice.SetSDITransmitEnable(sdiIn1, false);  // Set SDI1 to receive
      theDevice.SetSDITransmitEnable(sdiOut3, true);  // Set SDI3 to transmit
  }

• E-E operation requires the device’s video format to match the input signal video format. (See Video Output Clocking & Synchronization for details, particulary “End-to-End” (“E-E”).)

  const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(NTV2_CHANNEL1), sdiOut3(NTV2_CHANNEL3);
  theDevice.SetVideoFormat(theDevice.GetInputVideoFormat(::NTV2ChannelToInputSource(sdiIn1)));

• E-E operation requires the device’s output clock reference to be set to the SDI input. If this is not done, the output video will drift, and the video signal will look skewed. (See Video Output Clocking & Synchronization for details, particulary “End-to-End” (“E-E”).)

  const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(NTV2_CHANNEL1), sdiOut3(NTV2_CHANNEL3);
  theDevice.SetReference(::NTV2InputSourceToReferenceSource(::NTV2ChannelToInputSource(sdiIn1)));

• To ensure embedded audio from the SDI input is also embedded into the SDI output signal:
  1. Be sure the SDI input’s audio de-embedder and the SDI output’s audio embedder are both tied to the same Audio System.
  2. Enable “loopback” on the Audio System. (See Audio System Operation for details.)

     const NTV2Channel sdiIn1(NTV2_CHANNEL1), sdiOut3(NTV2_CHANNEL3);
     theDevice.SetAudioSystemInputSource (NTV2_AUDIOSYSTEM_1, NTV2_AUDIO_EMBEDDED, NTV2_EMBEDDED_AUDIO_INPUT_VIDEO_1);
     theDevice.SetSDIOutputAudioSystem (sdiOut3, NTV2_AUDIOSYSTEM_1);
     theDevice.SetAudioLoopBack (NTV2_AUDIO_LOOPBACK_ON, NTV2_AUDIOSYSTEM_1);

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Routing for Capture

Please see the Capture Demos for examples of how to route for video input:

• NTV2Capture Demo
• NTV2Capture4K Demo
• NTV2Capture8K Demo
• NTV2CCGrabber Demo
• NTV2DolbyCapture Demo
• NTV2QtMultiInput Demo
• NTV2QtPreview Demo

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Routing for Playout

Please see the Playout Demos for examples of how to route for video output:

• NTV2OutputTestPattern Demo
• NTV2Player Demo
• NTV2Player4K Demo
• NTV2Player8K Demo
• NTV2CCPlayer Demo
• NTV2DolbyPlayer Demo

SD/HD YCbCr Playout From YCbCr Frame Buffer

//  Example:  Set up FrameStore3 for RGB playout, route to SDI 3...
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_FBF_10BIT_YCBCR);
theDevice.SetMode (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptSDIOut3Input, NTV2_XptFrameBuffer3YUV);  // SDIOut3 <== FB3
 
//  Or, more generically...
NTV2Channel chan = NTV2_CHANNEL3;
NTV2FrameBufferFormat fbf = NTV2_FBF_10BIT_YCBCR;
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (chan, fbf);
theDevice.SetMode (chan, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(chan), ::GetFrameBufferOutputXptFromChannel(chan, NTV2_IS_FBF_RGB(fbf))); // SDIOut3 <== FB3

SD/HD YCbCr Playout From RGB Frame Buffer

//  Example:  Set up FrameStore3 for RGB playout, route to SDI 3...
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_FBF_ARGB);
theDevice.SetMode (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptCSC3VidInput, NTV2_XptFrameBuffer3RGB);  // CSC3 <== FB3RGB
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptSDIOut3Input, NTV2_XptCSC3VidRGB);       // SDIOut3 <== CSC3RGB
 
//  Or, more generically...
NTV2Channel chan = NTV2_CHANNEL3;
NTV2FrameBufferFormat fbf = NTV2_FBF_ARGB;
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (chan, fbf);
theDevice.SetMode (chan, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (::GetCSCInputXptFromChannel(chan), ::GetFrameBufferOutputXptFromChannel(chan, NTV2_IS_FBF_RGB(fbf))); // CSC3 <== FB3RGB
theDevice.Connect (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(chan), ::GetCSCOutputXptFromChannel(chan)); // SDIOut3 <== CSC3RGB

HD RGB Playout Over 1 × 3G Dual-Link SDI From RGB Frame Buffer

//  Example:  Set up FrameStore3 for RGB playout, route to SDI 3...
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_FBF_ARGB);
theDevice.SetMode (NTV2_CHANNEL3, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptDualLinkOut3Input, NTV2_XptFrameBuffer3RGB); // DLOut3 <== FB3RGB
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptSDIOut3Input, NTV2_XptDuallinkOut3);         // SDIOut3 <== DLOut3
theDevice.Connect (NTV2_XptSDIOut3InputDS2, NTV2_XptDuallinkOut3DS2);   // SDIOut3DS <== DLOut3DS
 
//  Or, more generically...
NTV2Channel chan = NTV2_CHANNEL3;
NTV2FrameBufferFormat fbf = NTV2_FBF_ARGB;
theDevice.SetFrameBufferFormat (chan, fbf);
theDevice.SetMode (chan, NTV2_MODE_OUTPUT);
theDevice.Connect (::GetDLOutInputXptFromChannel(chan), ::GetFrameBufferOutputXptFromChannel(chan, NTV2_IS_FBF_RGB(fbf))); // DLOut3 <== FB3RGB
theDevice.Connect (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(chan, false), ::GetDLOutOutputXptFromChannel(chan, false)); // SDIOut3 <== DLOut3
theDevice.Connect (::GetSDIOutputInputXpt(chan, true),  ::GetDLOutOutputXptFromChannel(chan, true));  // SDIOut3DS <== DLOut3DS