======================================= - Alcorn McBride Inc. - - Binloop Reproducer - VREPRO-2, REPRO-16V, and REPRO-24D --------------------------------------- Installation Instructions 1. Copy OS.NEW to the Compact Flash card. 2. Reset unit by turning it off, and then on again. 3. Wait for Update to complete. You will see the following LED sequence: VERIFY FILE - Solid GREEN LED ERASING FLASH - Solid RED LED PROGRAMMING FLASH - Solid ORANGE LED 4. The firmware version on the reproducer can be read using the diagnostic version request in Binloop.exe. NOTE: When the update is complete, the OS.NEW file will be renamed to OS.SAV so that the update does not repeat when the hardware is powered-up again. If you want to use a single flash card to update multiple units (for example, an entire Binloop cage), you can change the name of the OS.NEW file to FACTORY.NEW. The FACTORY.NEW file will perform an update just like OS.NEW, only it will not be renamed at the end of the update process. This means that after an update, you can remove the flash card from the product and insert it into another product to perform another update. This method will allow you to update an entire Binloop cage using a single card, without powering down the cage. ---------------------------------------- If you have any questions regarding any items listed in this document, please contact support@alcorn.com. ***************************************** * * * Release Notes * * * ***************************************** ************************* * Version 1.94 * ************************* 12/10/14 -Force format CF cards of any capacity to required allocation unit size ************************* * Version 1.93 * ************************* 10/02/14 -Added controller card polling support for current clip name caching -Added bootloader update safety checks ************************* * Version 1.92 * ************************* 05/27/14 -Lock up and intermittent freezes fixed -Support for new CF cards -Persistent CF card access with fault recovery added ************************* * Version 1.91 * ************************* 04/04/14 -Possible lock up fixed ************************* * Version 1.90 * ************************* 03/14/14 -Media detection tweaking ************************* * Version 1.88 * ************************* 11/26/13 -Corrected clock gen for 96kHz audio on Dante enabled systems ************************* * Version 1.86 * ************************* 10/14/13 -Fixed a playback issue ************************* * Version 1.85 * ************************* 09/24/13 -Relaxed ATA timeout for larger capacity CF cards -Multiple NACK/ACK responses fixed ************************* * Version 1.84 * ************************* 09/10/13 -Dante support for Dante-enabled Binloops -Fixed CF card format issue ************************* * Version 1.83 * ************************* 05/18/12 -Corrected a problem with PCM audio playback that could potentially occur when an S-Play was issued during playback. The issue would often cause an unwanted 'blip' of audio to play 1/2 a frame prior to the actual moment audio was supposed to start. ************************* * Version 1.82 * ************************* 04/09/12 -Corrected a stability issue introduced with v1.81 ************************* * Version 1.81 * ************************* 11/22/11 -Improved Synchronous Play reaction time when CF card contains large number of files (200+) -Fixed issue that would cause the CF scanning process to take a long time (5+ seconds) when there are many files on the CF Card. This issue would prolong bootup and also delay the system from being ready after how-swap insertion of a CF card. ************************* * Version 1.80 * ************************* 10/05/11 -Improved independent audio playback performance to correct a skipping playback issue that could occur with slower Compact Flash cards. ************************* * Version 1.76 * ************************* 05/19/11 -Corrected a minor issue with non-volatile settings and reproducer identification ************************* * Version 1.75 * ************************* 04/18/11 -Fixed an issue where playlists might not advance properly after a 'Delay' command ************************* * Version 1.74 * ************************* 02/22/11 -Fixed an issue with the observation of the SMPTE Frame clock that would cause the reproducers to not start in sync reliably when the Binloop was reading external timecode. ************************* * Version 1.73 * ************************* 12/13/10 -Implemented 'Play Request' and 'Play Request Independent' commands. These commands will behave just as the regular play commands except they will be disregarded if playback is already in progress. -Implemented 'Play Next Independent' commands. ************************* * Version 1.72 * ************************* 11/11/10 -Fixed an issue introduced in V1.68 that affected audio-only playback. This issue would cause the reproducer's audio output to go silent during a 'Play File' command. -Fixed an issue where the backplane communications interface would stop responding as a result of high traffic. ************************* * Version 1.71 * ************************* 10/21/10 -Changed the behavior of 'Stop Independent' so that it now stops 'normal' audio/video playback. This was to make the REPRO24D and REPRO16V backward compatible with older Binloop cards. ************************* * Version 1.70 * ************************* 09/27/10 -Fixed an issue with the Reproducer number inserted in the ASCII status query response -Added support for the ".MPEG" file extenstion as an alternative to ".MPG" ************************* * Version 1.68 * ************************* 06/24/10 -Implemented a feature that supports creatively named numeric files such as "AlcornTest_00001.MPG" -Implemented 'PlayFromOffset' with video files -Implemented support for playing PCM audio files larger than 2GB using the file splitting method implemented in V1.64. (SND00001.WAV, SND00001.001, etc.) Although Raw PCM files (AMS, SFD, A24, S24) can be much larger, the nature of the WAV and AIF file formats makes them interally limited to 4GB in total size. -Status LED now flickers green whenever the system is in the process of 'Searching' a file -Implemented Playlist feature to allow for complex and seamless playback sequences of multiple files without the need for complicated control. -Improved response time of the 'Play File' command for video playback ************************* * Version 1.67 * ************************* 12/23/09 -Fixed an issue that was introduced in V1.64 that would prematurely 'give up' searching for an audio track. This would cause clips with audio tracks that are offset far into the MPG file not to play audio. ************************* * Version 1.64 * ************************* 08/24/09 -Implemented the 'File Seaming' feature that allows you to play multiple MPEG Video files as if they were a single file. For example, the files VID00001.MPG, VID00001.001, VID00001.002 could all be played/looped consecutively by simple Playing or Looping File #1. (All) -Implemented the ability to play Program Streams without an audio track. (All) ************************* * Version 1.62 * ************************* 05/15/09 -Fixed an incompatibility issue with WAV files generated by the AJA Machina software (All) -Fixed a left/right channel flip that would occur while playing video files in the Binloop (All) ************************* * Version 1.61 * ************************* 03/04/09 - Fixed a stability problem introduced in V1.60 (All) - Implemented the Status (R1?P) and Clip Request (R1?C) for the Binloop's Pioneer protocol (All) - Implemented the Independent Status (R1L?P) and Clip Request (R1L?C) for the Binloop's Pioneer protocol (All) ************************* * Version 1.59 * ************************* 12/09/08 - Implemented Synchronous Play Delay Setting, which allows you to override the default delay of 16 frames (All) - Red status LED now momentarily pulses to indicate when the CF card has been removed (All) ************************* * Version 1.58 * ************************* 11/13/08 - Implemented Play Next and Loop Next for Audio playback (All) ************************* * Version 1.55 * ************************* 06/06/08 - Fixed an intermittent problem, typically caused by independent playback, where the flash card was no longer accessible. This would result in a red flashing status LED. (All) ************************* * Version 1.54 * ************************* 05/16/08 - Fixed a problem related to independent playback that could cause the audio output to go silent, even though there was no indication of a fault (REPRO-16V,REPRO-24D) ************************* * Version 1.53 * ************************* 05/05/08 - Corrected a problem with the normal STOP command that could unintentionally cause a segment of audio to play from the left channel when playing audio from the right channel independently (All) ************************* * Version 1.52 * ************************* 03/26/08 - Fixed a problem that would allow a brief segment of audio to be played at the loop point whenever the system was muted AND looping a stereo audio file. (All) ************************* * Version 1.51 * ************************* 03/11/08 - Changed AES Output from AES-consumer to AES-pro (REPRO-16V, REPRO-24D) ************************* * Version 1.50 * ************************* 01/22/08 - Reduced latency for normal Unsynchronous Play commands when media contains 300 (or more) files (All) - Add Xilinx Prom revision (XP) to the System On-screen display (REPRO-16V, REPRO-24D) ************************* * Version 1.49 * ************************* 01/15/08 - Increased maximum clip number from 511 to 1023 (All) NOTE: Binloop.exe v4.8.1 (and newer) supports this feature. V1.2 of the Video Binloop protocol for WinScript supports it also. ************************* * Version 1.48 * ************************* 12/18/07 - Fixed a problem with normal mono or stereo audio playback. In rare cases, the reproducer would enter a state where it would no longer play audio clips. The LED would flash red indicating a fault. (All) ************************* * Version 1.47 * ************************* 10/03/07 - Fixed a problem with the test button involving case-sensitivity of file names (All) ************************* * Version 1.46 * ************************* 9/24/07 - Fixed an intermittent stability problem regarding Independent audio playback (All) ************************* * Version 1.45 * ************************* 8/13/07 - Fixed a video frame jitter problem that would occur on the last frame of playback (All) - Added support for the Rev C Audio Playback PROM(U16), which is required for Cobranet (REPRO-16V,REPRO-24D) ************************* * Version 1.44 * ************************* 4/5/07 - Added support for audio files and the test button - the reproducer now finds the lowest numbered clip whether it's video or audio. (All) - Fixed S/PDIF Data Valid bit (All) - Changed behavior of Repro when Binloop sample rate does not match the MPEG sample rate. Before, audio would be completely silent if there was a mismatch. Now, the reproducer will play the audio at the incorrect rate. If there is a mismatch, the audio will play faster or slower and there will be glitches in the audio or video as the MPEG buffers starve for data. (REPRO-16V,REPRO-24D) ************************* * Version 1.41 * ************************* 2/13/07 - Corrected an intermittent audio-dropout bug that affected some MPEG content (All) - Fixed problem that involved using SPlay for mono files at a specific time (All) ************************* * Version 1.40 * ************************* 2/01/07 - Corrected a problem that would report an EEPROM failure, even when everything was ok (All) - Fixed an invalid message handling problem with the command parser (All) ************************* * Version 1.39 * ************************* 1/24/07 - Sychronous Plays/Loops are now seamless when issued while a file is already playing (All) - **Sychronous Plays/Loops are now sample accurate when issued while a file is already playing (REPRO-16V,REPRO-24D) - Fixed a bug that would cause Independent Loops to not be seamless at the loop point (All) - Greatly reduced the response time of Independent Play commands (All) - Added support for all commands using a file offset [ie. Play from Offset] (All) - Removed the 1 frame black 'flash' that occurs whenever a video is searched (All) ** PROM Update (U16) may be required if your reproducer cards were not shipped from us with a version >= 1.39 -- This PROM update fixes the following problems on the REPRO-16V and REPRO-24D: - Inability to keep SPlays sample accurate at seamless transitions - Extended boot time problem (especially when external sync is used) NOTE: This version will support the older PROMs. The only drawback is that seamless SPlays will not always be sample accurate. ************************* * Version 1.36 * ************************* 12/05/06 - Added support for 24-bit independent playback up to 48kHz sample rate (REPRO-24D) - Synchronous Play no longer interrupts currently playing audio file (All) ************************* * Version 1.35 * ************************* 11/15/06 - Changed system behavior so that a missing CF card is no longer treated as a fault (All) - Test button now clears fault state (All) - Implemented On-Screen Activity Log (All) ************************* * Version 1.34 * ************************* 10/30/06 - Initial public release for REPRO-16V and REPRO-24D (REPRO-16V & REPRO-24D) - Corrected a stability problem that occurred when an audio clip was played after a video clip (REPRO-16V, REPRO-24D) - Corrected an intermittent crashing problem that would occur when removing the CF card during audio playback(All) ************************* * Version 1.33 * ************************* 10/24/06 - Implemented capability to play audio at 96kHz sample rate (REPRO-24D) - Corrected a problem with audio data potentially being tossed out after a frame search (All) - Corrected an error that would cause the Audio OSD to mistakenly report RGB-HV (All) - Corrected an audio noise problem that affected WAV files that don't end with PCM data (All) ************************* * Version 1.32 * ************************* 10/10/06 - Added basic support for REPRO-16V and REPRO-24D Hardware platforms (REPRO-16V & REPRO-24D) - Corrected an issue with digital audio not working when playing clips containing MPEG audio (All) - Fixed an issue with detecting a 96kHz sample rate in AIF Files (REPRO-24D) - Fixed a problem that occurred when looping mono audio files (All) - Fixed a problem where certain command combinations would cause audio to be muted unexpectedly (All) - Implemented System, Video, and Audio OSD screens for displaying diagnostic information (All) ************************* * Version 1.31 * ************************* 09/18/06 - Fixed an issue where WAV/AIF files with certain header information would not play (VREPRO-2) - Implemented Frame Searching (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.30 * ************************* 08/01/06 - Fixed an issue that would cause audio beeps at loop or transition points (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.29 * ************************* 07/11/06 - Corrected an issue with dropping audio after a seamless transition or loop (VREPRO-2) - Corrected an issue that caused video errors with some content after a seamless loop (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.28 * ************************* 06/30/06 - Implemented 16-bit Audio Playback - WAV, AIF, and all legacy PCM formats supported by the REPRO-5 (VREPRO-2) - Implemented Independent commands (Play, Stop, Mute) for Audio Playback (VREPRO-2) - Implemented Binloop Still Command (VREPRO-2) - Corrected an issue that would cause macro-blocking after playing a clip to completion (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.27 * ************************* 06/14/06 - Added Colorspace command for Video Reproducer command set (VREPRO-2) - Fixed the Active Mode Request for the Video Reproducer command set (VREPRO-2) - Improved Search Routine resulting in a faster and cleaner Search (VREPRO-2) - Improved system performance for circumstances when a flash card is not installed (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.26 * ************************* 05/19/06 - Fixed 'jitter' problem that occurred with some progressive drop frame material (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.25 * ************************* 05/16/06 - Improved the display quality when progressive clips are 'Stilled' (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.24 * ************************* 05/10/06 - Fixed a bug that would not allow some MPEG files to search properly (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.22 * ************************* 04/21/06 -Added ability to update bootload firmware (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.19 * ************************* 02/16/06 -Sync-on-Green is now enabled by default (VREPRO-2) -Corrected a problem that affected the accuracy of Horizontal Sync (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.17 * ************************* 01/12/06 -Improved Compact Flash timing to support more flash cards (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.15 * ************************* 12/08/05 -Fixed a bug that would cause the 512MB Flash cards to format incorrectly ( VREPRO-2) -All flash cards <=2GB are now formatted to FAT16. Cards >2GB are FAT32 (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.13 * ************************* 10/20/05 -Remote Commands are now processed when a flash card is not installed (VREPRO-2) -Compact Flash can now be removed/inserted without power-cycling (VREPRO-2) NOTE: Autorun files will be executed when flash is inserted (This includes OS.NEW) ************************* * Version 1.11 * ************************* 09/26/05 -Fixed Backplane communication issue created in V1.10 (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.08 * ************************* 08/30/05 -Added Support for Formatting Flash Cards (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.07 * ************************* 08/25/05 -Test Button now plays the lowest numbered video clip (VREPRO-2) Known Issues: -No Media Format Support (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.06 * ************************* 08/24/05 -Improved support for Compact Flash (VREPRO-2) Known Issues: -No Media Format Support (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.03 * ************************* 06/20/05 -Implemented seamless looping. (VREPRO-2) -Implemented 'Play Next' and 'Loop Next' commands for seamless playback of multiple clips (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.02 * ************************* 04/27/05 -Improved efficiency of Serial Communications (VREPRO-2) -Added more error handling for the Compact Flash (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.01 * ************************* 04/05/05 -Fixed a problem with the Serial TX line for VREPRO-2 (VREPRO-2) -Fixed a problem that caused NTSC to be restored as the video format when it wasn't supposed to. (VREPRO-2) ************************* * Version 1.00 * ************************* 03/31/05 -Initial Release of VREPRO-2