iLC 2ST User Manual
Welcome Thanks for purchasing the DaySequerra ILC2ST. Differences in audio levels between TV programs, or between programs and commercials, are a constant annoyance to viewers. ILC2STST permits broadcasters to establish a consistent loudness level across all audio programming and minimize viewer complaints.
Table of Contents Important Safety Information 4 Homescreen 16 Service Information 4 Loudness Control Presets 26 Technical Specifications 5 Remote Dashboard 29 Introduction 7 Remote Dashboard Configuration 31 Measuring Loudness 8 Using Remote Dashboard 33 Installation 11 Firmware Update 37 Front Panel 12 Maintaining an Accurate Clock 38 Rear Panel 13 Remote Dashboard Troubleshooting 39 Programming Menus & Functions 15 Warranty Information 40 ILC2ST Key Features • Real-ti
Important Safety Information • • • • • • • • • • Indoor use only. Not for use in wet or damp environments. Maximum Relative Humidity: <80% Class I Equipment (grounded type) Electrical rating: 100-120/220-240V~50-60Hz 18W Internal circuit breaker for continuous short circuit protection AC Mains supply voltage fluctuations are not to exceed +10% of the nominal voltage Operations temperature range -40°C to 70°C Maximum altitude: 3000m (9843ft) Equipment suitable for continuous operation Weight: 3.
Technical Specifications Inputs 2 AES-3 Stereo Inputs Optional HD/SDI Input and pass-through Outputs 2 Transformer-isolated AES-3 Stereo Outputs Audio Input and Output Interface AES/EBU, 75ohm, unbalanced BNC Optional HD/SDI Input and pass-through Optional Analog I/O Loudness Measurement and Correction ITU-R BS.
FCC Part 15 Regulatory Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction's manual, may cause interference to radio communications.
Introduction Broadcasters need a solution to effectively measure, and ultimately control the abrupt changes in loudness that sends viewers diving for their remote controls during commercial breaks and action scenes. The DaySequerra ILC2ST Intelligent Loudness Control delivers ATSC A/85 CALM, ARIB – B32 and EBU R128 loudness compliance for stereo broadcasts worldwide in a cost-effective feature-rich 1 RU package.
Measuring Loudness Human perception of the sensation of an audio signal is properly called “loudness”. As early as 1933, research by Fletcher and Munson showed that human hearing sensitivity is largely based upon the frequency of the sound, as well as the sound pressure level (SPL). As humans do not hear sound using standard measures of intensity, measuring loudness based upon SPL or the root mean square (RMS) voltage of the electrical signal will not agree with human perception.
Weighting Curves To achieve a more accurate loudness measurement, the method should include critical bands in the measurement. Critical bands describe auditory filters within the human cochlea. (J. Allen, 2010). To illustrate this, a subject is presented with a single tone of a certain energy level, and more tones are added with equal energy in the critical bands – the total signal energy is kept constant regardless of the number of tones.
Bronwyn Jones and Emil Torick created a revised CBS loudness meter in the early 1980s that consisted of eight filters, each covering three critical bands. This approach did prove to deliver better subjective modeling than traditional SPL or RMS measurements (Jones & Torick, 1982). In 2004, Nielsen and Skovenborg published an AES paper that expanded upon the ideas of critical band loudness measures.
Each Leq(x) revision results in a different level of correlation between the objective measure and the human listener’s assessment of loudness. The lowest mean error score was achieved by the Neural Loudness Measure Work Cited 1. Fletcher, H. & Munson, W. A. (1933). Loudness, its Definition, Measurement, and Calculation. 2. Allen, J (2010 May 20). Nonlinear Cochlear Signal Processing. 3. Johnston, J. (2006). Loudness Tutorial. 4. Jones, B. L. & Torick, E. L. (1982).
Rack Mount Installation The ILC2ST chassis has four rack mounting holes and has been designed to fit in a standard 1RU space. Plastic ‘finishing’ washers are recommended to protect the painted surface around the mounting holes. Locate the air vents on each side of the unit, and be sure to keep them clear so the unit may have adequate ventilation.
Display and Controls VACUUM FLUORESCENT DISPLAY - A Multi-function display will indicate current status of the unit and programming menus. ROTARY ENCODER - A stepping optical rotary encoder is used to select values or navigate the menu system. SELECT KEY - Used to enter a menu or confirm a selection. To enter the main system menu, simply press ENTER while iLC2ST is on the HOME screen. MAIN KEY - A press of this button will return iLC2ST to the home screen or enter home screen selection mode.
SMPTE 292M, and SMPTE 424M as well as ITU-R BT.656 and ITU-R BT.601. See the HD/SDI section of this manual for more details. The AES-3id-1995/SMPTE 276M standard dictates a 75 ohm unbalanced connection and requires proper termination. The termination should occur at the destination of the signal (that is, on the inputs to ILC2ST). If the output BNC connectors are not feeding additional equipment, terminate each of these with a standard 75 terminator.
is auto switching and will work on 120VAC-60Hz or 240VAC-50Hz electrical power systems with a maximum total current draw of 25W (>.25A 120VAC or >.15A 240VAC). HD/SDI ILC2ST can use an optional factory-installed HD/SDI I/O module to de-embed audio programs from a HD/SDI stream for loudness processing. The HD/SDI module contains 3 GB/S SDI technology and will auto-detect the signal, whether SD, HD or HD 3GB/S format. Audio will be automatically extracted from popular video standards such as: NTSC 525/29.
Home screen View iLC2ST offers 2 preset Home screen views and 4 custom to choose from. Preset: Main (default) and Standard. Main displays both channels on the VFD at the same time. Stereo – A on the left and Stereo – B on the right side. See figure xx. Standard displays only one channel with 2 dynamic fields to change. The user may save up to 4 different custom screens with custom names in User 1 - 4 Main View Home Screen - Default 4 6 8 1 10 2 11 3 12 5 7 9 1.
The UI controls will then switch over to Stereo B. The arrow is only visible when the user scrolls over to it. 8. Field #2 (Stereo B) measured value. This field can be customized by the user and saved in a preset. 9. Indicates the current measurement displayed in Field #2. Entering Channel selection mode in this field allows the user to toggle thru Max SL, Max ML, Infinite Average, True Peak, Max True Peak and LRA. 10. ‘Stereo B’ - Play / Stop / Reset Infinite Average icon.
5. Indicates the current measurement displayed in Field #1. Entering Channel selection mode in this field allows the user to toggle thru Max SL, Max ML, Infinite Average, True Peak, Max True Peak and LRA. 6. ‘Stereo A or B’ - Play / Stop / Reset Infinite Average icon. Selecting this icon while on the Home screen and ‘pressing’ SELECT will ‘stop’ the Infinite Average. Pressing SELECT once again will ‘reset’ the Infinite Average.
The Algorithm Settings menu contains all the values required to tailor the loudness measurement functions for your specific purpose.
Figure 3. Loudness Meters screen display Edit Home Screen Name Creates and edits a custom name for each of the 4 user defined Home Screens. User 1, User 2, User 3 and User 4 are given by default. Each name can be up to 10 characters long using A – Z and 0 – 9. Press ENTER then use the rotary knob to scroll to the desired character. To select the character Press ENTER. When complete press ENTER again to save the entry. Press BACK or HOME to exit without saving. Figure 4.
I/O Menu Figure 6. I/O Menu screen display The I/O Menu will allow you to tailor iLC2ST to suit your specific application. Audio Input: Submenu for selecting the audio source and channel mapping. Audio Output: Submenu for defining enabling and disabling the final limiter. GPI 1 – 4: Changes the DayPart preset for each the four general-purpose inputs. Clock Source: Defines where iLC2ST gets the timing signal. a. b. c. d. e. Internal: iLC2ST’s internal clock. Define using Sync Source.
Audio Source: Determines which set of physical inputs iLC2ST will use to receive audio. Only the installed options will be available; only one input type may be used at a time: • AES Inputs: Audio input is from the BNC AES input jacks.
Network Menu Figure 10. Network Menu Screen Display The DaySequerra Eclipse iLC2ST has several configurable network settings. All of iLC2ST’s network settings are password protected. The password to change the network settings is ‘ds123’. Please take note when entering the password that the iLC2ST password is case sensitive. The DaySequerra iLC2ST is configured to take a DHCP address by default. Device Name: Allows you to change iLC2ST’s name as reported to DNS.
DSP 2 Utilization: Shows the current load on iLC2ST’s secondary DSP. LED Test: Turns on all front-panel LED indicators to verify their functionality. Meter Brightness: Allows adjustment of iLC2ST’s Input and Output meters. (Default: 0) Display Brightness: Allows adjustment of iLC2ST’s display output. (Default: Max) Restore Settings: Returns all settings to their factory default values and will reboot the unit. Network settings will not be lost. Reboot Unit: Performs a warm boot.
About Menu Model Number: Displays the model number of the unit. Serial Number: Displays the serial number of this ILC2ST. Build Number: Build Date: Hardware Rev: Displays the hardware revision level of this unit. Firmware Rev: Displays the firmware revision level that is running on this unit. Eclipse Algorithm: Eclipse Algorithm Rev: DTS Algorithm: Displays the specific DTS algorithm running. DTS Algorithm Rev: Version of the DTS algorithm running on this unit.
Loudness Control Parameter Presets Parameters that define how loudness control is applied to the input audio can be set by way of presets. ILC2ST contains three factory defined presets as well as space to save 4 user-defined presets. The factory-defined presets have been designed as general starting points and may not be appropriate for all types of audio.
and are not managed by the loudness processing to avoid bringing up the noise level. Input signals above the Noise Floor are considered valid and are managed by the loudness processing. Attack / Rise: Controls how quickly the processing will respond to sharp onsets in loudness level. Note: A compressor is present after the attack time processing to catch any short-term loudness peaks, which may pass through. Release / Fall: Controls how quickly the processing will respond to sharp drops in loudness level.
Parameter Correction Ratio Upper Threshold Lower Threshold Dead Band Noise Floor Attack/Rise Release/Fall Frequency Shaping Compressor Threshold Compressor Ration NLC Measure Stereo Target Level Default 0.95 0 dB 0 dB 4.0 dB -55.0 LKFS 50 ms 220 ms 0 5.0 dB 0.5 dB NLM -24 dB Parameter Correction Ratio Upper Threshold Lower Threshold Dead Band Noise Floor Attack/Rise Release/Fall Frequency Shaping Compressor Threshold Compressor Ration NLC Measure Stereo Target Level Default 0.98 0 dB 0 dB 2.0 dB -55.
iLC2ST Remote Dashboard Be sure that the iLC2ST is connected to a network via the network port on the rear panel. The DaySequerra Remote Dashboard software will allow remote monitoring and logging of audio loudness as it is measured by iLC2ST. Double click the installation icon to install the program. A shortcut will be created on your desktop. If you wish the software to start automatically with the PC at login, place a copy of the shortcut into your Startup Windows program folder. Double clicking on the .
Figure 13. Un-configured Main viewer window At the top of the window there are three navigation tabs: Stereo A, Stereo B and Settings. Click on the Settings tab in order to configure the program. After initial configuration, the application will start and resume communication with iLC2ST, if the network address previously set is still valid.
Remote Dashboard Configuration Figure 14. Un-configured settings tab Network Settings: Enter the IP address of the iLC2ST unit to be monitored. The IP address can be found on the unit by navigating to the SYSTEM MENU, then NETWORK. For more details, see the networking section of this manual. The UDP port should remain set at 44600. Data Collection: Configures how often, in milliseconds, the application will poll iLC2ST for its readings. Data Logging: Specifies the location for storing log files.
Logging Stereo Unit (A and B) Loudness measure that is used for the stereo inputs. Stereo Target (A and B) Target value set for the AUX inputs. Stereo Short Avg. (A and B) Short combined average for the AUX inputs. Stereo Peak (A and B) Combined peak value of the AUX inputs. ST-L Short Avg. (A and B) Short average of the AUX Left input ST-R Short Avg. (A and B) Short average of the AUX Right input Device Faults (A and B) Any faults reported by the unit. Refer to the error code table.
Using Remote Dashboard 12- 3- 4- 5Figure 15. Main viewer window The Main Viewer Window will appear as pictured above when the options have been set correctly and the program is communicating with a device. 1. Title Bar: Shows program name, along with short term and infinite average measurements for both the Surround and Stereo inputs of the iLC2ST.
performing a pause/resume or reset of the infinite average value in both the application and on iLC2ST. 4. Per channel Short Term Average: Shows the short average of each channel on the graph. A heavy vertical line shows where the target value on the iLC2ST is set. Each channel’s reading is also shown in numerical form to the right of the graph, with the graph lines and the numerical value changing color to show the level of loudness. 5.
Press the OK button to select the default location (Cell A1) or select the alternate desired location and press the OK button. 5 6 7 The log file data is now displayed in Excel. Each column header contains the text description of the data that is displayed. In order to make a line graph, first select the data that will be displayed in the graph. Hold down the control key and click on the column headers that contain the desired data.
Following the same steps outlined above, a sample radar style graph was created. This graph type can be found in Excel 2007 by clicking on the Other Charts button and then selecting Radar or in Excel 2000/2003 by selecting Radar from the Chart Wizard. Figure 16.
Firmware Update Provided that you have completed warranty registration for your ILC2ST on our website, we will notify you as new firmware updates become available. The notification will contain the announcement of new firmware, issues corrected, and instructions on how to retrieve the update files. Update packages will be available as a single .ZIP file for download. Compatible archive programs include Winzip (www.winzip.com) or WinRAR (www.rarlabs.com) and may be downloaded from their respective websites.
ILC2ST Remote Dashboard The DaySequerra ILC2ST Remote Dashboard software runs on a Windows computer on your network and will allow remote monitoring and logging of audio loudness data as it is measured by ILC2ST. The Remote Dashboard software’s main objective is to log your program audio loudness and have those measurements available for compliance verification. Logs are saved in Tab delimited format and can be imported into any database application that supports the importation of external data.
Remote Dashboard Troubleshooting If the Remote Dashboard software is not working, please check the following items before contacting DaySequerra technical support: 1. Is the ILC2ST on the same physical network and subnet as the PC running the application? Make sure the subnet mask is configured to a broad enough scope. 2. Is there a software firewall running blocking access to the UDP port 44600? Make sure the port is open, or the Remote Dashboard software is in your firewall’s exclusion or white list.
DaySequerra – One Year Limited Warranty DaySequerra warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship to its original owner for one (1) year from the date of purchase. DaySequerra will repair or replace such product or part thereof that upon inspection by DaySequerra, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship subject to conditions contained herein. DaySequerra products are sold worldwide, through a network of authorized DaySequerra dealers and distributors.
Manufactured under license from DTS Licensing Limited. DTS and the Symbol are registered trademarks and the DTS logo is a trademark of DTS, Inc. Product includes software. © DTS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
