Pearl Nexus User Guide

About video output ports

Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus

An HDMI video output port is located on the rear panel of Pearl Mini and 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 device. 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 (if you are using a Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, or Pearl-2). 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, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus - Using the video output ports adds to the overall system load on the Pearl device. 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 device 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,.
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