B a r i x R E F L E C TO R User guide Barix Reflector User Guide.
Table of Contents 1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................3 1.1 How does it work?.......................................................................................................3 1.2 In more detail...............................................................................................................4 1.2.1 Hardware......................................................................................
1 Introduction The Reflector service is a way for Broadcasters to quickly and easily set up a unidirectional STL (Studio to Transmitter Links), without all the complexities of configuring IP networks, or punching holes through firewalls: no specialist IT knowledge is required to set up and use the service. The service can also be used for Remote Contribution and Syndication with no extra configuration.
1.2 In more detail 1.2.1 Hardware The sending device is a Barix device capable of encoding the input audio and sending it out onto the network: An Exstreamer 500 or 1000, or an Instreamer 100. The receiving device is a Barix device capable of decoding the network stream and outputting it as analogue/digital audio: An Exstreamer 100 series 1, 500 or 1000. Always check that you have the latest version of the STL firmware loaded from www.barix.com/downloads.
service. 1.2.3 Device startup and configuration update On startup, a device must first find out what its configuration is. To do this, it works its way through the list of known Configuration Servers defined to the device, pinging each in turn until it receives a positive response. If the device is unknown to a Configuration Server, the server returns an 'unrecognised device' message and the device moves to the next entry in the list.
2 Reflector Client firmware 2.1 Loading the STL firmware and selecting the Reflector. To use the Reflector Service, all devices must have the STL firmware loaded: this is a dual application firmware consisting of the Reflector Client and the more complex Barix STL application. The Exstreamer 500/1000 are delivered with the STL firmware preloaded, but any Barix audio hardware can run the firmware, subject only to limitations of the hardware (Instreamers cannot be decoders, for example).
2.2 Startup When the device first starts up, it searches for a Reflector service, whilst it is doing this, the UI shows: if the device does not get a positive response from any of the Reflector services, it will display: The firmware will continue to cycle through the available servers until it gets a positive response. 2.
The received configuration is shown in light grey on the left side of the screen, along with the timestamp of the configuration. 2.3.1 Local relay status On suitable hardware, relay 1 can be used to signal outgoing/incoming stream loss. Here, 'green is good', it means that the stream is OK. If the stream is missing, the relay is 'switched off' / shown grey on the UI. It is configured this way so that if power is lost, the logic for any equipment connected to this relay is consistent. 2.3.
Clicking on the 'Reflector' tab on the left allows the Configuration server list to be updated e.g. If a user has set up their own instance of the Reflector service. The servers are contacted in order, so for the quickest startup, set server 1 to the Reflector Service that you are using. Clicking on 'Security' allows the user to set some basic security features such as a password for the web UI, to prevent unauthorised or accidental changes of the settings. Barix Reflector User Guide.
2.5 Encoding in Mono Note that when using the Reflector for Mono transmissions, the audio input should be presented on the left channel; in mono mode the right channel input is ignored. At the receiving end, the mono audio will be presented on both output channels. 2.6 Device Input LEDs On suitable hardware (e.g. Exstreamer500 / 1000) the IO LEDs on the front of the device show the state of the device's inputs. 2.
3 The Reflector service web UI 3.1 Requesting an account Users use the Reflector web UI to set up, control and monitor their projects. Before doing so, they must first obtain an account. The Reflector is a subscription service operated by StreamGuys, to obtain an account, the user must first subscribe, either by mail reflector@streamguys.com, or via the home page of the appropriate service: http://us-reflector.barix.com or http://eu-reflector.barix.
When the request is submitted a confirmation page is displayed: Barix Reflector User Guide.
The first time you log in there will be no information to display: 3.2 Create a project To get audio streaming from source to destination using the Reflector service, you need to first set up a project to define the link. Allocating devices to a project allows you to set up an STL or multi destination audio distribution. To set up multiple STLs / distributions, simply add a project for each. Click on the '+ Add New' link brings you to the Create Project screen.
When you click on create, the system will move to the 'Device List' screen, allowing you to start defining the component devices for the project. Click on 'add new' to add a device to the project. To work, each project must have as a Barix Reflector User Guide.
minimum an encoder and a decoder. Enter the Device name – a label to recognise the device MAC address: this is unique to each device and is used to identify it to the system: Reflector Clients that call in and do not have a MAC address known to the system are ignored. Type: Devices either are encoders: the source (studio end) of the audio, or Decoders: the destination (transmitter/affiliate etc). Select which function you want this device to have.
NOTE: this takes up to 90 seconds in Encoder mode Decoder configuration options: Buffer: the decoder stores (buffers) the incoming audio before playing it back; this is to allow for the variable timing of the delivery of the audio over the network. This buffering introduces a delay (latency) between the sent and received audio.
The UI returns to the Devices List, showing the details of the device. Clicking on the “i” information symbol will display the configuration options. Before the device makes contact with the Configuration Server, it will show up in red (error) with 'No Contact' and 'No Status', there will also be no IP address displayed, as the client informs the server of it's IP address. Click on 'add new' to add further devices to the project.
3.4 Viewing project status If you need to check on the status of the project at any time, go to the Reflector web UI and select the project, you will see the details of when the devices last contacted the Configuration service (according to the time zone of the server). The Clients should contact every 30s, so it will quickly be obvious if there is a communications problem: Clicking on 'Cancel' returns you to the Home page with a list of your projects.
3.5 Modify device settings Clicking on the 'Modify' button next to a device in the Project view causes the details shown here to be displayed: All of the device settings can be changed as required. Press 'Save' to update the details, or 'Cancel' to abort. Barix Reflector User Guide.
3.6 Modifying Account Details The stored login details can be changed by clicking on the 'Modify your data' link in the left hand menu, the UI shows the screen below: To change the password, it it necessary to enter the current password as well as the desired new one.. Optionally, you can have the system email the details to you for future reference. 3.7 Menu options The Reflector Web UI maintains a standard Menu allowing the user instant access to a number of functions: 3.7.
3.7.2 Projects List: Selecting this option returns the user to the list of their projects Add Project: clicking on this tab allows the user to define a new Reflector project using the functionality explained in the section 3.2 Create a project 3.7.3 Account Details Using this option the user can update the registered details of their account. 3.7.
4 Legal Information © 2011 Barix AG, Zürich, Switzerland. All rights reserved. All information is subject to change without notice. All mentioned trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used for reference only. Document version 2.0 April 2011 Barix Reflector User Guide.
