Setup guide

4
Installing
Before you start:
Check the contents of the box:
❑
Digital Sprite 2
❑
IR remote handset
❑
PSU
❑
Mains cable with three pin plug fitted (North America)
❑
Mains cable without plug fitted (other regions)
❑
Rack mount kit (rack mount ears, rear supports, and fixing screws)
❑
485-bus cable
Choosing a location for installation
Digital Sprite 2 is designed to be rack or desk mounted. The following precautions
must be taken when installing Digital Sprite 2:
• Openings in the unit’s case are provided for ventilation. To prevent
overheating, these openings should not be blocked or covered.
• When stacking units, ensure there is at least a
1
/
2
" (1.5 cm) gap between
each unit.
• Ensure there is a 1" (3cm) gap on either side of the unit.
• E n s u re the unit is not located in an area where it is likely to be subjected to
mechanical shocks.
• The unit should be located in an area with low humidity and a minimum of
dust. Avoid places like damp basements or dusty hallways.
• If using external storage, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for
placement details.
A quick overview of digital recording
Digital multiplex re c o rders work in exactly the same way as analogue multiplexers
except that they use hard disks and digital tape to store video, instead of VCR tapes.
Analogue recording uses time-lapse recording to extend the length of time
recorded onto a 3-hour tape - recording fewer pictures every second.
Adjusting the number of pictures recorded every second also extends the length
of time recorded onto the hard disk of a Digital Sprite 2. However, other factors
also determine the amount of time that can be stored on the disk of a digital
multiplex recorder:
• The image quality
• The record rate
• The hard disk capacity
Image quality
Digital multiplex recorders store images in a compressed format, allowing images
to be recorded more efficiently. The higher the compression, the smaller the file
size, but the image quality will suffer. Digital Sprite 2 can compress images
between 6KB and 45KB.
Kilobytes and gigabytes are units of storage:
1GB = 1024 Megabytes (MB)
1MB = 1024 Kilobytes (KB)
With analogue recording, the image quality is dependent on the type of VCR
being used; VHS or S-VHS. Digital Sprite 2 allows the image quality to be altered
by adjusting the image size, for example, VHS quality is 14KB, S-VHS is 18KB, and
greater than S-VHS is 25KB*.
Using a larger image size will fill the hard disk faster than a smaller image size, as
more space is required to store it. To achieve the same amount of recording time
when a larger image size is used requires the record rate (PPS) to be reduced.
* Note that as for all digital recording, image quality can vary for different scene types, S-VHS
quality may be 18KB in one scene, but it may be 30KB or more to get the same quality in a
scene with more detail.
7211 DigitalManual Update 10/4/02 5:12 pm Page 4