User manual

Harmony 2ES and 4ES 27
Cross-Channel Synchronization
Cross-channel synchronization is a set of functions that
provides the capability to synchronize a group of Harmony
channels, so that every video output displays the same frame
number at the same time. This coordination is active; should
one channel drift behind or ahead of the others, the variation is
detected and the speed of the channel is adjusted until it is back
in sync with the group.
A synchronization group is defined by a master channel which
plays normally, and a set of slave channels that follow it, i.e.
synchronize with the master channel. A group can have a
minimum of 2 channels or a maximum that is the total number
of channels on all boards in the system.
The Harmony supports the following cross-channel
synchronization features:
• Multiple synchronization groups
The Harmony can support multiple synchronization
groups.
• Synchronized files must be the same length in frames.
To insure that synchronized files start and stop
precisely, they must have the same run time, i.e.
number of frames.
• Synchronization is accurate to +/- one frame between
the master and slave channels.
File Length for Looping Playlists
Likewise, when synchronizing looping playlists, the files playing simul-
taneously must have the same number of frames to insure that they
and the playlists stay synchronized.