Tessera Processor Software 3.2.6
Compatibility Note
Tessera HD processors (M2, T1 and S4) must be running processor firmware V2.3.2 or later prior to upgrading to V3.0.1 or later.
Tessera HD processors (M2, T1 and S4) must be running processor firmware V2.3.2 or later prior to upgrading to V3.0.1 or later, or the upgrade will fail requiring a SD card restore.
The Tessera S8 processor requires software version 3.0 or later.
ShutterSync® allows the timing of the refresh rate of LED panels to match your preferred camera setup. This helps to ameliorate some of the problems of using LED panels with cameras, which in the past have required the content playback, LED panel refresh and camera settings to be matched very precisely to prevent ugly artefacts appearing on LED panels viewed on the footage shot. Such artefacts can manifest themselves as either scan mux lines:
Light scan mux lines – the shutter remains open too long
Dark scan mux lines – the shutter does not remain open long enough
Artefacts in the dark areas of the image – the shutter is not open long enough for a complete PWM cycle.
-
- ShutterSync® tunes the LED screen’s refresh to match the camera settings.
-
- ShutterSync® is compatible with LED panels fitted with R2 cards and works best with LED panels that support High Frame Rate.
-
- ShutterSync® does not affect network capacity, and the processor and camera should be genlocked together with an external reference.
-
- ShutterSync® is located in the Network settings.
There are 2 modes in which ShutterSync® can be used:
Speed:
Either the denominator (1/x) of the camera shutter speed or the exposure in ms can be entered.
Angle:
This allows the camera shutter angle to be entered. The Camera Frame Rate options allows the selection of whether the camera frame rate matches the genlock frequency or a custom, user-defined frame rate.
Prioritise Refresh Rate:
Enabling this feature will drive LED panels at the highest possible refresh rate and complete the maximum number of PWM cycles within the camera’s exposure time. How this feature behaves is dependent on the panel type and its maximum refresh rate. There are some situations where this feature can be useful: such as when a camera is using higher shutter speeds. It is worth trying with and without Prioritise Refresh Rate ticked to see which one works best for a particular camera setup. Supported shutter speeds map directly to the panel type’s frame rate range:
-
- Slowest: 1/23.976 second
-
- Fastest: 1/250 second (assuming the panel supports 250 fps)
Corresponding shutter angles depend on the camera’s frame rate:
-
- Slowest: up to 360° at all frame rates supported by the panel
-
- Fastest: 1/250 = 86.4° @ 60 fps or 72° @ 50 fps or 34.5° @ 24 fps
ShutterSync® does not affect network pixel capacity.
Please note: ShutterSync® prioritises optimum visual quality for the camera. It is expected that there may be some degradation in visual quality to the eye when using this feature. ShutterSync® pushes panel hardware in ways it will not have been pushed before. It is therefore an expected part of the beta process that particular panel types may show issues.
Please report these to support@bromptontech.com and we will be happy to work with you to resolve them.
The SX40 and S8 now support the input of 3D LUTs (Look Up Tables). 3D LUTs are an efficient way of remapping colours and allow for advanced colour correction. They are commonly used in film production, for anything from on-set camera tuning to colour grading in post. 3D LUT is located within the processing pipeline.
The SX40 and S8 support any valid LUT in the Adobe .cube format. Only one 3D LUT can be loaded into the project.The 3D LUT is processed after the other ChromaTune features, and when the 3D LUT is enabled, it is effectively converted into a 17x17x17 LUT. 3D LUTs are processed with tetrahedral interpolation with 12-bit precision. The Strength slider adjusts the strength with which the 3D LUT is applied. Enabling and disabling the 3D LUT Import feature allows before and after comparisons.
LUT data is stored within the project file, and Presets can store Strength settings, but not load LUT data. 3D LUT Import adds no latency.
3.2 adds some improvements to the pixel capacity of HDMI video input when using this feature. When running ULL with video input refresh rates below 60Hz, the input capacity scales up by the fraction of the frame rate up to the maximum 9-million-pixel capacity.
For example: with a processor running at 60Hz in ULL, the maximum video input capacity is 4.5 million pixels, which is half of the 9 million input pixel capacity that the processor has without ULL. However, if the video input refresh is at 30Hz then the video input capacity is 9 million. However, with a video input of 23.976Hz then the video input capacity is still 9 million as this is the maximum video input pixel capacity of the processor. The output capacity restrictions remain the same.
S4 firmware reload
When upgrading an S4 processor to/from 3.1.0.BETA4 firmware, after firmware reload has finished, the processor will not reboot automatically and will require a manual reboot. After reboot, the processor will operate as normal.
Version compatibility
In order to use V3.0.1 or later, it is necessary to run all elements of the system (processor, XDs and panels) on V2.3.1 or later. For panels where V2.3 firmware is not available please continue using V2.2 processor firmware.
Restore factory defaults/format SD card can cause fixture library instability
If you perform either of these operations please reboot your processor before browsing to the fixture library window as this may otherwise be unstable.
Settings from Tessera Control are not applied to newly discovered fixtures
If using Tessera Control to alter Brightness, Temperature or Gamma, these settings are not sent to newly discovered fixtures until a change is made to the value.
Tessera Remote and Tessera Control may not work on Mac OSX El Capitan
When running on a Mac OSX El Capitan the Tessera Remote and Tessera Control applications can fail to detect network ports. This appears to be limited to cases where no default gateway is specified on the computer’s network interface. In situations where no default gateway is set using DHCP, we recommend specifying a default gateway manually. PCs running Windows and Macs running OSX Yosemite or earlier are not affected.
Tessera Remote may fail to import project files
In some cases, Tessera Remote may fail to import project files from local storage. As a workaround create the project from scratch or use a local monitor, keyboard and mouse to import the project file before connecting with Tessera Remote.
Some input devices on KVM switches do not work
We have had reports that trackpads may not function correctly when connected to the processor via a KVM switch. As a workaround we recommend using a mouse, or connecting input devices directly to the processor’s USB ports.
Monitors connected via DisplayPort-to-VGA adapters may be unstable
Local user interface monitors connected to the processor via certain active DisplayPort-to-VGA adapters may give an unstable image or the monitor is not detected at all. As a workaround we recommend using a DVI or DisplayPort monitor.
ShutterSync®
Some panels using specific driver ICs are known to not yet work well with ShutterSync® . These panels will show the intended on camera performance and correctly match the exposure time but they may exhibit flickering when viewed by eye. If you encounter these issue please contact Brompton support for the latest updates on your specific panel type.