TESSERA SOFTWARE 2.3.4

Tessera SX40 processor now supports up to 144fps; the video input pixel capacity reduces in accordance with frame rate, due to HDMI/SDI bandwidth limitations.rnrnE.g. any frame rate up to 60Hz capacity is approximately 9 million pixels. By doubling the frame rate to 120Hz, this halves to 4.5 million pixels. At the maximum of 144Hz, the capacity is 3.75 million pixels.rnrnWith the addition of high frame rate and the reduced pixel capacity, canvas properties supports additional resolutions and refresh rates for high frame rate:rn

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• 3K (3072 x 1728) up to 100 Hz

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• 2.8K (2800 x 1575) up to 120 Hz

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• QHD (2560 x 1440) up to 144 Hz

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• HD (1920 x 1080) up to 144 Hz

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rnIt’s also possible to specify any custom resolution and refresh rate that remains within the pixel capacity limit. (This generates a custom EDID to help configure the source.) This can be set upon project creation, or at any time through the canvas properties.rnrn1G output capacity also scales according to frame rate (e.g. 525,000 pixels at 8-bit 60Hz halves to 262,500 pixels at 8-bit 120Hz).rnrnHigh frame rate requires R2 receiver card-based fixtures with approximately 108,000 pixels or fewer, with suitable driver chips and sufficient headroom in the fixture electrical design to cope with the increased frame rate.rnrnPanels that currently support high frame rate:rn

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• ROE BO2 (MC)

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• ROE BP2 (MC)

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• ROE BP2 (NS)

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Tessera SX40 processor latency is already an industry-leading 2 frames end-to-end (including the driver chip latency and with all processor features enabled, including scaling). For broadcast applications such as virtual studios and film-industry applications, visual effects and virtual sets, latency minimisation can be considered critical.rnrnTessera firmware v2.3 adds ultra-low latency mode to the SX40 processor. Using this feature reduces the end to-end latency to 1 frame, at the expense of halving the system’s pixel capacity. (Video input pixel capacity and 1G output capacity are both halved. R2 receiver card pixel capacity remains unaffected.)rnrnTo achieve the reduction in latency, the processor and video source must work together. Typically, PC-based sources (such as media servers) which respect the processor’s EDID should be able to support ultra-low latency, while video production sources (such as cameras or production switchers) may ignore the EDID and therefore be incompatible with ultra-low latency mode.rnrnOverall, sources which do support ultra-low latency will be able to display content on the LEDs one frame earlier. Enabling ULL will configure the source to output twice the desired raster height. The processor will only use the top half of the raster, so the source should only fill the top half with content.rnrnNote: ULL is intended for use with HDMI sources. Ultra-low latency can also be used in conjunction with High frame rate. Capacity reductions are cumulative when enabling HFR and ULL; i.e. 120fps ULL results in quarter capacity.

ACTIVE INPUT GENLOCKrnrnTessera firmware v2.3 introduces new genlock functionality to the Tessera SX40 processor. The ‘Active Input’ option is selected by default for new projects, meaning the genlock signal will come from whichever input source is currently active.rnrnThis helps to display video content at the correct frame rate with the minimum latency and avoids frame drops or doubling due to inadvertently using the wrong genlock source.rnrnrnrnGENLOCK PHASE OFFSETrnrnGenlock Phase Offset permits fine control of the LED screen timing to shift on camera artefacts up or down the image until they disappear off the top or bottom of the camera frame.rnrnAn offset of up to plus or minus one frame may be configured, specified either as a fraction of a frame in percent, or a phase angle in degrees, or as an absolute number of lines and pixels of the selected genlock source.rnrnrnrnFRAME RATE MULTIPLICATIONrnrnIt’s now possible to multiply the incoming genlock signal by a factor between x2 and x6. E.g. If recording from a camera at 30fps, the genlock signal will likely be 30Hz, but the content may be 60fps for smoother movement.rnrnBy multiplying the genlock signal x2, the LED fixtures can run at 60fps while still maintaining genlock. This achieves the best possible combination of good on-camera performance (due to genlock) as well as smooth motion when viewed by eye (due to running at 60fps rather than 30fps).This can also be used in combination with High frame rate support; e.g. to convert a 24Hz genlock signal to 144Hz by applying a factor of x6. Maximum output framerate is processor dependent (i.e. 144Hz on Tessera SX40, 60Hz on HD processors).rnrn

In addition to the Colour Replace and 14-Way Colour Corrector features, from Tessera v2.3 onwards ChromaTune now offers curves adjustment covering red, green, blue and white channels. This enables the video levels for each colour channel to be manipulated by creating custom transfer curves.rnrnTo adjust the colour, first select the desired colour curve from the drop-down menu then use the mouse to select a point on the curve and drag to the desired position. For each change made, a dot will appear on the curve to indicate position. Colour changes are made in real-time.rnrnThere is also a reset button for resetting curve changes. This may be used creatively to adjust the ‘look’ of the video (e.g. adding an ‘S’ curve to add more contrast), or as a tool to fine tune the appearance of the screen for ambient viewing conditions and/or on-camera performance.

Introduced in Tessera v2.3, modules which are not quite parallel to each other can result in seams which look brighter at one end than the other. To compensate for this, it’s now possible to use OSCA to adjust either end of each seam independently.rnrnTo use this feature:rn

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1. Open OSCA

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2. Select a seam option (buttons F1 to F6) and select one or many seams.

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3. Three options are available to adjust each seam; the overall luminance, the start and end of the seam (left and right for horizontal seams, or top and bottom for vertical seams).

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The Tessera SX40 LED processor now supports sub-fixtures. 

Restore factory defaults/format SD card can cause fixture library instabilityrn​If you perform either of these operations please reboot your processor before browsing to the fixture library window as this may otherwise be unstable.​​rnrnSettings from Tessera Control are not applied to newly discovered fixturesrnIf 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.rnrnTessera Remote and Tessera Control may not work on Mac OSX El CapitanrnWhen 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.rnrnIn 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.​rnrnTessera Remote may fail to import project filesrnIn 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. ​​rnrnSome input devices on KVM switches do not workrnWe 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.​​rnrnMonitors connected via DisplayPort-to-VGA adapters may be unstablernLocal user interface monitors connected to the processor via certian 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.