Sundance Digital, Inc. 545 E John Carpenter Frwy., Suite 200

User Guide

Sundance Digital, Inc.
545 E John Carpenter Frwy., Suite 200

Irving, Texas USA 75062

Phone: (972) 444-8442

Fax: (972) 444-8450

Titan, SIDON and Media Prep are trademarks of Sundance Digital, Inc.

SIDON User’s Guide — Version 1.04

October, 2005

Notice to Users

Information in this manual is furnished for informational use only, does not represent a commitment on the part of Sundance Digital, Inc. (Sundance), and is subject to change without notice. Except as permitted by such license, no part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, or converted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical for any purpose, without the prior written permission of Sundance. Sundance assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual.

Sundance makes no warranties, express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, regarding the software. Sundance does not warrant, guarantee or make any representations regarding the use or the results of the use of the software in terms of its correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise. The entire risk as to the results and performance of the software is assumed by jurisdictions. The above exclusion may not apply to you.

In no event will Sundance and both their directors, officers, employees or agents (collectively Sundance) be liable to you for any consequential incidental, or indirect damages (including damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, and the like) arising out of the use or inability to use the software even if Sundance has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply to you. Sundance's liability to you for actual damages from cause whatsoever, and regardless of the form of the action (whether in contract, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise), will be limited to $50.

Sundance Website

Please visit the Sundance website (www.sundancedigital.com) for the latest information about products, applications, updates and electronic versions of the manuals. From the home page, click the “Support” link followed by the “Technical Support” link to access the Technical Support page.

Warranty Exclusions

The following items are excluded from any Sundance warranty:

Damage caused by misuse, abuse, accident, fire, theft, disappearance, misplacement, power surge, virus or malicious code, or reckless, willful or intentional conduct.

Damage caused by service procedures not authorized by Sundance Digital.

Damage caused by owner’s failure to perform preventive maintenance.

Unauthorized installation/reinstallation of the computer operating system.

Any equipment or components that was not included in your product unless sold to you by Sundance Digital or its approved resellers.

Normal wear and tear, including cosmetic damage that does not affect functionality.

Table of Contents

SIDON User’s Guide — Version 1.04 2

Notice to Users 2

Table of Contents 4

Introduction to SIDON 6

In This Manual 6

About SIDON 7

How to Use this Manual 8

Print Conventions 8

Mouse Conventions 9

Symbol Conventions 9

Menu Conventions 10

Common Sundance Program Conventions 11

Terms 13

Cautions 14

System Installation 14

Sundance Device Control Summary 15

Equipment Arrival and Unpacking 15

Initial Testing 16

Reseating CPU Boards 16

Racking the Computers 17

SIDON Chassis Diagrams 18

SIDON Front Panel 18

SIDON Rear Panel 19

Installation 21

Using the System Drawings 22

PC Connection 22

Power Connection 22

Serial Connections 23

Controlling Multiple RS-232 Devices 24

Timecode Connection 24

GPI Connections 24

GPI Output Table 25

Network Connection 26

Setting Up SIDON Application Extensions 27

SIDON User Interface Orientation 29

User Interface 29

Menu Bar 32

File Menu 32

Devices Menu 32

Security Menu 34

Modify SIDON Devices Dialog 36

Port to Connector Associations 39

SIDON Logs 40

SIDON Operations 42

Running SIDON 42

Editing the SIDON Device Table 43

Accessing SIDON 43

Deleting Old Device Records 43

Adding New Device Records 43

Minimizing SIDON to Do the Work 44

Sundance Technical Support 45

How to Reach Us 45

Introduction to SIDON

Thank you for choosing Sundance Digital and SIDON for your automation needs!

Sundance Digital is the industry leader for affordable and innovative broadcast and professional television automation solutions. Our ideas are driven by a strong emphasis on new technology and tempered by a clear understanding of the broadcast industry. We are confident that you will soon recognize that our products and our customer support are unsurpassed in today’s demanding marketplace. We are committed to superior quality and reliability.

This chapter includes the following sections:

♦ / In This Manual
♦ / About SIDON
♦ / How to Use This Manual
♦ / Cautions

In This Manual

The following chapters are included in this manual:

♦ / Chapter 1, “Introduction to SIDON” outlines the manual, provides instructions for its use, lists important terms and conventions, and outlines background information on the SIDON system itself.
♦ / Chapter 2, “System Installation” provides detailed instructions on how to install and set up your SIDON system.
♦ / Chapter 3, “SIDON User Interface Orientation” provides an overview of the SIDON user interface and all application menus.
♦ / Chapter 4, “SIDON Operations” provides operating instructions for all SIDON modes, device tables and functions.
♦ / Chapter 5, “Sundance Technical Support” provides instructions for contacting us, along with important phone numbers and email addresses.
♦ / A comprehensive “Index” is also provided for your reference.

About SIDON

SIDON (Sundance Integrated Device Operating Network) serially controls your automation system’s peripheral devices. A single SIDON computer is capable of controlling:

♦ / 16 RS-422 ports
♦ / 1 RS-232 port
♦ / 16 GPI outputs

The standard SIDON computer controls eight RS-422 devices (expandable to 16), one RS-232 device connected by serial cables, and selected devices via Ethernet. Each SIDON computer also controls 16 GPI triggers, which can be programmed for momentary closure or full-on closure for any specified time as an “offset” to a playlist event.

Any number of additional SIDON computers can be added to the system to increase the number of controlled devices.

As a device server, SIDON is controlled by many different Sundance program applications, making it extremely versatile and scalable to any broadcast station’s requirements. These applications include:

♦ / Titan
♦ / FastBreak
♦ / Intelli-Sat
♦ / Media Cacher
♦ / Media Prep
♦ / NewsLink

Note: At least one SIDON operates in every Sundance automation installation. Most master control switchers operate with RS-422 control. Sundance Digital continues to increase the number of master control switchers supported by the system. If you are uncertain if your switcher is supported, please contact us.

How to Use this Manual

Use this manual as a step-by step guide for installing and operating your SIDON system and as a reference for troubleshooting and upgrades. Please note:

Hyperlinks — You will find numerous blue hyperlinks throughout the manual. To assist you with navigating the sections and locating information quickly, simply “click” a hyperlink to jump to the section.

Table of Contents — For PDF and on-line versions of this manual, the Table of Contents is fully hyperlinked for convenience.

Index — As a good first step in locating information or for troubleshooting, please use the Index in the last section of this manual. Multi-level index marks are provided.

The following additional sections are included for your reference:

♦ / Print Conventions
♦ / Mouse Conventions
♦ / Symbol Conventions
♦ / Menu Conventions
♦ / Common Sundance Program Conventions
♦ / Terms
♦ / Cautions

Print Conventions

This manual uses the following special print conventions:

Convention / Description
Ctrl + X / Keyboard keys appear in bold type (sans serif).
Buttons and Tabs / Button labels and tab names (within dialogs) are printed in bold type (sans serif).
Menu Items / Menu items, dialog boxes and field names are printed in bold type (serif).
FILENAMES / Filenames appear in uppercase italics.
DRIVE NAMES / Always appear in uppercase.
DIRECTORY NAMES / Always appear in uppercase, for example: C:\FBAIR
Type / When you are instructed to type information, type the information without pressing the Enter key.
Enter / When you are instructed to enter information, type the information and press the Enter key.

Mouse Conventions

This manual uses the following mouse conventions.

Convention / Description
Point / Position the mouse pointer so that the tip of the arrow rests on the desired item (such as a button, menu option or tab).
Click / When you are instructed to Click on something, click on the left mouse button.
Double-click / Rapidly click the left mouse button twice.
Right-click / When you are instructed to Right Click an object or menu item, click the right mouse button.
Select / Point the mouse pointer at the desired object and click the left mouse button once. For example, “select the Machine Settings tab” indicates you must click this tab with the left mouse button. Select may also mean making a choice among several available items from a drop-down menu, browse window or dialog box.

Symbol Conventions

Several symbol conventions are used throughout the manual.

Convention / Description
u / Recommendations, examples, and questions are preceded by a blue triangle.
■ / Step by step procedures are preceded by a green square.

Menu Conventions

When you are asked to make a selection from a menu that has two or more “sub menus,” the sequence is presented with the “” symbol dividing the menu picks.

Example: When asked to select Devices > Edit Device Table, first click Devices on the Menu Bar to display a pull-down menu:

… then click Edit Device Table

… to display the Modify SIDON Devices Dialog:

Common Sundance Program Conventions

Throughout all Sundance applications, there are several common screen elements and functions, as described below.

Following are descriptions of each item:

1) Record Indicator — The record indicator points to the active record. You can make a record “active” by clicking on any field within a record, or by clicking on one of the navigation buttons on the editing bar. Note that each line is a record in the database.

Common Screen Elements

2) Editing Tool Bar — The Editing Tool Bar is used to navigate and edit device tables.

Following are descriptions of each button:

First Record — Click to move the record indicator to the first record in the list.

Prior Record — Click to move the record indicator to the previous record in the table.

Next Record — Click to move the record indicator to the next record in the table.

Last Record — Click to move the record indicator to the last record in the list.

Insert Record — Click to insert a new blank record above the current active one. The new record displays an asterisk (*) instead of the record indicator (), to show that the record is new, and that data has not been accepted.

Delete Record — Click to delete the active record. The Confirm Dialog appears, allowing you to delete or cancel.

Edit Record — Click to edit the active record. To alert you that the record is being modified, the “editing indicator” appears in place of the record indicator, as shown below. When a record is in “edit” mode, the Post button is activated.

Editing Indicator

Post Edit — Click to “post” (or accept) an edited record. The edit or change will not take effect until the edit is “posted” by clicking on the check mark. Once clicked, the check mark grays out. You can also post a change by simply clicking in another field, with the mouse.

Cancel Edit — Click to cancel an edit in progress. Once clicked, the record reverts to previously stored data.

Refresh Data — Click to refresh the selected record.

Chapter Structure

Each chapter in this manual starts with a hyperlinked outline of its contents. If you’re using the PDF or online version of this manual, simply click the hyperlink to jump to a specific topic.

In the chapters that contain step-by-step procedures, a brief description of the procedure is outlined under an appropriate “Here’s how” heading. For example:

■ Edit the Device Table — Sample Procedure

This section provides instructions for editing the SIDON device table. Here’s how to edit or modify the SIDON device table:

1. Step one.

2. Step two.

Terms

The following terms are used throughout this manual:

Terms Used in this Manual

Term / Description
Air Control Station / The primary Titan application (and user interface) that enables master control operators to supervise and manage multiple playlists.
CPU / Another term for a Sundance chassis, enclosure or computer.
FastBreakNT / Sundance’s facility automation solution designed to manage information and control the playback of all material in master control.
Intelli-Sat / Sundance’s satellite feed recording management system.
List Processor / A compact application that runs frame accurate playlists and typically controls one server channel. Up to ten can run on one List Processor Server. Each List Processor is an independent entity with its own SQL server database.
List Processor Server / A CPU that runs up to ten List Processor applications. In the overall Titan architecture, a List Processor Server can be located locally — or at a remote station via TCP/IP.
Prep Station / Also referred to as Media Prep or just “prep,” a station for handling media recording into the server, traffic processing and database management. A prep station controls VTRs and servers via RS-422.
SalesView / Sundance’s media browser for FastBreak Automation and FastBreak Spot Play systems
SAM / The Sundance Digital Archive Manager provides the interface between Sundance automation applications and popular Archive Management systems.
SIDON / Sundance Integrated Device Operating Network. Provides TCP/IP-based machine control for frame-accurate control of any mainstream broadcast device. A SIDON “server” controls peripheral devices via RS-232, RS-422 and GPI.
Titan / Sundance’s centralized automation system designed for large, multi-channel, server-based broadcast facilities.
Titan Sync / A Sundance application that provides “backup” and redundant capabilities for the Titan automation system.

Cautions
All Sundance programs are designed to make your life as a station manager, engineer, operator or apprentice much easier. The internal structure of our software uses much of the capability of the platform on which it operates to attain the speed and accuracy required in television automation.