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VideoForge 4K Video Generator

The AV Foundry VideoForge Digital Video Generator can be automatically controlled by the Calman Display Calibration Software.

Calman Recommended Workflows

All available measurement and calibration workflows

VideoForge Required Firmware

All firmware versions are acceptable

VideoForge Control Connection

Ethernet LAN cable (straight-through or crossover cable)

VideoForge Power Up

  • The power control button for the VideoForge is located in the upper right corner of the front panel. To power up the unit, momentarily press the Power button and release.
  • On power up, the front panel LCD shows; Booting, Booting .., Booting …, and then switches to show the unit’s IP address. If the VideoForge is connected to a DHCP network router, this is the network assigned IP address. If the VideoForge is not connected to a network, this is the unit’s internally assigned IP address, according to the Zero Configuration Network (Zeroconf) protocol.
  • The VideoForge defaults to a 720p60 YCC-10 Rec709 format on initial power up, with the AV Foundry logo image, with outputs on SDI 3, SDI 4, and HDMI.

Calman Connection Procedure

To connect Calman 5 to the VideoForge for automatic Calman control:

  1. Connect the VideoForge to a network router or directly to the Calman computer, power on the VideoForge, and note the unit’s IP address on the LCD.
  2. On the Calman Source Settings tab/click “Find Source,” then select “AV Foundry; VideoForge II.”
  3. Enter the VideoForge IP Address.
  4. Click Connect on the Source connect dialog.

Calman Source Settings Tab

Triplet Support

The VideoForge provides full RGB triplet support to provide test patterns that are compatible with 3D cube LUT calibration.

Window Size

On the Window Size drop down, select your desired pattern window size.

  • Window 2%
  • Window 5%
  • Window 10%
  • Window 18% (default)
  • Window 25%
  • Window 50%
  • Full 100%
  • Constant APL 10
  • Constant APL 18
  • Constant APL 25
  • Constant APL 50

(NOTE: For Plasma and CRT displays, Constant APL 18 works well.)

VideoForge Custom Test Patterns

  1. To display your own custom test patterns or images with the VideoForge:
    Save custom test pattern or image files to a USB flash drive, in PNG or JPEG format, at the desired display resolution (e.g. 1920×1080).
  2. Connect the flash drive to a VideoForge USB port.
  3. Access the VideoForge control interface, as outlined in the “Manual Control Interface” section, above.
  4. On the Patterns tab in the VideoForge control interface, open the Pattern drop down box. Your custom files will be listed, grouped by USB drive.
    Select one of your custom files to display your custom image.

Manual Control User Interface

To manually control the VideoForge, including its output signal resolution and test pattern:

  1. Connect the VideoForge either to a network or directly to a host computer with an Ethernet cable (straight through or crossover), power on the VideoForge, and note the unit’s IP address on the LCD.
  2. Open a computer web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).
  3. Enter the unit’s IP address into the browser’s address bar and press Enter.
  4. Select the desired VideoForge user interface tab and make desired selections.

VideoForge User Interface Tabs:

  • Output – The Output page gives full control over the VideoForge SDI and HDMI output formats. This includes format, titling, orientation, color gating, color space, EDID, etc.
  • Video Cal – The Video Cal page provides a convenient shortcut to select test patterns that are commonly used for video calibration procedures. The desired pattern can be selected by simply clicking on a Pattern button on the left hand side. Any pattern parameter options for the selected pattern appear in the panel to the right of the buttons.
  • Patterns – The Patterns page provides a list of all the patterns installed on the VideoForge. Many of the test patterns also provide selection boxes to modify various parameters of the output pattern.
  • Admin – The Admin page provides version and serial number information for the VideoForge. It also allows displays the network settings, updates the firmware, and resets the unit. Pressing the unit’s Power button for an extended period also forces the VideoForge to reset and power down.

Tags:  AV FOUNDRY, Pattern Generator, VideoForge, videoforge 4k