Software Installation Guide
for XVideo Xtra on Sun/Solaris
CD-ROM Release 1.1 for SBus or
CD-ROM Release 1.2 for PCI Bus
© Copyright Parallax Graphics, Inc. 1997. All rights reserved.
Printed in the USA.
Parallax Graphics, Inc., 2500 Walsh Street, Santa Clara, CA 95051 USA
Phone 408-727-2220; Fax 408-727-2367
World Wide Web: http://www.parallax.com
E-mail: info@parallax.com
No part of this manual or the accompanying software may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording-without the prior written permission of Parallax
Graphics, Inc.
VideoStream, XVideo, XVideo Xtra, XVideo700, PowerVideo, PowerVideo700,
MultiVideo, MultiVideo700, Video Development Environment, VideoTool,
MovieTool, and Parallax Graphics are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Parallax Graphics, Inc.
All other products, services or companies mentioned in this document are
identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or
organizations. Parallax Graphics, Inc. disclaims any responsibility for
specifying which marks are owned by which companies or organizations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome!
What's on This CD
How to Reach Us
About Parallax Graphics Software
Font/Usage Conventions
Before You Install
Required Hardware, Software et Cetera
Removing a Previous Version of Parallax Software
Installation
Installing the Software
Setting User Environment
Rebooting Your System
Calibrating the Digital Video Image
Installation from a Remote CD-ROM
Troubleshooting
What's Next?
Congratulations on your purchase of one of Parallax Graphics' premier
workstation video cards. With Parallax Graphics video hardware and software
you enter the world of corporate quality digital video. Please check the
Release Notes for important updates, install your video card (see your
Hardware Installation Guide), then use this guide to lead you through the
software installation process. We hope that your installation of the video
software is easy and problem-free.
This CD-ROM includes Parallax Graphics software for XVideo Xtra on one of
the following operating system/windowing system combinations:
For SBus users: Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)/OpenWindows 3.5 or CDE
(Parallax Release 1.1 for SBus) or
For PCI Bus users: Solaris 2.5.1 (SunOS 5.5.1)/OpenWindows 3.5.1 or CDE
(Parallax Release 1.2 for PCI Bus)
If you need any technical assistance during this installation, please
contact Parallax Graphics technical support at:
Parallax Graphics World Headquarters
2500 Walsh Street
Santa Clara, CA 95051 USA
Phone: 408-727-2220
Fax: 408-727-2367
E-mail: tsupport@parallax.com
World Wide Web: http://www.parallax.com
Parallax Graphics Technical Support
Herndon, Virginia USA
Phone: +1 703 450 7718
Fax: +1 703 450 7719
E-mail: tsupport@parallax.com
Parallax Graphics provides the following software to all users:
A software driver for XVideo Xtra, provided as a loadable kernel module.
A software server extension module that supports XVideo Xtra.
Parallax Graphics application software: VideoTool for live video display
and image capture and MovieTool for motion video capture and playback.
Video Development Environment: A full suite of developer's software,
including API, libraries, sample source code, and sample programs
to use in building your own video applications.
Typewriter Font Indicates code, text in terminal windows, and
keyboard strokes.
<Variable> Indicates code and on-screen text that is variable,
such as <your home directory>.
<Keyboard> Indicates keyboard strokes, such as <Up Arrow>
(one key stroke) or <Shift>S (both key strokes at once).
To complete this software installation, you will need the following:
UNIX system administration experience.
Root accounts and password permissions for each system.
Access to a CD-ROM drive.
Before you install, make sure you have the following on each workstation:
- An installed XVideo Xtra video overlay card. See your
Hardware Installation Guide for instructions.
- A supported framebuffer card, display resolution, operating system, and
windowing system (see your Release Notes for details).
NOTE: Please see your Release Notes for the most recent list of
tested/supported systems, framebuffers, and display resolutions.
(You may also look at the system requirements in your
Hardware Installation Guide, Appendix A.)
- You will need system RAM (64 MB recommended, 32 MB minimum) and swap space
(64 MB recommended, 32 MB minimum).
If you have a previous version of Parallax software for XVideo Xtra on your
workstation, you must remove it before installing the new version.
- Exit the windowing environment and get into command line mode. (Because
this software includes server and driver software, you need to be outside
the windowing environment-in command line mode-for this de-install to work
correctly.)
- When you are in command line mode, login as root.
- Remove the previous version of Parallax software for XVideo Xtra:
# pkgrm PLXXvde
NOTE: If you have removed a Parallax Graphics video framebuffer card (XVideo,
PowerVideo, MultiVideo) from this system, you may decide to free up some
disk drive space by removing the framebuffer card software. See your
framebuffer card Software Installation Guide for de-installation
instructions.
- Reboot your system to complete the de-installation.
Before you install, read the Release Notes and review Before You Install
to make sure you have the hardware, software, etc. you need.
- If you haven't removed any previous version of Parallax Graphics software
for XVideo Xtra, do so now. See here.
- Login as root.
- Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. Volume manager will auto mount the CD
onto /cdrom/cdrom0.
NOTE: If you are using a remote CD-ROM drive, see here.
- Start the installation with volume manager by loading the software from the
CD-ROM onto your hard drive.
For SBus users:
# cd /cdrom/cdrom0/solaris2.5
# pkgadd -d .
For PCI Bus users:
# cd /cdrom/cdrom0/solaris2.5.1
# pkgadd -d .
NOTE: If your system does not find the software in /cdrom/cdrom0, then look in
/cdrom/plx_vde_xtra.
- Follow the prompts to finish the installation. The interactive
instructions will lead you to load the drivers, complete the installation
and restart your system to start up the Parallax Graphics software.
NOTE: We use /opt/parallax as the Parallax base directory for XVideo Xtra users.
Please do not move the software since that would cause problems with
Calibration.
Modifying your .cshrc or .profile file.
Before you can use video, you need to set up your environment so it will
run Parallax Graphics server extension and driver modules. The best place
to set this environment is in your .cshrc or .profile file.
Shown here are recommended sample lines for users of the C Shell, Bourne
Shell, and Korn Shell. /opt/parallax is the location of the Parallax
Graphics software.
C Shell users:
Log in and move to your home directory. Add the following to the end of
your .cshrc file:
setenv PARALLAX_HOME /opt/parallax
setenv OPENWINHOME /usr/openwin
set path=($PARALLAX_HOME/bin $OPENWINHOME/bin $path)
setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH $PARALLAX_HOME/lib:$OPENWINHOME/lib:/usr/lib
NOTE: The $PARALLAX_HOME/bin directory must appear in the search path
before the $OPENWINHOME/bin directory.
When you are finished, source the newly compiled changes to reset your
environment:
# source .cshrc
Bourne Shell and Korn Shell users:
Log in and move to your home directory. Add the following to the end of
your .profile file:
PARALLAX_HOME=/opt/parallax
OPENWINHOME=/usr/openwin
PATH=$PARALLAX_HOME/bin:$OPENWINHOME/bin:$PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$PARALLAX_HOME/lib:$OPENWINHOME/lib:/usr/lib
export PARALLAX_HOME OPENWINHOME PATH LD_LIBRARY_PATH
NOTE: The $PARALLAX_HOME/bin directory must appear in the search path
before the $OPENWINHOME/bin directory.
When you are finished, source the newly compiled changes to reset your
environment:
# . .profile
Since the Parallax Graphics software includes server extension and driver
modules, you need to reboot your system before using video. Plus, after
installing your Parallax Graphics video overlay card, you need to configure
the video card into the kernel by using the command, reboot -- -r. Please
reboot your system:
# reboot -- -r
Setting Up xvconfig for Multiple Video Cards
For multiple video cards in one system (requires Parallax software release
1.2 for PCI Bus or higher): you need to make sure that the Parallax
software will know how many video cards are available on your system, so
that it will access video inputs from more than one card. And the system
needs to know how to map each video card to a display. You need to modify
xvconfig to take care of these needs.
NOTE: To use multiple video cards in one workstation, you must use Parallax
software release 1.2 or higher (release 1.2 supports PCI Bus workstations
only).
- Open the "/etc/xvconfig" file. When you open xvconfig, it should be set up
to run one video card, and it should look like this:
:0.0 PGItv2 /dev/plxv0
# :0.0 PGItv2 /dev/plxv2
# :0.0 PGItv2 /dev/plxv4
- To use two video cards, you need to un-comment the second line.
To use three video cards, you need to un-comment the second and third lines.
You need to calibrate your digital video display to place video in the
right place in your video window. This is because the XVideo Xtra card is a
video overlay card, which must be synchronized with your workstation's
framebuffer.
Calibration involves adjusting the horizontal and vertical alignment of the
XVideo Xtra video overlay card (magenta grid) with the host framebuffer
card (green grid). You have achieved proper alignment when the magenta and
green grids overlay each other, producing a single white grid. Calibration
must be done for both standard (Zoom 1x) video display and Zoom 2x video
display.
- For multiple video cards in one system: Edit the "/etc/xvconfig" file so
all lines are commented out except the line ending in ".../plxv2" for a
two-video-card system or ".../plxv4" for a three-card system (the last
board must be calibrated first). Re-start the window server.
- Before you start Calibrate, you must be in the window server. If needed,
use the command openwin to start the window server.
NOTE: XVideo Xtra cards do not require a special start-up script (unlike our
framebuffer cards-XVideo, PowerVideo, etc.-which use start_ow3).
- Start the Calibrate program with the following command:
# Calibrate
NOTE: If you did not set your path correctly in Setting User Environment,
then you will need to change directories to /opt/parallax/bin
before you run Calibrate.
The Calibrate window appears.
Displaying the File menu in the Calibrate screen.
Move the Calibrate window so that the left edge of the Calibrate window is
at the left edge of your monitor screen.
The Calibrate window and grid may be wider than your display and run off
the right edge so you can't see the Help pull-down menu (upper-right
corner). You can ignore this or resize the window to fit in your display.
For a description of the Calibrate program options, pull down the "Help"
menu in the upper right corner of the Calibrate window. (The "Help" menu
may be hidden off the right edge of your display-see NOTE above.
Pull down the "File" menu, then click on "Default."
View the Default_Settings window. Under "Files" select a default settings
file with your framebuffer type (for Creator or Creator 3D select
"ffb..."), display resolution, and display frequency. Click OK to apply the
default settings for your choice.
Use Default_Settings to select your framebuffer type and display resolution.
If you do not know the display resolution you are using, in a terminal
window type the command xwininfo. At the prompt, click on the root
(background) window. The window/display width and height (and a lot of
other data) will appear in the terminal window. Example: ... Width: 1152
Height: 900
If you select a default settings file with the wrong framebuffer type,
display resolution, or frequency the grid may not synchronize. The grid may
jitter or roll vertically, or tear horizontally. If your grid jitters,
rolls, or tears, re-select a framebuffer type, display resolution, and
frequency and click OK.
If you can't stabilize the grid after trying all the default settings
files, go to Troubleshooting (page 22) now.
When you have selected and applied (OK'd) a default settings file that has
stabilized the grid, you are ready to close the Default_Settings menu.
Click Cancel to close the menu.
If you see any magenta or green grid lines in your Calibrate window, you
need to move the magenta (video overlay) grid onto the green (framebuffer)
grid until all the grid lines are on top of each other and look white. If
your grid is already 100% white, go to step 8.
Align Horizontal Lines: If the horizontal lines are magenta and green
(instead of white), line up the magenta and green horizontal lines by using
the and keys to move the magenta grid onto the
green grid, until the horizontal lines are white.
Align Left Vertical Lines: If the vertical grid line closest to the left
edge of your display is magenta or green (instead of white), then move the
far left magenta line onto the far left green line by using the and keys for large adjustments, and then
for fine adjustments, until the far left vertical
line is white.
Resize Width of Magenta Grid: If you can still see magenta and green lines,
then resize the width of the magenta grid with the S and S keys
until the magenta grid fits onto the green grid, producing one white grid.
When you are finished with this step, all of the grid lines should be lined
up and white, with no magenta or green showing.
If you are not able to line up all your magenta and green lines with the
commands above, go to Troubleshooting (page 22) now.
Summary of Calibration alignment command keys
<Up Arrow>
<Down Arrow>
Align horizontal magenta lines with horizontal green lines until the lines
overlap and become white.
<Left Arrow>
<Right Arrow>
Move far left magenta line onto far left green line until they become a
single white line.
<Shift><Left Arrow>
<Shift><Right Arrow>
Same as above, but smaller movements.
S
<Shift>S
Resize the width of the magenta grid until it fits onto the green grid,
producing a single white grid.
So you won't need to re-calibrate every time you log in, pull down the File
menu and select "Save" to save the Calibration settings. The Calibration
settings are written to /opt/parallax/etc/plxv0.
Pull down the Zoom menu (in the upper left corner of the Calibrate window)
and choose Zoom_2 to calibrate for Zoom 2x mode.
Use the arrow keys to align the two grids (repeat step 7. for Zoom_2).
Pull down the File menu and select "Save" to save the Calibration settings
for Zoom_2.
Pull down the Zoom menu and choose "Normal" to return to Zoom 1x mode.
Otherwise, the first time you start a video overlay application (VideoTool
et al), it will launch in Zoom 2x mode.
Pull down the File menu again and select Exit to exit Calibrate.
For multiple cards in one system: Change directories to "/opt/parallax/etc=
"
and rename ("mv") the file "plxv0" to either "plxv2" if you just calibrated
the second card, or "plxv4" if you calibrated the third card. If you just
calibrated the first card, do not rename the file.
For multiple cards in one system: If you have not calibrated all of the
video cards yet, edit the "/etc/xvconfig" file, comment out the line for
the video card you just calibrated, and uncomment the line before it.
Re-start the server. Repeat steps 3 through 14.
If you have already calibrated all the video cards, edit the
"/etc/xvconfig" file and uncomment the lines for each video card
(".../plxv0" and ".../plxv2" for two cards, plus ".../plxv4" for three
cards).
Restart the server.
Congratulations! You are now ready to use video. See your Multimedia User's
Guide for details.
If You Have Problems
If you are not able to calibrate your video card with the instructions
above, go to Troubleshooting (page 22) now.
If your system does not have a local CD-ROM drive, you can install the
software from a remote system with a CD-ROM drive:
From the remote system, export the CD-ROM using Solaris 2.x share. For
further information, see the man pages for share.
From your system, mount the CD-ROM file system on your machine and install
the software (see pages 9 through 20).
After installation is complete, unmount the CD.
Here are a few tips to help you solve common problems. If you need further
technical assistance, please contact Parallax Graphics technical support
(see page 5).
Calibrate is not Working
We use /opt/parallax as the Parallax base directory for XVideo Xtra users.
Please do not move the software to another directory since that would cause
problems with Calibration.
If you have tried selecting the available default files for Calibrate and
are unable to manipulate any of them into properly aligning the grids, then
using "Calibrate -hv" may help.
You should only use the "-hv" option if you can't get the normal Calibrate
procedure to work, and you should use the "-hv" commands (H, <Shift>H, V,
and <Shift>V) to the minimum extent required for Calibration.
Follow Calibration steps 1 and 2 as usual (page 14).
Modified Step: Start the Calibrate -hv program with the command:
# Calibrate -hv
Follow Calibration steps 4 to 6 as usual (pages 15 to 17).
New Step-Stop Vertical Rolling or Jittering: If the magenta grid is rolling
or jittering vertically, strike the <Shift>V key combination one to four
times in an attempt to "lock" the video signal (stop the magenta grid from
moving, rolling, or jittering). Do not use <Shift>V more than 3-4 times.
Count the number of times you use <Shift>V.
If <Shift>V has no effect, strike the V key the same number of times to
return to the