The GPI-100 enables GPI/O triggers to be carried in the Vertical Ancillary (VANC) data area of an SDI (SMPTE 259M), or HD SDI (SMPTE 292M) video signal, in accordance with SMPTE 291 and other related standards. The GPI-100, as an encoder, reads GPI/O inputs and inserts them into the VANC. As a decoder, it reads the VANC and applies the data to GPI/O outputs. This allows GPI/O enabled equipment to be triggered remotely through the video path.

The GPI-100 provides a simple interface allowing the carriage of GPI/O triggers as part of the video signal. For example:

• The card is set to act as an encoder or a decoder. This determines if the card will read and place the GPI/Os into the VANC (encode) or read the VANC and assert the GPI/Os (decode).
• GPI/O triggers are logged both to the screen and to a log file. The log file can be transferred from the card to the PC.
• Entries in the log file are time stamped. The GPI-100 can be set to use an NTP time server, timecode or its own internal clock as its time reference.
• One GPI-100 can insert trigger for many GPI-100s acting as receivers. There are 8 GPI/Os available and a receiver can act on all or some of them.

openGear Primary Capabilities

Offers choice of best in class products.

• Makes available a wide portfolio from industry leading manufactures, so users are not limited to a single source for solutions
• Integrates a single, unified control system so frames and cards are easy to manage and monitor
• Provides a common frame standard designed and supported by Ross Video

Delivers superior flexibility, power, and control from a third generation 2 RU modular frame.

• Provides guaranteed 24/7 operation
• Incorporates independent rear modules, frame-wide reference distribution, and integrated cooling
• Offers instant hot-swap power supplies and optional redundant power

Incorporates DashBoard Unified Remote Control and Monitoring.

• Utilizes a Java based architecture
• Supports automatic discovery of frames and devices, and in-field upgradability of devices
• Operates with practical real-time control
• Provides alarm reporting
• Deploys with multiple frames and multiple DashBoard applications on a single control network using TCP / IP based communication

Implements SNMP for incorporation into system wide SNMP monitoring applications.

• Interfaces directly to the frame with no gateway required
• Runs on a separate software port to DashBoard
• Supports MIB’s (Management Information Base) which are posted on Ross Video website

Users benefit in many ways by choosing openGear®. First, they have a wide range of choices and competition within the platform – great products at great prices from a large and growing variety of vendors. Second, openGear® keeps the cost of ownership down significantly by reducing the complexity and the number of systems to learn. Once a user understands the openGear® frame and DashBoard, they don’t have to relearn it for new openGear® products regardless of which company makes the cards. Third, openGear® can also be much more space efficient since empty frame slots have many other products to fill them instead of being limited to the offerings from only one company. This reduces the number of frames, power supplies, and network card slots that the installation requires driving costs down yet again.

Ross Video manufactures all of the frames, power supplies and network cards for openGear®. The openGear® frame contains a network card which aggregates the communication from all of the cards in the frame and makes it available to the IP network via the Ethernet Port on the rear of the openGear® frame. Each openGear® card talks to the network card inside the frame using OGP, the openGear® Protocol. Through this protocol, cards describe themselves, indicate how many controls they have, the names of those controls, the minimum and maximum value of each control, as well as a number of other pieces of information. This mechanism permits cards to be controlled by DashBoard with absolutely no changes required in the DashBoard software, the only software a partner needs to write is inside their own card.

Every openGear® card can be controlled by DashBoard, the Ross control system software application with a graphical user interface. DashBoard is provided to customers and partners at no cost and can be downloaded from the openGear.tv website. DashBoard permits customers to configure card settings as well as see all of the status and alarm information for openGear® frames and cards. DashBoard is java-based and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux systems, thus fitting right in to virtually any IT environment.

The openGear® ecosystem has grown even larger with the addition of DashBoard Connect. DashBoard Connect opens the DashBoard control and monitoring system beyond openGear® frame-based products.

DashBoard Connect is for products that for some reason don’t make sense as openGear® cards but could benefit from integration to the DashBoard control system. With DashBoard Connect, any equipment that has an Ethernet connection can appear in DashBoard. These frames can contribute alarm and signal status information alongside the openGear® card information. In addition, an DashBoard Connect compatible product can also be fully controlled within DashBoard if that company desires. DashBoard Connect is made available at no cost and with no royalties required to both customers and other equipment manufacturers.

Implementing DashBoard Connect is quite straightforward; there is a simple no-fee license to sign. Once signed, Ross Video provides all of the documentation required about the DashBoard Connect protocol. There is no software of any kind that is required to be written inside DashBoard by another company for their product to become DashBoard Connect compatible, they only have to implement the DashBoard Connect protocols within their products.

openGear® has had great success with multiple industry awards, more than 80 partner companies on board developing products for the openGear® platform, and new partners joining on a regular basis. There is an extremely wide array of solutions available from 3G video, to digital audio, IRDs and fiber. The whole range can be viewed on the openGear.tv website.

Becoming an openGear® partner and being able to create openGear® compatible cards is a straightforward process. Companies sign a simple license agreement with Ross Video which gives them access to the hardware and software specifications and the right to use the openGear® logos. Ross Video does not charge any royalties and there are no exclusive rights within openGear® to any card or product type – any company can create any product they like – including those that compete directly with Ross. Open competition on products within the frame is one of the strong reasons users want to adopt openGear®. Users can buy the best product to meet their needs, price, and delivery from whomever they wish and still have a single frame and control system to integrate with.