Understand Vicon system genlock functionality
- Gisela Roberts
This topic describes genlock functionality provided by a Vicon system when you connect external video sources to a Vicon Lock Studio.
From the Vicon application software on the Vicon host PC, you can configure the Vicon Lock Studio to genlock to an external PAL, SECAM, NTSC, or HD video source that is connected to one of the Ref Loop sockets. Genlock synchronizes the Lock unit and hence the Vicon optical cameras to the frame rate of the incoming video signal.
This also allows uplocking (running at a higher multiple of frame rate) from lower-speed broadcast cameras to Vicon's higher-speed motion capture cameras, where necessary.
The genlock source controls the overall timing of Lock unit and the frame rate. The number of lines per frame has no significance other than locking the clock. You can enable genlock functionality in your Vicon application software.
If no external video source is connected, the primary Lock unit still provides overall synchronization by 'free running'.
You can also synchronize VESA Stereo sources. For more information, see Add VESA stereo to a Vicon system.
Note that genlock can be used without timecode.
Video from a non time-base corrected source may cause high levels of jitter, which prevents reliable synchronization. The signal quality and hence Lock Studio performance is affected if the loop is not correctly terminated. If the Vicon Lock Studio is the only device or the last device in the chain, a 75 Ω (ohm) terminator must be attached to the other Ref loop video BNC connector.
