NBC Namedropper & Harris/Leitch XHD-3903 cards?

[w9wi]

Anyone out there using this combination?

Our Namedropper stopped working last Saturday. It's ignoring the network cues.

We're using a Harris/Leitch IconMaster MCR, with a Panacea router on the input side and two XHD-3903 SD=>HD upconverter cards between the Panacea and the IconMaster. The Namedropper is on the output side of the IconMaster.

This combination has worked perfectly for over a year, until last weekend.

By careful patching (since we are not allowed to use the backup switcher during the November book...) we have established that the Namedropper sees cues if connected to the output of the Panacea, but not if connected to the output of the XHD cards. The Namedropper Web interface doesn't show the cues either.

Reseating both cards doesn't help. (and the cues aren't getting through *either* card.) We have not touched the configuration in months, nor have we changed the firmware in over a year.

Of course, Harris insists the problem is NBC's. (and I believe them) NBC insists the problem is Harris's. (and I don't believe them) NBC insists they didn't change anything over the weekend.

Anyone else running this combination?

[rockmanac]

Since it wasn't helping to the problem w9wi is having, I split off the Fox/Cisco Splicer talk.

It's now here: http://www.broadcastengineering.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2327

-Adam

[w9wi]

Well, we know believe we know what happened... and found a workaround...

It seems the XHD-3903 cards don't pass all DID/SDID combinations in the VANC data. They do pass the ones for ABC's answer to the Namedropper, but not the ones for the NBC unit.

- So why did it work for a year?

When the HD Namedropper was first deployed, they didn't have a way of triggering it over the HD network. Affiliates had to pass a copy of the SD signal to an "auxiliary in" jack on the unit. It would find the trigger signals here.

This summer, after analog broadcasting ceased, we disconnected the SD feeds to Comcast and the satellite services from the SD side of the MCR switcher, and hooked them through a 500DCDA downconverter (and the 2.0 downmix output of the Linear Acoustic) to the HD side.

But we never "unslaved" the SD and HD sides, nor did we disconnect the SD feed from the Namedropper.

So it was still triggering from the SD network.

- So why did it stop working last weekend?

Best theory...

The IRD got confused in a way that caused the Namedropper VANC data to be blocked. (NBC says that's happened before, and we had vague reports of network audio popping on Saturday) The first thing we did when we got in on Monday was to check the NBC documents and note the Namedropper was supposed to be set to trigger from Video In, not Auto. *Then*, when that didn't help, we rebooted the IRD.

Chances are, there were no trigger signals until we rebooted the IRD. By the time the IRD came back up, the Namedropper was no longer looking at the SD network -- and there were no trigger signals on the HD input.

So sure enough, switch it back to look at the Aux In -- and it's working.

Not that that's much of a long-term solution. Harris now has the DID/SDIDs for NBC and we expect them to have a firmware upgrade shortly.....

[NECRAT]

I haven't worked on any NBC equipment since moving to Providence in 2007, in fact the last stuff I worked on was the SDI Son of Skypath piece of sh... er system.

But the engineers at other NBC stations I know said the new HD equipment is just a train wreck to deal with.

[w9wi]

I haven't worked on any NBC equipment since moving to Providence in 2007, in fact the last stuff I worked on was the SDI Son of Skypath piece of sh... er system.

But the engineers at other NBC stations I know said the new HD equipment is just a train wreck to deal with.

There has been some trouble with the Tandberg IRDs. They use the same ones for Telemundo and I think we're still using a loaner there. It was going into a mode where it delivered badly distorted audio. A reboot would fix it. When the Namedropper issue came up, we were advised IRD issues could cause that too. (makes sense, as both Namedropper cues and audio are Ancillary Data) Reboot.

The Miranda stuff just makes sense, and I can't say we're had any real issues with it.

[rockmanac]

There has been some trouble with the Tandberg IRDs.

Back in Rockford, we had a Tandberg HD IRD that used to freeze up after sporting events. So naturally, we'd get to primetime and boom...frozen still image of the last thing on the satellite on the DT. Used to have to switch to up-converted SD, run back to the NBC equipment room (which was in the garage) and reboot the thing, then run back to Master Control and switch back to HD.

...oh and NBC engineers aren't nearly as bad as dealing with the NOC. There was an angry British woman there who hated talking to the affiliates. Actually, the few times I had to deal with the SkyPath people they were rather helpful.

-Adam