hell yea. are there going to be any demo videos of the upcoming smaller modules?

We’ll be sending those along with ESG3, DSG3, TBC2 to Johnny Woods very soon, to do more 3 patches videos. It’s going to be hard to allocate a lot of time for demo production in house until the Chromagnon release, but we could do some live Q&A/patch streams that get archived. I will try to at least post some patch diagrams.

This is such great news @creatorlars, thanks for posting it
& someone’s already posted it to Discord where its creating an active conversation too.
Nick’s stream today was great yet I only caught the last 75 minutes or so. He did a quick Stairs & Staircase A/B (upon request which was damn nice of him considering he’d probably already done it earlier in the stream) & jez, what a difference! Gen3 is the bomb!!! Congrats

Thanks for the update! I’m happy to see you all completing your multi-year vision and am looking forward to… well, all of this!

Where does the big firmware update (Mem Palace, Diver, etc.) lie on the timeline?

I’m so interested in purchasing these first 3 commands. However, I have not done any pre order yet. So does that I’m out of luck on preorders being all filled and essentially I cannot order any units till q4? Or is the July run of shipments going to have a reserve of units that can still be purchased today???

Thanks so much!
-d

It might be worthwhile finding an LZX dealer near you, and enquiring if they have anything on pre-order that you could purchase.
Or maybe just wait until product is made and distributed then hunt down what is available in the market… less ambiguity with that approach.

TBC2 might not reach ready-to-ship inventory until Q4, but ESG3 and DSG3 should be in stock sometime this summer. I fully expect all three modules to be available somewhere online shortly after they begin shipping–either from private parties or dealers.

Definitely excited about a Staicase type module in Gen 3

Out of curiosity what is the price point going to be for these 5 new utility modules that you’re hoping to put up for sale this week?

Prices will be announced when the modules go up for sale this week.

What is the Keychain module?

KeyChain is 3 hard Keyers. Nick gave a cool demo of its style of output on the LZX Twitch account about a month ago but its not up there anymore. He used the Visionary TFKG module on a camera feed & it looked great!

Hey Pascal @meudiademorte, was it you who posted a link in the Discord recently to a Google Drive backup of some or all of the previous Twitch streams that Nick has done?

Here’s the said link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16qsDG_v0OFGjhVoBNDxUiAmLb_q20qhf

Yws, i did a back up. Have to upload the last 2.

Thank you for this. I missed several due to a fluctuating work schedule and was bummed to think they were gone forever!

Happy to say that I’ve released a production version of the ESG3 firmware today, after spending the past week tuning the genlock input timings.

I should be able to say the same on DSG3 within the next few days.

I gave a video synth workshop here in Berlin this evening, Sunday 10th July, & it was nice to tell a couple of the participants, who pointed out that the Visual Cortex isn’t even on the Schneidersladen page anymore, with full confidence that ESG3 is imminent and the wait for an encoder is soon over.

It’s been a bit of a long week for us here – initial batch testing of 9 units of ESG3 on Monday uncovered a new clock crystal tolerance related issue. A couple units were outside the other unit’s lock ranges at their resting frequencies. We’ve got this resolved now it appears – but we are going to be testing for another day or two to be sure, before we can say we are done. Some of us are also out of office or sick right now, so I don’t think there will be any ESG3 going out this or next week.

Right now, it’s still looking likely we’ll be at a spot where we can start shipping them before the end of the month.

This week, we also added a test pattern generator mode to TBC2, so that we can have a native reference for 1V color bars. This is making the RGB calibration on ESG3 units very pleasant, as you can see from the below photo. We pulled out a Tek WFM90 vectorscope we’ve had lying around for ages, and are putting it to work.

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TBC2 firmware has been performing great, but I’m trying to get ESG3 out the door first (so that I have an output to evaluate TBC2 with other than Visual Cortex.) It was nice to see how quickly I could add the extra generator mode to the software engine, which bodes well for the speed at which we’ll be able to release new firmware extensions post-release.

dang, never seen a portable vectorscope like that before. cool stuff!

color bars end up being such a fun input to the video synth
glad to see it built in! otherwise it would have just ended up a still on our TBC2
hopefully some more people will take the time to really get to know chroma key on the memory palace with these bars

Yes, test patterns are great. I have a Kramer VGA downscaler that generates a test pattern when there’s no VGA input. As I usually have no VGA sources, I use it mainly as a pattern generator. It’s great when I need a complex pattern and I’ve run out of modules to patch something up - or I’m just feeling lazy.

Yes, especially if we are just rendering a still frame, it’s easy to have all kinds of software generators in TBC2. Here is the basic RGB ramps generator. All of this will get ported back to Memory Palace at some point.

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I think a development diary approach tends to work well for that! So I am going to try to keep this thread updated weekly and at any eventful milestones.

Forget if this has been shared before, but if anyone needs some down-and-dirty color bars (for fun stuff), a ramp + Castle ADC works great.

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Output:

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Just a technical note: That technique works well for 100% color bars, but most vector scopes will expect 75% levels (0.75V) for their calibration squares. In this case, since it’s TBC2’s DAC generating the RGB source, we can set a very specific RGB value for each bar – this helps in the calibration use case. Either method works, for a creative use case of course!!

(Is this funny? it seemed funny when I thought of it but by the time I completed it, it seems kinda dumb. I was originally thinking of Billy Idol but this had the text on it)

You’re not alone. I too have heard Sting singing “I want my TBCeee!” for quite some time.

Ha ha, I played live visuals at a gig last week & an older gentleman walked in during the soundcheck. When he saw my visuals, for some reason he mentioned this exact song
But it took us a while to think of the band name, funnily enough the album title came quickly to mind. I absolutely loved this song & video as a kid, as well as their other hit with some wacky video editing, “Walk of Life”

We had a quiet week this week, with steady ESG3 progress. Jonah tackled some pre-flight QA checks on the first batches of hardware modules while I iterated through firmware builds with lots of small tweaks – mostly related to the composite output’s subcarrier, and improving horizontal phase lock under all cases. That’s all looking great and it looks like we’ll be shipping some units soon.

This is a first time for us, doing a CVBS output with a locked subcarrier (previous encoder designs have used a free running crystal.) We’re using some of the PLL and DSP blocks in the Lattice iCE40LP5 FPGA to generate subcarrier clocks for NTSC and PAL. Since the PLL is based on the same 27MHz pixel clock used to generate the other sync signals: hsync, vsync, avid, etc, we can conform to broadcast standards for a locked synchronous subcarrier.

So in addition to the new HD modes, there is a substantial quality upgrade to this encoder in respect to the CVBS output, too!

When working on the VHDL code that compiles into the FPGA’s firmware, it can be a bit of a head shift compared to the C++ application code I’ve been writing for TBC2. It all gets compiled into real time logic, instead of processor instructions! I like VHDL a lot because you are describing a circuit, and so it feels natural to me. Here’s a process block that detects whether or not a sync signal is connected into the sync input jack, and also determines if the video source is interlaced:

process(i_clk)
  begin
    if rising_edge(i_clk) then
      s_clk_cnt <= s_clk_cnt + 1;
      s_csync_ff <= i_csync;
      s_csync_ff2 <= s_csync_ff;
      s_interlaced <= s_interlaced or not i_oddeven;
      if (s_csync_ff = '0' and s_csync_ff2 = '1') or (s_csync_ff = '1' and s_csync_ff2 = '0') then
        s_csync_cnt <= s_csync_cnt + 1;
      end if;
      if s_clk_cnt = 0 then
        s_o_interlaced <= s_interlaced;
        if s_csync_cnt > 0 then
          s_o_detected <= '1';
          s_csync_cnt <= 0;
        else
          s_o_detected <= '0';
        end if;
      end if;
    end if;
  end process;

IMG_20220722_1306554032×3024 806 KB

jesus, that scope shot is perfect

I had some phase and DAC scale corrections to make to DSG3 this morning, and our 10-bit ramp generators are now looking great.

Here you can see some timing discontinuities I needed to fix – vertical reset line is in the wrong spot, and the vramp resets at the wrong phase:

IMG_20220723_1113394032×3024 900 KB

Waveforms on the scope:

IMG_20220723_1114234032×3024 397 KB

Enjoying a DSG3+ESG3 mini synth/pattern generator!

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A couple quick shots in 1080p30 (excuse the moire):

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We’re now at a point where I’m personally satisfied with where we are on both of these modules, and would be happy if firmware shipped in this state – but I need to meet with the team on Monday to assess where we are before I start promising shipment dates. This is a very big milestone though, as it puts both projects back into the workshop/production team’s priority queue.

great to see such progress Lars - keep up the good work!

I took a break from ESG3/DSG3 testing to play with a couple new prototypes today (Keychain, triple hard key generator and Contour, triple differentiator). Here’s DSG3 → Keychain → Contour → ESG3 in 1080p30.

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thank you for all the recent communications! I’m super interested in seeing the panel layout for contour.

how has that seetec monitor been working out?

It is really nice to see this kind of progress happening

@creatorlars , thank you for sharing your progress.
I’m looking forward to using ESG3!
And I’m curious about the Expedition modules that works in HD workflow…
Can you tell us about the Expedition module(s) that obviously doesn’t work in HD workflow at this time?

In Expedition series only, I would be very surprised if you get these specific three modules to work outside of NTSC/PAL timings:

• Liquid TV

• Visual Cortex

• Navigator (X/Y positioning is likely fine but operating rotation without matched sync probably will give you at least a glitched line)

Everything else in Expedition that requires RCA sync should be able to sync to HD timings without a problem. If it doesn’t require sync, it just works in any of the timing formats.

LMH198x is what drives the Gen3 multi-format sync extraction but LM1881 sync extraction used throughout Expedition is surprisingly robust with HD timings. Different story for Visionary, Orion and Cadet commands.

Thank you for information.
I was also worried that the Expedition modules would be damaged by the HD workflow.
But the components and the circuits of the Expedition module seems to be strong.

Yes, this raises questions. So I’m also curious.

I love the Seetec monitor! It has CVBS & YPbPr inputs with loopthru (very handy if going to a recording/capture device afterwards) and supports all 15 of the Gen3 timing modes natively. There are a few versions, this is the rack mount one.

Contour is another 8HP utility module, following the same triple function layout as Keychain & Proc. The VC differentiator is the same architecture as Curtain’s, but uses only the high frequency range. Perfect for pulling edge gradients out of Keychain’s flat outputs. Or reversing that relationship, Contour into Keychain becomes an outline extractor with adjustable stroke width.

Keychain uses the very fast AD8564 quad comparator and looks very sharp in the HD modes.

We’ll be doing a multimode/2D VCF based on the DWO3 architecture and some sort of edge proc/luma enhancer later on. Contour and Keychain are meant to up the system’s ratio of base key/filter functions at a very high function-to-HP ratio (1 Filter/Key Gen per 2.67HP).

Oh, yes! I love all these filters and keyers. Thanks for the info.

Love to hear about some texture and filtering Gen3 options. I’m sort of curious if there is any preference for a Gen3 noise source being single dual or triple?

For a typical analog noise source, I think that one is probably enough. The idea of a noise source is to provide randomness across all frequencies at once – so you typically use filters to further shape the noise’s tone. So, I guess that’s my opinion: noise with different filtered outputs or noise with extra mult outs is probably more useful than a triple noise generator.

That’s kind of what I pictured for a noise source. the only reason to want more noise sources would be for chromatic noise, though you’d still want filtering for each channel.

Keychain is now available on the LZX site!
https://community.lzxindustries.net/t/all-about-keychain/4021

It was a busy week – the workshop built batches of the Keychain and Stairs modules as Jonah and I tackled a few ESG3/DSG3 issues that popped up with the progressive formats, and then focused on ESG3 QA/calibration. Today ended with around 40x ESG3 units calibrated and ready to go, and some of those are already in the mail.

I did manage to squeeze an easter egg mode into ESG3, because we had one position left on the 4-bit format select switch, it is 240p60 (262 lines/field NTSC progressive) – it should be a fun one to play with on some older CRTs. Currently my display will recognize it as NTSC on composite, but not on it’s YPbPr inputs.

Next week, we’ll get to review the latest DWO3 prototype, which was finished yesterday, and see if that module is ready for production as well. And I’ll be getting back to TBC2, which we’re hoping to get out the door shortly as well.

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Super stoked for my esg3

Yes, DSG3 and ESG3 firmwares were released earlier in this month, and both modules are in the shipping state.

Ed and I are in the middle of the TBC2 release sprint at the moment (this means the final list of tasks / bugfixes that need to be resolved before releasing version 1.) Compared to where we started 3 weeks ago, we’re over halfway through the list. I do not think it will take another 3 weeks to finish, though. DSG3/ESG3 QA & fulfillment tasks have been dominating my schedule, and this is the first week since my last update that I have been able to contribute most of my time to TBC2. I expect a couple more days of code, a couple more days of QA/testing, and then we’ll start sending them out.

So next week, I’ll check in again – I’ll either let you know that we are shipping, or that QA/testing is dragging out, and what’s up with that.

Having fun with some live upscaling of NTSC camera to 1080p30 in a feedback loop.

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this looks super fun! what kind of camera are you using here?
I’m so excited to see TBC2s coming our way!

Thanks to the LZX team for their hard work making this possible.

Thanks for the update!

Just checking in before I transition over to focusing on the holiday weekend (Happy Labor Day!)

I plugged the USB JTAG debugger tool I use for TBC2 development in backwards this Monday, and fried it. So I was without my debugger until Friday (when replacements arrived from Digilent.) So I wasn’t able to race to the launch day like I wanted – but I used the time to implement some more thorough input detection functionality for sync and video inputs.

Now TBC2 will auto detect the presence of the sync input and locks onto the detected format – additionally the inputs will auto detect the connector in use, so it’s no longer necessary to define any of that in the menu.

Additionally, I moved media loading to a coroutine that allows better monitoring of the loading state, and allows the video outputs to remain running while media loading is in progress.

Now that I have my debugger back in place, I can get back to wrapping up the project.

A shame you fried the JTAG tool but it’s great to read these upgrades you’ve been able to implement into TBC2, especially the sync detect & taking out that selection process from the menu
Having the same “no freeze when loading a new folder” coroutine on Memory Palace would be awesome. Surely this hasn’t been included on the recent 2.0.2 (perhaps mislabeled) upgrade, right?

Correct. The most recent Memory Palace firmware update took place at the end of 2021.

This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I’ve done it in the past few years! I usually have a backup. Not this time. I can develop without the debugger tool, but it involves building the firmware binary, transferring it over on SD card, and booting from SD every time I want to test a build. So it’s harder to do the more tedious bits that involve small tweaks you want to verify rapidly.

The current development path for Memory Palace is to develop the Mk2 firmware with a build that is cross-compatible with the Mk1 hardware (but SD modes only.) So I’m sure we will add this feature to Memory Palace Mk1, but that will come in parallel with Mk2’s development.

What camera is this, Lars? I’ve seen them around but never known what they are

Does this mean the eventual mk2 memory palace will do the HD timings?

That’s Nick’s camera. They’re called “Lipstick Cameras.”

Does this mean the eventual mk2 memory palace will do the HD timings?

Yes, part of the whole hassle of this generational upgrade going on is that all future development will support all 15 analog SD/HD timing formats. This is our “forever list” of video formats to support. So Mempal Mk2 will support all the same timings.

ffs… this means I’m going to end up having separate SD and HD racks. While MP’s functions are only accessible in SD, I’m happy to stay in SD. I won’t be able to resist an HD Mempal, but I’m too much of a horder to let go of the SD Mempal.

I’ve got a Vessel in the back of a wardrobe. A MP2 might finally push me to transfer all my SD syncing units into the Vessel, find a Vesa arm for it and mount it somewhere alongside a HD + everything else version of my existing set up. The quest for a good load-bearing and easily adjustable Vesa arm commences…

So whats up with the chromagnon? Whats the actual Status and are there any news?

After the TBC2 firmware is released, I’ll be able to resume work on Chromagnon. We are a very small team, and have to serialize our efforts. The reason we’re releasing new modules right now is so that we can survive as a business to finish the Chromagnon project, which has suffered long delays for more than a few reasons! We discontinued most of our product line when Chromagnon was announced, so it left us without a product catalog to survive on when the delays hit us. I’m looking forward to celebrating the TBC2 launch and being back on the Chromagnon track.

I got this to work on a Tektronix 650HR-C in RGB mode! My rescan setup won’t do it justice it at the moment but the scanlines look great in shape synthesis.

Can the manual be amended to show this timing is possible?

It’s 1111xxx1 for 240p60 in RGB colorspace.

EDIT: Here’s a halfway decent rescan and a rougher closeup so you can see both the aperture grill and blanked scanlines more or less more clearly. Those edges, though.

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Reminds me of when Apple killed FCP 7… glad we have modules available again now and LZX is still here.

This might have been asked already…but with TBC2, VC, Memory Palace, etc. is there a preferred Sync Master? I typically use the VC as master. Just wondering if TBC2 should be master in a setup with those modules or doesn’t matter keeping VC as master and TBC2 slaved too.

Not sure but one thing to bear in mind is that the component in on VC is not a TBC/FS so if bringing in multiple external sources is part of your workflow not having VC as LZX house Sync (master/parent) might make using that input more challenging.

All the Gen3 modules (including TBC2, Chromagnon, ESG3) with sync generator functions are crystal clocked sync generators with external sync capability. (So technically they are all time base correctors, but not all frame synchronizers!)

So there’s no advantage or disadvantage to which one you use as sync master. It’s just whichever module doesn’t have anything patched to the sync input jack.

There’s also no problems with continuing to use Visual Cortex as your sync generator either – it’s a very stable sync gen, with a similar architecture as Gen3 (a dedicated FPGA/CPLD generator running off a base 27MHz VCXO).

I would avoid using Memory Palace as sync generator – the earlier units had some issues, that were then corrected. But it doesn’t have as ideal of a sync transmission line as the Gen3 modules do.

Oh, you tease!

Nice, is my unit due for a tune up yet? I keep reminding you all, but keep getting ghosted by your work timelines. lol

I’m very happy with my UltraStudio Mini HD for capture, but it needs additional converters to get analog outputs. It has two output channels for RGBA graphics (RGB + A.) I’m planning to experiment with sending full alpha channel motion graphics from the PC to Memory Palace (which has alpha channel input.) This should be lots of fun.

If you want to capture via Memory Palace’s DVI-D output, you will get the native quality of the A/D converters used in that module – in other words, 24-bit RGB in LZX native format! And you can use a much cheaper capture/recorder, like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/892453-REG/Blackmagic_Design_bdlkulsdzminrec_Ultrastudio_Mini_Recorder.html?ap=y&gclid=Cj0KCQjww8jcBRDZARIsAJGCSGtoOGm3DWLmXxPpw18KJ4vv9sXSRP3FUx4lfskND18vN3e4lU6iMMcaAk-tEALw_wcB&smp=y

@DesertMuseum Well if the Memory Palace output is what you want to capture, yes. The DVI-D will be the output in its native buffer format. If you want to capture your analog patch use a capture device with 10-bit YPbPr capture like Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle.

I’m brand new to all this but enjoying the research. Does the USB port on the TBC2 mean that TBC2 can act as a capture device / output device similar to what I expected from the Blackmagic shuttle?

I caught the bug from a copy of Lumen. Have been considering the jump into either a Vidiot or small system based around Visual Cortex. If the TBC2 is a capture device, the that might make more sense for me than the Shuttle.

I’m sorry, TBC2 is not a capture device. We recommend Intensity Shuttle for capture/recording, but I prefer the UltraStudio Mini HD personally, it’s a bit more stable in my experience (but requires Thunderbolt 3 interface.)

Glad to have you and thanks for the question.

I am a big fan of capturing output on a dedicated device versus using a computer (w/Intensity Shuttle) for capture. I do use the Intensity Shuttle to output video into the LZX system.

If you look for slightly older standalone recorders you can usually find them with Component Video I/O so you don’t need to buy any conversion boxes in line.

http://www.ambery.com/dihddvivgaco.html I was just looking at this one it seems like it is pretty decent
there is some room for growth from component output to having a scaler
ambery seems to be a pretty trusted place as far as video stuff goes

Related to this: what’s a good standalone composite->HDMI converter?

A lot of the broadcast converters use SDI as the basic standard, so there are a ton of options if you look for Composite/Analog to SDI and then SDI to HDMI. If you want upscaling that sometimes requires another box. For example in my studio I have Analog to SDI -> UpDownCross -> SDI to HDMI for this (all Blackmagic Mini Converters.) I believe Atomos sells one that does Analog to HDMI with scaling. A dedicated rig is very useful and highly recommended.

The use case is playing out at live shows: the house projectors at places around here usually have just a HDMI cable and no easy way to run anything else to the ceiling-mounted projector.

I am a big fan of the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini HD for capture to a computer, but don’t always have it set up (read: did not plan ahead :P) when the video gods are smiling. For quick jams and avoiding “I wish I had recorded that” syndrome, I love having a dedicated recorder. My workflow is largely SDI, and I use a Blackmagic Hyperdeck Shuttle SSD recorder for “standalone” capture. It also doubles as an HDMI capture device/cross converter. It has a built in battery (ALWAYS ready to record, even if you run out of outlets/forget the AC adaptor!) and is built so solidly you could use it for self-defense. Dedicated recorders have the advantage of also being dedicated PLAYBACK devices. It opens up a lot of additional flexibility for live performances.

Even if you don’t have a lot of SDI gear, I’d still recommend one. The Blackmagic “whatever”->SDI mini converters are VERY reasonably priced.

I can second all CountFunkula’s comments on the Hyperdeck Shuttle. Totally solid and always ready to record. Mine sits under my monitor. The mini converter sits under the synth. I edit on a computer in another room. The internal battery means it won’t lose anything if the power suddenly goes off. It’ll always have time to save the last frame.

Are all of the $30 usb -> component “digitize your old VHS tapes” dongles on Amazon total garbage? Are there any that are reliable?

You definitely won’t get professional results with them. It’s like being in a band when you’re a kid… you can use the cheap amps and cheap guitar and still write awesome songs, though.

Makes total sense. Are there any that are at least so so? I’m not ready to buy a black magic product but I did recently get a sweet vcr from goodwill.

UPDATE: I picked up a webcam. Pointing the webcam at the television is easier for me at this stage, plus it ends up looking kind of cool.

Lately, I’ve been live streaming my video explorations and performances. Live streaming would not be possible with a stand alone device. Using OBS (open broadcaster software) one can stream and/or capture to disk, even multiple sources. Works great for tutorial type videos. So typically I use a Canopus and Intensity Pro card at the same time to stream- PiP or switching sources. But, I’m pretty settled in and don’t play out much.

Aja Helo will stream and/or record without a computer.

Of course that exists! Thanks for the correction

AJA HELO is a great addition to the mid level encoder world. Super stable. Front panel controls vs all browser controls.

Best in category!

Hi hi,
I hope I’m asking this question in a way that isn’t too redundant, or has been already answered. In anticipation of the memory palace’s arrival:

Are there any drawbacks to using a run of the mill dvi-d to HDMI adapter (link to example below) before going I to a recording device (like hyperdeck shuttle ssd) - and out to a monitor?

I 'm all about the high quality conversation from analog to sdi, but my wallet can’t take that big of a hit right now. At the same time, I’m trying to get a recording of a higher quality than can be achieved by USB dongles.

Interested to hear your thoughts on wheather something like this would play nice with memory palace:

DVI-D and HDMI carry the same information. They are just a different connector. HDMI is a more expensive connector. So, the adaptor should be fine. According to the MP page LZX will supply the MP with one.

“DVI-D/HDMI video output supporting 480p/576p SD progressive output. DVI-D to HDMI connector adapter included. [ Designer Note: We plan to enable other output video format options on the DVI-D connector.]”

About the Hyperdeck: At this point the MP looks to only output 480 progressive. So it is de-interlacing the incoming interlaced signal that you are feeding into the MP. It is not scaling to 1920 x 1080. So just confirm the Hyperdeck will accept that format.

If you want to upscale to 1080 you need the Hyperdeck to do that in your proposed signal-flow. You would need to confirm that it can do that as I am not too familiar with that particular product.

so I’ve just received a hyperdeck shuttle!

at first I tried simply sending it a feed from my switch via an ambery vga/component => HDMI transcoder (I don’t believe it is being sold anymore can’t find any info)

no luck well some luck as you can see the whole image is green

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at this point some of you probably already know what the issue was

so I tried the component out from the LZX rig through the ambery transcoder again just a green version of the lament configuration

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I did some research and found that the hyperdeck is expecting the HDMI source to be YUV video not RGB so I had to start looking at all the manuals of my devices to see what would allow for going from RGB component to HDMI YUV

my first thought was to use the BMD intensity shuttle
while it isn’t a practical setup unless I was wanting redundant video recording (one to computer and one to SSD) I still wanted to see if it would work

and it did good news! (the source this time from a VHS player into a V440 mixer out via the s-video program output)

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ultimately I’d like to be able to record to send video out from computer (intensity shuttle) and record straight onto a SSD (hyperdeck shuttle)

so I have a couple extron scaling boxes I bought for around $20 each off ebay and while looking back through the manual one stood out as it would happily change the colorspace from RGB to YUV via its on screen menu system

the one I ended up using first worked so I didn’t end up trying the others yet extron RGB-HDMI 300 A (i think “a” allows for 1/8 stereo audio input alongside the component/VGA input and even has some audio delay built in for proper lip syncing!)

so I went out with component from the LZX rig => a component to VGA adapter => the extron 300 HDMI box => the hyperdeck shuttle => the viewing monitor

I know this is a big rambly but I’m hoping that somebody will find it useful

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If you have an old PC or MacBook, a cheap Video Capture device like the Digitnow (22.99€ from Amazon) seems to work fine.

Initially I was considering Blackmagic and Elgato, but I’ve read mixed reviews about the results using MacBook Pro and USB-C, and didn’t feel like throwing 150€ just to see if one of them works for me.

I doubt this Digitnow would run on my MacBook Pro, but for less than 25€… In any case, I was thinking in using the MacBook Pro for sending video, Lumen, etc., into the Visual Cortex, and the old Mac for recording.

The quality seems pretty good. If interested, I could list the codecs included and the maximum resolution. In any case, way better than my up-to-now attempts at recording from the TV (which included multiple unwanted reflections, knocking the camera off a few times, and the “textures” one gets from filming from TVs… though they also have their charm). Anyway, for now it’s just for fun, to record some experiments with the Visual Cortex. I have no illusions of becoming a Pro anytime soon.

What about HDCP issues (s-video to SDI:To HDMI) ???
I tried a Ninja Flame without luch due to HDCP problems with upscalers from s-video to HDMI…

Thanks for the recommendation! I picked up an Extron 300A and I’m just waiting for it to arrive now. I’ve a similar setup to what you explain - Macbook > Intensity Shuttle > Visual Cortex > Hyperdeck.

I’m really curious about the audio delay feature. I find that my digital content, when it reacts to audio that I feed it, is fast to react (for example to an input sound triggering the opacity of a shape), but by the time that image is sent out of the shuttle, there’s some delay. So I’ve wondered for a while if there was some device I could get that would delay the audio that is heard, just a little. So that it matches the video.
If this will do that it’s gonna be amazing!
Plus I can record at a higher resolution, which is of course the main objective.
Excited!

so the Hyperdeck will then record video and audio both from HDMI?

I don’t think I’ve tried audio and video recording together much yet I always get too distracted by the video system to get the audio stuff up and running and hooked up

Man. Get some audio triggering things. It’s insane
Sensorary Translator all the way

Just trying to get the Extron upscaler working. What settings do you use on the input / output?!

Panic over. Sorted. 50Hz seems to be good, and as for resolution, scaling it is a little fiddly, but then I got it nice and saved to user preset. All good

@creatorlars do you capture 1080p (over 1080i or smaller resolutions than 1080) from the Hyperdeck Mini?

I’d imagine you capture progressive here rather than letting software convert to progressive later, but I’m very curious!

I’m mainly thinking about the following workflow: Visual Cortex -> an Analog-to-SDI converter -> Ultrastudio Mini HD or Hyperdeck Mini.

Question about Cortex capture through ATEM Mini Pro:

I have a Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro which records to a USB drive. It’s great but only takes HDMI inputs. I’ve been doing capture from Cortex S-Video -> V4-EX -> ATEM Mini Pro recently which has been adequate – but I’m realizing is subpar because

• I’m using S-Video not component out of the Cortex
• V4-EX internal processing is SD-based at 480p/576p Progressive.

I’m considering trying out Visual Cortex capture via component output -> BM Analog-to-SDI -> BM SDI-to-HDMI -> ATEM Mini Pro, but I don’t have either of those converters right now and I’m not sure if this would be a recommended route. While this seems like a long train of cables, but this actually seems like exact same train required for the Atomos Ninja-2 (replacing the ATEM) that is recommended in the LZX capture Youtube video. That makes me think this may be a plausible solution for quality capture. I’d rather switch to a standalone capture device in the future, over the ATEM Mini Pro, but perhaps it will hold up better than I expect for capture quality!

Well it seems like the Intensity Shuttle days are over. I’ve upgraded to an M1 Mac and Blackmagic’s Desktop Video Software does not support the TB Intensity Shuttle (the USB Intensity Shuttle was end-of-life’d a while before). It’s a real pity since it was the ideal device for video input and output from my Mac (albeit in fairness, not at the same time ). I’m going to sell my Intel Mac since otherwise the M1 is just so superior, but I’m going to need to figure out another way to get video in and out. I’d prefer component of course.

Any ideas out there?

The EASYCEL component to hdmi converter on Amazon is $35, way less expensive than the other options. That option will not output 1080i though, and has some mixed reviews. I picked up two of their hdmi to component converters in anticipation of TBC2. I’ve been using a thunderbolt intensity shuttle, but was considering an analog to sdi converter to go into the decimator for an hdmi output, and I think that’s the best upscale option. I’ve gone decimator to sdi-analog to get content into the system, but haven’t had the need to pick up the analog-sdi converter yet.

Hi dear LZX geeks

I’m still in the journey of finding a relatively cheap, computerless, but proper way to capture my video synth
I’m trying to avoid the SDI to HDMI converter so here’s what I end up to :
Blackmagic Mini converter Analog to SDI to a (second hand) Atomos Samuraï with SDI IN
Anyone using this combo ?

I’m using an Atomos Ninja to capture and Lars is so right. It captures in a lossy codec resulting in artifacting and dull colors. Here’s an example of capturing on the Ninja MP4: https://www.instagram.com/tv/COL2m0ThPbo/?igshid=160ru27f1dll

I will always love my screen recorder. I downloaded it on Joyoshare. It helps me save streaming movies and virtual meetings in high quality with no watermark, no latency, and no time limit. Amazing and easy to use.

Anybody working with blackmagic media express? It won’t let me capture in 1080i60,only625i60.I’m using the intensity shuttle and a 2014 imac for recording.

Capturing at that res is what I do. The Shuttle doesn’t upscale on capture…if you’re gonna upscale, best to do it in software anyway IMO

Hi everyone! Based on this thread, I bought a Blackmagic Analog to SDI converter and their Hyperdeck Studio HD Mini. It’s nice to be able to get analog video in my computer again for the first time since I went to an M1 Mac (pity I vowed never to buy anything from Blackmagic again after they discontinued support for the Intensity Shuttle almost immediately after I bought it and that didn’t work out).

It works well, but it has problems when I connect my Vidiot to my Visual Cortex. Since I can see the video generated on my LiquidTV, sync should be established, right? But the little screen on the Hyperdeck Studio flashes on and off and it has trouble syncing up.

Any ideas?

Problem solved. It had been a long time since I’d used the Vidiot. I needed to have the sync originate on the Visual Cortex not on the Vidiot. That took care of it.

+1 for a compatibility chart! I think it should be kind of like an emulator compatibility chart… not just “works/doesn’t-work”, but something like “perfect/good/poor/doesn’t-work”, with notes for any status other than “perfect” if necessary. Although I guess it gets a little complicated since there’s so many modes in the gen3 gear, maybe? I guess the notes part might need to be dropped.

@creatorlars Is this a good thread for people to comment about their experiences? Or do you want to keep this thread to a Q&A kind of vibe?

Discussion is great! The purpose of this post: make it easy for other community members to gain access to community knowledge on this subject.

Regarding data structure for a compatibility matrix, it is kind of tricky. Given the number of formats you could test in, and the number of modules, and the obvious benefit of logging notes from multiple user reports in any of these cases, the data is like a cube – and that’s not easy to represent in a single table. Maybe there’s a better way.

We could use the forum’s tagging system, and then perhaps provide an index and “ratings chart” in this thread or one like it. For example, all posts tagged “Navigator” and “Gen3” is a good indication of user reports on Navigator’s compatibility with Gen3’s HD modes. This makes the forum’s search functions more powerful.

Although this is a topic about formats, I think power would be a useful dimension especially for the system building topic.

When building a 2x84HP or bigger system, with mostly but not exclusively Gen3, it seems difficult to get around having 2 types of power supplies (a bus board and a DC distro or cheaper alternative). In that case the potential of Gen3 offering a more affordable power solution seems lost. Especially if we don’t want to introduce any noise form cheap power supplies meant to power only a couple of non-Gen3 (/non-LZX) powered commands.

Curious what you recommend or how others are planning to do this.

I’ve just added a DC Distro to the PSU2/PSU3 cases that I’ve been using. I’m committed to a mixed case for a while because I love the vibrance of the DIY scene and the legacy modules are all fairly distinct from their Gen3 replacements.

I would either have 2 separate cases (one DC Distro, one EuroRack), or a rack case with multiple rows (some rows EuroRack, some rows DC Distro), or if a single combined case was a must, I’d install a EuroRack power supply/busboard with enough 12V DC current to supply both EuroRack and Gen3 commands. It’s also a question of proportions. If you’re just putting a couple of Gen3 modules in your existing case, powering them from the EuroRack shouldn’t be a problem in most cases.

Cheaper input power supplies is only one reason for the Gen3 power distribution scheme, that’s only part of the puzzle. Some of the modules are massive analogue circuits, and just require more power in general. Making them possible as low HP modules is quite a task, and so I don’t think there are any off the shelf EuroRack supplies that could handle an all Gen3 system.

will the LZX euro power supply be coming back at any point?

I’ve got one of the LZX power supplies a 5a dc distro for the big modules and a 3a dc distro for a row of regular gen 3 plus a 4ms black row power that I’ve used for a long time but is kind of noisy. So I think I should be set for the moment to get things rolling again.

the skirting and stairs on our new house should be finished by tomorrow so we should be moving in in the next couple weeks! Then once things are moved in I can start setting the dedicated space up again. I’m so pumped to start streaming with a system again. I should be getting a package from LZX today with a bunch of good stuff.

We could do a combined EuroRack and DC distribution busboard at some point, likely when we offer a new version of Vessel or a new case. But it would be a higher priced variant than the base option, which would be DC distribution only. It would be very good to hear everyone’s thoughts, complaints, desires, etc for all of these solutions as you confront integrated setups. What percentage of a system is going to be Gen3 vs earlier generations of modules, for example? If it’s 90% Gen3, a couple old modules, that could be annoying. If it’s 90% old modules, a couple Gen3 modules, then most Euro supplies should be fine. If a new busboard design (Euro + DC) is something that solves a lot of folks issues in the short term, we could prioritize that.

We’ve tried to engineer a low impact solution that solves basic Euro power vs Video modules issues that have been around ever since the introduction of non linear power supplies and shallow skiff cases into the EuroRack landscape (something that happened in early 2010s, between Visionary and Expedition series.) Even with linear supplies, distributed +/-12V always proved a big problem for us, since any modern (past few decades!) video parts run off of +/-5V.

So high power, ultra low noise, miniature-scale form factor – it’s a tall order! There are of course going to be some integration road bumps – our hope is that our solution is a balanced one, that allows the growth of the format and systems, while still allowing integrated systems rather than ditching EuroRack power entirely.

changing from PAL to 1080i60.

esg as master sync to cortex.

That all looks as expected. Visual Cortex does not support 1080i60 modes (it runs in NTSC or PAL only).

More on this point. I don’t think you’ll suffer a decrease to any existing EuroRack power supply performance when using distributed DC 12V in the same case as EuroRack commands. The DC 12V entry never touches the analog signal path – that’s all being powered from the rear power entry board on the LZX commands. On that board is a big EMI filter right at the input, and a power supply topology that produces very low noise +/-5V rails (and those are what power the IO and the rest of the signal path.)

If you are seeing some kind of noise like that with DC distribution, make sure you are using shielded jumper cables and that all modules are secured to the case with mounting screws. If you’re still seeing some kind of noise, give us all the details on your setup so we can try to recreate the issue in the lab.

What I mean is, if next to a couple of Gen3 + DC Distro (or other supply) modules, you also have a non-Gen3 module that is powered by a different very noisy power supply. Maybe I’m misunderstanding but if that noise has entered the patch via one dirty power supply, it will not be filtered by the Gen3 modules anymore, right? Or do all signals you patch go through those EMI filters?

Ah okay, I get you now. And yes, that’s correct. You can’t expect the Gen3 modules to remove any noise from other commands. So it’s best that you always use a lower noise EuroRack power supply, same as it’s always been, to get the best performance out of EuroRack powered commands.

Has anyone used Castle modules in HD workflows? I’m curious how those do.

Used caste adc and dac. They work as expected with some rough edges

susynct - thank you for a needed boost of confidence in the upcoming merger

There’s no inherent reason the Castle modules, apart from Castle Clock VCO, won’t function correctly in HD timings.

Castle Clock VCO expects H/V sync on the CV/Gate power connector which is a deprecated standard in Gen3.

To get H/V sync into the Clock VCO, simply take a H or V ramp from DSG’s SUM output (use a dummy cable to disable the other ramp), sum it with an adjustable bias (Passage, Proc, Fox Access, etc.) and plug it into the front panel’s Sync input. Same principle applies for syncing any oscillator that doesn’t have an RCA connector. Cadet IX may be modified for a front panel sync input.

You can use the same H/V ramp + offset approach for any of the other Castle modules with Clock or Reset inputs that can benefit from being locked to H/V pulses.

https://community.lzxindustries.net/t/tbc2-aka-bell-tower/319/67

I am hoping this is still the case, however.

Yes, HV sync outs are available on TBC2, same as Cortex. (The 2-position DIP switch enables HV sync to the CV/Gate bus on the EuroRack power header.)

Very good. That solves a sync problem that’s been bugging me. Thanks.

By this I guess you mean composite sync is available on the power bus, for compatibility with legacy video commands. TBC2 does not currently provide separate H or V sync outputs either at the front or rear panel, right?

As I mentioned previously, it would be super sweet to have vertical sync available as a patchable signal, for purposes of vertical interval switching, oscillator and envelope triggering, and full frame/field sample and hold. I’ve made this work with Syntonie video sync’d oscillators, and it’s awesome. But it would be even better if I didn’t have to tie up an entire oscillator and comparator just to provide vertical sync to a sample/hold trigger input.

Which also brings up the question, what is the square wave input on the front of TBC2?

Thanks!

“HV sync over power bus” refers to the older sync system used for the Gen1 oscillators and early Prismatic Rays.

Assignable trigger function input, like Memory Palace.

By this I guess you mean composite sync is available on the power bus, for compatibility with legacy video commands. TBC2 does not currently provide separate H or V sync outputs either at the front or rear panel, right?

Correct. There are no 3.5mm patchable syncs on the front or rear of TBC2.

There’s an HV ref / sync generator module coming, which will have discrete sync outputs and HV reference ramps. Unlike previous generations, a module like this isn’t required for every system, since modules like ESG3 can also function as a standalone sync generator.

That’s awesome… but I’m out of rack space.

Any chance you’d be willing to make Vsync available from TBC2 Y output via a firmware update?

Thanks!

The Y output is an analog sum of the RGB outputs, so addressing it individually won’t be possible. It is possible from the RGB outputs, by purposely misaligning the start of active video with the start of the sync interval. So it could be in a list of things to consider in a future firmware version, but beyond the scope of the initial release. You can get creative by syncing things off of the image loader in the meantime though. Just make a still image with the top scanline white and the rest black, and that will create a vertical reset pulse. If you do this with Red line on top, Blue line on left, then you will have some usable HV syncs out of R and B jacks.

Will this module also output the HV sync signals through the power bus? That would be wonderful.

No, not unless we included an extra/secondary Euro power header (maybe there is room.) We took a lot of care for the Euro header to only touch the internal circuit thru its 12V connection, which goes thru the EMI filter. A buffered output coming from the core board (on a separate Euro connector) might be possible. A module that is specifically a legacy sync adapter might be the right answer, for that and 14-pin sync.

ZOMG you just blew my mind. That is so clever. Too bad it ties up a whole TBC channel. With a Chromagnon and a Syntonie decoder I should be fine, though.

But the headline here is actually “RGB channels carry arbitrary information”. In the digital graphics world we use channel packed textures all the time, carrying arbitrary parameters such as roughness and metalness in stacked channels in RGB files e.g. PNG. Now I’m realizing that can be applied here.

In combination with other tools e.g. Color Wheel we can do some really creative stuff with channel mapping, color space conversion, color correction etc.

I’d love to try processing footage in hardware or software to convert to and from YUV and HSV. Maybe there is a way to make the decoder outputs and/or encoder inputs handle YUV.

Exciting stuff!

Is there a limit to how many modules you can sync with one sync generator? Could you build a huge wall of DSG3’s synced to one ESG3?

Is there a limit to how many modules you can sync with one sync generator?

No limit… in Gen3 every sync node is buffered, so the transmission lines between modules should perform identically no matter how many modules are in the chain. No more loop thru weirdness woes.

Could you build a huge wall of DSG3’s synced to one ESG3?

Yep! During testing, I had 5x DSG3s and 5x ESG3s all synchronized at the same time.

Yes! Once it’s a voltage in sync with the video frame, the sky’s the limit. You could encode not just sync pulses for oscillators, but different sync patterns in an image. So “image loader” seems like a mundane feature at first glance, but in our context, it’s wildly powerful.

Yeah, we could for example make a still image that has H and V ramps plus a wipe gradient, each in a separate color channel!

much like what is covered here LZX Video Synth Techniques: Gradients - YouTube

I was hoping to jump into the HD arena as well but have mostly Cadets and a Vidiot. I know the Vidiot is a beast that will forever roam SD land, but I was looking at the schematics for Cadet IX and Cadet IV to see whether it would be possible to cobble some HD into them or if my system would need a total upgrade.

On Cadet IV, C18 and C29 could probably be swapped out for something smaller to generate the appropriately sized ramps, yes?

I think Cadet IX should be okay (unless the timing cap here is also too large), but perhaps the op-amps on the exponential converter would need to change over to something faster for HD FM inputs? I remember LM6172 not being recommended in place of the TL072s in this case – there was a better suggestion earlier in the forum I can’t recall off the top of my head.

Forgive me if this has been answered already elsewhere or if I’m barking up the wrong tree!

That should work, but you may run into an issue finding perfect cap values to replace them with.
Let me run a simulation real quick… (time passes)

This is directly from the Cadet IV’s schematic (The H-rate section). The trimmer (R1) is for adjusting the ramp’s peak to exactly 1V.

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If I change the sync rate from 15.734KHz to … 33.75kHz, then a cap of about 22nF to 24nF results in close to a 1V peak. 24nF is about the highest you should use since the tolerance of any given ceramic cap might be 10- or 20% higher.

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Tayda has 18nF and 22nF ceramic caps, so it should be easy to find one that fits. The trimmer, R1, should let you trim it to 1.0V even if you’re use the 18nF cap.

Changing the cap is the easy part. Getting the HD sync pulses on a 14-pin ribbon cable will be more difficult. @joem may be working on this though.

The timing cap will still work. You will just be limited by fewer bars. Changing the cap with the ratio we used above should get you fixed up.

EDIT:

I corrected the H-rate pulse width in my simulation to 525nS as listed in the LMH1980 datasheet. This changed the perfect cap value closer to 27nF. 18nF should still work since the R1 trimmer allows for such a wide range of attenuation.

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Indeed I am. I’ll update in that thread sometime soonish hopefully when I have some more progress.

That’s amazing, thank you very much @Fox!

And yes, I was/am indeed watching @joem’s project intently

For the record, I found the LMH1980 datasheet to list tHSOUT for an HD, H-sync pulse width as 525nS, not 4.7uS as I had originally simulated. The best cap value is now 27nF. 18nF will still work since the R1 trimmer allows for such a large range of attenuation.

That 525ns is the propagation delay to expect between input and the logic outputs in the SD input modes of the LMH1980. This equates to exactly 10 clock periods of the 27 MHz pixel clock. (That’s what I have programmed as the correction factor in ESG3 firmware.) The actual HSYNC period for HD is about half of the period for SD.

A good way to do the 14 pin sync adapter would be with an embedded fpga sync generator to generate the pulses and genlock to an external source. So it could be implemented with the plugin syncgen boards from the ESG3 or the VU007B I reckon.

LMH1980 generates both HSYNC and VSYNC, and auto-detects between SD and HD, so it’s a good option if you want to integrate sync separator directly into each module.

Ah-hah. Thanks for pointing that out. 525nS sounded a bit too short, but I am still reading about the finer details of HD sync.

I am still a little confused with the LMH1980 datasheet. tdHSOUT is listed as the 60nS propagation delay and tHSOUT as the 525nS pulse output.

When considering a ramp, should the falling edge of CSOUT trigger the shorting of the cap and the rising edge of the BPOUT begin the charging phase? I was only worried about HSOUT, but tri-level sync is different than SD.

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You’re right on the timing details! I was mixed up on the SD vs HD timings in my head. 525nS is right.

For ESG3, we have the HD pulse width set to 44 cycles of the 74.25MHz or 74.176MHz reference clocks, so ~590ns.

That becomes very tricky – the right answer is that you start the ramp on pixel #1 when the AVID region goes high – and that timing is variable per video format. So it’s not something you can get a precise reference for from the LMH1980 alone – you’d need to tune the ramp start phase per format to get it perfect (maybe adjustable monostable delay of HSync with a trimmer?) Easier to base this on a sync generator/FPGA that is responsible for all of the timing. This is ultimately why we didn’t go with an analog PLL based ramp generator for DSG3 – we had an “auto calibrating” ramp circuit working beautifully, but the blanking periods would have had to be manually adjusted.

That said, all you need for a “working” ramp generator is a stable hsync reset – it doesn’t have to start exactly in the right spot to be patchable!

Hello everybody!
I’d like to connect Vidiot mini jack outputs on the panel (i.e. the diamond output) as video source for ESG3. I set the format switch to PAL.
However, the diamond shape image is not synced and it is scrolling left to right.

How to stabilize it?
thanx! : )

I don’t have either - but, you’d need to connect sync out from esg3 to a sync in on the vidiot

As far as I know there’s no sync in in the Vidiot…am I wrong?

I checked the manual - you could try the horizontal sync input - page 7/8 of the manual item 18 - worth a try at least

or see page 13!

I believe you can send the sync from the back of the ESG to the camera input of the Vidiot.
Or you can send the the Vidiot’s video output (or maybe the Eye output?) to the sync input on the back of the ESG.
Or if you have something connected to the Vidiot’s camera input, you can send the camera output to the ESG.
You’ll have to set the ESG to generate or receive sync accordingly.

Thank you it works by VIDIOT camera output to ESG3 sync input!

That’s how I sync my system

If you are using ESG3’s component output for monitoring, you can also send it’s composite output to Vidiot’s composite input for sync. That also gives you an optional feedback output from Vidiot, if you want it.

Would using the ESG3 as an output module for Rutt-Etra type stuff make any difference/sense?

I mean using the HQ mode.

Just ordered one in order to get better quality video out from my setup and haven’t looked into the other possible benefits and use cases yet.

It’s been a while, hello everyone!!

Welcome back! Are you using any older LZX modules in your vector rescanning patches and want to work ESG3 into the mix?

Thanks!!

Yes. I’ve got the usual suspects: VC, Passage, Nav and Shapechanger.

If you are using Visual Cortex as part of your patch, you will be limited to NTSC/PAL when syncing your ESG3. I don’t think you would see any change in your vector rescan workflow by adding ESG3.

That makes sense. Thanks!
Actually I do have the TBC2 so by using that the only thing coming from the VC would be the ramps.

Well the ramps are synced, so anything out of the Cortex is still limited to NTSC/PAL. However…TBC2 makes its own ramps, so you would have an HD ramp source there. TBC2 can replace Cortex in your rescan patches.

I will definitely give this a try.

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has done this with the new modules as of how noticeable the difference is.

TBC2 is good for HD ramps, I have tested this in a vector scan processing workflow.

If you care about the cleanest possible ramps, with no crosstalk, follow this procedure. Crosstalk between ramps will manifest as skewing of the raster, it won’t be perfectly rectangular.

Use one channel of TBC2 for the video image, if any.

Set up the other channel of TBC2 to output ramps. One of them on the Red output, the other on the Blue output. Turn the Green output off entirely… disabled.

But you know what, I got more control by using DWO3 or VU009 sawtooths to generate ramps. If you’re not able to get a single sawtooth cycle out of DWO3, send a static voltage (e.g. Matte) into the CV input and set the attenuverter to negative. This will slow down the oscillator more than you can by just turning the frequency down all the way.

I was wondering about HD vs SD ramps within the context of vector rescanning and lo and behold, it’s actively being discussed here. I’m considering buying a TBC2 for many reasons, one being the ramps.

Right now I use both VC and Diver as ramp generators. Doing a lot of rutt etra type stuff with external video/images, but also stuff without external inputs (shapes, patterns etc generated within the system). I don’t want to change my workflow for the rescanning portion (I’d like to keep what I’m filming off the X-Y displays as SD, so I can process the rescan video with all of the normal SD LZX modules, rest of my projects are in SD as well) but if I could increase the resolution of the ramps in my vector patching (using ramps from TBC2), I’m assuming I’d get a lot more detail within whats displayed on the vector screen itself… am I understanding that correctly? Almost as if the “fabric” that is the ramps is larger, or to put it another way, if the gain wasn’t adjusted on the display the ramps themselves would be much larger.

I use navigator pretty early in the chain in nearly every vector patch, would still work to rotate the TBC2 ramps? It’d need to be synced to TBC2?

Very basic example of what I’m envisioning:
TBC2 (Set to an HD resolution)
Encoder A- R (h ramp) G (v ramp) B (n/a) (as described by dryodryo above)
Encoder B- media loader high def sized image

Both Encoder A H+V Ramps to Navigator (synced to tbc2?)

Navigator outputs to 2 cadet crossfaders
Encoder B image mixed in to taste for displacement effect

Crossfader output to X-Y display
(And run the Luma from encoder b the TBC2 to the Z input)

X-Y display rescaned by SD camera
Colorized, keyed to taste, etc etc then output by VC

So I guess I’m kinda suggesting an HD path to the XY displays then a seperate SD path for rescanning. In my head it makes sense that there’d be a big difference using these ramps instead, HD video is much larger, but I’m not sure if it translates the way that I think it does.

You could also use Angles for ramps. NGL, TBC2 ramp randomize function is pretty fun.

Your display’s Z axis may not be able to cleanly resolve HD luma as I don’t think I’ve seen a vector monitor that can do over 10MHz on Z. The output impedance of your modules also makes a difference in whether the available details are cleanly output or simply low pass filtered.

If you are rescanning in SD prior to encode/capture, I’m not sure you’ll really be able to tell a difference regardless of how sharp HD ramps/footage appears on the monitor. You’re effectively downscaling at your colorizer/encoder stage with VC.

Post some comparisons if you end up going down this route!

I’m not 100% sure I completely understand all of that, but I can offer a few thoughts. Everything @rempesm said is true, I just want to add a couple points.

Vector monitors with a bandwidth higher than 10 MHz don’t exist, but XYZ oscilloscopes do. I have one that has 30 MHz on the Z axis. But it’s a moot point if the dot size is too large relative to the screen size. That’s the limiting factor for the vector display part of the patch.

HD ramps will give more detail than SD ramps. This is a big aesthetic difference, because SD ramps will more clearly “delineate” the lines of the raster. In my experiments with HD ramps, I’m getting much softer, ethereal, gossamer translucency rather than visible scanlines. The raster is rendering much more as a surface than as a bunch of lines. But this is also dependent on your settings. Suffice to say that an HD ramps setup can achieve some of the characteristic “looks” of an SD setup, but not so much the other way around.

In my experience, the performance of TBC2 as an up/down converter leaves something to be desired. I’m seeing it drop frames all over the place. So in any event, I recommend keeping everything in the system in the same format: camera, decoder, and encoder. As @rempesm points out, the Visual Cortex is the limiting factor here. ESG3 or Chromagnon is what you need if you’re trying to get more detail in the final product.

Also, a genlock setup is preferable to wild sync into TBC2. I’m getting frame tearing. A camera genlocked to TBC2, or a whole system genlocked to the camera via a Syntonie decoder, should solve the frame tearing issue. I guess this might also work by sending a copy of the camera’s composite or Y signal into the TBC2 Sync input? More experimentation is needed.

Good Day,

For the record- Chromagnon has NOT shipped right? I’ve moved twice since I Bought it however many years now. 4-5 I take it. It’s hard to keep up. Thanks

Ofield

Yes indeed… the alpha channel input and the internal keyer can both be routed this way.

Can any plastic stylus work with the Escher sketch (I assume a finger could work as well?) additionally curious what range of cv the xy outputs?

on the facebook page I remembered seeing this info for escher sketch

"36HP, 5.7 inch touchpanel

We’ve selected a touchpanel that is very high quality (Fujitsu) and is both pen and touch compatible."

Yes, any plastic stylus (spring loaded tip ideally) will work. The module will ship with one we’ve selected. Sensitivity control will adjust for lighter or heavier pressure ranges depending on how you draw. The threshold sets the minimum amount of pressure required to trigger the gate out

Yes we normalize all CV I/Os regardless of frequency range (video, clocks, audio, etc) to 0-1V DC scale. However in some cases we include switches for normal Euro ranges if the module is likely to be used by audio synth users as well. This is a case where we might include those on the rear, for 0-5V and +/-5V options.

Thank you, my plan was to draw images into a cv recorder and then split the output for audio modulation as well as xy for the Cyclops (drawn laser animations). For the sake of precision +/-5V would be ideal but I can work with what you guys give me!

Escher preordered and Rack designed!

Holy shit, that rig is going to be an amazing time.

Some new renders of the interfaces today as we polish all the little details while waiting for our RevA boards to arrive. We’re still unsure if we’ll be silkscreening icons onto the illuminated buttons or not at this stage – right now we’re just trying to get everything ready for flight.

DiverMockup.JPG460×732 43.7 KB

MemoryPalaceMockup.JPG1124×551 89.6 KB

What kind of sliders/faders are you using in the Orion series? I think you mentioned it somewhere but I cannot find it.

Lars, the ‘thing’ right bellow the wave label is a led strip or a wheel or any sort of touch thingy? wondering I will be able to select the wave if its just a led strip/bar

We’re using high quality sliders from ALPS, the same exact part as used in Visual Cortex. ALPS also makes the gray D-Shaft pots in use throughout Expedition series commands.

The bank select button will switch between preset ramp shapes vs live sampling mode using the LED bar as a selection interface.

Yay! ALPS is all i need to hear.

Quick TBC question – will the DVI input be capable of some sort of downscaling? There’s quite a lot of digital gear that does not output SD (mixers, cameras, etc), and it would be ace to not need external scalers for that sort of thing – but of course, I realise that this might be beyond the scope of the module

Yes, they definitely will be capable of downscaling. As for exact specs on input formats I don’t know yet, but up to 1080i at least. (And remember, this will also receive HDMI via included HDMI -> DVI adapter dongle.)

there was talk of a sync distribution type module that was possibly coming out around the same time as memory palace is this still potentially happening?
it sounds like vidiot production has been pretty intense

Yes we’re still planning a panel, but it may get de-prioritized since we got the overall power consumption for Memory Palace back down within our typical +/-10mA per HP budget (meaning it is coming, but it may come later since everyone should be spec’ing their LZX cases for that power budget anyway.) Everything’s intense right now!

I got MIDI working via the 16n using MIDI standard A

because 16n can not send out on CC0 and I’m running 1080i that means I can only control the encoder B crossfade. It is still so much easier though.

I hope we will be able to change the A&B sources via MIDI for both encoders at some point.

now I just need to figure out why the media loader hasn’t worked for me yet. I’m formatting from a Mac (12.3.1) with disk utility to FAT32 and loading images into folders. I didn’t put all those folders inside of a media folder.
“/media/folder/frame1.JPG” this line from the documentation leads me to believe that I should try that. I must have missed it the first couple times.

EDIT: Putting the subfolders for TBC2 media into a folder called media did the trick now all the images are loading!

ok next up… now that I’m using the midi for cross fade

I can confirm via the 16n online editor that I’m putting out 127 on CC16 for the encoder B crossfade

Screen Shot 2023-01-23 at 11.21.47 AM2878×1176 224 KB

I can also confirm via MIDI monitor that 16n is putting out 127 on CC16 for the encoder B crossfade

Screen Shot 2023-01-23 at 11.21.38 AM1356×916 156 KB

however on TBC2 it seems like the MIDI control is not fully fading between the two sources

the setup in the video is 16n going into TBC2 and the crossfade on TBC2 is also selected. This problem persists even if the crossfade isn’t currently selected.

What I do in the video is fade with midi first and then you can see what is still showing up from the other video. Then I press the button on TBC2 to move the crossfade one time and then it looks right to me.

the 0 state of the initial camera feed looks like it should to me. I don’t see any of the media loader bird picture showing through

I just tried with the second input as a source instead of the media loader with the same behavior.

You can pretty clearly tell When controlled the crossfader with MIDI and it not being selected on the TBC2 that the slider itself doesn’t go all the way to 100%

I love that the crossfader on the TBC2 display shows where it is at when being controlled by MIDI!

Thanks! I’ve logged the MIDI scaling issue and a fix for that will be in the next firmware revision. We are working on 1.0.1 (bugfixes) and 1.1.0 (remaining features) for the past couple of weeks. How do you think we should handle assignable MIDI? Should we update the CC map to start at a different number or add a MIDI assignment page to the GUI? We could do a MIDI learn mode, I just worry about everything on the display being too cramped. Another option is storing MIDI map as easily editable JSON data on the SD card.

That sounds great to me! It sounds easier for me as an old guy with bad eyes and large hands

My preference would be a “MIDI assignment page to the GUI” followed by “start at a different number” because I dislike having to go back and forth un/mounting SD cards between the PC and the rack, it kills my vibe.

Hey there, I don’t have my TBC2 yet, but I would like to vote for a MIDI assignment page in the GUI. Crucially, we need to be able to assign specific MIDI CC’s to specific parameters, not just a contiguous block of CC’s.

MIDI assignment must be able to handle not just controller number, but MIDI channel as well. E.g. I have the world’s greatest antique MIDI controller, the JL Cooper CS-10^2. It only outputs on channel 16, with no option to change that. I am working around that by sending it through a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV, which has advanced routing capabilities, including channel reassignment. But I am privileged to have that ability. Especially for artists doing mobile setups, total flexibility in TBC MIDI assignment is needed.

MIDI learn is a nice thing to have, but I wouldn’t put it on the list of high priorities.

Using CC 0 is perfectly legal, all of the CC purposes are suggestions rather than laws, but since CC 0-11 and 120-127 have behaviors that are a little bit more widely honored than the other suggestions, it seems more common for the default values of arbitrary controllers to be in the 12-119 range.

I think putting default assignments into the range CC 32-63 (as the 16n does) makes a lot of sense, in part because you can easily use those controllers in 14-bit mode!

I think a user defined transpose/offset of the starting CC# is probably the least intrusive way to handle it for now. I can add that as a setting next to MIDI channel in the system menu. The map will start at CC#0 + user defined offset. So with an offset of 32 you can have it match the 16n range.

I like the idea of a more robust MIDI router GUI with the ability to save mappings – this may end up being part of the MemPal Mk2 dev path, since we’ll be developing it using TBC2 and a MIDI controller.

Why doesn’t 16n support CC#0? That seems like a bug.

Yep, can do.

also from what I’m seeing via the TBC2 panel the proc amp controls are only showing up when using SD inputs (hue,saturation,brightness,contrast) is that going to be extended to the other inputs at some point?

That’s right, the proc amp controls only apply to the “SDP” section of the frontend (which applies to the CVBS + S-Video inputs) in 1.0. The “CP” proc-amp (Component and VGA) needs to be controlled differently.

dewb and I were talking about this on the discord and we got it sorted at least initially. 16n can absolutely use CC0 however the web editor up/down ticker was bounded to 1-127. I entered 0 directly into the number box rather than using the interface and it worked fine. Dewb submitted a PR on their GitHub for the issue.

hi there-
i have another question on a similar topic.
i use an iPad running Lemur (RIP) to send midi messages.
i have the memory palace set up properly, with the same settings as the tbc2 (both midi type a, same channel, same cc).
the memory palace works perfectly, but I can’t seem to get any midi message into the tbc2. am I doing something wrong?

I believe currently the proc type controls are only available for SD mode

Screen Shot 2023-03-13 at 8.28.23 AM942×934 59.4 KB

so if you are running anything other than SD only the two crossfade controls will work

I’ve got a 16n that is going to the TBC2 MIDI input

I have a 16n and have noticed in other circumstances that the sliders often don’t reach 0 or 127.

yeah I ended up going into the configuration tool and setting the upper resolution limit a bit lower and it has been fine since.

@creatorlars

Are there plans to make more of/the whole TBC2 interface, MIDI mappable?

Yes, but we are limited a bit by the scope of the 4-button GUI. The next step would be storing the midi configuration in a settings file on the SD card, so that it can be manipulated and backed up externally.

Ah, righto. I hoped it would be as simple as mapping CCs to everything

By everything what parameters do you mean?

I guess, everything that’s modifiable?
My idea was to create an interface on an iPad and control parameters with it (TouchOSC). Simple stuff like changing inputs per channel and saving the current settings would be far quicker/easier with that than scrolling and selecting with the buttons, especially when patched. Could pretty much map the whole module to the iPad

This sounds awesome, and though I’m sure you all are super busy, any idea when this might happen?

Does midi channel 0 = 1? (I imagine it does, not all midi devices start at zero though)

In other peoples TBC2 GUI, does the midi channel number only change visually when you navigate onto a different parameter?

What I mean is, I select midi channel, I press UP or DOWN keys, and the Midi channel number stays the same until I navigate away from it, only then I can see what channel I changed it to.

In the GUI it is hard to see when you are selecting a parameter as white turning bold white is quite subtle.
Could a different color be displayed when you are ready to select? I find it very difficult to see when I am ready to press yellow.

Which 3.5mm jack is midi in and which is out? I guess it is top in, bottom out, but looking at the gen3 modules, the inputs are the unfilled circles, and the outputs are the filled circles. Is it the opposite on TBC2 with the small arrows?

I have yet to make TBC2 react to MIDI input. I am using a setup which has worked before with TRS A midi devices, though I don’t have much else to troubleshoot with at the moment.

Thanks

yes the top MIDI jack is the input

what video format are you using?
if it is anything other than ntsc / pal then the only thing that MIDI works for currently is the encoder A and B crossfade

Thanks, I thought so. Yes, I understand the decoder only works in SD.

However neither of the crossfades or hue/sat are responding.

I will continue to troubleshoot the set up.

I’ve logged this is an issue to check. You should see the value change as you press the up/down buttons.

For frontpanel questions, I’ve added the legend to the site here:

Thanks Lars. Also thank you and the team for this incredible range of video instruments, they are wonderful:)

Look for a used AJA IO XT, native YPbPr out from your PC.

EDIT: Oops I forgot it was intended for Mac with the Thunderbolt ports but maybe you can get a converter for that stage.

I don’t have my TBC2 yet, but am going to follow this thread to see if I can learn from it. Sorry I don’t have any wisdom to share. But in general my motto is ‘buy once, cry once’. I am going the component route, have Blackmagic Design UpDownCross converters and HDMI to Component converters. These are working well with a VU003B into the synth. I’m guessing that it will work just as well with a TBC2.

Thanks for the quick responses! Will be taking a look into those

I’ve got two HDMI > component converter I was using before I switched the system over recently.
kramer vp 422 I believe and something generic from amazon ~$50 that worked just as well as the kramer from what I could tell.

With the switch over I’m using a BMD updowncross, a couple bidirectional SDI <> HDMI, and a HDMI > SDI

I forget which two boxes are dedicated to my two computer outputs
I use a m1 mac minis’ HDMI output and an appleTV running another desktop

then with the constellation switcher I have two bmd SDI > analog boxes, one for each channel of TBC2.

I haven’t gotten the TBC2 back in the mail yet to test but I am imagining this will work even more reliably than what I was using before.

I got a VGA expander when I ordered the TBC2 because that is how I was running my system at the time. Now I’m not really using VGA so it will probably just sit in a box for a while.

Just out of curiosity before I try anymore converters, is there anything that needs to be done to TBC2 aside from just plugging in ribbon cables to get the expander to work? I see there are a couple dip switches on the back. There doesn’t seem to be a full manual for Expander or TBC2 yet so I didn’t want to just start messing with stuff.

I tested out my current DP->VGA converter on a couple different monitors and it does seem to output supported resolutions and frequencies after all.

Forcing the resolutions in the Radeon driver does have quite a few technical options for the timing standards. Could the problem be from the wrong standard / settings?

image603×693 41.2 KB

Hi @Z0NK0UT , would you please check this thread out if you get a chance. Thank you!

Was this resolved? I’m trying VGA input and it’s not having any effect.

EDIT: I reset the firmware and VGA input is working now : )

Thats good news. I had given up. Which revision did you get to work? I tried without success on 1.0rc16 and 1.01

It seems to be a known issue that Lars is working on for next firmware release so i’ve been waiting on that.

Hi,
It was 1.01 but when I reset it said 1.01lc3 (I believe, or similar) Now it only says 1.01 again and it’s not working!

It is a bit sketchy, it would accept one straight up VGA signal (from Gieskes vga oscillator) It was fairly stable, though seemed to lose sync from time to time on a slow cycle.

When I tried it with an HDMI > VGA it’s not having it either.

A pity VGA is not working yet, composite out from the RPI is terribly noisy.

Interesting. The TBC2/ Expander doesn’t seem to like VGA converters. I unfortunately don’t have a native VGA source to check with. Hope the update comes soon!

I convert HD1080 HDMI->SDI->Component. No problems. Are you using HD1080 on your VGA?

Yes when I tried again with the same native VGA source it said ypbpr at 420p and blinked on and off.

I was using whatever the pi was set to, 720 I believe. However I don’t have an SDI to component converter.
Only HDMI to VGA, which even when pi is set to 1080 it won’t work.

If I recall correctly, the VGA expander was announced when HDMI features were removed from TBC2. Has the VGA + SCART Expander consistently worked for anyone?

I have another native VGA which does output 1080p I will have a go with this and see if VGA alone is possible again. I accidentally pressed reset firmware when the VGA was connected, and this was the time it worked. After another restart it won’t work with the device which was successful before.

VGA is working via the expander using 1.01rc3.

I reset the firmware again to factory and it works with a native source but not an hdmi to vga converter.
Hopefully converter will be supported in later revisions.

I guess the adapter is waiting for some kind of EDID from a display (TBC2 in this case).
I think it’s worth trying something like this: https://www.amazon.es/EVanlak-passthrough-rearrange-splittersand-1920X1080/dp/B07YN42M1V
It will basically trick the HDMI-Adapter into believing that it is connected to a screen with some set resolution. Though, TBC2 should then be able to accept that resolution.

Thanks for the tip, those digital flags can be tricky in certain cases

I tried again with another native vga device and the tbc2 could not recognise it. I tried some different resolution settings on the vga device but it did not work. Is there an outside range on tbc

This thread was created 83 days ago, on Feb 19, 2023. Has the VGA + SCART Expander consistently worked for anyone? If it is working, a shared video of it’s function or a note from the manufacturer would be helpful.

Please see this thread for a recent update:

This recent update from 38 days ago on Apr 5, 2023 is the only mention of VGA in thread. Does ‘some fixes’ imply that the VGA + SCART Expander is not currently working?

As mentioned up thread, you can get video into VGA/SCART in HD/SD video formats without problem. VESA input support (640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768) is what will be added in firmware version 1.0.2. Does this answer your question? What device are you currently trying to use?

Thanks for linking this, I had missed it. I have had some success with the vga but it is a little inconsistent at the moment.

I had success with the Gieskes VGA oscillator, at I think 600x480 (or whatever classic VGA is)

I tried with a VGA output at 1920x1080 from my video converter feedback device. This was not recognised.

Normally I use a VGA to video converter on the VGA output of the feedback device so I know it is outputting a stable signal, it’s more stable than the composite output : )

I don’t know about any of that VGA stuff, expander stuff, etc.

But the best way to get the full range of possibilities for PC → LZX is:

1. Set PC output to a proper broadcast standard. E.g. 1920x1080 interlaced @ 59.94 Hz.

2. Convert HDMI to YPbPr, plug into decoder RCA inputs. Note that DisplayPort and DVI outputs should be able to connect directly to an HDMI input with passive adapter or cable.

I am using a fairly expensive broadcast switcher to do the D → A conversion, and my decoder is the Syntonie VU003B, but the basic concept is the same.

I use the best buy insignia brand HDMI to NTSC (RCA) composite converter. That’s how i go from PC into visual cortex. I get full color by converting the composite to component. Not the most elegant solution, but I like it.

No, but this is on a list of features to consider for future releases.

At a minimum (even in the largest HD timings) you can load up to 24 images. Lower resolutions = more images can be loaded.

For example, if there are 64 images in the folder, only 24 of them are loaded while in HD modes, and more are loaded in the lower resolution modes.

Right now it will go by the order the files are stored in the card’s memory. To force an order, give each file a number to begin: 001, 002, 003, etc. Format the SD card and copy those files in all at once, if it’s still giving you trouble. I’ll add alphabetical sorting to the new feature list.

In these initial releases, media support is minimal, but keep the suggestions coming and we can improve it over time!

Wicked, thanks for the swift replies!

I have the same issue, and using a number to begin the file didn’t solve it.

I tried saving the TBC2 (restart), formatting the card, reloading it, changing the name but the images are still coming in random order when I load.

I basically try to load 19 images in order and they are scrambled.

Doesn’t anyone else still have the same issue?

Based on @creatorlars response, it sounds like the playback order is determined not by the file name, but the date/time the files were created on the SD card.

I know about this because I deal with animation sequences of numbered still frames all the time. This is a common issue with personal computer operating systems. You copy a bunch of files and expect them to be copied in the order of their file names. But that does not happen. The files are copied in the order that they were selected. And that selection order makes no sense, because it is not necessarily the same as the order in which you selected them in the GUI. E.g. on Windows, the procedure is to select the LAST file, hold down SHIFT, select the FIRST file, then copy / paste. It’s really stupid, it’s been this way for decades, and the only way to figure this out is through careful testing.

Since you are only dealing with tens of files (rather than hundreds or thousands), you can literally copy and paste them one at a time, in the order you wish them to play back.

But hopefully Lars will fix this with a firmware update. Sorting by filename is a key feature for any system that … deals with files. Sadly, different systems have different conventions and limitations. I.e. “alphabetical” is not standardized. Some systems can’t handle multiple dot separators, or leading numerals, etc.

Yes, sorting is vital. Depending on the directory order (the order in which the entries are stored in a directory’s internal “table”) is unreliable at best.

Have you guys tried running an application like “drivesort” to order/check the files on the sd card?

That makes sense, thanks a lot for you answer! I will try that next time I’m in front on my synth

A fix via the firmware would be great, but for sure with that numbers of images it’s totally fine to copy them one by one!

My TBC2 is unable to read the micro SD card that I put, its a brand new 64GB sandisk legit with folders, and images inside the folders.

Every time I put the SD Card (with TBC2 OFF) and then I turn on the TBC2, the TBC2 is unable to read the SD card, and also the SD card gets corrupted (if I turn off the TBC2 eject the SD, and mount on my PC, I cant read the SD card unless I format it again).

Are there any limits on the max size of file format of the filesystem for the SD Card?

The SD card becomes completly flat when I insert it, and makes a click. And to eject I gently push it a bit clicks again and it rises to be able to physically remove it.

I have firmare 1.0rc16 so maybe I need also an update?

Looking at the " MicroSD Card Compatibility" section of the docs, 64 GB is not currently supported.

Thanks! I completly skip that section, thought that would be in the same section as the “media loader”, I’ll grab a propper SD then thanks!

Hi,

With the latest firmware, 1.02 mk1, the media loader can only animate at a fixed speed. With HD rates, 24 frames flash by very quickly and is too fast to comfortably view.

Would it be possible to reintroduce the speed division feature on a future update please?

A changelog would be really handy for the TBC2 firmware updates also. Not sure if that is a worthy use of time for you guys.

Thanks,

I second this request! I’ve just started trying to use the media loader and it’s been challenging. The speed when you press play is crazy fast. I want to be able to do more stop motion type visuals.

In the meantime you could double or quadruple up the frames you load in. You lose overall length but can change your perceived playback speed.

I’d probably start around 6 frames quadrupled up for a total of 24 frames

Then just go from there if you need it slower add more duplicate frames.

I may try to do this with some of my old memory palace sample pack items.

Thanks, I did try this to make the animation smoother overall on the earlier OS as my animation was a bit jumpy. It still played back way fast though, I will try again though.

The current firmware doesn’t currently provide cropping / scaling options to correct aspect ratios between SD/HD inputs. It sounds like it’s planned for a future firmware update.

Oh my! In October of 2019 the LZX Newsletter read:

TBC2 is a swiss army knife input module which simplifies the process of getting multiple external video feeds into your LZX modular video synthesis system. Dual channel frame synchronization with genlock, time base correction, HD downscaling and format conversion, still image/loop playback and color decoding. Composite, S-Video, Component YPbPr and Component RGB inputs.

When do you plan on releasing the HD downscaling and format conversion? I ordered the Orion Series many years ago and updates for Diver or Memory Palace have been sorely lacking.

I saw this:

I hope there will not be a TBC2 Mk2 before the HD downscaling and format conversion are functional!

I think you misunderstood. TBC2 downscales and upscales between HD and SD already, it can cross convert between any of the input formats to any of the output formats.

The missing function @rempesm is referencing is aspect ratio correction, which is implemented but unreleased. Right now my focus with TBC2 is on fulfilling all the TBC2 preorders, and getting the second batch production underway. That’s been ongoing since late January, and has taken forever, but we are nearly there. Then there will be a firmware release that implements this function and more.
Follow this thread for the latest status: TBC2 has been released! - #38 by meudiademorte

We need that TBC2 “screensaver” though Lars. I fear by the time the company fulfills TBC2 pre-orders and second batch??..some of the original TBC2 modules/users will have screen burn-in by the time an update is available to resolve. Users already have MP screen burn-in still waiting a screensaver update to no avail. Let’s get the TBC2 screensaver FW ready to deploy at minimum least please.

Since I found out about the Memory Palace’s screen burn-in issue, I try to turn off the power frequently.
I hope the Memory Palace and TBC2 will implement the screen saver feature soon…

Yes, I switch off my TBC2 when it isn’t in use. However, when I do use it, I’m frequently cycling screens to change settings. Could that help avoid screen burn?

Yup!..cycling TBC2 screens is exactly what I do! But I’m kinda tired of doing this and just going to unrack it. I leave mine on for sometimes 5hrs 4days a week!? It’s going to get screen burn-in just like my MP. But Lars is focusing on the TBC2 mkII now??? We need that screen saver feature day-1. Please Lars?? Super please??

Please do not delay the release of aspect ratio correction. What might be the use of downscaling and upscaling without it?

The recent April newsletter made this comment all the more fascinating.

TBC2 shipments have reached a momentary pause, as our initial production yield was smaller than expected. Parts ordering for the second batch commences on Monday, after which we will have a better idea of the possible delivery timeline. The second batch will feature slight changes to TBC2’s design that make it fit our current Gen3 production methods. This includes a new design for power and sync entry and new faceplate material. The overall look and performance of the module remain unchanged.

Regarding a screensaver:

Support indicated that Memory Palace firmware would not be updated until TBC2 release. It was also said that TBC2 was hardware waiting for firmware for many years. Finally there was mention that TBC2 firmware was long delayed because it was meant to be a portable environment compatible with other LZX digital devices.

If this were the scope of such a thing, is it not trivial to add a screensaver to Memory Palace firmware?

I can’t speak for this situation specifically, but usually when a retailer offers pre-orders, that means they’ve already placed orders with the manufacturer. Manufacturers usually fulfill orders in the order they arrived in, and it’s hard to say when PC placed their order. But sometimes smaller (read: Eurorack-size) manufacturers will fulfill all direct customer pre-orders before sending any stock to retailers, if the orders end up needing to be split over multiple batches.

Further muddying the issue of timing: Some retailers limit the amount of pre-orders available on their site to the number of pre-orders the retailer placed with the manufacturer, while others don’t. Others still might list a product as available for pre-order before they’ve even placed an order with the manufacturer. So no matter what LZX can tell you about when PC is getting a batch, there’s no way to correlate that with when PC will be processing your specific order.

One thing is for certain, though: Rest assured LZX will be cranking them out as fast as they possibly can!

Truth.

Also, to be clear, dealers and direct buyers are in the same queue. Shipments go out by order number sequence.

Awesome thanks for clearing that up!

Sorry for the trouble!
Could you please send an email to support@lzxindustries.net?