Barco Residential Projectors

This driver provides control and feedback for Barco Residential (Medea, Bragi, Balder and Loki models) projectors through serial or ethernet connections.

Revision History

1.0 The original release of the driver

1.1 Adds the crop function for CinemaScope projectors. Also fixes a problem where error responses could turn into a command storm and hang up the projector.

1.2 Fixes boot issues and wake up from Eco issues with non-Loki projectors (tested on Bragi), adds Go directly to Eco command, adds image (signal) status, adds commands to recall pre-sets and profiles.

1.3 Makes signal detect variables work on all inputs, and adds Signal Active, Content Type, and Resolution variables and events, including custom events for resolution and luminance. Adds Raw command.

1.31 Adds boolean variables for aspect ratio
1.32 Fixes the missing triggers in the configuration

Driver / Firmware Compatibility

RTI Driver v1.31 is compatible with Barco firmware versions 1.6 or greater.~

Some functionality (such as Profiles) may only be available within later versions of Barco firmware, please review Barco firmware release notes for more information.

For specific Barco related integration questions, contact andy.jones@barco.com

Connection Settings

You must select either the Network or Serial connection from the Connection Type pull down menu. Then it will allow you to either select the serial port or enter the IP address of the projector.

When the projector is in Standby Eco mode it is in a very deep off state and not communicating with the driver. The only way to take it out of this state is with the Wake command which uses either a Wake on LAN to start the projector, or an equivalent serial string. The On command will use the WOL automatically if the projector is not connected.

For the Wake On LAN function to work, the driver must know the MAC address of the projector. It will get the MAC address from the projector when it first connects so for the first power up of the projector you will have to do it manually. After that the driver will be able to turn on the projector itself.

Projector Settings

There is a setting in the configuration for the temperature scale the driver will use to report the temperature. The scale defaults to Fahrenheit (sorry, I had to pick one). You can also choose an hours value at which the driver will trigger an event.

Power State

In Ready Mode (the default standby mode) some internal components will remain functional (fans, pumps etc.); this creates background noise which can present a problem in multi-purpose rooms.

Standby ECO Mode is an alternative mode that turns off all internal components (with exception of a wake-up controller), after the projector has been idol in Ready Mode for a user defined period (3mins to 2hrs). To enable Standby ECO mode, navigate to the Settings/Power menu.

The power state has a variable that will tell you it’s state and a large number of booleans for maximum flexibility. It has booleans for Power On, Standby, and Eco. It also has booleans for when the projector is transitioning (conditioning/deconditioning) between on and off. It has additional booleans for 'Not On' (the state is anything except on) and 'Not Off'.

The only state commands available are Power On to power up the machine and lamp, Power Off, which passes through a cool down period to 'Ready' (not Standby or Eco), and Wake which puts the projector in Ready from the deep off state mentioned above. If the projector is in ECO it will require a Wake on LAN (WOL) command, or its serial equivalent, to power up so it will not respond to any commands except the Power On and Wake commands. The Wake command simply sends a WOL command to move the projector to ready, Power On does the same but will power up the projector once it reaches the ready state.

Environment

The projector reports usage hours, it’s temperature, humidity, and incoming power levels, with driver events being triggered at customizable alert levels. The projector sends these updates at its own pace, which is often every few second. If you’re not monitoring these values you can turn off the messages by checking the ‘Track Environment Variables’ checkbox in the ‘Environment Settings’ of the configuration. This will reduce the load of the driver on the entire project.

Projector State

There are boolean variables that tell you the state of the shutter (open or closed), and the actual illumination state (on or off). Commands exist to open or close the shutter, and to ignite or extinguish the Illumination source. There is a command and a variable to set and show the Illumination level as well.

There is also an overall 'Connected' variable to show that the driver and the projector are talking. Remember that when the projector is in standby or eco, it WILL NOT communicate with the projector, so this variable will be false (don't use this with RTiQ if you're going to let the projector go to eco, for instance)

Aspect Ratio Management (16:9 Projectors)

Warp to Centre is a function within 16:9 models allowing you to set the aspect ratio of content when using a non-16:9 format screen (i.e. 2.00:1 or 2.37:1), this function is recommended instead of “memory zoom”. The command can use a value between 0.01 and 1.00. We recommend you create a button to recall a specific aspect ratio using the correct scaling factor from the below table, entering it as an integer between 1 and 100.

Content Aspect

Screen Aspect 1.78:1 1.85:1 2.00:1 2.20:1 2.35:1 2.37:1 2.39:1

1.78:1 1 x x x x x x

2.00:1 0.89 0.93 1 x x x x

2.35:1 0.76 0.79 0.85 0.94 1 x x

2.37:1 0.75 0.78 0.84 0.93 0.99 1 x

2.39:1 0.74 0.77 0.84 0.92 0.98 0.99 1

Aspect Ratio Management (Cinemascope Projectors)

Cropping is the function within Cinemascope projectors that allows you to manage how content of different aspect ratios is displayed. The default setting is AUTO and will in most cases detect and apply the correct format for the image. However, it can be necessary to override this so we recommend you provide your client with the ability to force/override the aspect ratio to one of the supported formats (16:9, 1.85:1, 2.20:1, 2.35:1, 2.37:1 and 2.39:1).

Manual cropping can be used to force non-supported aspect ratios such as 2.00:1. For this you will need to tell the projector how many pixels to crop above and below the image. This will depend on the resolution of the 2.00:1 signal so you will need to create so logic analyse the vertical resolution then apply the following;

2160p manually crop 120px top and bottom,

1080p manually crop 60px top and bottom,

720p manually crop 40px top and bottom.

Calibration - Selecting Color Space (Rec.709 or DCI/P3)

There are two methods for selecting your desired color space within Pulse Platform projectors;

RealColor Auto Switching or RealColor Manual switching.

RealColor Auto Switching, has been designed by Barco to reduce the time required to calibrate the projector. Once the projector has been calibrated place the projector into HDR mode within the RealColor Menu.

The HDR mode will manage both SDR (REC.709) and HDR (DCI/P3) video signals, without the need for control system or end-user interaction. When the projector senses the incoming signal is REC.709 the color co-ordinates will adjust to the correct co-ordinates for Rec.709 content automatically (note the menu settings/values will not change within the projector menu). When an HDR (DCI/P3) video signal is detected the projector will switch back to HDR color gamut.

RealColor Manual Switching is recommended for calibrators wishing to use separate calibration modes or Profiles for HDR (DCI/P3) and SDR (Rec.709) content types. If using this mode, you will need to recall Rec.709 for SDR content and HDR mode for HDR content, alternatively the Profile/Pre-Set values that have the calibration settings stored within them. Consult the integrator if unsure which to use as this will vary project to project based on integrator preference.

Signal detection can be used to determine whether content is SDR or HDR and the selection of modes can be automated seamlessly for the client. For example, you could use the Color Space signal to detect the change where SDR = Rec.709 and HDR = Rec.2020.

HDR

If required the HDR luminance value can adjusted for different HDR content types, this can also be automated in the same way the calibration mode can, although you will need to use the Mastering Luminance signal detected values as your triggers. Luminance triggers are built in for the following values: -1, 250,1000, 2000, and 4000. There is also one extra trigger, editable in the configuration, that lets you add any other level you might need.

Note that these settings can be recalled along with calibration mode, illumination settings and brightness, contrast and saturation settings as part of a profile or pre-set (see below) where in depth video calibration profiles are requestes.

Additionally, where fine toning is required an HDR Boost slider can be added allowing adjustment to the image.

Profiles & Pre-Sets

Not all commands are available within the driver, examples include Scaling Modes (Fill / Stretch), Brilliant Color Modes, Orientation and many more.

This is because the projector supports Profiles and Pre-sets, allowing you to save these settings within a Profile that can be recalled and if required assigned to a Pre-set (0-29) for recall. This driver module supports the recall of Profiles and Pre-sets.

Signal Status

The driver reports the status of the signal arriving on the currently selected input. From an 'Active' flag, to Luminance levels, Aspect Ratio, Gamma, Color Space, Content Type, and Resolution. These signals also generate driver events as they change, allowing you to reconfigure the projector as these changes happen. The three Resolution triggers and variables can be customized in the configuration.

Alarm State

The projector also monitors its own internal state and can produce multiple warning and error state. The driver monitors these as well and can produce events, warning when they occur.

Inputs

The inputs available in these projectors can vary. The driver will display every input of the projector in a list and the input can be picked from that list. In addition, up to a dozen inputs can be put on buttons that will display their name as well as send the command to switch to that input. To make it easier to program, you can put the names in the configuration if you know them, then they will show in the input list while programming. These inputs have a variable that can be used to display the actual name, so the buttons can be labelled with names taken from the projector itself.

Remote Emulation

The driver can also send commands that emulate the commands on the remote, and those that are on the keypad on the side of the projector. There is no feedback from these commands, other than the changes in state that they cause

RAW JSON

This driver includes the ability to enter a RAW JSON command string where commands are not included or supported by Profiles & Pre-sets, enabling a level of future proofing to the control driver as projector firmware continues to develop.