RTI Miravue FAQ Q: Why is RTI Miravue the best IP video distribution solution? A: The RTI Miravue VIP-1 Transceiver: Offers both simultaneous transmit and receive in a single, small device Does not require high-end network infrastructure (e.g., gigabit, layer 3, vlans, etc.) Supports wired and wireless Ethernet video distribution Supports HDMI/HDCP 1.x and 2.x video sources and displays Integrates network video streams (e.g., IP Cameras) without additional equipment Displays video cast from non-hdmi sources via DIAL or DLNA Forwards IR over IP to the current video source, or if using a control system, provides expanded IR & RS-232 IO ports over IP (without additional equipment) Works with or without a control system Automatically provides stereo downmix with lipsync adjust for distributed audio systems Q: How do I become an RTI Miravue authorized dealer? A: If you are a qualified integrator/dealer (or distributor), the first step is to visit the RTI Become a Dealer webpage for information. Q: Where can I purchase RTI Miravue products? A: All RTI products are sold through a worldwide network of authorized distribution partners. Please visit the Find a Dealer tab of the RTI website, where you will find links to locate US and International Distributors. RTI Miravue VIP-1 Transceiver Q: Other video over IP solutions use transmitters for video sources and receivers for video displays... why a transceiver? A: A transceiver is both a transmitter (i.e., it encodes video) and a receiver (i.e., it decodes video). The VIP-1 transceiver does this simultaneously which allows for distributed video sources and less overall equipment. It s also nice that a single SKU can serve as a backup for any installation. The VIP-1 reduces the amount of cabling, infrastructure, and installation time while providing your clients with more features. This translates into significant savings for your customers. Q: What RTI Miravue products do I need? A: The primary component of the RTI Miravue video over IP system is the transceiver (VIP-1).
Distributed Architecture: If you are using a distributed architecture (i.e., one source at each display), you will need to order the number of transceivers that equals the larger number of displays or sources (but not both). For example, if you have six displays and four sources, you would need six transceivers. If you have four displays and six sources, you would still need six transceivers. Centralized Architecture: If you are using a centralized architecture (i.e., the sources are racked and away from the displays), you will need one transceiver for each source and one transceiver for each display. However, if you are using a hybrid architecture (i.e., some sources centralized and some sources distributed) you will need the total the number of displays with a source, plus the total number of displays without a source, plus the total number of sources without a display. Q: What s the difference between distributed and centralized video sources? A: In a distributed source model, both a video source and a video display are connected to each transceiver. The advantage of this approach is that it requires half the number of transceivers than a centralized model. In a centralized source model, the video sources are racked and the video displays are distributed. The downside of this traditional approach is that it requires twice the number of transceivers than a fully distributed model. The good news is that you can design the system around your client s needs, including a hybrid approach where some sources are racked and others distributed. Q: Is there a limit to the number of video sources and/or video displays I can connect to a Miravue network? A: Yes and no. Yes, in that DCP only allows 32 video connections (or simultaneous views) to any given video source encrypted with HDCP (e.g., Blu-ray player). Yes, in the Miravue system currently allows up to 32 video sources per Group ID. No, in that there is no limit to the number of video displays Miravue can support. However, there is a limitation on the number of simultaneous video streams (or connections) when transmitting in unicast mode (i.e., the transceiver can accommodate up to 4 simultaneous streams to a single video source; if no video display is connected to the source transceiver, 5 streams may be possible). Infrastructure Q: What network switches do you support? A: You can use an unmanaged 10/100 switch on smaller systems up to a high-end, fully managed gigabit switch on larger systems. If you configure your video sources multicast, then we strongly recommend a switch that offers IGMP Snooping with Query. This will filter out superfluous IP traffic (i.e., sends only the desired stream to the corresponding port so the network isn t flooded with unwanted packets).
Three levels of network switch integration. Each level requires additional setup but improves the performance of the system as well as other devices on the local network: 1. Unmanaged 10/100 or gigabit switch can be used for simple installations (e.g., up to 8 devices running unicast with no control system) 2. Basic managed gigabit switch (i.e., with IGMP Snooping with Query) can be used for medium-sized installations (e.g., up to 16 transceivers running multicast) 3. Fully managed gigabit switch (i.e., with IGMP Snooping with Query and vlan configured for Miravue traffic that shares connections to the Internet and wireless network) can be used for larger installations (e.g., more than 16 transceivers). Q: Static IP or DHCP Network Setup? A: Setting static IPs at both the transceiver and the router improves network performance. Also, when practical, you should put the VIP-1 transceivers on the same network switch (i.e, backplane). Q: What bandwidth do you occupy on the network wire? A: Each video stream occupies 15mb on the wire. The total bandwidth required depends on the number of video sources and the video source transmit mode being used (i.e., either unicast or multicast). Q: What s the bandwidth difference between unicast and multicast? A: Each encoded video stream occupies 15mb on the wire. In unicast mode the network contains a separate copy of each video stream being viewed (i.e., displays cannot share source video streams). In multicast mode the network contains only one copy of each video source stream (whether being viewed or not). Unicast mode is useful for small networks or for wireless video distribution. Multicast mode is useful for larger networks (especially a smaller number of video sources to video displays). In this case, a switch with IGMP snooping & query is highly recommended (to filter superfluous traffic). IMPORTANT NOTE: In unicast mode, since each video connection (source to display) is a separate video stream that occupies 15mb on the wire and since the Ethernet ports on the transceiver are 10/100 ports, the transceiver can accommodate up to 4 simultaneous streams (connections) to a single video source (if no video display is connected to the source transceiver, 5 streams may be possible). If more than 4 (or 5) simultaneous connections to a single video source are desired, use multicast mode. Q: What network wiring do you support? A: Ethernet (CAT5/6/7) up to 100m or 330 ft, and wireless (distance depends on the wireless coverage).
Q: What about distribution over WiFi? A: The transceiver can distribute video over WiFi both ways (i.e., simultaneously transmit and receive) using a standard wireless router. Note: the 5GHz frequency is used for wireless video distribution and depending on the number of video sources on the network, unicast mode may be advisable (only 15mb for the incoming video source and 15mb for the outgoing video source, if any) vs multicast mode (15mb times the number of video sources on the network). Q: What about distribution over coax cable? A: An optional coax card add-on is in development. (Release date TBD) Q: What accessories do you have? A: Miravue IR remotes (IR-REM) - If you are not using a controller system and the displays don't support CEC. Miravue IR receiver cables (IR-REC) for each transceiver where there is no line of sight to the transceiver (e.g., the transceiver is mounted behind the display). Rack shelves (RCK-12 or RCK-3) that are specially designed to properly secure and vent the transceivers. (Currently in development Release date TBD) Q: Are 3rd-party products required? A: A network switch with PoE (Power over Ethernet) to power the transceivers or you can power each transceiver with an VIP-1 power adapter. Source selection Q: How is control accomplished? A: Control can be via on-screen source select (using IR or CEC) or via the RTI control system (via IP using two-way driver or IR). The RTI control system two-way driver allows direct source selection. Q: Does the RTI control system driver provide routable IR & RS232 over IP as well as video switching? A: Yes, the RTI two-way driver uses the RTI Miravue IP infrastructure to forward IR or RS232 commands to the devices connected to the transceiver (i.e., video display and/or source) without the need for separate IR or RS232 cabling or infrastructure.
Q: How do I use the on-screen source select? A: Send the OK/Select command (i.e., using the RTI Miravue IR remote or the TVs CEC compatible remote or RTI control system) to display a list of video sources available on the network. The current source is indicated by a solid bar to the right of the source name. Use the UP and DOWN buttons to navigate the menu and OK/Select to switch to the desired video source. Q: How is the source list created? A: The on-screen source list is automatically generated using the names of all HDMI video source(s) on the RTI Miravue network plus any network video streams added to the transceiver. Note: Only video sources and displays that have the same 4-digit group ID (provided in the transceiver setup) will see each other even if there are other VIP-1 transceivers on the same physical network. Q: Where do the names in the source list come from? A: Source names are taken from the text you enter in the HDMI-in field (for a wired HDMI video source) and any Network Video Stream(s) you specify in the VIP-1 transceiver setup program (like an IP camera). Q: How do I control video sources on the network if I m not using a control system? A: The VIP-1 forwards IR traffic to the current video source. So, if you are watching your cable/satellite box and you press the Guide button on the remote, the IR code is received by the transceiver connected to the video display (either directly if line-of-sight or through the RTI Miravue IR receiver cable) and is passed over IP to the transceiver connected to the video source and sent out the IR-out port. Q: What do the buttons on the RTI Miravue remote do? A: UP moves the highlight up one item; DOWN moves the highlight down one item; LEFT dismisses the on-screen source list. If you do nothing, the on-screen source list will disappear after a few seconds. If you move the highlight, the source list will stay until a new source is selected or the source list is dismissed. Selecting the current source does nothing. Q: What about non-ir controlled sources? A: Non-IR controlled video sources (e.g., Bluetooth, RF) cannot currently be controlled through the RTI Miravue system.
Audio Q: Can the audio of a distributed video source be extracted for a centralized audio system? A: Yes, audio from the stereo-out port on the transceiver can be used with a centralized audio system (e.g., a whole-home audio). If the video source is distributed (i.e., not centralized), the audio from the stereo-out port on the transceiver would need to be wired back to the centralized audio system. The signal quality would depend on the cable (e.g., quality, length, shielding) and the run (i.e., environment). We suggest using high-quality shielded 3.5mm male-to-male stereo audio cables. Q: What about audio sync issues from the stereo-out port? A: The VIP-1 transceiver setup program allows you to specify which audio stream (i.e., from the HDMI-in port or to the HDMI-out port) is delivered to the stereo-out port and the delay in milliseconds for lipsync adjust. Only one audio stream can be selected since there is only one stereo-out port. Video Encoding and 4K Support Q: Is the RTI Miravue H.264 encoding proprietary? A: The stream is proprietary and includes non-proprietary H.264 encoded video/audio (encrypted if the source is HDCP encrypted) and communication traffic (IR, RS232, IP, notifications). In other words, it cannot be decoded by VLC on a computer. Q: What about 720p or stereo only displays? A: The RTI Miravue VIP-1 transceiver encodes H.264 up to its highest supported resolution and audio (i.e., 1080p and Dolby 5.1). If the end display cannot support the video resolution or audio format, the stream is downscaled or downmixed accordingly. Q: Does the RTI Miravue VIP-1 support 4K video? A: The VIP-1 transceiver currently encodes H.264 video streams up to 1080p and has audio support for analog stereo and Dolby 5.1. The next generation of the RTI Miravue transceiver will utilize an H.265 encoder that will encode video streams up to 4K 4:2:2 with 10-bit color and have audio support for analog stereo, Dolby 5.1, Dolby 7.1, Dolby Atmos, DTS, and DTS-HD. Additional Info: Video over IP products that currently support 4K use some form of JPEG technology which is very expensive on the wire (e.g., 450mb per 4K stream or 150mb per 1080p stream) and require corresponding high-end infrastructure (e.g., layer 3 switch, VLANs, etc.). Our approach is to use broadcast-quality encoders (e.g., H.264 for 1080p and H.265 for 4K) which occupy 1/10th the bandwidth of the JPEG approach (e.g., 45mb for 4K and 15mb for 1080p). In addition, we offer many features and
benefits that others do not and these will move forward with us (e.g., support for Ethernet, wireless, direct IP streams, network media, mobile device casting, on-screen display, IR/RS232 forwarding etc). In summary, 4K displays are a hot item and rightfully so but there is nothing that precludes the use of our product with these displays (i.e., they upscale 1080p very well). Q: Will the new H.265 transceiver integrate with existing H.264 installations? A: Yes, the H.265 transceiver will have two modes: simultaneous encode/decode (like the current transceiver) for new installations and simultaneous encode/encode (encodes both H.264 1080p and H.265 4K video streams) for existing installations.