The collected works of gocram - Page 1

[This has recently been sold .]

A quad-processor, 700-MHz R16000, Tezro tower workstation following specifications:

• 8 gigabytes of (exclusively) ‘premium’ RAM;
• VPro V12 plus DCD daughterboard;
• DMediaPro DM3 XIO and VBOB (video break-out box) plus DM5 daughterboard, including the special white and black LVDS cables ;
• RAD (RADical) AES/EBU 24-bit multi-channel PCI audio board plus break-out cable ;
• dual-port RS-232/RS-442 O3000 serial I/O expansion PCI board;
• LSI LS949X 4-gigabit dual-channel FC-AL (fiber-optical) PCI-X HBA, including transceivers;
• LSI LS1068 3-gigabit octa-channel SAS PCI-X HBA, with SFF-8484/SAS<=>SFF-8482/S-ATA converter and power splitting Molex cables optionally available;
• Neterion/S2io “XFrame II” 10-gigabit ethernet PCI-X NIC, with 10GBASE-SR (fiber-optical) transceiver included;
• DVD-ROM drive (IDE/ATA, SGI part-numbered, seen little use as it was a later addition and the Tezro came without the DVD-ROM drive originally);
• 2 × O300 (SGI/Intel-type) disk sleds present.

Below is additional, and more detailed, information from the usual IRIX commands. Naturally beginning with...

• hinv :

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  4 700 MHZ IP35 Processors
CPU: MIPS R16000 Processor Chip Revision: 2.1
FPU: MIPS R16010 Floating Point Chip Revision: 2.1
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/cpubus/0/a
CPU 0 at Module 001c01/Slot 0/Slice A: 700 Mhz MIPS R16000 Processor Chip (enabled)
Processor revision: 2.1. Scache: Size 4 MB Speed 350 Mhz  Tap 0xc
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/cpubus/0/b
CPU 1 at Module 001c01/Slot 0/Slice B: 700 Mhz MIPS R16000 Processor Chip (enabled)
Processor revision: 2.1. Scache: Size 4 MB Speed 350 Mhz  Tap 0xc
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/cpubus/1/a
CPU 2 at Module 001c01/Slot 0/Slice C: 700 Mhz MIPS R16000 Processor Chip (enabled)
Processor revision: 2.1. Scache: Size 4 MB Speed 350 Mhz  Tap 0xc
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/cpubus/1/b
CPU 3 at Module 001c01/Slot 0/Slice D: 700 Mhz MIPS R16000 Processor Chip (enabled)
Processor revision: 2.1. Scache: Size 4 MB Speed 350 Mhz  Tap 0xc
Main memory size: 8192 Mbytes
Instruction cache size: 32 Kbytes
Data cache size: 32 Kbytes
Secondary unified instruction/data cache size: 4 Mbytes
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/memory
Memory at Module 001c01/Slot 0: 8192 MB (enabled)
Bank 0 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 1 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 2 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 3 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 4 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 5 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 6 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Bank 7 contains 1024 MB (Premium) DIMMS (enabled)
Integral SCSI controller 3: Version SAS/SATA LS1068
Disk drive: unit 0 on SCSI controller 3 (unit 0)
Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 3 (unit 1)
Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 3 (unit 2)
Disk drive: unit 3 on SCSI controller 3 (unit 3)
Integral SCSI controller 4: Version Fibre Channel LS949X Port 0
Disk drive: unit 0 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 0)
Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 1)
Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 2)
Disk drive: unit 3 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 3)
Disk drive: unit 4 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 4)
Disk drive: unit 5 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 5)
Disk drive: unit 6 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 6)
Disk drive: unit 7 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 7)
Disk drive: unit 8 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 8)
Disk drive: unit 9 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 9)
Disk drive: unit 10 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 10)
Disk drive: unit 11 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 11)
Disk drive: unit 12 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 12)
Disk drive: unit 13 on SCSI controller 4 (unit 13)
Integral SCSI controller 5: Version Fibre Channel LS949X Port 1
Disk drive: unit 0 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 0)
Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 1)
Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 2)
Disk drive: unit 3 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 3)
Disk drive: unit 4 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 4)
Disk drive: unit 5 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 5)
Disk drive: unit 6 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 6)
Disk drive: unit 7 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 7)
Disk drive: unit 8 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 8)
Disk drive: unit 9 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 9)
Disk drive: unit 10 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 10)
Disk drive: unit 11 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 11)
Disk drive: unit 12 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 12)
Disk drive: unit 13 on SCSI controller 5 (unit 13)
Integral SCSI controller 2: Version IDE (ATA/ATAPI) IOC4
CDROM: unit 0 on SCSI controller 2
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version QL12160, low voltage differential
Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 1)
Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 2)
Integral SCSI controller 1: Version QL12160, low voltage differential
Tape drive: unit 4 on SCSI controller 1: DAT
IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty3
IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty4
IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty5
IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty6
Graphics board: V12
10 Gigabit Ethernet: xg1, module 001c01, 133 MHz PCIX bus 3 slot 2
Integral Gigabit Ethernet: tg0, module 001c01, PCI bus 1 slot 4
Iris Audio Processor: version MAD revision 1, number 1
Iris Audio Processor: version RAD revision 13.0, number 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1000, device 0x0054) PCI slot 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1000, device 0x0640) PCI slot 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1000, device 0x0640) PCI slot 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x17d5, device 0x5831) PCI slot 2
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x10a9, device 0x100a) PCI slot 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x104c, device 0xac28) PCI slot 2
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1077, device 0x1216) PCI slot 3
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x14e4, device 0x1645) PCI slot 4
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1412, device 0x1724) PCI slot 2
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x10a9, device 0x0005) PCI slot 1
PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x10a9, device 0x0003) PCI slot 2
XT-DIGVID Multi-standard Digital Video: controller 0, unit 0, version 0x0
IOC4 firmware revision 79
IOC3/IOC4 external interrupts: 1
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/hub
HUB in Module 001c01/Slot 0: Revision 2 Speed 200.00 Mhz (enabled)
Dual Channel Display
Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/prom
IP35prom in Module 001c01/Slot n0: Revision 6.210
  
  
• gfxinfo :

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  Graphics board 0 is "ODYSSEY" graphics.
Managed (":0.0") 1920x1200
BUZZ version B.2
PB&J version 1
128MB memory
Banks: 4, CAS latency: 3
DM5 attached to Dual Channel 0
Monitor 0 type: Unknown
Dual Channel Display option
Monitor 1 type: Unknown         Monitor 2 type: Unknown
Input Sync: Voltage - Video Level; Source - Internal; Genlocked - False
Channel 0:
Origin = (0,0)
Video Output: 1920 pixels, 1200 lines, 50.00Hz (/usr/gfx/ucode/ODSY/vof/1920x1200_50.vfo)
Video Format Flags:  (none)
Sync Disabled
Using Gamma Map 0
Monitor Type:  unknown
Gain (all color components) - 0.000000 ; range [1,10]
Channel 2 (physical port 1):
Origin = (0,0)
Video Output: 1920 pixels, 1080 lines, 50.00Hz (1080I_50)
Video Format Flags:  (none)
Sync Disabled
Using Gamma Map 0
Monitor Type:  unknown
Channel not blanked
  
  
• diskpatch :

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  sc4d0l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d13l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d4l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d11l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d1l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d3l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d2l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d5l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d12l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d8l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d7l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d9l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d10l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc4d6l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d0l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d13l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d4l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d11l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d1l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d3l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d2l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d5l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d12l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d8l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d7l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d9l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d10l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc5d6l0:  Disk         HPQ     BF14658244      HP02  Serial: ********
sc0d1l0:  Disk         ATA     Crucial_CT240M50114P  Serial: ********
sc0d2l0:  Disk         ATA     Crucial_CT240M50114P  Serial: ********
sc3d0l0:  Disk         ATA     Samsung SSD 840 BB0Q  Serial: ********
sc3d1l0:  Disk         ATA     Samsung SSD 840 BB0Q  Serial: ********
sc3d2l0:  Disk         ATA     Samsung SSD 840 AB0Q  Serial: ********
sc3d3l0:  Disk         ATA     Samsung SSD 840 AB0Q  Serial: ********

The system, video break-out-box, cables and the rest are all in excellent shape (only some scuff marks on the exteriors). There are no broken plastics, all LEDs and such work, all parts are included (like the DM3 board bulkhead and such, nothing is ‘freefloating’), all fans are working and so forth.

The system has mostly run on an APC UPS and has since quite some time been running solely on more energy-efficient S-ATA SSD disks, including the system disks , through ACARD UltraSCSI<=>S-ATA converters (although I'm not sure yet if I'm willing to sell it with these disks included, unless someone can persuade me with a reasonable enough offer).

I additionally may also be willing to part with other equipment, I have things like:

• O3000 2-gigabyte RAM kits, spares;
• dual-processor 700-MHz MIPS R16000 node board, kept as a spare after an upgrade;
• Broadcom BCM5704 dual-port gigabit ethernet (1000BASE-T/TX, copper) PCI-X NIC, naturally IRIX compatible;
• DMediaPro DM10 (FireWire IEEE-1394a) PCI board;
• Wacom Intuos and Intuos2 graphics digitizer tablets, various types and sizes, with serial interfaces (needless to say, for SGI/IRIX usage);
• SDI
  • several audio/video interfaces (please contact me for more information);
  • various lengths of, proper 75-Ω, BNC cables and terminators;
• FC
  • various disk storage systems (including of HP and Ciprico), mostly 2- and 4-gigabit, with disks, (fiber-optical) transceivers, PSUs and spare disks included (please contact me for more information);
  • various lengths and types of cables, including several LC, one LC<=>SC and a few ‘InfiniBand’ types;
  • HP bi-directional FC<=>SCSI bridge (ask for more information);
• SCSI
  • LSI Ultra320 PCI-X HBA (at least one, but I may have more), compatible and firmware flashed under IRIX;
  • disks, many 300-gigabyte Ultra320 models with 80-pin SCA/SCA2 interface;
  • HVD and (mostly) LVD/SE terminators, including several Ultra320 ones;
  • cables, all sorts of types and lengths (also SCSI conversions);
  • tape drives, including various types of DAT/DDS (particularly Sony DAT40/DDS-4 types) and an external Quantum/Certance Ultrium LTO-1 full-height unit.
• Neterion/S2io “XFrame II” 10-gigabit ethernet PCI-X NICs, with 10GBASE-SR (fiber-optical) transceivers included (I have a good amount of these, please contact me for more information).

There's more, that I'm probably forgetting to mention. Either way, if any of this interests you (or if you're wondering if I perhaps may have something to your interest that I forgot to list), feel free to contact me about it.

Lastly, the system is located in the Netherlands and I'm willing to ship. If you're interested, send me a private message and feel free to ask for more information and to make a reasonable offer.

Changed my mind, now I'm just looking for a break-out cable for IMPACT Video (i.e. MGV2, P/Ns 030-0662-005, 030-0663-004, etc.). I have given up on any earlier video hardware (for use with the Galileo break-out box).

I have various things to also possibly trade (mainly of and for SGI, HP/Compaq/DEC and other types of systems, also PC components, I will list them soon in the Bazaar's Hardware For Sale/Trade sub-forum) and I'm located in the Netherlands.

Edit : Found what I was looking for .

Here are a few pictures of the system:

No, not that much. The price would also depend on the preferred configuration (with whatever possible options/extras chosen).

Just to clarify, to prevent possible misunderstandings and more, I'm not selling this as a ‘Discreet [Flame]’ system.

Just wanted to say that I'm still interested in this.

Thank you very much for these packaged ports, I really appreciate that.

By the way, speaking of GIMP, has pressure-sensitive (e.g. Wacom) digitizer/tablet input ever been implemented for IRIX? I remember it didn't work for some (?) Nekoware releases.

There's been very little information about it, over the last decade or so. I'm talking about Nuke before it was acquired by The Foundry, during the D² Software, Inc. days (which I believe was a subsidiary of Digital Domain, where the software originated, as the name also suggests).

Purely out of curiosity, does anyone have screenshots or run it nowadays?

robespierre wrote: Maybe it was intended to compete with SGI Discreet workstations that use serial ports to communicate with video decks. (one of the meanings of "VLAN".)

Your post doesn't entirely make sense, that has nothing to do with SGI nor Discreet, that's simply RS-422 VTR deck control (typically Sony BVW protocol) you're referring to.

I also noticed that some files on the main(?) FTP server, i.e. ftp.nekochan.net, seem to not want to download properly; one of them is /pub/irix/SGI_Logos/R4400_chip_logo.eps. I thought I'd also bring that up (without dedicating a whole new thread to it, unless that's preferable).

foetz wrote: same seems to go for the peeps in that video. treating the founding fathers of 3d that way is equally dumb and ignorant.

That's an interesting point you raise. Well said in general.

SGI is definitely one of the most publicly under-appreciated platforms, or doesn't get nearly as much praise ‘posthumously’ like, for instance, Apple and its legacy do. SGI is also one of the only retro platforms (if you will) that's still, up to this day, measured and scrutinized for its performance, it seems. A rather peculiar phenomenon. Maybe that's a compliment to SGI, in a way, that people still have such high expectations of it.

especially given that xsi is by far the most crappy 3d package so far.

Autodesk has not too long ago also pulled the plug on it... (Although, in all fairness, that also had other reasons.)

even today i'd prefer an sgi with si3d over any sort of xsi anytime.

Wasn't that also the reason why they released version 4, even with XSI around for a good while (at the time)?

I either way miss SOFTIMAGE|3D a lot, with its solid, fast loading, graphical user interface and feature richness. I'd love to try some of the older versions of SOFTIMAGE|3D, but acquiring the software seems very tricky nowadays...

Another thing that I should probably mention, from my own experiences with XSI at the time, is that it never even got close to boasting the same NURBS modeling toolset (which was rather nice in 3D). Even what little XSI had, it was severely broken (and I remember some XSI developers on relevant mailing list, forums, etc. admitted that and showed no interest in changing that situation either; I guess what little XSI offered was just enough for loading in older 3D projects in XSI).

Another excellent thread, thanks for all the information and pictures! Threads like these embody what SGI always meant for me and my attraction to the platform and its amazing software library.

I would've loved to have been able to use this software myself at the time, or even know (like all those other monumental bygone software packages). I sadly only have access to some of it.

Either way, thanks again, keep up the excellent work.

Amazing pictures, thanks for sharing!

For some reason, although mine didn't come in a box (but with little usage, from what the previous owner told me), my Indigo² — also a purple, albeit IP28 (i.e. IMPACT/10000) — is in an equally good condition and has the same (or equally) shiny untarnished metal, judging by the picture from the back.

That's DECwindows (which eventually became known as “DECwindows Classic”), which therefore means you also have some version of X11. It may not seem like much, but that's what was typical (also for OpenVMS, OSF/1 AXP, Digital/Tru64 UNIX and whatever else I might be forgetting), until CDE-based DECwindows came along for a number of DEC/Compaq operating systems.

Very interesting, I'd love to upgrade my (R5000) O2. I'll keep following this thread.

MrWeedster wrote: And the base 300 Mhz cpus and board you can purchase here .

Must it be a 300-MHz R5200, for the upgrade?

(Also, does this thread mean that O2 owners can now enjoy more 600-MHz upgrades? If so, I'd also definitely be interested.)

Some of the sounds remind me from a sequence in the game LucasArts game Full Throttle (for PC). Very nice by the way, thanks for sharing.

That's beautiful. I never saw a large version of this picture before, so that's great. Thanks once again for sharing!

jan-jaap wrote: Well, I ordered one (not that one but another, with embedded audio support).

From what I saw it appears to be one I just so happen to have, too, which I once ordered out of mere curiosity (mostly to gauge the quality). I didn't have much luck with these cheap contraptions, but maybe it will work out better or simply be good enough for you.

* Onyx2 with HD-GVO (DG5-TVO) which does 720p or 1080i (amongst others), DM2 (1080p), VBOB w./ DM5 (I hope it matches, borrowed from Octane2). This should give me HD-SDI video in/out at 1080p and HD-SDI GVO at 1080i. Oh, and I still have a DIVO/DVC card somewhere.
* Tezro with V12+DCD and DM3, VBOB (same as the one from Octane2). This should give me HD-SDI video in/out *and * GVO at 1080p (?? not sure about capabilities of DCD, DM5 combo).

Strange, the Tezro and Octane2 VBOBs seemed to differ in some manuals and pictures I've seen. (But I assume that both variants can be interchangeably used...?)

* Enough FC interfaces in the systems and disk arrays to provide the required I/O bandwidth.

Which is? The bandwidth requirements for 1080p50/60 HD (especially at 10-bit and above), particularly without proxy workflow in typical compositing and editing suites, can be rather hefty. So hopefully you have multiple FC enclosures, 2-Gbit at least or 4-Gbit even, or perhaps even an array of S-ATA SSDs if you have big plans...

Now I want to *do* something with them Get some sort of video monitoring, and feed it it video data. This will have to use the SDI and HD-SDI BNC's from the DMedia gear. Let's see what I have already:
* a HD-TV with HDMI inputs (too far away and not portable)
* a mini-DV consumer cam, SD resolution, can play *and* record via 1394, s-video and composite.

You got all those SDI video options, VBOB and SDI/BNC (75 Ω?) cables and such, but only have the above to work with...? Seems a bit like a waste to me.

Oh, something else: looking at the SDI doc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_digital_interface I need 3G SDI to support 1080p (@50 or 60Hz). The el cheapo converters do that, but the 3G spec is from 2006 so the SGI gear doesn't. It says it conforms to SMPTE-292M (VBOB manual). That spec goes up to 1080i, VBOB claims 1080p ??

The DM5 definitely doesn't do 1080p (in my Tezro setup at the time), as far as I remember, but the DM3 (and I think DM2, for that matter, too) should be able to. For that, typically VTRs and other equipment is involved (you seem to be mostly thinking of DM5-based uses).

In fact, you can't (or I couldn't, and I tried to) even produce the video formats to output to 1080p (due to, I believe, mainly the VBOB's limitations) and you can more or less conclude this from what's documented in the DM2/3, VBOB and some of the manuals of well-known compositing and editing suites.

While there are two sets of HD-SDI BNC's for each link, I don't think it's dual link HD-SDI (SMPTE 372M).

Dual-link is typically (if not exclusively) used for film setups, e.g. 2K film HSDL, as far as I'm aware.

Could it be 1080p@24fps ?? Confusing

No, but whether your monitor supports it is rather doubtful and very unlikely. But, I'm not even sure about if it can do that and you may need to bring down your ‘high-res’ (e.g. VPro) monitor resolution down, in progressive scan (again, due to the VBOB limitations). Alas, I never dealt much with 48 Hz/24 fps.

I can do SDI <-> HDMI format conversion but resolution and refresh rate issues remain. PC display capable of PAL/NTSC or 1080i resolution?

If any PC display would be, it would not merely be a PC display but also a (makeshift) 8-bit broadcast monitor... Alas, no manufacturer probably has an interest in making that, they'd rather protect their professional product lineup and therefore it's very unlikely. Smaller TVs, however, would be a much safer bet. But would that be worth it? The whole idea people use SDI is for the better definition and picture quality, 10-bit and 12-bit per color and so forth. Thus, generally using anything other than that is almost purpose-defying.

Another option would be to consider an HDMI scaler. That's generally a good idea, since those cheaper SDI conversion gadgets on eBay don't handle things like preserving aspect ratios and such either. But, again, this probably depends on how serious you're about this all.

24fps isn't uncommon in TVs, but monitors?

That depends, but it's mostly a thing from the film world and which the film distributing companies been trying to push as an overall ‘mastering standard’. I'm not sure how common or uncommon it is in TVs, but it's very uncommon in most consumer (and in particular non-TV) LCD screens.

I'm tempted to simply connect the Onyx2 and Tezro VBOBs and make one capture the other (as a proof of concept). Or source a simple SDI-composite converter and attach to the mini-DV cam.

That would work, I guess. (Especially if you're not doing anything serious.)

And I haven't even started with the software side of things. Well, I still have the original Tezro hard disk with a Smoke install. Smoke is supposed to do HD-I/O.

Which version of Smoke?

Any hints to get me started? Any idea if ShotMaker works with DM2 and/or TVO? Documentation says it was developed for the older XIO parallel HD I/O board (XT-HD?).

Why would you bother with that if you have Smoke...?

I can spend some money on it but cannot justify the megabucks pro equipment for my hobbyist projects.

Then I wouldn't bother with it, this sort of equipment is costly and it's probably not worth it for you.

silicium wrote: Consumer video toys went all HD and kept only HDMI output. How to down-convert their HDMI output to 259M SDI ?

AJA, but even more budget brands like Delock, make HDMI<=>SDI adapters. I have one of Delock, capable of carrying embedded audio channels and even deep color (thus beyond 8-bit), i.e. 10-bit per color, resulting in over a billion colors, and up to 12-bit per color, resulting in 68 billion colors.

There is the ADVC G2 converter, but it is quite expensive for a hobbyist.

SDI has never really been something for hobbyists, though. The greatest benefit of SDI is to be able to link up with broadcast and film industry standard equipment, but mostly for the aforementioned ability to deal with deep color and this is then of particular use to those involved in color grading and finishing.

Like jan-jaap, I want to do something with my S{G,D}I hardware, but only in SD with the Onyx2/DIVO/GVO and composite/YC <-> SDI converters so DIVO can capture from an old digital camera with PAL output (make sure it does not auto power off after a few minutes when its power comes from the DC jack), and the GVO is displayed on an old TV.

AJA, Miranda, et al. made some AD/DA adapters, some more affordable (second-hand) than others. The SD-SDI ones used shouldn't be too expensive nowadays (if you looked on auction sites). I have one of Miranda of those and it works fine (apart from the power cable feeling brittle, I may need to fix that).

uunix wrote: Setup:
PS3 outputting and 1080i from HDMI to a HDMI-SD convertor.

What's the pixel shape (e.g. square) and aspect ratio? (HDMI to HD-SDI hopefully, not SD-SDI..?)

HDMI-SD convertor goes to HDi input on VBOB

VBOB HDi Output goes to SD-HDMI Convertor - TV input.

(‘HDI’, HD-SDI I assume you mean? Just to be sure.)

So I start the SMOKE and set the project to the following:

PROJECT: 1920x1080HD 1080 - 10bit Field 1 - 12bit Graphics
Timings: 1920x1080

Seems alright so far, I guess. 10-bit isn't necessary (judging by the source and assuming it's just a consumer [e.g.] Bluray disc of some type), unless you're working with other footage, too.

So I now get, TV output (ON TV) and source output on monitor.
But the problem is, no matter what I do, the source on the monitor is too big and I cannot use any of the save/modify etc buttons

The aspect ratio appears to be very wide, more than 16:9 in my estimation... but apparently not correct either on the TV monitor output, as the image appears to be warped horizontally (shapes appear to be ‘wider’ than they should be). You probably need to change/create a new project with the proper aspect ratio applied. You may also want to go through your Smoke configuration file(s), depending on the version of Smoke usually in:

You see how on image 2, the preview is over lapping, plus obviously too big for the screen.
I've tried the resize options on the previous screen, but they have no effect.

Correct, because ‘resize’ is an optional operation that occurs post-ingestion.

There's also a noticeable difference between the picture's proportions, compare the more oval to the more circular shape of the head on both monitors.

Depending on what kind of HDMI<=>(HD-)SDI converter you use, how ‘capable’ it is, you may end up having to buy an HDMI scaler (Gefen is renown for making quality scalers, but those may be a bit pricey, else you can look into budget brands), certainly else between the (HD-)SDI<=>HDMI converter.

That's because you're assuming I would use it in combination with one-another, what if I'm simply interested in both? But yes, for both types of video hardware I would also be interested in the necessary break-out boxes/cables.

Would this mean, if you get this ‘figured out’ (so to speak), you'd be willing to perform modifications for people?

uunix wrote: On playback, 1080p 24 Hz HDMI output is disabled (meaning films recorded above 24Hz will NOT go to 1080p (which is what I want)

That's probably because the PlayStation 3 doesn't support it, I'm guessing...

Is there no way to control the source output on the monitor?

Not if the converters won't do it, in other words if they don't have scaler functionality built-in. In which case, I'd recommend you to look into getting an HDMI scaler.

gocram, many thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions.

No problem, glad to help an enthusiastic SGI and IFFFS user.

RenderDotC supported an unusually wide array of platforms, even some very uncommon ones (including multiple architectures for various types of Linux and *BSD). There was even a port of it for HP-UX IA-64, remarkably, I seem to remember.

It may be something HDCP-related, too, I just realized. I'd look into it, just to be sure, in which case a scaler may not work out either (or depending on the scaler).

Very nice O2, similar to one of mine. By the way, does it have a hypercube or ‘new logo’ shell? Did you also already try patching an output into your VBOB? (I thought of your other thread just now.)

The aspect doesn't appear to be correct on the TV monitor... (Also in 720p.) It looks like the TV monitor can't properly detect and/or set the right aspect ratio. (Or maybe you could see if the picture is perhaps set to ‘stretch’ instead of ‘fit’/‘preserve aspect’ or so?)

As for scalers, well, I'm sure there are some budget brands. Maybe you'll find a good deal on a second-hand top-of-the-line scaler, like of Gefen? I also have one I may want to sell. (Even with official UK power cable included, in the original box... But, I fear I can't let go off it very cheaply, as it was quite expensive.)

Blackmagic Design is a very good brand and remarkably affordable, too. It appears it may be able to do what you need, alongside doing an A/D conversion (beware, you're coming from HDMI, so you still need to go from HDMI to that [i.e. composite via S-video or component over BNC, by the looks of it], then). I would either way consult the documentation (you can probably find it online), before you bid/buy, just to be absolutely sure if it does what you need or want.

New England would normally indicate the northeast region of the US.

sgtprobe wrote: Hey, thats a great machine and loving this thread

Likewise! It's so nice to see someone share the same amount of passion for SGI.

nongrato wrote: Shake is slow. The only way to preview the composiotion is to render it to the flipbook and you need tons of memory for that.

Did you consider working with proxies? That's what makes Shake really shine. Working with proxies I can still get an amazingly amount of work done, ‘even’ on an O2.

Excellent initiative, for another excellent UNIX operating system (Digital/Tru64 UNIX is definitely one of the better UNIX/-derived/-like operating systems I ever used, second to IRIX). I was last involved with some superficial porting, when I gave pkgsrc a try. Unfortunately, I ran into a lot of compilation errors.

What would be really interesting is to see some more ‘media’ and ‘desktop’-oriented things for Tru64 UNIX, like MPlayer and such. (Good work on GIMP so far, by the way, I'll take a look at that one of these days.)

Looking for the following SGI O2 parts, in the following order of importance: PSU cover (blue) , top cover/lid (black) , optical (i.e. CD-ROM) drive bezel (blue) and maybe a couple of disk sleds/brackets.

I have items to possibly trade (incl. things for O3000-series systems), if there's interest for it. (Like, for instance, IRIX-compatible 10-Gbit Ethernet NICs.)

Edit : Found what I need , for now. Only interested in some of the above (see also my latest post).

Now I'm specifically looking for an IMPACT Video (i.e. MGV2) break-out cable.

Edit : Found it , no longer looking now.

Found what I need, I may only still be interested in more disk sleds/brackets. (Maybe also a suitable DVD-ROM drive and an AV1 or AV2 A/V card later on.)

Maybe it was intended for usage for flight control/aerospace (i.e. radar), military, medical instruments and such? (Typically with square screens.)

In a video that came by again recently, about their 1994 SIGGRAPH presence, I saw an SGI hypercube logo (along with Apple and Windows logos) on a sign or banner at their booth. In another video, a representative of Hash Inc. mentions that Animation:Master is the ‘only truly cross-/multi-platform’ 3D animation software offering in the market, with ‘SGI support’ (not sure if it's the entire software or maybe just the renderer). That was also in a video from 1994. So, I'm also curious...

The zx2000 is a fairly rare and wanted system, in its niche of course. It's definitely a very nice system, as a rather quiet and energy-efficient one (compared to other systems in its class), which would accommodate a large number of platforms and fairly recent and up-to-date ones, too, I might add. VMS guru Stephen Hoffman also proclaimed that he considers the zx2000 one of the nicest VMS (I64, needless to say) workstations you could lay your hands onto.

Even up to two or three years ago, the few people who owned zx2000s were only interested in offering them for rather large sums and, specification-wise, uneven trades... So, it will be tricky to find one, I think. But, maybe you'll get lucky.

I would keep an eye on auction sites like eBay, which is what you're probably already doing. I assume when VMS V9 comes along, the zx2000s will begin to appear and for more sensible sums...

kramlq wrote: I saw the odd system offered for crazy money as Buy-It-Now on eBay, but I thought that was just the usual eBay thing - resellers/recyclers trying to hit the jackpot.

That sort of thing goes on either way. It doesn't help if these usual suspects take notice, nor if certain systems are apparently already fairly rare, on top of that.

My interest was due to the fact that it is pretty much the end-of-the line for HP-UX on a true workstation form-factor system. The zx6000 seems to be essentially a rackmount system that's not in a rack.

You're probably thinking of the zx6000s with the so-called “deskside pedestal” mounts. By the way, which are in turn also rather rare. You'll either way still end up with a fairly deep system and, as a result of that, something that's perhaps not as versatile and comfortable as a more conventional-sized system like the zx2000. (Especially as the ‘feet’ of one of these “pedestal”-mounted zx6000s also stick out a bit and much more so than a zx2000 or c8000, in order to properly stabilize the chassis.)

Alver wrote: I disagree with Hoff there

What's there to disagree? (In so far I recall he said one of the , not the .)

It has double the CPU power, and is still very, very quiet.

One of the problems is that it isn't always clear which zx6000 is a ‘true’ zx6000, particularly in the used/second-hand market. For instance, there are also rx2600s, even some with the aforementioned so-called “pedestal” mounts (which the rx2600, rx2600-2 and several similar form-factor systems also accommodate).

Although still reasonably quiet, certainly for and compared to other 2U rack-mounting server systems, a rack-mounting configured zx6000 or rx2600 will still not be too quiet and dissipate a fair amount of heat... Not to mention when compared to modern-day PCs.

It might be a problem in homes without air conditioning during summers. As purely a ‘hobby’ system, running for shorter periods of times, it might be okay of course. I ran systems like rx2600s (see my signature to get a taste of how many I once owned) for longer periods and it wasn't always practical, or fun, I can tell you.

I've had mine for a few years now and it's one brilliant machine. Just make sure to get the actual desktop versions - it was created as rackmount too, and those are a bit less quiet.

Although that isn't always easy to tell, as I mentioned above. So with a zx2000 it's more straightforward, as I believe zx2000s were never really offered with different fans (not even the rack-mounting configurations, as far as I'm aware).

The extra processing power provided by a zx6000, rx2600 or even rx2620 without dual-core processors is rather negligible in my opinion, let alone the necessity for it at home or as a typical ‘hobbyist’, since IPF (IA-64) is a fairly dead-end architecture. Even VMS will see an x86-64 port in the near future (which came as a pleasant surprise to many people, when those plans were announced). Something similar was promised for HP-UX once, but that seems uncertain now (read: rather unlikely), especially because HP seems to not mind to help their customers switch to Red Hat Linux x86-64 instead. (This is fairly enlightening on the subject: « HP's x86 Plan to Replace Itanium and HP-UX with x86 and Linux ».)

That's likely some kind of extended support, on existing IPF and maybe even also PA-RISC hardware, but that port they once announced seems to have been scrapped.

First of all, I must say, that's an amazing system you found! Nice pictures, thank you for sharing.

nongrato wrote:
Which ones of them are DCD-compatible?

Beware, those are the Flint/Flame and Smoke-tailored Odyssey (VPro) profiles from Discreet for usage in combination with Stingray (DMediaPro, e.g. DM2 for the Octane2 or DM3 for the Tezro and the VBOB with the DM5 daughterboard) video hardware. The flicker is simply the result of your monitor loading an unusual resolution and refresh rate, which is normally intended for use with a specific SGI-branded 23" or 24" CRT high resolution graphics (IFFFS jargon, i.e. ‘standard’ computer) monitor together with, ideally, a broadcast monitor, where both are synchronized, for the so-called graphics-to-video functionality.

So, if you instead want a multi-head monitor setup with a large desktop, you should ignore those Discreet profiles and rather pick one of the ‘standard’ display resolution and specifically multiple monitor setup profiles (see the lower left-hand panes in xsetmon) as delivered by SGI. Like that you can also simply go for, say, 1920 × 1200 over each of the DCD's DVI outputs, compared to the slightly lower resolution of 1920 × 1154 (as provided by Discreet for Flint/Flame and Smoke usage, as seen in the list in your screenshot; this is due the pixel clock limitation of the DM5, the non-standard implementation of the HD-SDI signal output on the VBOB, or maybe both, as I don't fully recall at the moment).