Serial Digital

Barco Encore and ScreenPRO II units require a network switch to link the controller (Encore SC, Encore LC, or ScreenPRO II), the processors, and any routers used for the system. Barco provides the following limited information about the type of network switch required:

• 10/100 Ethernet switch
• CAT5e compliant network cables
• A dedicated network (no other devices attached to the switch)

Despite this advice, it is common to notice problems with Encore and ScreenPRO II systems including issues where one VP (video processor) will transition out of time to another VP, or router inputs won’t be recalled correctly, or won’t be recalled in time. The ScreenPRO II units are more susceptible to these sorts of issues if running with a BlendPRO II unit to create a widescreen blend, as not only are there more devices attached to the network, but it also becomes more critical that they all run in sync.

If you are experiencing sync or communications issues with your Encore or BlendPRO II system, try the following:

Ensure you are using an Ethernet switch:
(rather than a hub or a router) A hub will not intelligently address each device attached to it, and is prone to ‘packet collisions’ which can mean that information being sent by the Encore controller is not delivered to some or all attached devices. A router is designed for connecting computers to the Internet or another network, and will often include functions like DHCP hosting, which will conflict with the Encore controller.

Use a high quality switch:
The price of Ethernet switches can range from tens to thousands of dollars depending on the feature set and quality. It is important to choose a switch that supports high-reliability packet switching, as Encore isn’t intelligent enough to correct any errors that may be introduced by cheaper switches – while the network switch you’re using might work fine for a computer network, you could still notice issues when running Encore.

A managed switch will contain a whole bunch of features which are unnecessary for Encore (like Quality of Service and VLAN support), however due to the higher quality construction and overall capacity and capabilities of these switches, they’re likely to be a better choice than an unmanaged switch.

Don’t worry about gigabit:
Encore supports 10/100 Ethernet – and in a recent software update, Barco suggested ensuring the use of a switch that supports 100mbit/s data rates instead of just 10mbit/s, however the Encore and ScreenPRO II units do not support gigabit Ethernet, so there’s no benefit in using a gigabit switch – you’re better off spending the extra money on a higher quality 10/100 switch.

Check your cables:
It’s so important to make sure that you Ethernet cables fully support the true CAT5e (CAT5 Enhanced) standard. That means ensuring that the cable, terminators, and the color-order of termination conform to the CAT5e standard. CAT5 cables rely on the specific color-coded twisted pairs of the cable to be in the correct order, allowing phase cancellation to prevent interference from other devices, and minimize packet loss. Check this guide for creating compliant CAT5e cables.

It’s also worth trying to keep all the cables in your system as short as possible, and of similar length – although length is unlikely to cause any significant delay, it can theoretically increase the chance of data loss through interference.

Reccomendations:
Consider using store-bought CAT5e certified Ethernet cables, or at least ensuring the cables you use truly meet the CAT5e specification.

Also consider purchasing a managed 10/100 Ethernet switch such as the Linksys SRW224G4 – this particular model has proven reliable on many Encore and ScreenPRO II events that I’ve worked on in the past. Whereas, I have seen issues with some of the cheaper D-Link switches.