IP-VFC Troubleshooting
This guide outlines helpful tips and tricks for resolving common issues encountered with the IP-VFC.
Slot Statuses
Section titled “Slot Statuses”In the Feed View, right-clicking on a slot displays various statuses that a card can be in. Below is a list of possible statuses, what they mean, and how to resolve them:
Failed Initialisation
Section titled “Failed Initialisation”Description: The card is running outdated or incompatible firmware.
Resolution: Update the firmware.
The card will not output any signal until the correct firmware is installed and it can communicate with Designer.
VFC Card Not Responding
Section titled “VFC Card Not Responding”Description: The card was previously connected but is no longer responding. This usually indicates a software crash on the card.
Resolution:
- Shut the server down, then power it back on. A restart at the operating system level does not remove power from the card, so the card will not reboot.
- If the card is still not responding, reseat it.
- Shut the server down and power it back on again.
A fully configured card will never enter this state during normal operation, it is only possible to enter this state when the card is being configured, i.e. when applying Genlock or Feed Settings.
Refresh Rate is Different
Section titled “Refresh Rate is Different”Description: The card is outputting a refresh rate that does not match the GPU’s configuration.
Resolution: Click Apply Feed Settings to sync the refresh rates.
Port Statuses
Section titled “Port Statuses”In the Feed View, right-clicking on a Port (beneath the Slot) shows various port statuses. Here’s what they mean and how to resolve them:
Stream Disabled
Section titled “Stream Disabled”Description: The card was able to output a signal briefly, but an unstable sync or genlock signal caused it to stop.
Resolution: Verify and correct the upstream genlock signal.
A fully configured card will never enter this state during normal operation, it is only possible to enter this state when the card is being configured, i.e. when applying Genlock or Feed Settings.
Underrun
Section titled “Underrun”Description: The card is not receiving video at the expected rate, preventing it from outputting at the correct frame rate. This may cause signal stuttering. An unstable genlock signal is a common cause.
Resolution: Click Apply Feed Settings again to ensure both the GPU and IP-VFC card are correctly configured.
Failure to Establish a Link
Section titled “Failure to Establish a Link”If the IP-VFC fails to establish a valid network connection, the likely cause is Forward Error Correction (FEC) being enabled on the network ports. FEC is commonly enabled by default in many environments, but the IP-VFC is not compatible with it.
Before proceeding, ensure FEC is disabled on all ports connected to the IP-VFC.
Ross Ultrix Matrix
Section titled “Ross Ultrix Matrix”There are known issues between IP-VFC firmware 23.0.7 and the Ross Ultrix Matrix. If you are using an Ultrix and seeing problems over SDI, update to FW 26.2.