HOME - Introduction

Some devices appear automatically (when they are connected to the network), while others must be configured manually (from the Web UI).

Whether automatic discovery is possible depends on the device type as follows:

• HOME-native devices. All Lawo IP nodes and devices which "live@HOME" are discovered automatically when they are connected to the network. 
• NMOS-compatible devices. Devices that are compatible with NMOS IS-04/IS-05 can also be discovered automatically, if HOME is running a valid NMOS license. 
• Third-party devices. Devices that are not detected automatically can be added manually by configuring a proxy. An example is included here.
• HOME Apps. Each HOME Apps server is discovered automatically (as a HOME-native device). The individual apps must be created manually (using either New App or Duplicate App).

The settings for an individual device can be viewed and edited from the 'Device Details' as follows.

1. Click on the device label (from the main 'Devices' list). The 'Device Details' page always opens with the General tab selected.
2. Use the menu tabs (at the top of the page) to access settings for the Network Ports, Senders, Receivers, etc.
   
3. To return to the main 'Devices' list, click on the < Devices button (to the left of the device label).
   
4. To edit another device, repeat the steps above.

The available settings vary depending on the selected device. 

For .edge, there are seven menu tabs/pages. The first five (General, Network Ports, Senders, Receivers and I/O Routing) are available for most devices. The SDI I/O and Advanced tabs are specific to .edge.

General Settings

The General tab includes general information about the device (on the left) and other settings (on the right).

The informational fields (on the left) include the current label and location, plus the Software Version and Serial Number (important for licensing). The Edit button can be used to edit the device label and location. For a physical device, the Identify Hardware function can be used to identify the device by flashing an LED or showing a message on its front panel. 

The settings (on the right) vary depending on the device type.

• For .edge, you can edit the Application (operating mode) and Device Options (number of SDI In/Out).
• For an A__stage, you can edit the Wordclock Profile (1fs or 2fs) and Device Options (sample rate).
• For HOME Apps, you can check the Lifecycle and Licensing information; change the License Type or edit the configuration of the app (under App Options).

Network Ports

The Network Ports tab lists all of the device's network ports or, for HOME Apps, the network ports of the app server. From here you can check the status of a port or edit* its network settings.

*Note that, For HOME Apps, it is not possible to edit the network settings (as this must be done during the app server configuration).

Senders and Receivers

The Senders and Receivers tabs list the device's IP senders and receivers. For some devices these are pre-defined, while for others they must be created (using New Sender and New Receiver).

In both cases, if you select a sender or receiver, it is possible to adjust the I/O Routing (for the audio streams), edit the streaming parameters or access the SDP data. In addition, the "Show Sidebar" button (on the right) reveals the available properties for the selected sender or receiver.

I/O Routing

The I/O Routing maps the audio channels carried by the streams to the physical inputs and outputs of the device. What the "physical inputs and outputs" mean in practice varies depending on the device type.

• For .edge, these are the inputs and outputs to the Audio Router.
• For an A__stage, these are the available inputs and outputs: Mic/Line, AES3, MADI, etc.
• For HOME Apps, these are the inputs and outputs to the audio processing.

Other Tabs

If an Advanced tab is visible, then this provides access to the more advanced settings. This, and any other tabs, contain settings that are specific to the device.

For more information, please refer to the documentation for your product. For example, the .edge SDI I/O and Advanced tabs are described in .edge - SDI Inputs and Outputs and .edge - Advanced Parameters (in the ".edge User Manual").

The page lists all available senders (on the left) and receivers (on the right).

• For each source and destination, there are two parts to the label: <device>/<sender> or <device>/<receiver>. 
• If a connection is prepared but not made, then a dotted (preview) line appears. This changes to a solid line once the connection is made.
• The icons in the Essence column describe the type of flow: Video, Audio, Metadata and/or GPIO. 
• If a source or destination handles more than one flow, then an arrow appears beside its label. Click on the arrow to show (or hide) the individual flows.
• A useful tooltip is displayed whenever you hover over a label or icon. This can be used, for example, to interrogate a warning icon or view information about an essence.
• Once a source is connected, a number appears in the "source used" column. This indicates the number of times the source is used. i.e. the number of connections made. You can interrogate the connections from a source using Show Destinations. An example is included here.
• Once a destination is connected, the "Connected Source" field shows the label of the connected stream.

To make a connection, select a source (on the left) and a destination (on the right); then click on Connect. 

It is possible to connect multiple senders to multiple receivers using either the Multi Select button or a keyboard shortcut. Some examples are included here.

If a source or destination handles multiple flows, then these can be connected independently once the group is revealed. 

In the example below, the audio stream connected to Multiviewer 1 / RX2 has been replaced.

When preparing a connection, it is important to select either groups or essences, otherwise the connection(s) cannot be made. If the selections are not valid, then a message appears at the bottom of the screen.

From here, you can click on Learn More to view the 'Stream Connection Rules'.

The quickest way to clear the current selections is to use the Item Selected buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Why is my device or app missing?

If your device or app is missing from the source and destination lists, check the following points:

• Are any Filters applied (to restrict the view)?
• Is the device online? Go back to the 'Devices' list and check the Status.
• For HOME Apps, is the app running and healthy? Open the 'Device → General' tab and check the Lifecycle information.
• Are the senders and receivers configured? Open the 'Device → Senders/Receivers' tabs to check the available flows.

What do the dotted (preview) lines mean?

A dotted (preview) line appears when a connection is prepared but not made. The line can be either blue or orange. The color has the following meanings:

• Blue = all of the source flows can be connected. 
• Orange = only a partial connection is possible. i.e. not all of the source flows can be connected.

The orange dotted line can occur if there is a mismatch between the sender and receiver. For example, if the source contains Video, Audio and Metadata but the destination has Video only. In this instance, the connection can still be made but only for the matching flow(s).

If the individual flows are hidden, click on the source and destination reveal arrows to see all possible connections (in orange).

What do the icons in the "Connected Source" field mean?

If there is an issue with the contents of the source stream, then an icon appears in the "Connected Source" field. In each case, you can hover over the icon to reveal a tooltip with more information.

There are three possible icons and all three icons may be present. 

• 'Warning' (triangle icon) = Source cannot be received.
  This icon appears if the connected stream cannot be received. For example, if the video bitrates do not match or the receiver is configured for a different stream transport protocol.
  A 'Warning' icon requires some action to be taken if the stream is to be successfully received.
• 'Info' (circle icon) = Not all channels will be received.
  This icons appears if the number of channels carried by the sender exceed those of the receiver. For example, if you connect a 64-channel audio sender to an 8-channel audio receiver.
  An 'Info' icon is for information only and can be ignored if, for example, the missing audio channels are not required.
• 'Stream Disabled' (no entry icon) = Source disabled.
  This icon appears if the sending stream has been disabled using the Disable function (described here).
  It serves as a reminder that the sender must be enabled if the stream is to be successfully received.

In each case, the streaming connection is permitted as the issue(s) can be corrected by modifying the configuration of the sender or receiver.

Where are the connections saved?

The stream routing (for all devices on the HOME network) is stored automatically whenever a change is made. This data is stored on the HOME server.

• If the server restarts, then the configuration is re-instated at the end of the reboot.
• If a networked device restarts, or is disconnected, then any streaming connections to and from the device are lost. However, the connections are still prepared. This means that as soon as the device comes back online, its streaming connections are re-established.

If you wish to make a backup of a particular point in the setup, then you can save the complete configuration in a snapshot. For more information on how to do this, please see HOME - Snapshots (in the "HOME - User Manual").