Understanding the video circuit can help in diagnosing and solving video problems. Typical video problems include complete loss of video, video noise, image quality (focus, color, inverted image) and video frame rate (stutter).
Overview
Composite video (in NTSC or PAL format depending upon country standards) originates in the primary, or external, camera and passes through a switching circuit in the ROV. The switching circuit determines which camera source signal is displayed, and is controlled by VideoRay Cockpit software on the topside. From the ROV, the video is passed via the tether to the control panel. Within the control panel the video is either passed through a Lyyn visual enhancement system, if one is installed, or directly to a video splitter. The video splitter provides video feeds to both a digital and analog display circuits.
Digital Circuit
The digital circuit includes a USB video capture device, which is connected to a USB hub within the control panel and then to a computer via a USB cable. Within the computer, VideoRay Cockpit software can display the video, in real time with or without video overlay text or graphics. If a second monitor is attached to the computer, the video window can be displayed on either or both display devices. VideoRay Cockpit software can also record the video to disk. Other software can also use the digital video source, and this can be helpful for diagnostic purposes.
Analog Circuit
The analog circuit passes from the splitter directly to a Video Out RCA style connector on the rear of the control panel. From this connection, a cable can be connected to a monitor or video recording device. If the video is split at this point to two or more devices, a video amplifier/splitter is recommended. Splitting the video without an active amplifier is likely to result in poor video quality.
Note: Video overlay text and graphics are supported on the digital circuit, but not the analog circuit.
Summary of Video Circuit Components
- Camera
- Switching circuit within the ROV
- Wiring within the ROV, tether or control panel
- Video capture device
- USB system
- Software
- Display component
- Power
When diagnosing video problems, the divide and conquer method is recommended. See the other FAQs about video problems for more specific instructions.