The WFM5200 Compact Video Waveform Monitor provides an ideal solution for basic video and audio (with Option AUD) monitoring needs with an integrated high-brightness, low-power consumption LED backlit display in a convenient 3RU, half-rack, short-depth form factor, suitable for space-constrained environments. This versatile instrument can accept power from a 12 V DC source, a battery, or a 100-240 V AC converter.
Standard configuration provides multiformat support for HD-SDI (SMPTE 292), SD-SDI (ITU-R BT.601) and Dual Link (SMPTE 372) signal formats. The instrument provides automatic format detection for 3G/HD/SD-SDI on each of the four inputs. Option 3G is required for support of Level A and Level B SMPTE 425/424 formats.
Optional audio monitoring support for 16 channels of Embedded AES/EBU Audio (Option AUD) provides a variety of audio level bar monitoring, multichannel surround sound display1 and flexible Lissajous display. A front-panel headphone port can be used for easy compliance verification of digital audio without the need for an additional piece of equipment.
This instrument provides the reliability of the Tektronix waveform monitors family in a portable, basic monitoring product. The WFM5200 offers uncompromised monitoring quality with sharp CRT-like traces, patented Gamut displays, picture thumbnail, display freeze, and an error log for 10,000 events for efficient content compliance verification.
- Video Monitoring Standards and Formats
- 3G-SDI (Level A and Level B) – Option 3G
- High Definition SDI – Standard
- Standard Definition SDI – Standard
- Dual Link (4:2:2, 4:4:4, alpha channel, 10 bit, 12 bit) – Standard
- Multiple Input Mode (with Option CAM) allows simultaneous display of up to 4 inputs for various trace displays
- Two-channel Simultaneous Monitoring (Option CAM)
- Color Gamut Monitoring
- Arrowhead Display – Standard
- Diamond and Split Diamond Displays – Standard
- Spearhead Display – Option PROD
- Luma Qualified Vector (LQV™) – Option PROD
- Audio Monitoring
- 16-channel Digital AES/EBU (Embedded) – Option AUD
- Audio Loudness Monitoring to ITU-R BS.1770-3 – Option LOUD
- Measurement and Analysis
- Simultaneous CEA708/608 Closed Caption monitoring; Teletext and OP47 Subtitle Monitoring – Option DATA
- SDI Digital Data Analysis – Option DATA
- ANC Data Inspector – Option DATA
- Color Bar and Pathological Signal Generation – Option GEN
- SDI Stereoscopic 3D Monitoring – Option S3D
Ease of Use
The intuitive user interface provides backlit buttons and online help. 32 user-configurable presets allow users to recall commonly used configurations tailored to your personal work practices. These presets can be transferred to and from other units (same model) using the front-panel USB port. An Ethernet port allows for easy download of screenshots and the Error Log.
See and Solve with Tektronix Displays
The “See and Solve” displays in Tektronix video monitors simplify video monitoring tasks such as calibration, error detection, and content correction allowing the user to detect errors at a glance and troubleshoot them efficiently.
Tektronix displays offer the sharpest CRT-like trace quality for clear waveform monitoring with the look and feel of an analog display. The familiar video waveform display can show SD/HD/3G-SDI signals in RGB, YPbPr, YRGB, or pseudo composite. Signal components can be displayed in either Parade or Overlay mode. Cursors within the waveform display allow precise measurement of Voltage and Time to be made. The vector display offers user-selectable graticules, color targets (75% or 100%), and color axis.
With several sweep rates and easy control of vertical gain and horizontal magnification, you can efficiently monitor and measure video waveform parameters.
Specialized displays provide summarized, yet comprehensive reports of alarms, session, and status of content. Powerful displays such as Video Status show a condensed view of error statistics, signal format, presence of ancillary data, and more. These Tektronix-exclusive displays simplify monitoring tasks by providing important content information at a glance.
The Black and Frozen frame detection can be used to alert the operator to a problem in the transmission chain. These and other errors can automatically be logged in the Error Log and provided as a report.
Alarms, Quality Statistics, and Logging – Thorough and Fast Content Verification
The WFM5200 offers a variety of displays designed to show status at a glance, in addition to the status bar continually displayed at the bottom of the screen.
A comprehensive overview of the video content status is presented in the Video Session display. Offering a time-based compilation of information, this screen is ideal for presenting evidence of compliance after content screening. Information on input format and session time is presented, along with statistics on Error Detection and Handling (EDH) / Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) and gamut errors.
The Alarm Status display provides continuous information on the state of each condition currently being monitored by the instrument.
To support unattended monitoring and QC applications, as well as provide documentation for service-level agreements, these instruments maintain an error log of 10,000 events, which facilitates the detection and correction of problems. Log entries are recorded with date, time of day, and time code (VITC, LTC, ANC). The error log can be downloaded to a USB memory stick or through a network connection to .TXT or .HTM formats for easy record keeping and processing on spreadsheets or database software.
Picture Display – Quick Visual Confirmation and Precision Content Adjustment
For a qualitative view of the content, a full-color Picture display is offered, which can be displayed as a full-screen presentation. This display is compatible with all input formats and features automatic adjustment for aspect ratio and number of active lines.
You can select bright-up conditions that show the location of RGB or composite gamut errors on the Picture display. The Line Select mode shows the location of the line currently selected within the Picture display.
Users can choose from several Safe Action and Safe Title graticules on the Picture display which help editors and operators easily identify incorrectly positioned video content such as graphics, titles, or logos.
Graticule choices include the Safe Action and Safe Title graticules defined in SMPTE RP218, ITU, and ARIB standards, plus two sets of completely flexible, user-definable graticules. These graticules facilitate editing tasks and reduce the need for format conversions.
Patented Tektronix Gamut Displays – Efficiently Detect and Allow Correction of Gamut Problems
The Tektronix-patented Diamond, Split Diamond, and Arrowhead displays simplify the process of verifying gamut compliance and are ideal for colorists, editors, and operators to visualize whether the content is RGB or Composite Gamut compliant with a single glance. Plus, they are designed to help isolate the Out-of-Gamut component just as easily. For SDI component content that is destined for broadcast in composite systems, the unique Tektronix Arrowhead display can be used to monitor Composite Gamut compliance without the need for a separate encoder. Within this display, a separate upper and lower luma-only gamut limit can be applied.
Each of these displays offers user-selectable gamut thresholds so operators can set monitoring limits appropriate to their specific operation and include a preset for EBU-R103. You can also select bright-up conditions to see the location of gamut errors on the Picture display. In addition, gamut monitoring is fully integrated with the powerful alarm logging and reporting capabilities of the WFM5200.
The WFM5200 also features new optional advanced color gamut monitoring capabilities (Option PROD) including the Tektronix-patented Luma Qualified Vector (LQV™) display and Spearhead display that, when used in conjunction with Tektronix proprietary Diamond and Split Diamond gamut displays, provide the most comprehensive color gamut monitoring tools available for precise color gamut adjustments.
Quad Tile Display – Flexible Monitoring Configuration Customized to Suit Your Application
Tektronix offers multiple display options to suit a variety of applications that can be customized to the user’s needs. The Quad Tile display provides flexibility to increase your productivity. The user can configure four different displays within the one instrument. A maximum of two traces can be displayed, along with picture, status, and audio bars to create flexible monitoring configurations that can be saved as presets for quick and easy recall. For instance, a waveform parade, vector, picture, and audio bar display can be configured to monitor the audio and video signal simultaneously within the Quad Tile display. Unlike instruments with predetermined view combinations, Quad Tile lets you create a Quad Tile display tailored to your specific needs and work practices. Each tile can be configured to enable easy signal analysis such as multiple alarm and status screens, different Safe Area Graticules and cursors on each tile, and more.
TandemVu Display – Customized Waveform and Vector View
TandemVu® provides the ability to visualize waveform and vector or lightning displays simultaneously. Each trace can be positioned and magnified individually based on the user's preferences.
TandemVu® provides operators with an efficient way to adjust and balance cameras in production studios or outside broadcast (OB Vans) applications.
The Line Select provides a line marker in full-screen and thumbnail picture modes.
The vector display is offered with selectable 75% and 100% targets.
Each display automatically selects the appropriate graticule based on the input format.
Multiple Input Mode Display – Multiple Cameras Balance Mode (Option CAM)
Multiple Input Mode display (Option CAM) is ideal for monitoring multiple camera inputs in a mobile truck (OB van) or production studio. Typically the operator can compare up to four camera inputs and can make adjustment of the four luma levels to match the cameras from scene to scene in Overlay or Parade modes. Allowing for the comparison of video inputs across a wide variety of these displays, various other trace modes such as Vector, Lightning, Diamond, Split Diamond, and Arrowhead can also allow the multiple inputs to be overlaid. Select any combination of the four inputs from the input buttons on the front panel to view the input within the trace display in Full Screen mode. For easy identification of the input the user can create customized labels that appear directly under the waveform trace in a Y parade of the active signals.
3D Stereoscopic Monitoring
3D stereoscopic monitoring and displays are available for SDI signals on the WFM5200 with Option S3D. A 3D image is comprised of a Left Eye and Right Eye image to be fed as two separate HD-SDI signals or combined within a 3G Level B format. Alternatively, the 3D signal can be carried in a single HD-SDI signal as a Side by Side image for the left and right images. A variety of different 3D monitoring modes are available within the instrument to assist the user in determining the difference between the Left Eye and Right Eye views. From this disparity difference between the two left and right images, the depth of an object within the image can be determined. For monitoring purposes a variety of displays can be set up within the Picture mode:
Difference Map Display – A subtraction of the two luma video signals L-R or R-L to produce a grayscale difference map image and see the difference between the left and right images.
Red/Cyan Anaglyph Display – The left image is shown in red and the right image is shown in cyan, with identical left and right objects shown in monochrome. This allows the user to isolate differences between objects and gauge the depth of the object within the image.
Green/Magenta Anaglyph Display – The left image is shown in green and the right image is shown in magenta, with identical left and right objects shown in monochrome.
Checkerboard Display – This picture display shows a block of the image from the left eye and then the next block shows the image from the right eye in a 16×9 checkerboard pattern. This helps the user compare the levels and color of the signal between the left and right images
These modes help the user compare the disparity between the left and right images and can assist in interpreting the depth of the objects within the image.
3D Stereoscopic Measurement
3D stereoscopic monitoring and displays are available for SDI signals on the WFM5200 with Option S3D. A 3D image is comprised of a Left Eye and Right Eye image to be fed as two separate HD-SDI signals or combined within a 3G Level B format. Alternatively, the 3D signal can be carried in a single HD-SDI signal as a Side by Side image for the left and right images. A variety of different 3D monitoring modes are available within the instrument to assist the user in determining the difference between the Left Eye and Right Eye views. From this disparity difference between the two left and right images, the depth of an object within the image can be determined. For monitoring purposes a variety of displays can be set up within the Picture mode:
Difference Map Display – A subtraction of the two luma video signals L-R or R-L to produce a grayscale difference map image and see the difference between the left and right images.
Red/Cyan Anaglyph Display – The left image is shown in red and the right image is shown in cyan, with identical left and right objects shown in monochrome. This allows the user to isolate differences between objects and gauge the depth of the object within the image.
Green/Magenta Anaglyph Display – The left image is shown in green and the right image is shown in magenta, with identical left and right objects shown in monochrome.
Checkerboard Display – This picture display shows a block of the image from the left eye and then the next block shows the image from the right eye in a 16×9 checkerboard pattern. This helps the user compare the levels and color of the signal between the left and right images
These modes help the user compare the disparity between the left and right images and can assist in interpreting the depth of the objects within the image.
3D Stereoscopic Measurement
For measurement of the depth of an object within the image (Option S3D) a Disparity Grid can be overlaid over the picture with a horizontal disparity between 1 to 15% of screen width and a vertical disparity of 50%, 25%, or 10% that can be selected by the user. The horizontal and vertical position controls allow the Disparity Grid to be moved around within the picture display to gauge the depth of objects within the image. A set of Disparity Cursors are also available for precise measurement of horizontal disparity of an object between the Left and Right Eye images. Readout is given of the pixel difference between the cursors and the percentage of disparity of an object.
Quad Diamond Display for 3D Alignment
The new Tektronix-patented Quad Diamond display (Option S3D) simplifies stereoscopic camera alignment by showing a disparity histogram of the left and right signal from a signal level of 0 to 100% vertically for each of the components: Luma, Red, Green, and Blue. If the two cameras are well balanced, then the trace will form a vertical trace for each of the diamonds. A deviation in the trace indicates an imbalance between the left and right eye images that should be corrected using the various camera controls until the trace becomes vertical. This display can also be used in post-production for aiding the editor and perform color correction on the left and right images.
Digital Audio and Video Monitoring in One Instrument (Option AUD)
The WFM5200 (with Option AUD) provides high-quality digital filtering and oversampling to insure precise, reliable, and repeatable audio measurements. The instrument provides 16-channel embedded digital audio monitoring with Audio Bars, Lissajous Displays, Surround Display1, and a front-panel headphone port for easy compliance verification of digital audio without the need for an additional piece of equipment. Flexible mapping of the embedded audio inputs to the audio bar displays allows for a variety of audio mixes to be supported from multiple stereo signals to surround and stereo support.
The Surround Sound1 display provides intuitive graphical representation of channel interaction in a surround sound system. The Bars display provides indication for faults, audio levels, and provides indication of the presence of a Dolby format. The flexible Lissajous display allows the selection of any two audio channels.
Loudness measurements are made to ITU-R BS.1770-3/1771, EBU R 128, and ATSC A/85 recommendations. A Loudness meter (with Option LOUD) is available within the Audio display that provides Short and Infinite Loudness measurements. The Loudness session display graphically plots Loudness measurements over time, from 90 seconds to 30 hours. The Loudness measurements can be downloaded through the network or saved to USB for further analysis.
Specialized audio displays provide deeper inspection of the signal and make the WFM5200 instrument a comprehensive compact waveform and audio monitor. The audio session displays summarize levels, faults, and number of active bits for each channel. These instruments also feature Audio Control Packet Data and Channel Status displays.
The Dolby metadata can be monitored within the instrument using the Dolby Status display that gives an in-depth view of VANC Dolby metadata that complies with the SMPTE 2020 standard. The user can also choose to monitor Dolby E guardband timing information from one of the embedded audio channels.
1 Audio Surround Sound Display licensed from Radio Technische Werksütten GmbH and Co. KG (RTW).
Facility Timing Made Easy
Synchronization is one of the most fundamental and critical procedures in a video facility. Every device in a system must be synchronized in order to successfully create, transmit, and recover video pictures and audio information. The intuitive Timing display clearly shows the timing offsets between HD and SD signals relative to the reference.
This Tektronix-patented Timing display makes facility timing easy through a simple graphical representation which shows the relative timing of the input signal and the reference signal (or a saved offset reference) on an X-Y axis. Simply adjust the timing of the equipment until the circle is within the center of the display for precise, direct measurements of vertical offset in number of lines and horizontal offset in μs.
The Lightning display shows luma and chroma amplitudes and helps users verify component timing using a color-bar signal. The Tektronix-patented Bowtie display complements the timing measurement capability of the Lightning display. Using a special Bowtie test signal in component format, this display helps make precise, accurate measurements of interchannel amplitude and timing.
Troubleshoot Signal Paths
A simple test signal (Option GEN) can be generated from the SDI output that produces 100% or 75% color bars along with pathological test signals. This can be useful for troubleshooting a signal path or piece of equipment without the need to carry an additional generator.
Superior Data Analysis Capabilities for Operators and Engineers (Option DATA)
The ANC Data Inspector provides an industry-leading solution to help broadcasters easily and accurately ensure that all required VANC data is present and correctly configured through an intuitive ANC data display.
In contrast to other solutions, the ANC Data Inspector enables operators to quickly and easily ensure that the VANC data is present and free of errors. When errors are detected, engineers are quickly guided to a more detailed view of the data packet content for further analysis.
Closed Caption (CEA708/608) and individual Teletext subtitles can be simultaneously decoded and displayed within the Picture display. Teletext subtitle pages can be decoded in either WST or OP47 format.
The Auxiliary Data Status display provides summary information on Active Format Description (AFD) per SMPTE 2016, Video Index Aspect Ratio, Wide Screen Signaling (WSS), V-Chip, TSID, CGMS-A, Broadcast Flag, CEA708/608 Closed Caption, Teletext, and Time Code information.
Today there is a wide array of metadata that provides information to a variety of equipment through the processing chain. Monitoring of this metadata is critical to ensure that the processing equipment correctly handles the signal. For instance, correct format of the AFD ensures that the aspect ratio on the display is correctly formatted and the automated AFD graticule is available for the Picture display of the WFM5200 along with the binary data and text description for easy monitoring.
The Datalist display provides detailed information on the actual data values in HD/SD-SDI and 3G-SDI (with Option 3G) input signals. Users can easily use this display to locate protocol errors in the input signals.
The right side of the display shows the data values in hexadecimal, decimal, or binary format and uses the following color coding for easy identification of data types and errors:
- Green – Active video data
- Blue – Data in horizontal or vertical blanking intervals
- White – EAV, SAV, and other reserved words
- Yellow – Data outside nominally allowed values
- Red – Data with illegal values
The left side of display shows un-interpolated digital values plotted against sample numbers as a digital waveform. You can configure this unique display in either Video mode or Data mode.
In Video mode, the display shows the Y, Cb, Cr values aligned temporally, but offset vertically. Like the waveform display, you can configure the display to show 1, 2, or all 3 components.